Your internet has failed, and a quick inspection reveals that your Orbi’s pink light is on.
That most likely means that the satellite is unable to connect to the router, but there are a couple of other reasons why it might be on.
Since you’re probably looking for the quickest possible fix, here it is: restart or power cycle your Orbi equipment.
But if your Orbi’s pink light remains stubbornly on after you’ve done that, or if you aren’t sure how to do a power cycle, you will need some more detailed troubleshooting information.
We’ll provide the details you need further on, so keep reading.
Apart from the power cycle solution, you should also resync your satellites, check your firmware, deal with the possibility of a software glitch, check your cables and their connections, and consider the wisdom of doing a factory reset.
New to some or all of this? We’ve got your back. Read on to see what you can do about that Orbi pink light.
To make this easy for you, we’ll attempt to list possible fixes in the order of their likelihood of working and their ease of execution.
Possible Causes of Orbi Pink Light
Apart from the likeliest reason: a failed connection between the router and the satellite you were relying on for your connection, corrupted firmware, or another software glitch could be to blame.
But before we consider the more complicated reasons for your Orbi’s pink light, remember that your ethernet cable connection could also be to blame. Let’s begin our list of fixes here since it only takes a minute.
1. Check your Ethernet Cable
The obvious place to start is at the connection points. A loose connection should be easy to spot. All the same, you can make extra sure by unplugging cables and plugging them back in again.
However, the cable itself could be faulty, and that can be a little harder to troubleshoot.
Start by giving cables a visual check for pinch points or other damage, but don’t rule out the possibility of a damaged ethernet cable based on this alone.
If the rest of your troubleshooting doesn’t work out, you might want to try a different ethernet cable if you happen to have one handy. If you don’t, a local Netgear stockist can help you to check it out.
2. Power Cycle Your Orbi and Its Satellites
You may have already tried a simple router restart. But if that failed, a power cycle, which is really just a long version of restarting, could deliver results.
A power cycle forces your device to re-initialize from scratch, breaking it free from an unresponsive state such as that caused by a full crash or lengthy hanging. At the same time, it resets network activity.
To perform a power cycle, shut all your Orbi hardware (router and satellites) down and unplug the power source.
Wait a few minutes and then plug the router in and restart it. Now you’re ready to restart the satellite. It will take a few minutes for everything to boot up and establish a connection.
Check the ring light. If your orbi’s pink light is still on, it’s time to check the next thing on your list.
3. Is the Satellite too Far from the Router? Is Something Interfering With the Signal?
The reason why you chose an Orbi system was so that you could use the satellites to transfer internet signals to all the rooms in your house where you might want to have internet access.
But if you place the satellite in a dead spot, it can’t receive a signal to transmit. If you’ve already used your system successfully, look for things that might interfere with the signal.
For example, any type of electronic device you may have introduced nearby could be interfering with the signal.
If your system is a new one, you may have placed your router and its satellites incorrectly. The ideal placement would be for your router to be positioned near the center of your home with the satellites no further than 60 to 74 ft away.
Try repositioning your router and satellites with this in mind and see if that solves your Orbi pink light issue.
4. Resync Your Orbi Satellites
If things were working OK before, repositioning everything probably isn’t necessary. The Orbi pink light could simply indicate a need to resync your satellites. It’s an easy task. Here’s how to do it.
At the back of your router, you will find a sync button. Press it. Now check out your satellite device. It also has a sync button. Press that too.
You have to work fairly quickly. After pressing the sync button on your router, you need to press the button on your satellite within two minutes.
The synching process takes a few minutes, so give your devices a little time to complete synching. You’ll notice a blinking white light. After a time, it turns blue. When the blue light switches off, you know that the connection has been successful.
If you got through all that up to the point where you’re correctly synched, your problem is solved, but if not, it’s time to move on.
5. Update Your Orbi’s Firmware
Firmware is the permanent software that runs your devices. Like all types of software, regular updates are issued, but your Orbi may have missed an update somehow.
If there is a power cut while the update is in progress, things can get messy.
Supposing you just missed an update, checking for pending firmware updates and installing any outstanding updates may resolve your issue.
To do this log in to your Orbi account and navigate to the “Settings” menu.
Select “Router Settings” and search for the button labeled “Check for Updates.”
If you find an available update, download it and allow your Orbi to process the update. Don’t power down until you’re sure the process is complete.
6. Revert to Factory Settings
When things get messy, you can go through a long process of troubleshooting all your settings, searching for malware, and more – or you can simply revert your Orbi to its factory settings.
Reverting to factory settings erases all your personalized settings and restores your Orbi to the same state as it was when you just bought it.
You’ll need to set up and resync from scratch, but since this stands a very good chance of solving your issue, it’s worth the effort.
With your Orbi device switched on, search for the recessed reset button on the back of the device.
Use a thin object like the end of an unbent paperclip to press the reset button and hold it in for at least ten seconds.
Your Orbi will show a blinking amber light showing that it has been completely reset.
Now, go through the process of configuring your setup in the same way you did when you first received it. Remember that its username and password will have reset to defaults.
The user name after a factory reset should be “Admin,” and the Password will be “Password.” During the setup process, you can choose a new username and password.
Once everything is resynced, see if your Orbi’s pink light starts shining again.
Orbi Lights: Colors and Meanings
Since your Orbi’s pink light brought you here, you might like a full rundown of all the possible light colors the Orbi system may display. Here’s a quick rundown:
Your Power LED
Green light: Power on
Solid amber: Booting up (give it some time)
Blinking amber: Factory settings are being restored.
Blinking red: There is an issue. Most likely, the firmware is corrupted.
Your Satellite LED
Blinking white: Booting up
Steady blue: Connection successful. After a few minutes, the light will turn off.
Steady amber: You’re connected, but the signal could be better. This light also turns itself off after a few minutes.
Magenta (pink): The satellite and the router have failed to sync.
Orbi Pink Light Still On? Time to Call Support!
Having covered the main ways to get rid of the pink light on your Orbi system and restore your internet coverage, we think you should be sorted!
Nevertheless, nothing in life is one hundred percent predictable. So, if you’ve tried absolutely everything and you’re still out of luck, it’s time to call Netgear support to ask for help.
Unfortunately, they’re likely to talk you through the same steps we just covered in this article, but it may be worth a try.
It’s also possible that your equipment is faulty. Visit a local retail store and ask them to test out your system.
If it’s still under warranty, you might get a free replacement, so be sure to bring it in its original packaging so that you can claim any warranty benefits that may apply.
If you aren’t absolutely sure that you’ve set up your Orbi correctly in the first place, Netgear’s support website offers you some handy videos on how to set up your Orbi plus a few other resources that may help you.
By this time, however, we hope you’re happily browsing, gaming, or streaming your favorite shows.
