Network · 5 min read
Internet Down in Midland? 5 Checks Before You Call
NBN and 4G outages hit Midland, Guildford, Bellevue and surrounding suburbs every few weeks — mostly short, mostly local. Before you spend an hour on hold with your provider, run through these five checks. Nine times out of ten one of them brings it back.
1. Check if it's just you
Head to downdetector.com.au on your phone (4G data, not Wi-Fi) and search for your provider (Telstra, iiNet, TPG, Aussie Broadband, Superloop, etc.). A spike in Perth or WA reports means it's a network-wide issue — nothing you can do at your end. If it's quiet, the problem is your connection specifically.
2. Power-cycle in the right order
Most intermittent drop-outs are fixed by power-cycling — but the order matters.
- Turn off your router and your NBN box (if you have a separate one).
- Wait a full 60 seconds — not 10. The carrier session needs to time out server-side.
- Turn the NBN box on first. Wait 2 minutes for all lights to settle.
- Turn the router on. Wait another 2 minutes.
If your "Internet" or "WAN" light on the router goes green, you're back. If it stays red, amber, or flashing, move on to step 3.
3. Check the NBN box lights
Every NBN box has the same pattern: a power light, a status / service light, and an optical (FTTP) or DSL/sync (FTTN/FTTC) light. All of these should be solid green or blue when the service is healthy. A flashing optical or DSL light almost always means a carrier-side issue (cut cable, pit water, exchange outage) — not something you can fix. A solid red light usually means the box has failed and needs swapping out by your provider.
4. Try a wired connection
If one device works and another doesn't, it's probably a Wi-Fi issue, not an internet one. Plug a laptop into the router with an ethernet cable. If that works, the router's Wi-Fi radio is flaky — often fixed by a factory reset (hold the small button on the back for 10 seconds; you'll need to re-enter your connection details afterwards). If wired also fails, the issue is upstream.
5. Phone a Midland friend
Text or call a neighbour, co-worker, or someone else in the Midland / Stratton / Middle Swan area. If they're also out, it's a localised network issue — common after summer storms, scheduled works on the NBN network, or roadworks that hit a pit. These usually resolve within 2–4 hours. The NBN outage map at nbnco.com.au/support/network-status will usually confirm it.
Still no luck?
If you've worked through all five and your connection is still dead, give us a ring. We can usually diagnose the difference between a router problem (we can fix it in-workshop) and a carrier problem (you need to log a fault with your RSP) over the phone in a few minutes.