Troubleshooting Actiontec MI424WR Wireless Network Issues

In Home Agent

Use the In Home Agent to troubleshoot your connection issues. Let the Wizard do the work and provide possible resolutions for any issues it finds.

You can also use the Power, Internet, and Ethernet lights on the front panel of the Actiontec router to help diagnose home networking connectivity issues. Follow the steps below to diagnose and test the possible solutions for any connectivity problems you are experiencing.

Note: You might want to print these directions to make the troubleshooting process easier.

1. Is the Power light illuminated?
   • Light is green: The Actiontec router power is on. Go to Step 2.
   • Light is not solid green: The router isn't getting power.
     Download the complete instructions for easy printing. 
     Your router is unable to connect to the Verizon Fios service
2. Is the Ethernet WAN light illuminated?
   • Light is green: The connection between the router and Verizon Online is established. Go to Step 3.
   • Light is off: 
3. Is the Internet light illuminated?
   • Light is green: The transmission of data is confirmed. Go to Step 4.
   • Light is off: Data transmission is not confirmed.
4. If the Actiontec router is connected to your computer using an Ethernet cable, are any Ethernet lights illuminated E1, E2, E3, or E4?
   • Light for the port where a cable is connected is green: The Ethernet connection between the router and the computer or network device is established. Go to Step 5.
   • Light for the port where a cable is connected is off: No link is established between the Actiontec router and your computer or network device.
5. Reboot your computer by turning it off, waiting for 45 seconds, and then turning it back on. Re-check your router lights.
6. Disconnect all networked computers and restart the computer connected to the router. Reconnect the other computers one-by-one to isolate the problem.
7. If you're still unable to connect to the Internet, please contact the Verizon Fiber Solutions Center.

1. Power light is off
   • The router isn't getting power.
   • Confirm that the power switch on the back panel of the router is in the "on" position.
   • If the Power light is still not green, check the connection between the power cord and the back of the Actiontec router.
   • Check the green light on the power plug that is connected to the electrical outlet or power strip. If the light isn't illuminated, remove the power plug and plug it back in securely until the green light is illuminated
   • If the green light on the power plug is illuminated, the power switch is "on," but the Power light on the front panel of the router isn't illuminated, please contact Verizon technical support.
2. Power light is flashing red
   • The router is initializing. If the Power light doesn't display steady green after a minute, turn off the power switch on the back panel of the Actiontec gateway for 45 seconds and then turn it back on.
3. If the power light is now solid green but you can't connect to the Internet, continue with Troubleshooting Step 2.
4. If the power light still isn't illuminated, please contact the Verizon Fiber Solutions Center.

1. The most common cause of a lost connection to your Fios service is a bad connection between the router and your Fios wall connection.
   • Check the connection where the Ethernet cable connects to the WAN port on the back of the Actiontec router.
   • Check connection where the same Ethernet cable connects to your Fios wall connection.
2. If the Ethernet WAN light is now illuminated but you can't connect to the Internet, continue with Troubleshooting Step 3.
3. If the Ethernet WAN light remains off, contact Verizon

1. Verify that your Ethernet cable connection to the Ethernet WAN port on the back panel of the router is secure.
   
   
2. Check the connection where the Ethernet cable connects to your Fios connection.
   
   
3. If the Internet light still isn't illuminated, there may be a service outage in your area.
   
   
4. If the Internet isn't illuminated and there is no service outage, continue with Troubleshooting Step 4. <page anchor link> (broken link: blocked)
   
   
5. If the Internet light is still not illuminated, please contact Verizon Fiber Solutions Center. 

An Ethernet light should be illuminated for each port (1-4) where you have an Ethernet cable connected. If you have an Ethernet cable plugged into a port that does not have its light illuminated, follow the steps below to diagnose the problem.

1. Plug the yellow Ethernet cable into a different available Ethernet port in the back of the router.


2. If the Ethernet light is still off, verify that you plugged the other end of the Ethernet cable securely into the Network Interface Card (NIC) in your computer. [Show Me]


3. If the Ethernet light is still off, use Windows Device Manager to verify that your NIC is working correctly.


4. If the Ethernet light is now illuminated but you still can't connect to the Internet,  contact Verizon.


5. If the Ethernet light remains off, contact Verizon.

If you haven't changed your SSID, the default SSID is provided on a sticker on the bottom of your Actiontec MI424WR router.

Your network's SSID is stored in your Actiontec MI424WR router. As long as you know your router's user name and password, you can access the security settings where your SSID is stored.

1. Open your Web browser and enter http://192.168.1.1 in the Address field.
2. Depending on when you purchased your router and the version of firmware it's running, the directions for finding your SSID vary slightly. Please click the login screen that matches what you see.

If you haven't changed your WEP key, the default WEP key is provided on a sticker on the bottom of your Actiontec MI424WR router.

Your network's WEP key is stored in your Actiontec MI424WR router. As long as you know your router's user name and password, you can access the security settings where your WEP key is stored.

1. Open your Web browser and enter http://192.168.1.1 in the Address field.

2. Enter your user name. If you didn't change it when you configured your network, the default user name is admin

• If you've forgotten your user name or password, you must reset your Actiontec MI424WR router to the factory defaults to access the configuration screen where the security settings are stored.

3. Enter your password.

4. Click the Wireless Settings icon. 

5. Select Wireless Status in the left navigation panel.

6. Write down the level of encryption (64 or 128 bit), and the WEP key code from the Security Enabled section.

Your network's WPA2 or WPA encryption code is stored in your Actiontec MI424WR router. As long as you know your router's user name and password, you can access the security settings where your encryption key is stored.

1. Open your Web browser and enter http://192.168.1.1 in the Address field.
2. Enter your user name. If you didn't change it when you configured your network, the default user name is admin.
   1. If you've forgotten your user name or password, you must reset your Actiontec MI424WR router to the factory defaults to access the configuration screen where the security settings are stored.


3. Enter your password.

You may be instructed by a Verizon technical support person to reset your modem in order to clear any existing properties. You may also have to reset your router to the factory defaults if you have forgotten your router user name or password.

Note: Resetting your Actiontec router clears all of your home networking settings

1. With the power on (Power LED on front panel should be lit green), use the pointed end of a paper clip to press and hold the Reset button for 10 seconds.

You can use the ping command to test the connection between your computer and router. The ping test sends data packets from your computer to a server on the Internet to test your Internet connection. If the connection is working, the same number of data packets will be sent from your computer as are received by the server. It verifies that the data packets are going from your computer to your router, and finally to the server on the Internet.

1. Click Start.


2. Enter cmd in the Start Search field.


3. Enter ping, the IP address of your router, and press Enter. For example, the default would be "ping 192.168.1.1" 
   
   
   • If "Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss)" displays, the connection is good and the signal successfully reached the router.
   • If "Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss)" displays, the connection is faulty and none of the signals did reached the router.
   • A "Destination host unreachable" or "Request timed out" error message also indicates the connection is faulty and the signal did not reach the router.
   • Check the physical connection between your computer and the router.
   • Check your router settings.
   • Contact your computer manufacturer for assistance. You may have to uninstall and then re-install the drivers for your Network Interface Card because they are corrupt, or you may have a defective or damaged interface card.

The default user name for the Actiontec MI424WR router is "admin," and the default password is "password" (do not include the quotation marks).

• Note: To improve security, your router password may have been changed to the serial number of your Actiontec MI424WR router if you hadn't previously changed the password from the default of "password." You can find your router's serial number on the label affixed to the bottom or back of your router.
• If you reset your router to the factory default settings, the router password will return to "password."

The user name and password are both case-sensitive, so be sure to enter them in lower case.