Get help with my Telstra Smart Modem
Take me to
About Telstra Smart Modem
There are currently four different generations of the Telstra Smart Modem. If you have any of these models (look on the back or base of your modem to find the model number), then you have a Telstra Smart Modem.
- The Telstra Smart Modem Gen 2 and Gen 3 has ports arranged vertically down the back
- The Telstra Smart Modem 1.1 and Telstra Frontier Gateway has ports arranged horizontally along the bottom edge on the back
- You can also check your Telstra Smart Modem model number by entering http://192.168.0.1/ in your browser and signing in. The username is admin and the default password is Telstra for Telstra Smart Modem 1.1 and Gen 2. For Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3, the password is the same as the Wi-Fi password found on the bottom of your modem
- The model number will be listed as Hostname on the Home page.
Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3
- Model no.: Cobra XH
Telstra Smart Modem Gen 2
- Model no.: LH 1000
- Model no.: DJA 0231
Telstra Smart Modem
- Model no.: DJA 0230
Telstra Frontier Gateway
- Model no.: DJN 0231
Service feature table
| Service | Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3 and Gen 2 | Telstra Smart Modem | Telstra Frontier Gateway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband(nbn, Cable, ADSL) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Home Phone | Yes (ADSL, cable, nbn and 4G network) | Yes (ADSL, cable, nbn and 4G network) | No |
| Wi-Fi Booster compatibility | Yes (nbn only) | Yes (nbn only) | No |
| Games Optimiser compatibility | Yes on nbn fixed broadband plans only (incompatible with nbn Basic speed plans and Fixed Wireless and Ultrafast add-on) | No | No |
A Telstra Smart Modem is included with Telstra home internet plans for new home internet customers or existing customers moving to the nbn network who don’t have a compatible modem. Conditions apply.
When you stay connected for 24 months, the modem is included for free. If you cancel your plan within 24 months of connecting, you will need to payout the remaining cost of your Telstra Smart Modem. You also need to be in a 4G coverage area to be able to benefit from the 4G mobile backup.
The Telstra Smart Modem is a hybrid modem that acts as both a modem and a router. The modem allows your compatible devices to connect to the internet and helps to keep you connected - even when there is a fixed broadband* network outage or disruption - by automatically switching to a backup mobile internet service**.
Then, when the issue is resolved, it switches back to the fixed broadband network. You may not even know it has happened. If the issue isn’t resolved within 24 hours, we will contact you for further assistance.
*Fixed broadband refers to your ADSL, cable or nbn™ broadband connection with Telstra.
**4G coverage required. Backup doesn’t apply to Home Wireless Voice as the service is already connected to the 4G network.
Switches to the Telstra mobile network
- The Telstra Smart Modem comes with a pre-activated SIM card inserted that connects to the Telstra mobile network. When it detects that your ADSL, cable or nbn broadband is not available, if your home is in a 4G coverage area, it switches to the Telstra mobile network*. This process may take a few minutes
- When your modem is connected to the Telstra mobile network, you are connected on 4G mobile backup
- When the outage or disruption is over, the modem will automatically switch back to your fixed broadband service within minutes. You may not even know an outage occurred.
*Switching to the Telstra mobile network doesn’t apply to Home Wireless Voice as the service is already connected to the 4G network.
Through band steering
- The Telstra Smart Modem comes with band steering on, which allows your devices to automatically switch between the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz signals to give you optimal connectivity
- Band steering also gives you a single network name and password to connect your devices
- If you’re having trouble connecting your devices, we don’t recommend turning band steering off, instead:
- Go to troubleshoot a problem
- Select your broadband service
- Choose the first symptom: There is no connection
- This will log the issue with us and we’ll help you restore your fixed broadband* connection.
*Fixed broadband refers to your ADSL, cable or nbn™ broadband connection with Telstra. This doesn’t apply to the 4G Home Wireless Voice service.
The lights on your Telstra Smart Modem can help keep you informed about the status of your modem, including if it has switched over to the 4G mobile network.
