RJ45 activity indicators...

Thread Starter

Externet

Joined Nov 29, 2005
2,202
Hello.
My 'cable' modem at home connects the internet via RJ45 to a couple of computers and a television 'tuner' to see streaming broadcasts on a TV.
When the computers are off or asleep, the orange indicator at the RJ45 jack is off. When the TVbox is off, the orange led keeps flashing. The TVbox is warm on or off. Same thing with another gadget I used, a dish satellite receiver box.
Seems these just go 'stanby' and not truly off.
How to find out if those gadgets are 'consuming' internet bandwidth in standby ? Are the orange flashing lights at the RJ45 jacks true indicators of data traffic happening ?

Somewhere I remember reading the orange leds show data collisions. Well, then they collide 24/7.
What is true about them ?
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
I have no clue what your cable box indicators are showing.

But..

Cable boxes are always monitored by the cable provider. Also, in low usage periods, they will show activity as the cable provider downloads content (buffers the “channel guide”) and uploads software updates to the box.

So I’ve always believed that the indicators are an indication of network activity.
 

Thread Starter

Externet

Joined Nov 29, 2005
2,202
Thanks, djsfantasi.
Digging deeper, the fundamental finding is :( 'Every manufacturer does what they want with the leds' :( 'There is no standard' and, my modem manufacturer in question, uses the leds to tell if it is a 100 MB or 1000MB connection, and activity.
So will disconnect the RJ45 plug when unit is turned off, to learn what happens doing so.
 
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