sigh...ok, I have to admit about 3 weeks ago, I did a dumb user

I changed some settings on my wifi router for security purposes. I had some initial difficulty getting the router back up & running. After a few tweaks and a router reboot, I figured I was done.
Well, I was having major issues connecting to the internet. I tried every trick of the trade to no avail. So about 20 minutes later, the gf walks over and says..."how come the box that comcast gave us looks funny?"
In terms we understand "how come the lights are not showing an active internet connection on the modem?"
...
....
yeah. I never turned the damn thing back on after a modem reboot.