Orbi Blue Light (Causes & Easy Fixes)

Having an Orbi router means that you have seen the variety of colors it uses for communicating with you, whether it is amber, white, magenta, or blue.

If your Orbi blue light is on and staying on, you might have cause for concern.

Typically, the solid blue Orbi light means that the router has synced with the satellites and your internet is in good working order.

But the light is not supposed to be on all of the time. It should turn off on its own, and if it doesn’t, you will find that the LED is too bright in the dark.

The light really is telling you that there is a syncing issue with the router and the satellite.

Restarting your router might be a good quick fix to get the light to turn off, but the problem could remain. If you are still having the same problem, we have a few solutions for you to try.

Different Orbi Lights

Before we jump into everything, let’s just go over what the different connection statuses look like on your Orbi router. These are not the same as the satellites, so keep that in mind before you jump into what your satellite is doing.

• No light: When the light is off and the device is on and working, all is well. No light is the best light.
• Blinking white light: The blinking white light just means that the satellite is starting up. It should turn itself off once the connection is established.
• Blue light: The Orbi blue light means that the router and satellite are connected with a strong connection, but this light should turn off within 5 minutes.
• Blinking blue light: If you see the blue light blinking rather than just staying on, the router is not able to connect to the satellites. That is a bigger problem.
• Amber light: The amber or orange light also mean that the router and satellite are connected, but it means that the connection is weak. It’s there, but it is not as strong as it could be. This light should also turn off within 5 minutes. It is the same as the blue light, just a weaker connection than the blue.
• Purple light: The purple or magenta light indicates that the Orbi router and the satellite were not able to connect to each other. There are other troubleshooting options if this is the case, but there are crossover solutions that could work for either.

Beyond the lights, you really should make sure that your ISP is not down. It can happen that it’s not just your router that is having issues, but perhaps the internet on the whole is down.

You can call your ISP to confirm that there isn’t anything going on there or if you have other ways to access the internet, check out their website or social media.

Diagnosing the Orbi Blue Light

As we mentioned above, there are many explanations for the Orbi blue light. Here is a quick breakdown.

• All is well: If the Orbi blue light showed up and then disappeared after a bit, it is telling you all is right with the world. The satellites and your router are synced, and your internet is good. The key here is that the light did turn off after a little while.
• Random glitch: A random glitch is your best bet for the explanation for a blue light that is not turning off. A random glitch can be solved with a power cycle or restarting the router. Glitches happen all of the time with technology and honestly turning something on and off gives it a chance to refresh and reconnect.
• Firmware issues: A common explanation for the blue light is that there is an issue with the firmware. The firmware might need to be updated. The fix for that should be simple, because the blue light should not be telling you there isn’t internet. Just go to Orbi’s website and update your firmware. If the firmware is corrupted, you might need to run a diagnostic scan and have the firmware reinstalled. As long as it is connected the internet, this should be easy to do.
• Cable issues: By cable issues, we are not talking about cable internet or television, but the actual physical cables that are connected to your device. If there is a loose connection somewhere, the blue light might remain on as the Orbi is continually trying to reconnect, because it senses something is wrong. Check all of your connections and make sure that that is not the reason for the Orbi blue light.
• Bad Signal: Finally, there could be a bad signal involved. The internal signal could be weak or slow, or there could be a broken connection between the router and the satellite. The issue could be the layout of your home or obstacles in the way.

Orbi Blue Light Fixes

Let’s go through some more detailed fixes for the most common problems.

Fix #1: Restarting your Orbi router

Since the simplest solution is usually just restarting your router, let’s start with that.

1. Start by turning off your modem, router, and any satellites that you have. Then, unplug all of the devices.
2. Plug the modem back in first and turn it on.
3. Plug the router back in and turn it on.
4. Give it a few minutes for everything to power cycle the system.
5. Plug the satellites back in.
6. The connection between everything should reconnect automatically.
7. The blue light should turn off within 5 minutes.

Fix #2: Firmware Update

If firmware is the cause of the Orbi blue light, it is simple to fix.

1. Login to your Orbi router. You should have already done this when you setup your router, but if not, the info in how to login should have come with your Orbi router.
2. Go to the Admin dashboard.
3. Once in the Admin dashboard, you will need to go to Advance then Administration then Firmware update, and finally online update.
4. Click on the Check button to see if there were any updates for your router.
5. If you see an update available, click on Update All, and it should begin.
6. The router will restart when it is done, but if it doesn’t do it on its own, you may need to restart it yourself.

Fix #3: Sync the router and satellites

If there is a connection problem causing the Orbi blue light, then you can try syncing the router and the satellite.

1. Start by making sure that the satellites are all plugged in. When it’s connected, the satellite’s color should be magenta or just white.
2. Next, find the sync button that is on the back of the router. Press the router’s sync button at the same time as the sync button on the back of the satellite.
3. It should cycle through, and the blue light should turn off after around 3 minutes.

Fix #4: Reset the router and satellites

A reset might be another quick fix for the Orbi blue light.

1. To do this, your devices will all need to be plugged in and turned on.
2. Locate the reset button on the back of the devices.
3. You will need something slim and long to be able to push the reset button. A paperclip that has been bent should be able to do this. Then press the reset button and hold it.
4. Once the Orbi has the amber light flicker, you can let go.
5. Resync the satellite and router to confirm that the Orbi blue light has returned to normal. Remember that this will take a few minutes to accomplish.

Fix #5: Confirm all of the cables are connected

You should check that all of the cables are well connected. A loose connection can ruin the entire network connection. If the connections are unstable, the Orbi blue light will stay on.

1. First, check on the health of the cable. Have they been damaged or chewed? If it has, you might need to just replace your cables to be safe.
2. Next, make sure that the cable is plugged in on both ends. A cord could have slipped out or not been completely inserted.
3. Make sure that there is no water or any dirt or dust in the connections or around there. If it is in a dusty area, this could be impacting your connection.
4. Try unplugging and replugging in all of the cables.

What If The Blue Light Is Still On?

If you have gone through all of these possible fixes to get the Orbi blue light to turn off and it is still on, then you may have a serious issue with your device. You likely need more help than what you can do on your own, beyond purchasing a new Orbi set up.

It would be ideal to contact the customer services reps with Orbi directly. Technical experts should help you troubleshoot the issues and see if they can come up with an explanation for the steady blue light.

You can call them 24/7, but remember that in these situations, you might be on the phone for a while.

If Orbi determines there is nothing wrong with the device, you might want to confirm that there is nothing wrong with your internet.

A poor connection or some other internet issue might be the root cause, so checking your connection might be the final step.

If all else fails, it might be the system yourself. You may need to replace the device. If you have only recently purchased it, an exchange should be simple enough to do.

If the blue light persists, even with a different device, you really need to consult with a pro to see what else could be inhibiting your ability to get on the internet and use your Orbi router and satellites to the best of their abilities.

Bottom Line

Ultimately, an Orbi blue light is a mixed situation. On the one hand, the blue light means that there is a good connection between the satellite and the Orbi router.

But, when the blue light stays on, it is normal to think that there is something afoot. It is not normal for the Orbi blue light to stay on beyond a few minutes, so you should not assume that everything is ok as the light is telling you it’s not.

Keep in mind that the Orbi router should not have a light on when it is working well. A light indicates that the router is up to something or trying to accomplish something.

If the blue light stays on, remember to work through our troubleshooting fixes above to get your router working the way that it should be.