DISCLAIMER: Do not attempt to make any hardware, software or firmware changes to the equipment that are not addressed below. The equipment has been configured to work to an optimal level with the rest of our network and making undocumented or unprovoked changes could result in a loss of connection.

How to Identify an Issue with Your Router

Typically, there shouldn’t be issues with the router itself, but if there are here are a couple of tips on what to look for when you think it’s not working:

Is it receiving power?

A fairly obvious check, but easy to overlook. Check that the router is receiving power and that its lights are illuminated as this will indicate that it is receiving power.

What are the lights doing?

• Routers typically have several lights on the front to indicate what it is doing e.g. if there is power, the power light is illuminated. These lights are an excellent troubleshooting tool.
• Some lights will blink and some will stay solid – blinking lights normally indicate that data is being transferred through the relevant port, whereas a power light should remain solid as it is constantly receiving power.
• Lights that are not illuminated will usually indicate an issue, however, this is not applicable to empty network ports on the router – if nothing is plugged in, it will not light up.

What do the lights mean?

This will vary for different pieces of equipment, however, a good rule of thumb is that there are lights for:

• Power (solid light)
• Transmitting through a wired connection/numbered Ethernet ports (blinking light)
• Connected to the Internet (blinking light, usually looks like an i or a globe)
• Connected to DSL Line (blinking light)
• Transmitting wirelessly (blinking light, usually a wi-fi symbol)

You may also notice different coloured lights – this will vary for different equipment.

With regard to troubleshooting, we would be looking for anything out of the ordinary. For example, if we are unable to connect to the Internet but the Internet light is on, the router is receiving an Internet connection and the issue must lie elsewhere.

Checking Ethernet Ports

Sometimes the port that a cable is connected to can be faulty – You can troubleshoot this by unplugging the cable and selecting a different port number. The associated light will illuminate if it is receiving data, so it’s worth checking whether it lights up if you think your port is faulty.

A good method of troubleshooting a faulty port is by swapping cables around to different ports – If two devices work on the same port but won’t work on another, it is likely an issue with the port. If one device works on one port but another device doesn’t, this would indicate that there is not an issue with the port.

Checking Cables

It is a good idea to check cables for signs of obvious damage (cut marks, exposed cable, etc.) as this will help narrow down a connection problem – sometimes, if there is water nearby, it can track up the cable and corrode the wire or even the port the cable is connected to, this shows as ‘blue rust’ where the metal has oxidized.

This can cause irreparable damage and should be seriously considered – indoor cables should not be placed outside and exposed wires should be identified and removed from the network immediately.

Replacing Cables

As stated above, this would be considered a hardware change and we will need to ensure the correct cable is used – please refrain from making this change unless you are given the go-ahead by one of our technicians.

How To Reset Your Router – Ensures a ‘fresh’ connection

To reset your router, simply unplug the power cable and wait 30 seconds before plugging it back in – The router may take a few minutes to boot up and reconnect.

This is a key troubleshooting step as any glitches or authentication issues are cleared and the device will start up as normal.