Arris Modem Lights – Meaning and Fixes (2022)

Arris modems are well-known among American homes and businesses. They mainly provide home telephony modems that give internet access to their users. Arris has acquired the SURFboard brand from Motorola and has continuously made innovations to this modem brand throughout the years. If you have an older Motorola-branded modem, please refer to our article which explains what the Motorola modem lights indicate.

Arris Modem Lights – Meaning and What to Do When Blinking (2022)

However, some users have asked what Arris Surfboard lights are and their meaning. This guide will go over the meaning of Arris Surfboard modem lights and the most common Arris modem troubleshooting methods. Read this guide to learn more.

 

Table of Contents

Arris SURFboard Lights Meaning

Depending on the Arris modem model, it generally has four to nine lights, each with a different meaning.

Indicator Light
Meaning
Power
A solid green light indicates that the modem is switched on and is receiving power.
Receive
A solid green light indicates an established connection between the computer and the Internet on one channel (e.g., 2.4 GHz only).

A solid blue light means an internet connection is established on more than one channel (e.g., 5 GHz and 2.4  GHz connections).

Send
A solid green light indicates a connection between the Internet and the computer on one channel.

Meanwhile, a solid blue means there’s a connection between the Internet and the computer on more than one channel.

Online
A solid green indicates that your modem is fully connected to the Internet and is ready to be used.
2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wireless Lights (Dual-band Models)
A solid green light on either the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz lights indicates the frequency the modem is currently using.

 

Arris Modem Troubleshooting Methods

Like other modem brands, your Arris modem can also have problems. Fortunately, its indicator lights can help you diagnose issues that might affect your overall internet connection. Here are the most common Arris modem problems and how to fix them using simple troubleshooting methods:

Power Light is Solid Red

This happens when your Arris modem has problems booting up. It can be caused by a broken power adapter, an internal modem issue, and a loose connection. The first thing that you can do is to power cycle your Arris modem.

To power cycle your Arris modem, follow these steps:

  1. Turn off your modem and unplug its power adapter from the socket.
  2. Wait for one to two minutes to drain the power.
  3. Plug the adapter cable back in and turn on your modem.
  4. Wait for the modem lights to initialize and check if the issue is fixed.

You can also try checking if the electrical outlet that you’re currently using is operational. Plug other appliances into it and check if it’s working. If your Arris modem has hardware damage, contact Arris Customer Care to get it fixed or replaced. 

Receive Light Blinking

If the Receive light is continuously blinking green, your modem is currently using only one channel. Once you’re not receiving enough speed on your Internet connection, try checking if all cable connections are securely plugged in.

Otherwise, you can try power cycling your Arris modem and see if it solves the issue.

Send Light Flashing or Turned Off

This can happen once your modem is operating on one channel only. Try power cycling your modem and see if this solves the issue. Also, check all cable connections and see if they’re securely connected.

If you’ve changed the position of your router to a different outlet, you can try contacting Arris Customer Care for further assistance.

Power Light is Blinking Green

This temporarily happens when your Arris modem is booting up. You can wait for a few minutes until the modem initializes. If the booting process takes longer than five minutes, try power cycling your modem and check if the issue is fixed.

Online Light is Off or Flashing

When you see a blinking light on the Online LED light, or it’s flashing, chances are your modem is not yet recognized by CableAmerica servers. Try contacting their Help Desk to verify your device via its MAC Address, located at the bottom label of your modem.

 

Final Thoughts

Whether they’re new or you’ve been using them for a while now, issues can sometimes occur on your Arris modems. Luckily, you can make use of the modem lights to diagnose problems. Hopefully, this guide helps you know more about Arris modem lights and how to fix the most common Arris modem issues.

If the fixes above were ineffective, try contacting Arris Customer Care for service outage information and further help with your modem issue.