On many occasions we do not pay enough attention to our router.However, if we look at it carefully, it can offer us some interesting information.On some occasions it can even help us diagnose problems with our connection.We can obtain this information if we look carefully at the LED lights on our router.If they are on, off, flashing or have one color or another, their meaning is different.In this tutorial we are going to learn why the router blinks and learn how to interpret its LED lights.Before we begin, it should be noted that there is no defined standard when it comes to the LED lights on a router.Each manufacturer establishes its own criteria regarding the flashing or not of the lights and their colors.However, they are easy and intuitive when it comes to their interpretation, having some basic notions.The fact that it blinks can be both positive and negative, depending on the case.The passage of time has also affected the indicators of our home routers.We can say that we have almost always had the same number, which has generally varied between five or eight.At the moment that the router blinks or has an LED on or not, it is transmitting information to us.If we look at the first ADSL routers they had the following indicators:A characteristic example of this time could be the Zyxel 660 HW-D1.In a simple way we could see if the equipment was connected by Ethernet cable, if any was disconnected or did not work.Simply by looking at the LED lights we could have a clear view of how many ports we have free, for example.However, the situation has changed quite a bit in recent years.Although we have approximately the same number of LEDs, due to the appearance of new technologies, the form of visualization has changed.In that sense, for example, having a single LED for all LAN ports can be a solution.Thus, the user is not so saturated with so much information.Also, if we think about how we connect today this makes sense, since we use less and less the cable or at least compared to a few years ago.We must bear in mind that, over time, new LEDs have been added such as the WPS, the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network and the 5 GHz Wi-Fi network. Therefore, if you have a dual band router you will normally have two LED lights whereas if you have an older router, which only works on the 2.4 GHz band, you would only have one light available.Therefore, a good starting point to start with is to approach our home router.So if we look at that LED, it usually has an icon or a name that describes it.For example, the Wi-Fi name is WLAN or the energy name is "Power".You can see in a simple way if your wireless network is working correctly or, on the contrary, if there is a problem that should be solved.One of the ways in which we can obtain information about the status of our router is by looking at the color of the LEDs.They usually use two colors:Another thing that we have to observe is if the router flashes or not.In most cases it has to do with whether or not there is traffic on our local network or Wi-Fi.Thus we can establish that:This is valid when the router is flashing, as they sometimes have solid LEDs.When the LED lights are solid there may or may not be traffic on our network.Some manufacturers leave them fixed because we have more and more connected devices and they would be intermittent almost all the time.A few years ago this information made more sense, but today with the large number of IoT devices it makes it less relevant.As for the LED lights that we usually find in our router, and that can give us information, we have:Now, if the router flashes or has the LEDs of a certain color, you will be able to interpret what it means.Also a very advisable thing that can help interpret the LEDs, is the download of the router manual.As you can see, each device is different and what for one means one thing, for another it may be something completely different.If you look for information on that particular model, you will be able to better understand what that light is about.A good idea is to go to the official page of each manufacturer.This option is not usually seen in the routers that Internet providers usually put.Those that offer it are usually manufacturers specialized in network equipment that have a more developed firmware in their routers.Thus, in addition to the configuration of the LEDs, they usually have a Wi-Fi timer, a section for home automation, another for the Mesh network and more.In short, they offer many more possibilities apart from superior technical specifications.Here we will take the FRITZ!Box 7530 router as an example:One of the peculiarities that this router has, in addition to the fact that we can manage and configure its LEDs, is that we can allocate the LED that says “Info” for the task that we assign to it.To do this, we have to enter the router configuration, go to “System, Buttons and Indicators” and choose Led “Info”.These are the options that would allow us to choose for the Info LED:As you can see, it is very varied, we could use it to find out if we have an active Internet connection, a connected USB device, or if we have a message on the answering machine.On the other hand, if we go to the Indicators (LEDs) section we can manage and configure their behavior.Thus, for example, we can control the brightness of the LED indicators.For example, if you have the router nearby and the intensity of the light bothers you, you can adjust it to your liking.Also, it may happen that you have the router in a room and the LED light can bother you at bedtime.For this situation or that you simply do not want to see any of them on, you can turn off all the LEDs.As you have seen, thanks to the LEDs on a router we can generally know what is happening on the local network and also on the Internet connection.If you use a purchased router that is not from the operator, it is very possible that you can manage the LEDs on and off, and even customize them to show us different states.Therefore, if you see the lights on the router blinking, you should know that it can be both positive and negative.Each device is different, so you should always look for more specific information on that model and thus be able to solve errors that may appear before they can generate more errors that affect your connection.