What your broadband hub lights mean

Hybrid Connect is BT's mobile backup. A white light means you're online over mobile rather than your broadband connection; on the Smart Hub 2, BT says this can be because the broadband isn't set up yet or has a problem. For other backup options, see our guide to keeping a backup broadband connection.

BT says the Smart Hub 2 usually takes about four minutes to sync after you first plug it in, so give it that long before judging the colour.

The "Openreach modem" BT mentions is the separate box the fibre plugs into on a full fibre connection, also known as an ONT (optical network terminal). It has its own set of lights, which our guide to full fibre equipment and the ONT explains.

On these models green means starting (about one and a half minutes), flashing orange means connecting (about 30 seconds), steady orange means working but not online (use the on-screen help wizard) and blue means all is well. BT says to contact it if there's no light with the power on. The full list is on BT's hub lights help page, and BT's current hubs and plans are on our BT broadband deals page.

Both hubs show amber, flashing amber or flashing green for a few minutes when first turned on, which is normal. Don't confuse that with the "Flashing green" option in Sky's menu: Sky's answer for it is a quickly flashing light because someone has held the Reset button, shown in the table below. Sky's Gigafast+ colours link to the same answers as the Max Hub, so this table covers both. (Sky lists fewer colours for the Gigafast+ Hub, without the slowly flashing green or blue options.)

On the Sky Broadband Hub, start with the power light:

• Red: there might be a fault with the hub. Sign in to Service Checker.
• Flashing green: a software update, usually about 15 minutes. Don't turn it off.
• Flashing amber: recovery mode, which can happen after a software update. If it's still flashing after 15 minutes, hold the Reset button for 10 to 30 seconds. Sky warns that this puts the Wi-Fi password back to the default printed on the hub.
• Solid green: the power side is fine. Sky's guide then asks what colour the internet light is, so carry on in the official guide from there.

Sky's plans are on our Sky broadband deals page.

The Virgin factory reset is the pinhole button: press it with the tip of a pen for 10 seconds, then leave the hub 5 to 10 minutes to start up. Modem mode is how you use your own router with a Virgin hub. Our guide to using your own router explains what you gain and lose.

The Hub 3 has separate lights, and most are meant to go off once it's working. Virgin says the power light flashes white at start-up and then stays white. The Wi-Fi, internet and phone lights flash, stay green for a few minutes while connecting, then turn off. A flashing green internet light can mean a software update, and the phone light may come on if there's a phone network problem.

On the Super Hub 2 and 2ac, the 5GHz, 2.4GHz and Ready lights should be solid blue, the Traffic light blinks blue with data, and the Power light stays on.

For any Virgin hub, its general advice is to switch off and on and check the cables, then run its broadband test, which can help with a fix or book an engineer. Virgin also says it owns the hubs it supplies and can swap faulty kit at no extra cost. Its plans are on our Virgin Media broadband deals page.

These meanings, and the steps below, come from TalkTalk's article why your TalkTalk router light is flashing orange. TalkTalk says orange, flashing or solid, usually means the router is updating or trying to reconnect, and in most cases it sorts itself out within 15 minutes. If it isn't solid white after 15 minutes, there may be a network or equipment problem. TalkTalk's order of checks is:

1. Check TalkTalk's Service Status page for a known problem in your area.
2. Run a connection test in My Connection. It can log a fault and give you a reference number.
3. Check the cables, that the router is in the main phone socket rather than an extension, and any microfilters (small adaptors that split phone and broadband signals).
4. Reset the router, or turn it off and on, then leave it 15 minutes.
5. Still orange? There may be a router or line fault: contact TalkTalk through My Connection.

One important warning from TalkTalk: don't run a line test if medical or monitoring equipment is connected to your phone line. Contact TalkTalk instead.

On the Wi-Fi Hub 3, TalkTalk says the "connected" light can be solid blue or solid white depending on the hub's design. Blinking amber means it's starting up and connecting to the fibre connection box. Blinking amber with white or blue means it's connecting to the internet. Solid amber means it failed to connect, and if that lasts more than 15 minutes, TalkTalk says to contact it.

So on this model solid amber is a "report" light, while on the older Wi-Fi Hub solid orange is just "verifying". The details are on TalkTalk's Wi-Fi Hub 3 help page.

The fibre connection box mentioned there is the separate box the fibre plugs into on a full fibre line, also called an ONT. It has its own lights, which aren't hub lights: see our full fibre ONT guide for what the box is and how to read it. TalkTalk's plans are on our TalkTalk broadband deals page.