Understanding NBN Equipment Status Lights

  • Updated

Some NBN technologies use a Network Termination Device (NTD) or Network Connection Device (NCD) in order to deliver the connection to the router in your home. If you're trying to connect for the first time or suspect that you may have lost internet connection the lights on your NTD or NCD can often be a good indicator of what's happening with your service.

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    • 4 Lights from the top to bottom are Power, Downstream, Upstream and Online
    • If both the Downstream and Upstream lights are flashing but the online light is off, there is no connection to the NBN network. Please contact Pentanet for assistance
    • If both Downstream and Upstream 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 Downstream, Upstream and Online lights will all flash briefly when the NTD is powered on. This is a self-test and no action is needed
    • The UNI-D1 port on the back of the NTD has Link lights to indicate cable connection to a computer or router – this can be Green (1Gbps Link) or Yellow (10/100Mbps Link) depending on the age and quality of the Ethernet cable you have or the router connected – If no Link lights are on, the cable needs to be replaced completely or there’s an issue with the router.
    • If the lights indicate all is working there could be an issue with your router – please contact Pentanet if you do not have internet access

    Light

    Status

    Indication

    Power

    Off

    NTD has no power, check cables or try another power point

     

    Green

    NTD has power - All OK

    Downstream

    Off

    Searching for downstream signal or NTD has no power

     

    Green

    Downstream connection successful

     

    Flashing

    Searching for a downstream signal or performing a firmware update if Online light is also on

    Upstream

    Off

    Searching for upstream signal or NTD has no power

     

    Green

    Upstream connection successful

     

    Flashing

    Searching for an upstream signal or performing a firmware update if Online light is also on

    Online

    Off

    NTD is offline or has no power

     

    Green

    NTD is online and connected to the NBN network

     

    Flashing

    Downstream and Upstream connections successful, completing setup with NBN

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    • 4 Lights on the NCD from the left to right are LAN, DSL, Link (Connection light) and Power
    • LAN will be blue or orange depending on the router and cable connected to the NCD
    • Power and DSL should be solid blue
    • Link light will be blue (or red if there’s an issue)
    • If the lights indicate all is working there could be an issue with your router – please contact Pentanet if you do not have internet access
    • If you require further information outside of this guide please see the NBN information guide to FTTC troubleshooting

    Light

    Status

    Indication

    Power

    Off

    NCD has no power, check cables or try another power point

     

    Blue

    NCD has power - All OK

    Link (Connection)

    Off

    No connection to NBN equipment or NCD has no power

     

    Blue

    Connection to NBN equipment is OK if solid (or if light flashing a connection is still being established)

     

    Red

    Possible line fault (contact Pentanet)

    DSL

    Off

    No connection to NBN network or NCD has no power

     

    Blue

    NCD has a connection to the NBN network

    LAN

    Off

    No router connected

     

    Blue

    Flashing or Solid this indicates the connection is working 

     

    Orange

    Flashing or Solid this indicates the connection is working

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    • Lights on the NTD from left to right are Power, Optical, Alarm UNI-D1 through to UNI-D4, UNI-V1/2 and Update
    • To access these lights and the NTD you need to unclip the front cover from the NTD with 2 clips underneath
    • Do not touch the green-tipped fibre cable next to the power as it's very fragile
    • You may also have a second box known as the battery backup unit installed alongside your NTD

    Light

    Status

    Indication

    Power

    Off

    NTD has no power, check cables or try another power point

     

    Red

    If your NTD has a battery backup unit (BBU) installed alongside your NTD this means your NTD is running off battery backup power, check power, cables or try another power point

     

    Green

    NTD has power - All OK

    Optical

    Off

    NTD has a connection issue – Call Pentanet to lodge a fault immediately, a tech appointment may be required

     

    Red

    NTD has a connection issue – Call Pentanet to lodge a fault immediately, confirm outage or tech appointment

     

    Green

    NTD is connected to the NBN network and will flash with activity

    Alarm

    Off

    NTD working OK but no devices are connected

     

    Red

    Unplug router and NTD power for 2 minutes and plug back in – Contact Pentanet if no connection or if the red alarm light persists

     

    Green

    NTD working OK

    UNI-D1 to 4

    Off

    No router connected, cable faulty or port not activated. Our services usually connect on UNI-D1. Try another port or cable if no green/orange light.

     

    Green

    A router or device only capable of 10/100Mbps is connected and will flash with activity

     

    Orange

    A router or device capable of 1000Mbps is connected and will flash with activity

    Uni-V1/2

    N/A

    Pentanet does not use this service. This should be OFF unless activated with another ISP with another UNI-D port

    Update

    Off

    NTD working OK

     

    Red

    NTD failed to download an NBN update - please contact Pentanet to resolve

     

    Green

    NTD is currently downloading an update from NBN

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