Telstra WiFi Not Working? - (Simple Fixes That Work!)

Telstra WiFi not working, and you’re wondering why? Wonder no more, and keep reading!

The Telstra modem receives service from the nbn connection box and then spreads the internet through Wi-Fi.

Hence, there are many critical points where the connection may get disrupted, so we are here to provide you with a complete inspection guide and top-tier working solutions.

When your Telstra modem Wi-Fi is not working, start by testing your broadband internet to tighten the circle of possibilities. Next, adjust your wireless settings from the Telstra admin tool, optimise your Wi-Fi, and factory reset your modem.

To unwrap more, continue reading!

Why is Telstra WiFi Not Working?

The Wi-Fi of your Telstra modem may not work due to many different causes, including your device, modem’s transmission, signal interference, and Wi-Fi settings.

Another thing to know is that the Wi-Fi and your broadband (internet supply) are different factors in your network connection.

If you’ve identified that the broadband connection is intact, then go ahead and scroll down to the solutions, but if you haven’t checked yet, keep reading!

Test Your Telstra Broadband

To tighten the circle of possibilities, test whether you’ve got internet access on a PC or a laptop connected to the Telstra modem via Ethernet cable.

If hardwired devices have internet access, the issue is only down to your Wi-Fi, eliminating most possibilities.

However, if your broadband is down, check for service outages!

How to Fix When Telstra WiFi Not Working?

It’s straightforward and only takes a couple of minutes!

1. Check for Current Outages

If your Wi-Fi is down because your internet connection stopped, the best possible first step is to check for ongoing service outages.

You must first verify that Telstra’s broadband services are intact and then justify that the National Broadband Network (nbn) is also in working condition.

Check for any Telstra Outages.
Check the nbn Service Status.

You’ll have to input your full address to receive accurate and up-to-date reports for ongoing outages in both places.

If there are any outages, you’ll be notified when the services should be online again, so you can relax since the problem is not on your side.

If there are no ongoing outages, start troubleshooting!

Note: Skip this step if your Telstra broadband connection is working.

2. Restart your Network Devices

The easiest and most effective step is to restart your network equipment, including the Telstra modem and your nbn connection box.

This will reset the broadband connection and reboot your Telstra modem’s Wi-Fi services, solving 90% of your network problems.

Restart Your nbn Connection Box:

Unplug the power cable.
Wait for about 3 minutes.
Connect the cable tightly.

Restart Your Telstra Wi-Fi Modem:

Press the Power button.
Unplug the power cable.
Wait for about 3 minutes.
Plug the cable securely.

Note: The power cycle is more effective when you keep your device unplugged for longer!

3. Reconnect the Service Cable

A perfect way to reset the service connection to the Wi-Fi, you must reset the data transfer from the nbn box to your Telstra modem.

So, based on your service connection, you must reconnect the cable supplying the internet to your nbn box.

HFC – Optical Fibre (from the street), connecting to the nbn port.
FTTN – Optical Fibre (copper wire) connects to a wall socket.
FTTP – Optical Fibre (direct connection), plugs to your nbn box.
FW – The setup is entirely wireless, with no service cable.

When you reconnect the supplying cable, your services will temporarily go offline, and you may need to wait 3 minutes before the access is restored.

Check the “Internet” light on your Telstra modem and verify that it is lit, and then test whether you can connect and use the Telstra Wi-Fi.

Reminder: Verify the nbn connection box and Telstra modem are linked via Ethernet cable!

4. Adjust the Wi-Fi Configuration

If you are confident that your internet supply (broadband) is working, but the Wi-Fi can’t be accessed, is very slow or dropping out, then it’s time to tweak the settings.

You must access the Telstra modem’s settings through the admin tool to discover critical Wi-Fi configurations such as credentials, channels and band steering.

If you’ve never done this before, start from step 1!

Step #1 Login to Telstra Settings:

Option 1: Connect to the Wi-Fi of the Telstra modem.
Option 2: Connect a PC to your modem via Ethernet.
On the connected machine, open any online browser.
In the URL field, type “http://mymodem” and search.
Sign in via username: admin and password: Telstra.
You’ll be redirected to the Telstra modem dashboard.

