Easy Ways to Fix Blinking Amber or Orange Light on Router

Use these troubleshooting steps to stop your router's amber blinking light

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA Reviewed by Stan Kats

Is your router light blinking orange? This wikiHow article lists ways to solve the blinking orange light on your router.

Things You Should Know

To stop the router's blinking orange light, unplug all cables from the router, including the power supply, wait a few moments, then plug it back in.
The light on your router may flash orange if it's currently running an update. Wait a few moments to see if the problem goes away by itself.
If the light flashes for more than 15 minutes and power cycling the router doesn't help, there's usually a problem with your internet service.

1

A glitch can be preventing your router from working properly. Restarting it can help. To power cycle your router, unplug it from the power source for about 1 minute, then plug it back in. If you have a separate modem, disconnect all cables from both the modem and router, wait a full minute, then plug everything back in.^{[1]
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- Rule out router/modem compatibility (if they are separate) by unplugging both of them, waiting a few minutes, then only plugging in the modem. Once the lights on your modem aren't blinking anymore, plug in your router and wait about 10 minutes to see if an orange light is blinking. If the light is blinking, you most likely have an incompatible pair of devices and should contact your ISP.

2

Your router light also flashes orange when it's updating. If your router is set to update its firmware automatically, the light will flash orange during the update process, and the router will reboot itself. It might take around 15 minutes for the update to start and finish.^{[2]
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- If you haven't updated it recently, you'll want to check if there are updates. Although these are usually automatic, you can also log into your router's admin dashboard, go to Maintenance > Router Upgrade > Check.^{[3]
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3

Your ISP may be down for maintenance or have unscheduled outages. If the flashing orange light on your router is still there, there's usually a problem with your internet service provider or your account. See if your ISP is having issues in your area.
- You can check online if you have another internet-connected device, like your phone, or you can call your local ISP's office.

4

Do this as a last step since resetting will erase all your settings. Reset your router by turning it off, and pressing the Reset button for about 30 seconds.
- Your router will act like the day you got it, so you'll need to set up any limitations or configurations again.^{[4]
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5

If the light's still flashing, the issue is either your internet service provider, your account with that service provider, or a problem with your hardware. Your ISP can help with any of these issues. They can also reference the error logs from your router or modem.^{[5]
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Different router manufacturers use lights for various reasons; all the lights are labeled, so you can pick up your router and see which light is blinking orange. For example, if the light is labeled "internet," and you cannot connect online, you know there's something wrong with your connection. If rebooting your router/modem doesn't solve the issue, call your ISP. However, if the "Wi-Fi" light is blinking orange and you can access the internet on any connected device, it's most likely blinking to indicate data transfers and is nothing you need to worry about.

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