Automatic restarting routers?

OK I had to post this since I don't get it.

Scenario:
Today my router crashed, for some unknown reason but it's usual they do. I know it crashed because the "ether" light on my cable modem went out, and the fact there is only 1 entry in the routers log, which was today when it got the IP from the DHCP server. If the modem had crashed, and not the router, there would have been 2 entrys in the log, and the ether light would have stayed on, but the D/S and the other 2 to the right would have been out.

The strange thing is, seconds after the ether light went out and I lost my internet connection, the light came back on, and my internet sprung to life.

The only way it could have got the internet back was if it had restarted it's self automatically?

Any other explanations on what it could have been, don't know much about routers at the moment since I havn't had it long

When it comes down to it - a router is just a computer running a piece of software - I see no reason it couldn't re-boot if it suffered a failure of some sort.

[MovedGoalPosts]

I dunno about specifics but my own router too seems to die and need a manual reboot periodically. This could be the cable STB has triggered something in the router. It could be the STB, or it could be something from outside my house. Whatever the connection dies.

Trial and effort has told me the best reliable reset is cut the power to the router, reboot the STB and repower the router.

I windoze server 2000 can automatically tell the PC to reboot itself so the network keeps alive, and yet M$ are notoriously slagged off, why can't every other simple bit of kit have this automated reset function