Mesh routers are a lifesaver for those in bigger homes that suffer from frequent dead zones. I struggle to think of anything more rage-inducing than setting up your custom-built computer only to find out that the room you are in does not get Wifi.
Unfortunately, even these mesh systems can be problematic themselves at times.
When it comes to this unique lane of Wifi devices, few products can compare to Netgear’s exceptional Orbi.
With that said, several people have encountered issues with the product in the form of ambient purple light. This either means that the Orbi is unable to form a connection to the internet or that your satellites are not pairing with it correctly.
In this article, we are going to conclusively solve this issue in a concise and easy to follow guide that will cover every possible solution that is known.
How to Fix the Orbi Purple Light (6 Solutions!)
Before we dive into the fairly straightforward solutions, it is worth mentioning that the hue of the light is telling of what is going on with your Orbi device. While Orange is certainly an improvement from purple, we ideally want to get the Orbi to shine blue.
If the color is purple like you are currently experiencing, it has failed to connect with either the satellites or the internet itself. If it is orange, you have a connection though it is abysmal to feeble at best. Finally, if your Orbi is Blue, you have a reliable connection and it has successfully completed the sync.
Be wary of people telling you that you need to update your firmware to fix the issue. While this advice is probably trying to be helpful, to update your firmware you need to have a wired connection to your router and use the internet to download the update. For obvious reasons, this is not possible.
Reset The Orbi
Sometimes the most effective solution for tech issues is also the most simplistic, to the unanimous relief of everyone. As the name of this solution suggests you don’t need a comprehensive guide to figure this one out.
For the sake of being thorough, we won’t just be removing the Orbi exclusively but disconnecting the modem as well.
- Switch off the modem and disconnect the Orbi from the modem as well.
- Do five minutes of transcendental meditation (or just wait five minutes) then plug your modem back in.
- Give it a second to boot up fully.
- You can now reconnect your Orbi and the reset process should be complete.
In a perfect world, your Orbi will now have a blue hue instead of purple. If it still remains purple, then let’s move on to the next fix.
Check the Connection Lines
I know how annoying and condescending it can sound for someone to ask you if something is plugged-in, but sometimes ethernet cables can be finicky. Whether you think you have touched the cables or not – you should go ahead and make sure they all are not just plugged in but appropriately secured into their ports.
Something I have personally experienced quite often is that the small clip that clicks in when you plug your ethernet cable into its port can become loose or non-responsive making the ethernet cable connection much worse. This can result in struggling connections or an Orbi router that refuses to go beyond the annoying purple or orange hues you have come to despise.
Simply go through the individual wires and make sure each is properly connected and fastened well into its respective outlet. Additionally, check to make sure the cables aren’t frayed or torn in any way that could affect their ability to form a connection. You will know if this works by the blue light on the Orbi, if it is still purple, keep reading.
Retry Syncing Your Orbi and Satellite
Don’t get intimidated by the terminology used – this solution is very easy and straightforward. If you follow the directions below there should be very little chance of doing this incorrectly.
Side note: Keep your satellite and Orbi as close to each other as possible to strengthen the connection, if possible.
- Locate the Sync button on your Orbi device (It will be directly next to the Internet and Ethernet ports).
- Now go to your satellite and press the Sync button on it as well, make sure you do this in under 120 seconds.
- Allow a bit of time for the two to sync together.
- If you did it correctly your Orbi will flash white indicating it is currently connecting to your satellite or at least attempting to.
Once again, check the light to make sure it is blue, and if not let us start looking at solutions that don’t stem from the physical object itself.
Check Your Internet Provider for Outages
If you are struggling to access the internet altogether, it may actually be out of your hands entirely. The easiest way to figure this out is by contacting your internet service provider and informing them of your problem. In that same vein, you can also go on their website and look for outages in your area – this will give you a better idea of what and why you are dealing with these issues.
While there are other websites you can use outside of your internet service provider to figure out if there are internet outages, your provider is likely to give you the most informative reason and also offer an approximate time of when it will be back up.
Factory Reset the Orbi
We try not to be cavalier about suggesting a factory reset, since this will lose your passwords, settings, and configuration.
But if nothing else works, sometimes you just have to restore the device to a clean slate. If you need a step-by-step guide to factory reset an Orbi, thankfully we have you covered here.
Reach Out to Netgear
If you are still having problems with your Orbi, at this point the best solution will be to reach out to a Netgear employee and see if they have any solutions to your problem. Through their website, you can find all of their contact information.
While this isn’t necessarily going to fix your Orbi straight away, you can get expert advice that can diagnose your Orbi’s issue and hopefully help you fix it permanently. They can also inform you if your Orbi is defective or in need of repair.
Conclusion
With any luck, these solutions have fixed your issue and you are only reading the conclusion because you are amazed at my ability to form sentences.
If not, malware or viruses could be interfering with your connection, your Orbi is doing system diagnostics or perhaps even your Orbi needs to be looked at for possible internal issues. Regardless, tech issues can be time-consuming and ruin the efficiency of your day.
Hopefully, this article has restored some order to your busy schedule!
