NBN CONNECTION BOX LIGHTS

If you’re like me, you’ve been seeing a lot of flashing and clicking from your NBN connection box lately. It’s been quite frustrating, as I’m sure it’s been for many others. Well, I did some digging and found out that there is actually a fix for this issue!

Has Your NBN Box Lights Started Flashing, Clicking or Changed Colour?

If your NBN connection box is flashing and clicking, the first thing you should do is unplug it from the wall. Leave it unplugged for about 10 seconds, then plug it back in. If the problem persists, you may have to call your internet service provider for help.

FIBRE TO THE PREMISES NBN BOX (FTTP)

When you’re troubleshooting your own FTTP connection issues, the status lights on an indoor box can help diagnose what’s going wrong. This article explains them all and where to find more information about each one!

LIFTING THE COVER

To open the cover on an NBN™ FTTP Connection Box, gently push in between two clips at the bottom and lift up. When the casing is lifted, you will be able to see some of your Connection Box and its status lights.

POWER	Off	No power supply. Please note that all other lights will be off if the Connection Box has no power.
POWER	Red	Connection Box is operating on backup battery power from the Power Supply unit. If there’s no power outage, try troubleshooting.
POWER	Green	Connection Box has power. Sometimes the light may look more orange/yellow than green – this is fine.
OPTICAL	Off	Connection Box is disabled. Please call your ISP as they will need to lodge a ticket with NBN Co.
OPTICAL	Red	No connection to the fibre network.
OPTICAL	Green	Connected successfully to the fibre network. This light will flash during data transfer.
ALARM	Off	The connection Box is working, but no devices are connected.
ALARM	Red	Issue detected.
ALARM	Green	Connection Box is working with no issues detected.
UNI-D 1/2/3/4	Off	Nothing is plugged into this port. Only one UNI-D port is active for a single NBN™ service – typically port UNI-D 1. If this port doesn’t work and you don’t know which port was activated for your service, please call your ISP
UNI-D 1/2/3/4	Red	A device capable of up to 1000Mbps is plugged in. This light will flash during data transfer.
UNI-D 1/2/3/4	Green	A device capable of up to 10/100Mbps is plugged in. This light will flash during data transfer.
UNI-V 1/2	Off	There is no NBN Fibre Phone service, or it’s not currently being used.
UNI-V 1/2	Green	One or more Fibre phones are off the hook (typically because they are being used).
UNI-V 1/2	Flashing	One or more Fibre phones have been off the hook for more than an hour. If no one is on a long phone call, check that your handsets are not engaged and have been returned to the hook or cradle.
UPDATE	Off	Normal, no action required.
UPDATE	Red	Connection Box has failed to download an update. Please call your ISP as they will need to lodge a ticket with NBN Co.
UPDATE	Green	Connection Box is currently downloading an update with no issues.

HFC CONNECTION BOX

Arris CM8200 for NBN HFC Status Lights

The article will guide you through the status lights found on your Arris CM8200 Modem, which is a perfect device to use if you have an HFC connection.

ONLINE, DOWNSTREAM and UPSTREAM lights will all FLASH briefly when the Connection Box is powered on. This self-test is a way for you to know that everything’s working correctly without having too much output from your device or wasting energy in case there are issues with how it was set up before!
If both UPSTREAM and DOWNSTREAM lights are FLASHING but the ONLINE light is OFF, there is no connection to the NBN network. Please call your ISP for assistance.
If both UPSTREAM and DOWNSTREAM lights are FLASHING and the ONLINE light is ON, a firmware update is in progress. No action is needed – simply wait for the update to complete.

The UNI-D1 port on the back of the Connection Box has LINK lights to indicate cable connection to a computer or router.

Green: Cable connection detected. If this light is off, try another CAT5e or CAT6 Ethernet cable.
Yellow: Old CAT5 Ethernet cable is in use – this may not allow throughput of the full speed of your NBN HFC service.

POWER	Off	Connection Box has no power.
POWER	Green	Connection Box has power.
DOWNSTREAM	Off	Connection Box has no power.
DOWNSTREAM	Green	Successful downstream connection.
DOWNSTREAM	Flashing	Searching for downstream connection. If the ONLINE light is on, a firmware upgrade is in progress.
UPSTREAM	Off	Still searching for downstream connection, or Connection Box has no power.
UPSTREAM	Green	Successful downstream connection.
UPSTREAM	Flashing	Downstream connection found; searching for upstream connection. If the ONLINE light is on, a firmware upgrade is in progress.
ONLINE	Off	Connection Box is offline or has no power.
ONLINE	Green	Connection Box is online and browsing should be possible.
ONLINE	Flashing	Downstream and upstream connection found; retrieving setup information from NBN.

NBN FTTC Connection Device Status Lights

Power Light – this will be solid blue when the NBN connection box is powered on

Connection Light – this will be solid blue when the NBN connection box is powering the NBN access network equipment outside your home. If the light is red, contact your phone and internet provider.

DSL Light – this will be solid blue when the NBN connection box is communicating with the NBN access network.

Local Area Network (LAN) Light – this will be solid blue or amber when the NBN connection box and your gateway are connected but will blink when information is being transferred between them (e.g. when you’re browsing the internet).

LAN	Off	NCD has no power or is not connected to a modem/router.
LAN	Blue	The successful connection between NCD and modem/router. Flashing indicates local network activity.
LAN	Amber	The successful connection between NCD and modem/router. Flashing indicates local network activity.
DSL	Off	NCD has no power or is not communicating with the NBN access network.
DSL	Blue	NCD is successfully communicating with the NBN access network.
Connection	Off	NCD has no power.
Connection	Blue	Successful reverse power to NBN equipment outside the premises.
Connection	Red	The issue with reverse power. Please call your ISP for assistance.
Power	Off	NCD has no power.
Power	Blue	NCD has power.

Jason Kearney

Head Internet Technician

Jason Kearney is the Head Technician at SECURE A COM, with qualifications spanning NBN, ADSL, phone, and data cabling. Starting as an electrician, Jason quickly delved into the telecommunications sector, leading crucial projects like the rehabilitation of the Telstra network. With credentials in both managerial and technical aspects, he now specialises in phone line and NBN fault location and repair, serving both homes and businesses with effective and personalised telecommunications solutions