Or, you can check the status of your Telstra Smart Modem connection by entering http://192.168.0.1/ in your browser and signing in. The username is admin and the default password is Telstra for Telstra Smart Modem 1.1 and Gen 2. For Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3, the password is the same as the Wi-Fi password found on the bottom of your modem.
Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3 and Gen 2
Front Light Indicator
- Green - Modem is connected to fixed network
- Blue - Modem is connected to 4G backup or the 4G mobile network on Home Wireless Voice
- Red – Modem has no connection
- Orange – Modem is trying to connect
- White – Modem is booting up
- No light – Modem is offline
Back Light Indicator
- Green – 4G mobile signal strength is great
- Orange – 4G mobile signal strength is good
- Red – 4G mobile signal strength is weak
Telstra Smart Modem and Telstra Frontier Gateway
Online status
- Magenta – Modem is connected to 4G backup or the 4G mobile network on Home Wireless Voice
- Green – Modem is connected to fixed network
Mobile signal
- Green – 4G mobile signal strength is great
- Orange – 4G mobile signal strength is good
- Red – 4G mobile signal strength is weak
- It’s important that your Telstra Smart Modem stays plugged in so that you experience minimal impacts to your internet during outages and service disruptions. Find out how to set up your Telstra Smart Modem depending on your technology type.
- Repositioning your Telstra Smart Modem may help to improve coverage and Wi-Fi speed. It may also help to reduce interference. See some tips below on how to help get the optimal experience from your Telstra Smart Modem.
Repositioning your Telstra Smart Modem:
Move your modem to a central point
This maximises the modem's ability to send a strong signal through your home.
Place your modem well above the floor
Desk or shelf height is ideal. Too close to the ceiling can be as bad as too low to the floor.
Keep modem away from thick walls and solid objects
Solid internal walls can block your Wi-Fi signal.
Improve Speed:
These will help you identify what's slowing down your Wi-Fi - and stop your shows being buffered.
Speed test your modem
You may find areas where the Wi-Fi is not as strong as it can be.
Check for interference
Turn the modem off. Then on.
Reduce interference:
Look for patterns
Unplug suspect devices
Move interfering devices
Move any devices that are causing interference away from your modem, or try plugging directly into the modem with an ethernet cable.
Upgrade to a smart modem
If you're using an older modem, consider switching to the new Telstra Smart Modem 3. You’ll need to visit your nearest Telstra store.
If you are still experiencing issues you may need a Wi-Fi extender or booster, which can help extend your modem’s signal to give you Wi-Fi in every room.
Bridging your Telstra Smart Modem disables the router aspect and essentially turns the device into a conduit or pass-through for the internet connection. Just remember, doing so will also disable 4G mobile backup and our ability to test various aspects if you’re having connection issues.
- Go to http://192.168.0.1 in your internet browser
- Log into the Smart Modem. The username is admin and the default password is Telstra for Telstra Smart Modem 1.1 and Gen 2. For Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3, the password is the same as the Wi-Fi password found on the bottom of your modem
- For Smart Modem 2 and earlier, select Advanced at the top of the screen
- Select Local Network (LH1000 users will need to go to Internet > WAN Services)
- Choose Bridged Mode or toggle Bridge Enabled
- Accept the confirmation popup. The modem will now reboot.
Wi-Fi features
Our Smart Modems allow you to create a separate Wi-Fi network to give internet access to guests, so they can’t interact with devices on your main network.
Security-conscious users may want to use this as an extra layer of protection against threats like malware or device vulnerability exploits.
Somebody working from home may want to connect their work laptop separately from their home devices, to help prevent an exploited device gaining access to their work device.