Step #2 Set Wi-Fi SSID & Password:

Your Telstra Wi-Fi is not working due to incorrect wireless credentials, so setting up a custom one is essential.

This is very easy, so start from the Telstra dashboard, click on “Wi-Fi”, and choose the Wi-Fi frequency you want to adjust.

Then, set a custom Wi-Fi SSID and Password.

Tip: Use a strong password against network intruders!

Step #3 Switch the Wi-Fi Channel:

The next step is to switch to another Wi-Fi channel. Your Wi-Fi channel may be overcrowded if you live in a city centre or a residential block with many routers nearby.

It’s easy to find out which Wi-Fi channels are occupied and which are emptier, so here are the instructions:

How to Find a Free Wi-Fi Channel?

Telstra dashboard → Wi-Fi → Analyzer 2.4GHz.

How to Switch the Wi-Fi Channel?

Telstra dashboard → Wi-Fi → SSID → Channel.

Note: You don’t need to restart your Telstra modem after switching the Wi-Fi channel!

Step #4 Disable the Band-Steering:

The band-steering combines your 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi into one connection, accessible by all devices.

However, this sometimes causes connection bugs, so separate the Wi-Fi threads by entering the “Wi-Fi” section, clicking on the network’s SSID, and disabling the “Band Steering.”

Step #5 Disable Protected Frames:

The Protected Management Frames (PMF) is a standard defined by WiFi Alliance, which optimises the security of your network even further.

Nowadays, it’s safe to disable the option to check whether the issue with the Telstra Wi-Fi comes from network restrictions.

The option is in “Wi-Fi” → “SSID” → scroll down → Protected Management Frames.

Reminder: Don’t forget to re-enable the option if your Telstra Wi-Fi is not working even after disabling the feature.

5. Optimise Your Wi-Fi Connection

If you’ve configured all the Telstra modem Wi-Fi settings correctly, the problem you’re facing may be related to interference.

The Wi-Fi interference can be physical or wireless, so we’ve prepared many tips and tricks to resolve interference and regain your Wi-Fi performance.

Stay closer to your Telstra Wi-Fi modem.
Switch from 5 GHz to the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
Relocate your Telstra modem elsewhere.
Turn off electronics near the Wi-Fi modem.
Avoid microwaves and wireless phones.
Disconnect devices from the Wi-Fi network.
Use a Wi-Fi extender to optimise coverage.

Bonus Tip: Try to connect and use the Telstra Wi-Fi from another device to justify whether the problem comes from your connection device’s settings.

6. Factory Reset the Telstra Modem

If nothing helps, and you cannot use your Telstra Wi-Fi, it’s time to perform a factory reset on the Telstra modem to refresh the wireless connection entirely.

This is one of the most potent solutions but has a significant downside–everything from the modem will be permanently deleted.

This involves all the settings you’ve set up previously, including Wi-Fi, wireless channel, band-steering, Proxy settings and more…

Warning: The configuration loss after a factory reset is irreversible!

Here’s how to factory reset your Telstra modem in easy steps:

Verify that your Telstra modem is working.
Locate the Reset pinhole near the ports.
Acquire a pointy tool (needle or paperclip).
Then, hold the Reset button for 10 seconds.

This will trigger a factory reset on your Telstra modem, so you’ll lose internet access even on the hardwired devices.

The factory reset may last up to 5 minutes, so you must remain patient and access the Telstra modem’s admin tool to perform the Quick Setup.

Tip: The default Telstra login credentials are on a sticker on the side/bottom of the device!

Quick Recap:

Hence, when Telstra WiFi not working, check for outages first, reset your equipment and reconnect the nbn box’s service cable.

Additionally, you must log in to the Telstra modem admin tool to configure the Wi-Fi settings, and if nothing helps, factory reset the modem.

Finn Wheatley

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.

Is Telstra WiFi Not Working? – (Simple Fixes That Work!)