Like all modems and routers, a Frontier device has a myriad of lights on it.
The lights are also not decorative; Frontier router lights all have a purpose and the different colors, whether they are steady or blinking, or even whether they are on all means different things.
In order for you to understand the different things that the lights mean, we are going to break down for you whether you have any reason to be concerned about the status of your lights.
Depending on the type of Frontier device that you have, you might see green lights, orange lights, yellow lights, red lights, blue lights, or white lights.
If you don’t have any lights on at all, your device is likely not on and working at all.
The most common types of devices that you can rent from Frontier are Arris or Netgear brands, which is why the colors are not consistent across the board.
The Different Status Light Colors
The lights might just look like decorations, but in fact, they are keys to helping you know what is going on with your modem router.
Frontier modem lights can vary model to model, but there are some basics that you can use as a starting point to understand the device.
- Green light: Let’s start off with the green light. This light means that your device is good to go. The green Frontier router lights are on most of the Frontier models. It shows you that the device has power, it is connected to the internet, and the device has a strong internet signal.
- Orange light: When the Frontier modem router has an orange light, it means that it is trying to setup. Typically, the blinking orange LEDS indicate that the device is pairing. Sometimes, it might mean that there is an issue with the connection, as in it is losing its strength or really it is not a strong signal to begin with.
- Red light: Much like with red stop lights, red does not mean everything is good to go. In a Frontier modem router, red means that there is something wrong. It should be the same in every Frontier compatible router. Sometimes, red is just telling you that there is a problem with the connection. It might tell you the internet is out or something else is wrong. The point-to-point (PPP) could also have an authentication failure.
- Blue light: Not all Frontier modem routers have blue lights, but some do. A blue light that is blinking can tell you that there is a phone call happening on the line that works with your internet. It can also act much in the same way that the green light does, telling you that all is working well.
- White light: There can also be a white light among your Frontier router lights. This means that there is some kind of service happening. This might be an upgrade in the software or checking for errors from Frontier itself. Automatic updates might lead to this light turning on suddenly, but it doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong.
- Yellow light: A flashing yellow light can appear one some of the devices. This light means that there is Wi-Fi and the WPS is active for 5 GHz user pairing.
The Different Light Patterns
There are also different patterns that you might see the Frontier modem lights display. They also mean different things.
- Steady Lights: Steady Frontier modem lights are a good sign. They indicate that the device is functioning well and that it is stable. Though, some steady colors might indicate something is wrong, but that is based on the color.
- Blinking Lights: Blinking Frontier modem lights mean that the modem is up to something. There is some kind of work happening in the background. Typically, they are nothing to worry about. They mean that there is internet service, the Wi-Fi is ok, or something else. The color is more of the concern, rather than the blinking status itself.
- No Lights: It should be pretty obvious if there are not any lights on at all that something isn’t working. Modems and routers in general always have some kind of light, regardless of the make, but in a Frontier modem router, you can be sure that something isn’t working. When there are no LEDs on, there is a disconnected internet connection or there is no power to the device at all. You will need to check all of your connections to see what might be going on.
Breaking Down The Frontier Router Lights
There are so many different lights that you will see on your Frontier device. There is never just one light on at a time, so there are a lot of different possibilities for each light and their appropriate color.
1. Power Light
Let’s begin with the power light. The power light needs to be on for anything else to work. The power light means the device is on. The ideal color for the power light is a steady green. Here is a quick breakdown of all of the different things you might see with the power light.
a. Steady green: The steady green light, as we mentioned above, tells you that the device is on and good to go.
b. Blinking green: If the power light is green but not steady, this indicates that the device is connected to power, but it is not ready to go. It likely means that it just getting itself setup and it should switch to a steady green.
c. Steady red: Now, a steady red light means that there is something wrong. The modem router is not going to be booting up properly.
- Solution: To fix the steady red, you will need to unplug to power connector and then wait. You should wait a minute before you plug everything back in. It would be a good idea to make sure that there isn’t anything wrong with the cable. You can try it in a different outlet as well, just in case that is the problem causing the steady red light.
d. No light: Of course, as we mentioned earlier in the article, if there is no light, it means the router is offline and not getting any power.