Enabling Guest Wi-Fi
How to enable guest Wi-Fi can be slightly different depending on which modem you have, but for a Telstra Smart Modem:
- Go to http://192.168.0.1 in your internet browser
- Log into the modem. The username is admin and the default password is Telstra for Telstra Smart Modem 1.1 and Gen 2. For Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3, the password is the same as the Wi-Fi password found on the bottom of your modem
- Select Wi-Fi
- For Telstra Smart Modem 1.1 and Gen 2: You’ll see Guest tabs for both the 2.4GHz and 5Ghz. For each tab, tick the Enabled option if you want that network to be available. You can also configure your own network name and password, or take note of the name and password generated. Select Save or Apply to save the changes
- For Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3: You’ll see a Guest option on the left side under NETWORKS. Select Guest and toggle the State option to On. You can also configure your own network name and password, or take note of the name and password generated. Press Save to save the changes
- Connect any devices you wish to use the guest network as you would for your main network. If the device has connected to the main network before, you may need to ‘forget’ or remove the network from it before connecting to the new guest network, as it may try to reconnect to the main network automatically.
Telstra Smart Modems are fully compliant with Wi-Fi Alliance CERTIFIED™ standards and features. Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3 is our first modem featuring Wi-Fi 6 and WPA3 security.
While these certifications are a worldwide industry recognised standard and have backwards compatibility with previous generations, there can be occasions where a device has connectivity issues or causes degradation of the network due to Wi-Fi PMF.
Wi-Fi PMF (Protected Management Frames) provides additional security to Wi-Fi networks and increases privacy. It’s included in the Wi-Fi Alliance Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WPA2™ and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WPA3™ standards and is required in all new certified devices. An increasing amount of modern devices require, or will require, PMF to be enabled for them to be able to connect to your Wi-Fi network.
This feature being enabled shouldn’t cause issues with a device not capable of utilising it. However, older or obscure devices that haven’t been updated can have difficulty connecting to networks with this feature turned on.
Incompatible devices should be very rare, but the Wi-Fi PMF may need to be disabled for those devices to connect. Contacting the manufacturer of a problematic device or upgrading its firmware is the best solution.
Disable Wi-Fi PMF on Telstra Smart Modems
We don’t recommend disabling Wi-Fi PMF in your modem and it should only be a last resort.
- Go to http://192.168.0.1 in your internet browser
- Log into the modem. The username is admin and the default password is Telstra for Telstra Smart Modem 1.1 and Gen 2. For Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3, the password is the same as the Wi-Fi password found on the bottom of your modem
- Select Wi-Fi from the menu
- In the 2.4GHz and/or 5GHz tabs, toggle the Wi-Fi PMF to the off position or use the dropdown box next to Protected Management Frames and select Disabled
- Press Save or Apply to save the changes.
Band steering is a Wi-Fi Alliance CERTIFIED™ feature included on our Smart Modems that ‘steers’ devices to connect to the Wi-Fi band that will give them the best performance. This is usually the 5GHz band.
Devices are constantly monitored to ensure they’re getting the optimal Wi-Fi connection and speed based on factors like the number of devices on the band, Wi-Fi coverage, and interference. Band steering means the modem will also only appear to have one Wi-Fi network, despite offering both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. This can cause some older or niche devices to have connectivity issues.
Contacting the manufacturer of a problematic device or upgrading its firmware is the best solution.
If band steering is disabled, it will split the networks up so both become available, and you’ll have the ability to connect to either network. You will also have the option to adjust settings for each network independently.
Using default settings, the 5GHz network will be your normal network name with ‘5G’ appended on the end.
Disable band steering on Telstra Smart Modems
We don’t recommend disabling band steering in your modem and this should only be a last resort.
- Go to http://192.168.0.1 in your internet browser
- Log into the modem. The username is admin and the default password is Telstra for Telstra Smart Modem 1.1 and Gen 2. For Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3, the password is the same as the Wi-Fi password found on the bottom of your modem
- Select Wi-Fi
- In the 2.4GHz tab, remove the tick in the Band Steering Enabled, Band Steering, or Split Networks checkbox or toggle switch
- Press Save or Apply to save the changes.
WPA3, also known as Wi-Fi Protected Access 3, is the latest iteration of security for wireless networks. It’s more secure than WPA2, addressing several shortcomings of the previous generation while remaining backwards compatible, and will become the dominant Wi-Fi security standard.
Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3™ devices are fully compliant with the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WPA3™ standard and it’s enabled by default, with backwards compatibility.
While incompatible devices should be very rare, the security may need to be downgraded for those devices to connect. Contacting the manufacturer of a problematic device or upgrading its firmware is the best solution.
