TP-Link Deco yellow light? If you don’t know what it means or why it stays on, keep reading!
The yellow light on TP-Link Deco is only an indication and should go away when the operating system is fully loaded or after a restoration process ends.
The genuine hurdle comes whenever the yellow light stays lit, even after waiting for a couple of minutes, and here we’ll help you out!
To resolve the persistent yellow light on TP-Link Deco, you must wait, especially if you’ve triggered a factory reset. Otherwise, you verify that the device’s power source is entirely functional, and finally, perform a factory reset.
Let’s continue with unwrapping the yellow indications!
TP-Link Deco Light Indications
It’s essential to know the light indications of your TP-Link Deco because the yellow light is a temporary state.
You may observe a few light indications following up after the yellow light on your Deco, which may suggest if there’s a problem or if your TP-Link Deco is working correctly!
It’s essential to know the current Deco state, so here’s all the light indications:
| TP-Link Deco Light Indications (M5, M9 and P7) | |
| Color | LED Indication Meaning |
| Yellow | Your Deco unit is currently turning on (loading the operating system) |
| Pulsating Blue | Your TP-Link Deco device is ready for the setup process |
| Solid Blue | The TP-Link Deco is currently setting up the system |
| Solid Green | Your Deco is connected/registered, and everything is working normally |
| Red | There is a problem with the connection or setup of your TP-Link Deco |
| TP-Link Deco Light Indications (M4, E9 and W2400) | |
| Color | LED Indication Meaning |
| Pulsing Yellow | Your TP-Link Deco is currently resetting the operating system |
| Solid Yellow | Your TP-Link Deco is currently starting the operating system |
| Pulsing Blue | Your Deco unit is ready to begin the setup process |
| Solid Blue | Your TP-Link Deco is currently configuring the setup |
| Pulsing White | Your Deco unit is currently upgrading the firmware |
| Solid White | The TP-Link Deco is successfully registered and working |
| Pulsing Red | Your Deco is disconnected from the main Deco |
| Solid Red | The TP-Link Deco is experiencing a setup problem |
These are all the indications you must be aware of. However, as shown, the yellow light must disappear after a few minutes.
However, if the yellow light is stuck, it will make your TP-Link Deco unusable, so it’s worth taking a few minutes of your time to read the short guide below.
TP-Link Deco Yellow Light Freeze – Here’s How to Fix!
If your TP-Link Deco is showing the yellow light for more than 5 minutes, then something went wrong with the startup of the system.
So, we’ve prepared a handful of solutions to help you out!
1. Wait for Your Deco to Load Fully
As shown in the table above, Deco models (M4, M5, M9, P7, and W2400) show a yellow light when they are turning on or when the system is being reset.
Thus, if you’ve started the reset process, you must remain patient until the reset finishes and the LED changes to blinking blue.
Another possibility is that your Deco is turning on the system, which may take longer in case of a recent power outage.
So, all you have to do is wait and make sure that the Deco will continue to show the yellow light for more than 5 minutes before attempting any solutions.
Note: Typically, TP-Link Deco takes 2 minutes to load the operating system fully!
2. Soft-Reset Your Deco Equipment
If the yellow light on Deco remains there indefinitely, perhaps your Deco is frozen.
When the system fails to load, your Deco may get stuck on the yellow light, which is a prime indication that you need to restart, which may solve most system issues.
Note: The soft reset will not erase anything from your Deco, nor will it unpair the device!
How to Reboot the TP-Link Deco?
- Open the TP-Link Deco application.
- Then, press on the “Network Map.”
- Select the problematic Deco unit.
- Tap the “Reboot” button to restart.
How to Power Cycle TP-Link Deco?
- Unplug the A/C adapter from the wall.
- Also, disconnect the input power cord.
- Wait for your Deco to discharge fully.
- Reconnect the power wire to the wall.
- Finally, turn on your Deco and wait.
When you turn on your Deco, it’s normal to see the solid yellow light, meaning that the Deco is currently turning on.
Hence, remain patient for at least 3 minutes to check whether the light will turn to any other color, and if yes, check the table above to see what the color indication means.
Note: If you see a pulsating blue color, you must complete the initialization steps for your Deco!
3. Connect the Deco to the Router
Even if this sounds odd, many users have reported that they’ve managed to fix the yellow light by connecting their Deco to the router directly via an Ethernet cable.
The yellow light may be stuck, but when connected to the router, the Deco may allow you to set up the unit as a router.
This may be enough to “unstuck” your Deco, and then you can configure the unit as an access point.
You need an available outlet near your Wi-Fi router and a long enough Ethernet cable to connect your Deco to the router.
Reminder: When your Deco and router are connected, you may continue the setup in the app!
4. Verify the Deco Electrical Supply
The reason why Deco is only showing the never-ending yellow light could be because the unit is stuck in a boot-loop.
This happens when the device cannot load the operating system because of a power insufficiency, which constantly makes your TP-Link Deco restart over and over again.
So, we’ve prepared a handful of tips to verify the power source of your TP-Link Deco:
- Test the current power source using a secondary device.
- To check for power fluctuations, plug in a lamp or a bulb.
- Plug your TP-Link Deco directly into the electrical source.
- Connect your Deco to another proven-to-work wall outlet.
If you’re confident that the electrical supply of your TP-Link Deco is intact, then perhaps it’s not a boot loop that’s causing the yellow light; it’s more likely a system freeze.
Continue reading to fix this!
5. Factory Reset Your Deco System
If the TP-Link Deco is frozen at the yellow light for more than 5 minutes, then the system will not load, apparently.
Hence, one of the best ways to address system complications with the TP-Link Deco would be to perform a factory reset, which will revert the software to the default settings.
Here’s how to factory reset your TP-Link Deco in easy steps:
- Verify that your TP-Link Deco is connected to power.
- Turn your Deco upside down to find the Reset button.
- Info: The Reset button is located in a small pinhole.
- Get a thin and sharp tool such as a needle or paperclip.
- Reach within the Reset pinhole and press the button.
- This will trigger the reset process on the TP-Link Deco.
The factory reset will unpair your Deco from the app and reset the operating system.
It means that when your Deco reboots, the yellow light will appear and shortly go off and change to a blinking blue color.
When you see the blue color, your Deco must be connected to the app.
Warning: The factory reset will unpair your Deco unit from the TP-Link Deco app!
How to Set Up Deco After Factory Reset?
When your TP-Link Deco is factory reset, you need to carry out the initialization, meaning that you must connect the Deco via an Ethernet cable to the router.
On the Deco’s side, there are two Ethernet ports, and you must connect one to a “yellow” port on the back of the Wi-Fi router.
When this is ready, you need to connect your mobile to the router’s Wi-Fi, open the TP-Link app, and proceed with the instructions for setting up Deco.
If you’ve reached that far, then the yellow light problem is in the past, and you can now enjoy your TP-Link Deco uninterrupted.
Quick Recap:
Thus, when the TP-Link Deco yellow light doesn’t turn to blinking blue, then the Deco is stuck in a boot loop, so you must power cycle the device to restart the system.
If this doesn’t solve the problem, switch to another power source and factory reset the Deco.
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Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.