- Solution: To fix a light that is off, you should make sure that the power cable is plugged in on both sides and make sure the cable is intact. The cable may need to be replaced or you might need a different outlet.
2. Internet Light
The second light that is on your Frontier modem router is the internet light. This is what tells you that you have an internet connection.
a. Steady blue: The solid blue globe tells you that the internet is up and working. If you are just getting your Frontier modem router setup, it could take as long as 15 minutes for the globe to turn into a solid blue light. This is because of the internet connectivity process.
b. No light: In the event that the globe has no light on it at all, you have no active internet connection at all and will need to talk to your ISP.
c. Steady red: If the globe is a solid red rather than blue, the router wasn’t able to connect to the IP address. It could also mean that authentication has failed.
- Solution: To get rid of the red light, you will need to restart the device. If you have done that and you still have a red light, then check the Ethernet cable, DSL connection, or MoCA adapter to make sure that isn’t the issue. You can also verify that your ISP doesn’t have an outage in your area. If all else fails, you can do a factory reset and see if that fixes it.
3. Broadband Light
The broadband light is next up on your device. This light will tell you the status of your broadband connection.
a. Steady green: The steady green broadband light is the ideal light for a broadband connection. This light tells you that the WAN connection is good and that the gateway is connected to the internet successfully.
b. Blinking green: If the broadband light is blinking green, this means that the gateway is still loading and attempting to connect to the internet. If it is successful, the light will turn to a steady green. That is a good sign. If it turns red, that is another issue.
c. Steady red: In the event that the broadband light turns red, you do not have a broadband connection.
- Solution: To get rid of the red steady light on your Frontier device, start by restarting the router as well as the ONT. Then, you might want to go into the Frontier device’s settings themselves and follow the troubleshooting wizard. It is here that you can also change the device’s protocol to DHCP. If that still doesn’t work, you can factory reset the router to see if that is the right solution.
4. Wi-Fi Light
Working your way further down the device, you will next come across the Wi-Fi light. This tells you that your wireless internet is working well.
a. Steady green: The steady green Wi-Fi light is the ideal color for this light. It tells you that the Wi-Fi is working well and is ready to be used.
b. No Light: Naturally, if there isn’t a light for your Wi-Fi, the Wi-Fi has been disabled or is turned off. Enable the Wi-Fi gateway to get this light turned back on.
c. Blinking red: A blinking red light is not good. The blinking red light is telling you that the WPS has timed out and will need to be reset.
d. Blinking yellow: The blinking yellow tells you that the Wi-Fi is active to be paired to a 5 GHz connection. To get rid of this, just push the WPS button that is on the back of the router to pair your device.
e. Steady red: The steady red light is the one that you do not want to see with your Wi-Fi light. This tells you that the Wi-Fi network is offline, has failed, or is working improperly.
- Solution: To get rid of the ready red light, you will need to restart the router. You can do this by unplugging the power cord. Don’t plug it back in right away. You should wait 30 seconds to a minute before plugging it in again. If that doesn’t work, you will need to disable and re-enable the WPS. Double check that the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz are not on the same channels. Next, you can try to do is disable the proxy server and move the device to a better location.
5. Ethernet LED
The last light we will look at is the Ethernet light. This is what tells you that there is an Ethernet connection.
a. Steady green: The steady green light means all is good and you have a working Ethernet connection and you can use it.
b. Blinking green: Blinking green is not a bad light to have either. It is totally normal and just tells you that there is a data transfer happening between devices.
c. No light: When there is no light on, there is no active Ethernet connection.
- Solution: If the Ethernet is not on and working, you should make sure that the cable is attached at both ends and that there is nothing damaged. If that is ok, unplug the cord, clean it, and plug it back in.
Final Words
Remember that you should always check the cords and make sure that they are all plugged in well and there is no damage.
After troubleshooting any of these problems and coming up short, the best next thing that you can do is to do a factory reset. If that fails, call Frontier directly, if that is where you got your router.
