Telstra WiFi Booster Red Light? – (6 Quick Solutions)

Are you wondering why the Telstra WiFi booster red light is persistent? Well, keep reading!

The Telstra Wi-Fi booster is an excellent way to extend your home Wi-Fi coverage, but if you see the red light, know something is wrong.

This is why, in this guide, we’ll share the correct way to set up a Telstra Wi-Fi booster and troubleshoot the red light until the problem disappears.

To fix the red light on the Telstra Wi-Fi booster, begin with soft resetting the modem and booster and shorten the distance proximity between both units.

To unveil how all of this is done, continue reading ahead!

Telstra Smart WiFi Booster Red Light – Explained

The red light is never a good sign with almost any device. With a Telstra Wi-Fi booster, the red light signalises a fault with the connection to the modem.

The red light shows that the Wi-Fi booster is disconnected and will not attempt to reconnect automatically. 

Hence, the Telstra Smart Wi-Fi booster must be set up from scratch by following the initialisation steps, during which you may encounter other light indications.

Let’s first learn what all the lights on the Telstra Smart Wi-Fi booster mean:

Telstra Wi-Fi Booster Light Indications
Solid Blue	The Telstra Wi-Fi booster has been set up successfully, and you have a solid connection with the modem.
Purple	The operating system is updating, pairing or loading, so keep the device “ON” until the LED changes to solid blue.
Amber	The signal from the modem is poor, but your Telstra Wi-Fi booster is still connected, indicating no setup problem.
Red	There is no connection with the modem, which typically means the set-up process has failed, so you need to reinitialise the booster.
No Light	There is no power from the electrical source, which typically happens when the power equipment is disconnected or faulty.

How to Fix Telstra WiFi Booster Red Light in Easy Steps?

Tip: Follow the steps chronologically!

1. Set Up the Telstra Booster Correctly

If you see the Telstra booster red light, the device is not connected to the modem, so the first step is to set up the unit correctly.

Here’s a complete guide for Telstra Wi-Fi booster setup:

Step #1 Position the Wi-Fi Booster

The first step is to put the Wi-Fi booster near your modem, which is necessary during the initial setup so both devices can connect.

Later, the Telstra Wi-Fi booster can be set in another spot, permanently between the modem and the dead Wi-Fi zone of your home.

Step #2 Connect Modem & Booster

The next step is to connect your Telstra Wi-Fi booster to the modem using the supplied cable with the yellow ends.

The Wi-Fi booster must be turned “OFF” while the modem can work, even while connecting the cables.

• Connect one end of the cable to the yellow port of the Wi-Fi booster.
• Connect the other end to the yellow port on the back of the modem.

Note: It does not matter which end of the cable goes into the modem or booster!

Step #3 Power “ON” Your Booster

The final step is to turn your Telstra Wi-Fi booster on by connecting the supplied power cable to an electrical point near the modem.

This will make the LED indicator on the booster change colour, so refer to the table above to read the light indication.

Info: The light should appear purple at first, then turn to solid blue!

2. Soft Reset the Booster and Modem

If you’re doing the Telstra Wi-Fi booster set-up process correctly but end up with a red light after the purple indication, there is an equipment issue.

Therefore, the next step is to soft reset both your Telstra Wi-Fi booster and modem, which will refresh the operating system and fix the issue.

How to Soft Reset Telstra Equipment?

1. First, verify that the booster and modem are connected.
2. Unplug the power adapter from the wall for both units.
3. Wait 60 seconds for a complete equipment discharge.
4. Connect your modem and booster directly into a socket.
5. Alert: Avoid using power dividers such as power strips.
6. Then, press the Power button on the modem to turn it on.

If your Telstra Wi-Fi booster is connected with the yellow-ended cable to the modem, the device will re-attempt to establish the connection automatically.

If you only see a red light and no other indications, scroll back and retry the pairing process manually.

Note: Your Telstra Smart Wi-Fi booster may take up to 3 minutes to load and switch to a solid blue colour, so remain patient.

3. Shorten the Telstra Wi-Fi Proximity

The red light and the amber light on a Telstra Wi-Fi booster often appear after moving the device too far away from the modem. 

The amber light shows a poor signal, while the red light indicates that the Telstra Wi-Fi booster is entirely disconnected from the modem.

• The maximum distance for a Telstra Wi-Fi booster is 250 feet outside and 120 feet inside.

Therefore, the recommendation is to carry out the initial pairing steps, but this time, move the booster closer and not that far away.

Try to position the booster in between the modem and the dead Wi-Fi zone of your home, and watch the indicator light to know precisely what’s going on.

Note: You won’t need to use the yellow-ended cable after setting up the Telstra Wi-Fi booster initially, so store the wire somewhere safe in case the units must be paired again.

4. Resolve the Wireless Interference

If your Telstra Wi-Fi booster is not that far away, but the light goes amber or red, your device may be under wireless interference.

When the signal from the modem doesn’t reach the unit, you will see a red light, so we’ve prepared several steps to verify that nothing is interfering.

• Avoid placing the Wi-Fi booster near large appliances.
• Do not install the booster in front of a reflective mirror.
• Avoid microwaves, fish tanks and any RF transmitters.
• Your Telstra booster must not be in enclosed spaces.

So, the best recommendation that we can provide, according to the aforementioned interference tips, would be to test setting up the booster somewhere else.

Just try a different spot, which will help you identify whether the issue is related to the distance/interference or something different.

Note: Solid obstructions can also impact the wireless signal.

5. Inspect the Ethernet Cable Link

Another quick thing to check is the Ethernet (yellow-ended) cable, especially if the red light is on during the initialisation of the booster.

The cable must be connected to a yellow input port on the back of the booster and the yellow port on the back of your modem.

The Ethernet cable “clicks in” when connected, and if the plastic connector is broken, the bond might be faulty, producing the red light on the booster.

The supplied yellow-ended cable is not unique, and you can use any Ethernet cable to establish the connection with the Wi-Fi booster.

Tip: Feel free to test with a replacement Ethernet cable!

6. Optimise the Telstra Wi-Fi Modem

If you’ve followed all the steps up until now but still see the Telstra booster red light, perhaps the issue comes from your modem. 

When the Telstra Wi-Fi booster can’t connect with the modem, the red light will appear and will stay there, especially when the Wi-Fi from the modem is inaccessible. 

How to Verify Broadband Connection?

The red light on the booster may be due to an “empty Wi-Fi” from the modem.

Your Telstra Wi-Fi booster cannot connect if your broadband connection is down.

So, you must verify the internet is accessible on any Ethernet-connected device that is linked to the Telstra modem’s network.

If yes, then test your Wi-Fi as well…

How to Verify Your Wi-Fi Connection?

It’s essential to verify that your modem’s Wi-Fi is accessible and, more importantly, working from the spot where the Telstra Wi-Fi booster is installed.

So, take your smartphone, go to the Telstra booster location and test if you can connect with the modem’s Wi-Fi and access the internet.

Note: For any broadband-related issues, contact your internet service provider!

Quick Recap:

Hence, when the Telstra WiFi booster red light appears, the set-up process has failed, so you must correctly re-establish the connection.

Also, shorten the distance proximity between the booster and the modem, eliminate any interference and optimise the modem’s Wi-Fi.

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