Hello HomeNetworking! I will begin with my story, and then ask follow up questions at the end.

I woke up yesterday and had no internet in my home. I use Cox (Phoenix, AZ). The strange part about this was that not only did I not have internet, I also couldn't see my SSID / connect to my router. The router I was using is the Netgear C7000v2. I did all of the troubleshooting I could do on my end, to no avail. I then called Cox, did everything I could with them, and still could not get it fixed. I scheduled an appointment for today, and went out and purchased a new (same model) router for when the tech showed up in case my hardware was the problem. The tech showed up today, and couldn't fix the issue with the old router, but was able to get the new router to work. So for some reason, my old router just sh*t the bed out of nowhere.

On to my questions... Why would this have happened to my router? Is there anyway to gain access to the old router (remember I cannot view the SSID) and see if it needs an update to work? I was also having trouble getting WiFi access on the second floor far bedroom (1,800 sq ft house) - will upgrading my hardware from the Netgear router help with this? I was considering purchasing a router and modem but I'm not sure if this will help with the WiFi range. Lastly, I have spent some time reading on this subreddit and have come across the Mesh vs. MoCa / AP debate and have learned that Mesh is not the way to go. I am renting this house, so I cannot run ethernet wherever I want, however there is a ton of cable all over the house. What do I need to add MoCa adapaters, and will that help extend my WiFi range? Please ask for any additional information, TYIA!