The Network light on your Slingbox blinks or turns off

When you power up your Slingbox, does the Network light on the front continually blink, and never glow steadily? Or does it turn off? If so, here are a few tips and tricks to help get you watching your TV anywhere!

It's normal for the light to blink for as long as 30 seconds (maybe a minute in some cases) immediately after plugging in the Slingbox. During this time, your Slingbox is communicating with your router. Technically, it's getting an IP address (a unique network ID number) from your home router.

If the Network light doesn't stop blinking after this startup period, or if it turns off, then your Slingbox wasn't able to communicate with your router. Below are some of the most common reasons why this might be happening, along with some solutions. You may have to do some detective work to find the cause of the problem but we'll guide you step-by-step.

1) Make sure that your router is powered on

Most routers don't have power switches but sometimes the power cable to your router may not be solidly connected. Double-check that the cable is connected and that the router is on.

2) Restart your Slingbox and router

Try restarting both your Slingbox and your home router. Just follow these steps:

Unplug your Slingbox from the power outlet.
Unplug your router from the power outlet.
Wait about 5 seconds.
Plug the router back in.
Wait 30 seconds.
Plug the Slingbox back in.

If that doesn't work, move on to step 3.

3) Check the physical connections

Make sure that the physical connections from your Slingbox to your router are good. Here's how:

Disconnect both ends of the ethernet cable between your Slingbox and your router.
Reconnect both ends of this ethernet cable, making sure that the cables are firmly connected to your Slingbox and your router.
When that's done, restart your Slingbox by quickly pressing and releasing the reset button on the back (don't hold it in).

If that doesn't fix the problem, continue to the next step.

4) Check your SlingLink (or other powerline ethernet adapter set) or your wireless bridge

If your Slingbox is not near your router, and you used SlingLink, SlingLink Turbo or a wireless ethernet bridge to connect them, the issue may be that the connection isn't working.

SlingLink (or powerline ethernet adapter set)

Make sure that they're not plugged in to power strips or outlets that have power strips plugged into them.
Check that the Link light (or other connection indicator) is on. This should be the case with both the adapter that's connected to your Slingbox and with the one that's connected to your router. If the Link light or connection indicator is not on, the two outlets may be on different circuits in your home (this is very common with homes today). There may also be an issue with the SlingLink or powerline adapters themselves.
To check this, plug the adapters into two outlets that are near each other. See if the Link lights or connection indicators come on. If they don't, then the adapter set could be malfunctioning. If the Link lights or connection indicators do come on, then the solution for your Slingbox and router is to try different outlets until you find a pair that works for the SlingLink (or other powerline adapter) that's connected to your Slingbox, as well as the one that's connected to your router.

Wireless bridge

Verify that the wireless bridge is connected to your home wireless network. The documentation for your wireless bridge should have troubleshooting steps.

To really make sure your SlingLink set or wireless bridge isn't the problem

If you really want to be sure that your SlingLink or wireless bridge is (or isn't) the problem, the best way to do it is to temporarily move your Slingbox near your router. You don't have to worry about connecting it to your AV source (for example, your cable or satellite box). You're only interested in what the Network status light does.

Take a known good ethernet cable and connect the Slingbox to your router directly. Then plug your Slingbox into the power outlet. If with this simple direct connection the network light is still blinking, the issue is either the Slingbox or your router. Try resetting your Slingbox.

5) Reset your Slingbox

Resetting the Slingbox restores the Slingbox back to its original factory settings. You will lose all of your customization and configuration, but the Slingbox will probably start working again.

To reset your Slingbox, see the article linked below.