Short answer: router light colours aren’t a universal code. The same colour can mean different things on different makers’ equipment: solid blue means a good connection on a NETGEAR Orbi satellite but rescue mode on an ASUS ZenWiFi router, and a flashing blue ZenWiFi router has no internet. Look up your exact model’s LED guide; below are the meanings NETGEAR and ASUS document for two common systems, and what to do next.
NETGEAR Orbi
NETGEAR documents the power light and the ring light separately.
| Light | State | NETGEAR’s meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Power | Solid green | Powered on |
| Power | Solid amber | Rebooting |
| Power | Pulsing amber | Factory reset or firmware update in progress |
| Power | Pulsing red | The system might need attention |
| Router ring | Solid white | Ready to set up |
| Router ring | Solid magenta | No internet connection |
| Router ring | Off | Connected to the internet |
| Satellite ring | Solid magenta | No backhaul connection to the router, or no IP address |
| Satellite ring | Blue for 3 minutes | Good backhaul connection |
| Satellite ring | Amber for 3 minutes | Fair backhaul connection |
| Satellite ring | Off | Connected to the router |
On an Orbi, an unlit ring is the normal state once everything is connected. “Backhaul” is the link between a satellite and the router; mesh backhaul explained covers why a fair one matters.
ASUS ZenWiFi
ASUS publishes the meanings for its ZenWiFi routers and AiMesh nodes.
| Unit | Light | ASUS’s meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Router | Flashing blue | Not connected to the internet |
| Router | Flashing yellow or orange | Starting up |
| Router | Pulsing green | Powered on and ready to set up |
| Router | Solid blue | Rescue mode |
| Node | Yellow or orange | Adding or reconnecting to the AiMesh router |
| Node | Flashing blue | Ethernet backhaul mode is on, but the node isn’t wired |
| Node | Flashing yellow or orange | Starting up |
ASUS notes that LED colours may look different depending on the environment, and points to the LED Guide in the ASUS Router app (Settings > AiMesh > select the router > LED Guide) for your exact model.
What to do next
For any other brand, search the maker’s support site for your model number and “LED”, and use that guide rather than a generic colour chart.