What do the Virgin Media Hub lights mean?

Is your Virgin Media router – quite literally – on the blink? Is it starting to resemble a spaceship from Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Instead of trying to solve the problem by repeatedly rebooting the box, or hurling it out of the window in frustration, read on to discover what the Virgin Media Hub lights actually mean.

Virgin Media Hub lights: Hub 3.0

If you’ve got either the black or white Virgin Media Hub 3.0, you’re in luck: there are only four lights to grapple with. From bottom to top, they are:

• The base LED: This is the only light that should be on all of the time. When the Hub is in router mode, it will be white. When it’s in modem mode, it’ll be magenta (pink). And that’s it.
• The phone light: If your phone service is provided by the Hub 3.0, the phone light will start to glow if there’s a problem.
• The internet light: This light will flash green when the Hub is acquiring a connection and will remain lit for two minutes after a connection has been established. It will also flash when the Hub is downloading new software. If it flashes red or stays on for more than two minutes, there’s a problem with your internet connection.
• The Wi-Fi light: When the Hub 3.0 is booted up, the Wi-Fi symbol will stay on for two minutes. As above, if it stays on for two minutes or flashes bright red, you’ve got a problem with the Wi-Fi.

Virgin Media Hub lights: Super Hub 2ac and Super Hub 2

As ISP routers go, the Virgin Media Super Hub 2/2ac is quite stylish. However, its lights are slightly more complicated than the Hub 3.0. From top to bottom, they are:

• The Wi-Fi lights: The first two lights show if the router has made a wireless connection. But why are there two? Well, there’s one for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless networks, and they will both blink if everything’s working a-okay. If they’re not on, you’re not connected.
• The “Ready” light: The third light from the top indicates whether the Super Hub is connected to Virgin Media’s network or not. It should be on all of the time; if it’s off, the router isn’t connected to the internet.
• The “Traffic” light:  This will flash blue when data is being transmitted across your network, which is a good thing. If it’s off, your Wi-Fi or Ethernet isn’t functioning properly. If that’s the case, scroll down to the “General fixes section below”. Do not pass Go. Do not collect £200.

Virgin Media Hub lights: Super Hub

The first thing that strikes you about the Super Hub is the large glowing button on its side. If it’s blue, the Super Hub is in router mode. Purple? It’s in modem mode. If, on the other hand, it’s blinking red and blue, that means it’s connecting to compatible WPS devices (this will only occur after you’ve pressed and held the button for two seconds).

The three lights on the front of the router are more straightforward. Here they are from top to bottom:

• The “Traffic” light: As with the Super Hub 2ac/2, the top light indicates if data is transmitted across the network. If it’s blinking blue or green, all’s well; if it’s dark, you’ve got an issue.
• The “Ready” light: This LED shows that you’re connected to the Virgin Media network and should be on 24/7. If it’s off, you don’t have an internet connection.
• The Wi-Fi light: If this is blinking or solid green, the Wi-Fi is working as normal. If it isn’t on, it’s worth getting in touch with Virgin Media.

Virgin Media Hub lights: General fixes

Once you’ve identified the light that isn’t doing what it should, try running through the steps below:

• Reboot: Switch off your Hub, wait for 60 seconds and turn it back on again. It may be an IT cliché, but it often solves the problem.
• Check the position: Have a look and see if anything – such as a heavy table or your significant other – is blocking the router’s line of sight.
• Ethernet cable: If you can’t get a Wi-Fi connection for love nor money, try using an Ethernet cable to connect your computer directly to the router.

Still no luck? Contact Virgin Media.

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