Restarting your modem/router is the most common troubleshooting advice and it usually works. But when it doesn't — when you restart and the internet still doesn't come back — there are specific steps to diagnose the problem.
Step 1: Wait Long Enough
An NBN connection can take 3–5 minutes to fully re-establish after a restart. Fibre connections are faster; FTTN connections over copper are slower. Wait at least 5 minutes before concluding something is wrong.
Step 2: Check the Modem Lights
Every modem/router has indicator lights. Typically: Power (solid), DSL/WAN (solid or flashing = connecting), Internet (solid = connected). If the DSL/WAN light is flashing and never goes solid, the NBN connection isn't establishing — the problem is between your home and the street, or on the NBN network itself.
Step 3: Power Cycle in the Right Order
Turn off both the modem/gateway and any separate router. Wait 60 seconds. Turn the modem on first. Wait until the internet light is solid (up to 3 minutes). Then turn on the router. Order matters — the router needs to see a live connection from the modem to configure itself correctly.
Step 4: Check the NBN Status
Visit your ISP's status page or nbn.com.au from your phone's mobile data. If there's a known outage in your area, you'll see it listed. No point spending an hour troubleshooting a network problem that NBN Co is already fixing.
Step 5: Test the Connection on Ethernet
Connect a laptop directly to the modem with an ethernet cable. If you get internet on ethernet, the modem is fine and the problem is with your Wi-Fi router or its configuration. If ethernet also has no internet, the problem is the modem or the NBN connection.
Step 6: Check the Connection Settings
Factory resetting a modem wipes the ISP connection settings. If you've recently reset, you need to reconfigure it with your username and password from your ISP. Log into the modem admin panel and check the WAN/Internet settings match your ISP's requirements.