Broadband & Wi-Fi · 4 min
Router Setup: Lights, Ports & Common Issues
Your router quietly does a lot. Here's how to read it at a glance and fix the routine stuff yourself. Exact light colours vary by model — check the quick-start card that came with yours.
What the lights usually mean
Most routers follow a similar pattern:
- Power: solid = on; off = no power (check the plug and socket).
- Internet / WAN: solid = online; flashing = connecting; red or off = no connection to the network.
- Wi-Fi: solid or flickering = broadcasting; off = Wi-Fi switched off.
- Phone (Digital Voice): solid = phone service registered.
Which port does what
Port labels vary, but these are the common ones:
- DSL / Broadband: to the master phone socket (part fibre).
- WAN (often blue or red): to the ONT on full fibre.
- LAN 1–4 (often yellow): wired devices such as TVs, consoles and PCs.
- Phone / Tel: your home phone handset on Digital Voice.
The two-minute restart
Turn the router off at the wall, wait 30 seconds and turn it back on. Give it 5 to 10 minutes to reconnect before testing. A restart clears most temporary glitches.
Factory reset (last resort)
Holding the reset pin for 10–15 seconds wipes all settings, including your Wi-Fi name and password and any own-router PPPoE details. Only do this if we ask you to, or if you have your connection details to hand.
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