All Collections
Broadband Services
NBN Troubleshooting
Can't Connect to the Internet – HFC Service
Can't Connect to the Internet – HFC Service

This article contains useful troubleshooting steps if you are having issues with your HFC service

Annive avatar
Written by Annive
Updated over a week ago

What is NBN HFC Service?

Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) is a type of nbn™ technology. This is basically the same technology that is used to deliver cable TV subscriptions, such as Foxtel.

Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC)

First time using an HFC connection?

You may need to contact us by clicking the chat icon below or call 1300 303 375 to verify that your NBN service has been activated.

How Do You Connect to HFC?

Plug the nbn box and your modem into the power outlet. Using an ethernet cable, connect the UNI-D port of the nbn box to your modem’s WAN port.

Note: Some modems would label the WAN port as "Internet"

HFC connection

Understanding the lights on your NBN Box

The lights on your nbn™ Connection Box tell you about the status of your connection.

If you have an HFC NBN connection, the lights on your box will look like any of these:

nbn box lights flashing

Refer to the table below on what the light combination means:

LINK

ONLINE

US

DS

POWER

Description

On

On

On

On

On

Your nbn Connection Box is connected and ready for service

On

Off

Flash

Flash

On

Not connected to the NBN network, try to power on/off the box

On

On

Flash

Flash

On

Firmware upgrade, no action required.

Off

Off

Off

Off

Off

No power to the NBN connection box

If you find your UPSTREAM and DOWNSTREAM line is FLASHING, but the ONLINE light is off, try to unplug the NBN connection from the power source for at least 2 minutes before you plug it back in.

How do you check if there’s an outage?

To verify if there’s a reported outage in your area, please visit our website, SpinTel Network Status.

Note: Unplanned outages may not show on our website, please refer to NBN Network Outages for further information.

Internet Still Not Working?

1. If everything looks okay on the NBN box, the issue might be on the modem.

modem router lights

Check the light indicators on your modem:

  • Power light. Make sure the modem is turned on.

If the power light is Red or Off, there might have issues with the power connection. Check the power cable and make sure that it is properly inserted, or try another power outlet.

  • WAN light. This is the indication that the router is detecting the nbn box.

If it is Off, check that the Ethernet cable is properly connected to the WAN port on the router.

modem router's WAN port
  • Internet light. If the router is properly configured, the indicator is coloured Green.

If it is Off or Red, the configuration for the router might be incorrect. You can check this guide in configuring your modem.

2. If you are still having issues, make sure that your device is properly connected to the router. If you are using WiFi, check if you are on the correct WiFI network. You can check this guide in troubleshooting your WiFi connection.

3. If you are connected directly using an Ethernet cable, make sure that you are properly connected to the LAN ports on the modem. Try using different ports in case the current port is faulty.

modem router's WAN port

Back of the connection box:

When it comes to the UNI-D1 port, If the light is GREEN, that means a connection has been detected. If the light is off, you might need to replace your Ethernet cable with either a CAT5e or CAT6 Ethernet cable.

nbn box lights flashing

If the light is YELLOW, that means, that while the cable is working, it has a fault or is old and you might not be getting the full speed on your network. Try replacing the cable.

Wi-Fi Issue

Connect your laptop or computer directly to your modem router using an Ethernet cable. If this works, this indicates a Wi-Fi issue.

Try another browser

Close your internet browser entirely and open a new one as sometimes the program you are using to access the internet has encountered an error.

If you’re using wi-fi, try disconnecting from the network and then reconnecting. This should re-establish your connection to the modem.

If the issue persists, you may call us at 1300 303 375 for further assistance.

Did this answer your question?