Router won't let me connect

An hour ago, my internet went down for no apparent reason, i called my ISP, rebooted my PC, rebooted my modem, my router and checked all the cables going between my PC, the modem and the router.
Everything was fine, but my internet still wouldn't work.
So i removed the cable that connects between the modem and the router and replaced it in the modem with my Ethernet cable that comes from my computer, thus disconnecting my network and my mothers computer from the internet. we couldn't find any way to make it work with the router in between. is the router broken? all the lights work fine, but i can't seem to be able to connect to the internet with it between my computer and the modem....

 

I ran into this on a client PC setup a few weeks ago. Based on this here are two things to check.

First, leaving the cable modem power on, unplug the network cable. If the "activity" light on the modem flickers or stays on without an Ethernet cable connected to its output the modem may be going bad. Contact your ISP provider's tech support to verify if this is the case with your modem model.

If you're sure you've connected everything in the proper sequence...

• Disconnect power from router and modem.
• Connect network cable from modem to incoming router port.
• Connect wired PC to "Port 1" on router.
• Power on router.
• Power on modem (it may take up to 60 seconds until it fully functions).

...call your cable company's help and support number and ask them to "ping" the modem then "release the address". Some smaller cable systems have to release and reset the DHCP address at their end for the router to function properly.

Don't ask me to explain the geek logic behind this. This was buried in TvMax Cable's help pages. If the people on their tech support line knew this the first time I called I would have finished a lot sooner.:drool