A router is an essential part of your home or office network. It allows you to host wireless networks as well as share your incoming internet connection with other devices. They’re usually pretty robust devices but do run into errors from time to time.
In this article, we’re talking about Orbi Satellite flashing, the reasons behind it and what you can do to fix the problem.
What causes the issue?
A white flashing light on Orbi devices generally indicates that a firmware update is being installed or new settings are taking effect. In such cases, it’s recommended that users wait at least 10-15 minutes before taking any action.
Other popular causes include:
- Unsuccessful update.
- OS or firmware glitches.
- Bad or incorrect firmware installation.
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How to fix this?
If your Orbi device is stuck on a white flashing light for quite some time, here are five fixes you can try out.
Restart the router
If it’s been far too long for the router to be updating, you should restart your router. Restarting internet devices can fix seemingly random issues that cause connectivity problems, including this one. Just turn off your router (and modem) and wait for a few minutes before turning it back on again.
Resync Orbi Satellite with the Router
In case the Orbi Satellite devices aren’t synced with your router, the update wouldn’t be able to go through, causing this error. This can be fixed by resyncing the devices with your router.
All you have to do is press the sync button on the Orbi router and after a couple of minutes, press the sync button on the satellite as well. Once you’re done, both devices should show a blue light indicating the pairing is successful. If not, an amber light will indicate pairing failure because the devices are too far apart or a magenta light will indicate a general pairing failure.
Once the pairing is complete, try pushing the update again to see if the white blinking light goes away.
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Factory reset the router
Most routers have a reset button at the back, which will reset the router to its default settings. If you’ve misconfigured some settings on your router or have been impacted by a bug or virus, resetting your router can fix these issues. Do remember that you’ll have to reconfigure the router with the credentials given by your ISP.
All you have to do is push and hold the reset button on your Orbi router with a small pin for about 10 seconds till you see an amber light indicating the reset process has started. It takes about 10 minutes for the reset to complete.
Manually install the firmware upgrade
Manually installing the firmware upgrade on your Orbi devices is also a rather straightforward solution to the problem. Here’s how.
Before you get started, download the latest firmware for your specific Orbi device from Netgear’s support website.
Step 1: Use the aforementioned steps to factory reset the router and satellites. Once complete, plug the router into your computer using an ethernet cable.
Step 2: Open a web browser on your computer and head over to Orbi device’s web portal, generally at 192.168.1.1.
Step 3: In the web UI, head over to Advanced > Administration > Firmware Update > Manual Update. Click the Browse button and locate the firmware file you downloaded.
Wait for the update process to complete and you should be able to fix the white blinking light issue.
Contact Netgear support
Finally, if nothing else works, you will have to contact Netgear support and have them assist you remotely or send a technician over to your house to diagnose and fix the problem. There’s a good chance that the issue actually persists in your router, and a replacement from the ISP would be able to fix the problem
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