To understand why BT TV box flashing purple, and how to solve the issue, continue reading!
Learning the specific blinking pattern and the LED’s behaviour on the BT TV box is the first step to addressing the problematic indicator.
Hence, in this guide, we will understand what causes the flashing purple light and what are the best-working solutions against the developed problem.
The flashing purple light on your BT TV box means that your unit has been disconnected from the network, which typically resembles a broadband problem. The solution involves performing a power cycle on the hub, reconnecting the service cable and a factory reset.
Let’s keep progressing because there is much more to discuss!
Why is My BT TV Box Flashing Purple?
Here are the top causes for the persistent flashing purple light on the BT TV hub:
| BT TV Box Colour Codes | |
Flashing Purple Light | The BT TV hub is powered and working but failed to establish a connection with the network. The light lasts for 2-3 minutes. |
| Solid Blue Light | The BT TV hub is powered and connected to the network. The broadband status is active, and there should be an internet connection. |
| No light (Full DIM) | The BT TV hub fails to power on or is experiencing underlying electrical supply complications. |
| Flashing Orange Light | The BT TV hub is attempting to connect with the BT TV broadband. |
| Solid Orange Light | The BT TV hub cannot establish a network connection or recognise a device connected via Ethernet. |
| Solid Purple Light | The BT TV broadband isn’t set up yet, and the hub cannot connect with the network. |
| Flashing WPS Button | You must press the WPS button to connect a computer or a device (this lasts for 2 minutes) |
Note: Remember that the purple light has two states - solid and flashing!
How to Fix When BT TV Box Flashing Purple?
Tip: Follow our instructions in a consecutive order!
1. Check the BT TV Service Status!
If there’s a service issue in your area of residence, it would be pointless to troubleshoot any of the equipment and attempt to identify the problem.
Luckily, BT provides an online tool allowing all users with a landline number to check the service status.
Here’s how to determine if there’s a BT TV outage in your area:
- Navigate to BT.com on your mobile device or PC.
- Press on the “Help and Support” button at the top.
- Next, click “Check BT Service Status” in the menu.
- On the provided field, input your BT landline number.
- Press on the “Check Status” button to see outages.
Any outages affecting your residence area will be displayed below if your landline number is correct.
The landline number is provided to every user subscribed for a TV/broadband service, and the service table will display outages reported by BT in the last 24 hours.
Note: BT outages affecting your area typically last 2-3 hours!
2. Reset the Power of the BT TV Hub
The next step is to conduct a power reset to restore the broadband connection of the BT TV hub.
This is an effective solution against non-lasting functionality issues with the broadband or the hardware equipment of the installation and a great way to prevent the flashing purple light.
Here’s how to reset the power of the BT TV hub in easy steps:
- Locate the “power” button on the front of the BT TV hub.
- Press and hold for 5 seconds until the hub shuts down.
- Unplug the power adapter of the BT TV hub from power.
- Then, wait for 60 seconds while the BT hub is discharging.
- Connect your BT TV hub directly to the electrical outlet.
- Press the “power” button on the front of the hub to turn it on.
- Observe whether the purple light on the device will still flash.
How to Inspect BT TV Hub for Power Issues?
A simple malfunction with the power supply of the BT TV hub could be causing the purple light to flash.
So, a significant factor to check is whether the electrical supply of the network device is impacted by defective equipment, causing the broadband connection to drop and a purple light.
Here are some effective methods to test the power supply of the BT TV hub:
- Connect the power adapter of the hub to a different outlet.
- Remove third-party power devices, re-routing the electricity.
- Clean the power port on the hub from any dust accumulation.
- Inspect the BT TV hub’s power cable for hardware damages.
Alert: If any BT TV hub’s equipment is damaged, contact BT for more help!
3. Utilise the BT Hub Manager
Is the flashing purple light on BT TV box still there? Well, the BT Hub Manager might help!
To make changes to the BT TV hub’ settings, track the performance of the broadband or restart the device, you need to access the BT Hub Manager.
All you need is the IP of the broadband and the username/password used for signing in, which can be found on the back of the hub.
Here’s how to access the BT hub manager in easy steps:
- Connect a PC/laptop with Ethernet to the ports on the BT hub.
- Open a web browser and type “192.168.1.254” in the search field.
- At the login page, insert the BT login credentials noted earlier.
- Then, press “Login” and wait to connect with the BT TV settings.
Tip: Take an image of the BT username/password on the sticker located on the back!
How to Check Status In BT Hub Manager?
The connection status will be displayed at the top-left of the page, beneath the “Home” tab.
There will be an “Info” icon, and below that icon, there’s the “Broadband connection status”.
- If the status says “Connected”, the broadband connectivity is healthy.
- If the status says “No Service”, there’s an underlying broadband fault.
How to Start a Test In the BT Hub Manager?
To start a performance test on the BT broadband, press on the “Broadband performance test” beneath the “Wireless” indicator.
You will be redirected to a different page, and the performance test will start. Shortly after (30-40 seconds ), the test results will be displayed on the screen.
How to Restart BT TV Hub via BT Hub Manager?
Another effective way to restart the BT TB hub and resolve the purple flashing light is to use the hub manager to refresh the broadband connection.
So, press “Restart the Smart Hub” at the bottom-right part of the page in the “Home” section of the manager to reboot your BT hub!
Note: No information or data will be erased after the BT TV hub is restarted!
4. Reconnect the BT Broadband Cable
The broadband port on the BT TV hub uses Ethernet to connect with the telephone outlet and deliver service to the other devices in your setup.
To refresh the service of the BT TV hub, it is necessary to reinstall the broadband cable connecting to the telephone outlet.
Here’s how to reinstall the broadband cable of the BT TV hub:
- Unplug the broadband cable of the BT TV hub from the outlet.
- Disconnect the other end of the cable from the back of the hub.
- Wait for 60 seconds while the BT hub’s service is unplugged.
- Finally, reinstall the broadband cable into the outlet and the hub.
Note: The purple LED indicator will go off while the broadband cable is disconnected!
5. Restore the Initial BT TV Hub Settings!
The most potent solution to address the flashing purple light on a BT TV box is to factory reset the hub.
The system setup of the hub’s broadband connection might be inaccurate, or there may be a conflict, and the best way to resolve the issue is to start from scratch.
Tip: The BT TV hub has an in-built factory reset button to revert to defaults effortlessly!
Here’s how to factory reset the BT TV hub easily:
- Locate the small reset button at the hub’s back panel.
- Press and hold the button for 10-15 seconds to reset.
- Next, open a web browser on your PC/laptop device.
- Next, access the BT hub manager at “192.168.1.254”.
- Complete the initial setup instructions for the BT hub.
Note: The initial setup of the hub consists of configuring the necessary network settings!
Quick Recap:
Hence, to fix whenever the BT TV box flashing purple, power cycle the hub and reconnect the broadband cable.
If the issue persists, access the BT hub manager and restart the BT TV box from the manager.
If nothing helps, as a last resort, perform a factory restoration!
Visit our blog for more BT TV box technical tips and resolutions!
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.