Downgrade a Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3 to WPA2
We don’t recommend downgrading your modem to WPA2. Contact the manufacturer of your problematic device before altering any security features of your modem.
- Go to http://192.168.0.1 in your internet browser
- Log into the modem. The username is admin and the default password is the same as the Wi-Fi password found on the bottom of your modem
- Select Wi-Fi
- In the dropdown box next to Security Mode, select WPA2 PSK
- Press Save or Apply to save the changes.
4G mobile backup
No, you will not incur any additional charges when your modem switches to the Telstra 4G mobile network. When the Telstra Smart Modem connects to the 4G network, it’s connecting to the Telstra mobile network and not your personal mobile phone service.
As the connection speed is capped at up to 25Mbps for download and up to 5Mbps for upload, you may notice a difference in the speed of your service during this time.
These speeds should be enough to perform most basic online activities such as email and internet browsing. However, it might be slower than usual. When online gaming, streaming or using video chat on the 4G mobile backup, you may experience slower speeds, increased latency and load times.
Good to know: Telstra Air and Telstra Broadband Protect will not work when your modem switches to 4G mobile backup.
If you have a Telstra home internet plan on the nbn network with a Telstra Smart Modem, Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3 or Gen 2, you should be able to make and receive calls on your home phone when your modem is connected to the 4G mobile backup service. The backup SIM card in these models has voice capability. You will not incur any additional cost to make these calls while your modem is in backup.
Third party Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services such as FaceTime and Skype will still work when you are on 4G mobile backup.
The table below sets out what will work and what won’t when you’re on 4G mobile backup:
| Service | Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3 and Gen 2 | Telstra Smart Modem | Telstra Frontier Gateway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed broadband connection backup | nbn, Cable, ADSL | nbn, Cable, ADSL | nbn, Cable, ADSL |
| Home Phone | Yes, on nbn where the home phone service is connected to the modem. No 4G backup if you have an active PSTN phone line (with ADSL, cable and nbn Fixed Wireless services) | Yes, on nbn where the home phone service is connected to the modem. No 4G backup if you have an active PSTN phone line (with ADSL, cable and nbn Fixed Wireless services) | No |
No. Your fixed broadband connection will always be your primary service for internet connectivity on the Telstra Smart Modem. Our Customer Terms for the Telstra Smart Modem (PDF, 146KB) only permit the modem be used on the mobile backup connection when your fixed broadband connection is unavailable, and only at your home broadband service address.
Note: This doesn’t apply to the 4G Home Wireless Voice service.
- There may be times when your Telstra Smart Modem won’t switch over to the 4G mobile network when it should. It could be that your home isn’t receiving 4G coverage or if there is a 4G mobile network outage occurring (check for outages at your location). Your Telstra Smart Modem may also not work if you’re experiencing a power outage
- Sign in to My Telstra for troubleshooting tips
- You may also try these simple step by step instructions if your Telstra Smart Modem is not connecting to the 4G mobile network
- If you’re still experiencing issues or you’re a 4G Home Wireless Voice customer please contact us.
If you’ve been on the 4G mobile backup for more than a few hours, and it is not a known issue, please try the following:
- Go to troubleshoot a problem
- Select your broadband service
- Select the first symptom: There is no connection.
This will log the issue with us and we’ll continue to help you until you are back on your fixed broadband* connection.
It is important for you to get back on your fixed broadband connection so that we can provide you with the service you’re paying for.
Please note: to check if there is a known issue with your fixed broadband connection, such as an outage or a service disruption due to maintenance, please go to check for outages.
*Fixed broadband refers to your ADSL, cable or nbn™ broadband connection with Telstra. This doesn’t apply to the 4G Home Wireless Voice service.
Rather get in touch? Let's get you connected
Sign in to the My Telstra app
View your services, pay your bill, troubleshoot tech issues, contact us via messaging and much more
Chat with us
If you don't use My Telstra, you can still chat with us online.
Multilingual support
If you'd like to speak with us in your preferred language, we've got you covered.