How Much Time and Money Does Remote Rebooting Really Save?

It only took 10 minutes for your router to lock up. But what did it really cost your business?

Downtime – The Silent Killer.

Downtime is the silent killer of operational efficiency. Whether it’s a frozen security camera, an unreachable radio tower, or a router that simply needs a reboot, every minute of unplanned outage chips away at system availability, productivity, customer satisfaction, and your bottom line. And while some downtime events seem small, their cumulative impact can be staggering.

This guide breaks down how much downtime actually costs and how remote rebooting can offer a fast, affordable solution with a near-instant return on investment.

What’s the True Cost of Downtime?

Downtime refers to any period when a device, system, or service is non-operational. This can be due to hardware failures, software lockups, power outages, or frozen connections. Each of these often require nothing more than a reboot to resolve.

Productivity

The cost of downtime goes far beyond the surface-level interruption. First, there’s the issue of lost productivity. When a device like a router, modem, or PLC becomes unresponsive, any associated systems that rely on it are immediately rendered inactive. Employees are left waiting, operations are paused, and workflows grind to a halt.

Labor Costs

Then comes the labor cost. When on-site intervention is required, a technician must either be pulled from other duties or dispatched to a remote location. This includes travel time, fuel expenses, and potentially after-hours or emergency labor rates, all adding significantly to the final bill. In some industries such as oil & gas, traveling to remote sites for long shifts on isolated roads increases the risk of accidents caused by fatigue or poor road conditions, which is one of the leading causes of fatalities in that industry.

Customer Frustration

Customer dissatisfaction also plays a major role. Your customers/clients expect always-on service, and any hiccup in connectivity or functionality can lead to frustration, complaints, or lost business. This is especially problematic for businesses that offer managed services or operate under strict Service Level Agreements (SLAs), where downtime can trigger penalties or even contract breaches.

Long-Term Impact

Finally, there’s the long-term impact. The compounding effect of repeated outages leads to degraded system reliability, strained support teams, and missed opportunities that don’t always show up on a balance sheet but absolutely show up in customer churn and reputation loss.

How Much Does Downtime Cost in Your Industry?

According to data from Aberdeen Group, Gartner, and other analysts, the average cost of downtime per hour is eye-opening:

Industry	Avg. Cost of Downtime per Hour
Manufacturing	$260,000
Telecom	$2,000 per minute
Financial Services	$9,000 per minute
Oil & Gas	$100K to over $1M/hour
SMBs (average)	$8,000 per hour

Even in small- to mid-sized businesses, where operations might be more modest, the average cost of downtime can still exceed $8,000 per hour. That’s because lost sales, stalled workflows, idle employees, technician time, and other operational disruptions scale quickly. And that’s before accounting for intangibles like customer frustration or data loss.

What Happens When You Can’t Reboot Remotely?

Without a remote rebooting solution in place, the only option is manual intervention. This usually means someone must physically travel to the site to power cycle the equipment. If the outage happens after hours or on a weekend, response times are delayed, and labor costs surge.

Does This Sound Familiar?

• A device goes offline at a remote site.
• Your team might not even be alerted until someone notices a failure in service or receives a complaint.
• A technician is dispatched, often driving hours to reach a rural or industrial site.
• Once there, they may simply unplug and reboot the device in less than a minute.

The absurdity lies in the cost of this process: you’ve paid for mileage, technician hours, and downtime penalties for a job that could have been resolved in seconds with the right remote control device in place.

Remote Rebooting: A Repeatable Cost Saver

ControlByWeb allows for ultimate efficiency to remotely reboot network-connected equipment in the field or in facilities. Whether you need manual remote reboot control, scheduled reboots, or automatic reboots based on ping watchdogs or digital inputs, these devices offer a secure and scalable solution.

They work over local Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and, for truly remote installations, cellular networks. If you need to manage devices in areas without wired internet, cellular-enabled ControlByWeb units offer secure, outbound-only connections that bypass the need for static IPs, VPNs, or port forwarding. This ensures you can still maintain control, even in isolated or mobile environments.

How much could you save?

Suppose you install a ControlByWeb WebRelay that costs between $190 and $290. Configuration takes less than 30 minutes. Avoiding just one service call, that often costs $300 or more, means your investment is already recovered.

When paired with ping monitoring or auto-reboot logic, these devices turn reactive support problems into automated, proactive solutions.

Case Study: Before vs. After Remote Reboot

What if the camera responds to pings but the video feed is frozen?

You can log into the ControlByWeb device and manually reboot it. And if the network connection itself is down, a cellular-enabled ControlByWeb unit ensures you can still access it remotely, independently of the site’s main network.

Hidden ROI: What You Don’t See on the Spreadsheet

Beyond direct savings, remote rebooting improves:

• SLA performance: Stay within response windows and avoid penalties.
• Customer trust: Reduce outages and support tickets.
• Team efficiency & safety: Fewer late-night callouts, less driving, and safer work environments.
• System resilience: Prevent small issues from escalating into full outages.

One Auto Reboot – Fast ROI

Remote IP rebooting doesn’t just reduce downtime; it makes downtime less costly when it happens. Whether you’re managing critical infrastructure, distributed systems, or just want fewer support calls, ControlByWeb delivers fast ROI.

Getting Started

Setting up a remote reboot solution with ControlByWeb is fast and efficient. Devices like the WebRelay, WebSwitch Plus, or X-410 work with minimal configuration and no ongoing fees. For remote or off-grid locations, cellular-enabled ControlByWeb models are also available.

All configuration happens through a browser. No special apps or IT expertise required.

FAQ: Remote Rebooting and Downtime

And if your devices are in locations without internet, cellular-enabled units extend these benefits anywhere you can get a signal.