Why Is My Cox Router Blinking Blue?

Why is my Cox router blinking blue? Well, this is not an error, so there is no need to worry!

The blue blinking light on your Cox modem indicates that the device is in WPS mode.

WPS stands for “WiFi Protected Setup” and allows your Cox Panoramic to pair with WPS-enabled WiFi devices without searching for the SSID and inputting the password.

To stop the blinking blue light on your Cox router, press and hold the WPS button for at least 10 seconds, and if that doesn’t work, power cycle the unit. If the blue blinking light reappears, disable the WPS feature from the settings and turn off nearby WPS devices.

Let’s continue to unwrap essentials!

Why is My Cox WiFi Router Blinking Blue?

The blinking blue light on the Cox Panoramic router indicates that the modem is in WPS mode, which is enabled manually by the user.

There is a “WPS” button below the telephone port on the Cox Panoramic, which enables “WPS” mode and the blue blinking light when long-pressed.

What is WiFi Protected Setup (WPS)?

The Wireless Protected Setup (WPS) automatically connects your Cox Panoramic router to WPS-enabled devices nearby.

This bypasses the necessity of inserting long and weird WiFi SSIDs as well as typing in passwords error-free, which sometimes takes longer than expected.

The WPS only works with WPS or WPA2 personal encryption!

If you’ve accidentally held the “WPS” button for about 5 seconds, the Cox WiFi router will blink in blue and continuously search for a WPS connection.

To establish a WPS connection, you must have another device in “WPS Mode” near the router for them to communicate and pair.

When there is no WPS-enabled device in the Cox router’s surroundings, the blue light will blink indefinitely until manually disabled.

How to Use Cox Router WPS Correctly?

If you’re attempting to set up a device via WPS to your Cox gateway, but you’re stuck with a blue blinking light, perhaps you’re doing something wrong.

Here’s how to connect via WPS correctly:

First, verify that your Cox Panoramic is powered on.
Then, hold the “WPS” button for at least 5 seconds.
Your Cox WiFi router should start blinking in blue.
Then long-press the WPS button on your WPS unit!
Wait for your Cox router and WPS device to connect.

Note: When your Cox WiFi router is connected via WPS, the light should turn solid white!

Why is My Cox Router Blinking Blue? – Easy Fix Guide!

Tip: Try all of the solutions in a consecutive order!

1. Exit Cox “WPS” Mode Manually!

The first step is simple, especially if you haven’t tried it already. So, press and hold the “WPS” button on the back of your Cox gateway.

The “WPS” button is located just below the telephone port, so the blue blinking light should disappear after holding the button for about 5 seconds.

The Panoramic modem LED should be solid white when connected to the Cox services and internet.

However, when blinking in blue and searching for a WPS connection, your internet should be intact, and your wireless network should work well.

Note: If the blinking blue light does not disappear, continue reading…

2. Power Cycle the Cox Panoramic

The reason why my Cox router is blinking blue could be entirely due to a Cox router bug!

The power cycle is a method that will not affect any of your router’s settings but will reboot and discharge your Cox Panoramic.

This will refresh all operational services and enabled modes on your WiFi router, and the machine should start working normally.

First, power off your Cox Panoramic gateway.
Then, unplug the router from the power supply.
Wait for at least 60 seconds for a full discharge.
Connect your Cox router directly to the outlet.
Wait for your Cox Panoramic to fully load up.

Your Cox WiFi router light will change colors during the startup, but you should only see a solid white light when fully loaded.

This means that the router is working correctly, and if the blue blinking light is still there, something general is wrong, so continue troubleshooting…

3. Disable Cox Router WPS Feature

The WPS mode on your Cox Panoramic gateway shouldn’t be enabled by default, but the WPS feature is always on.

So, if your Cox WiFi router automatically enters WPS mode without you holding the “WPS” button, by disabling the entire WPS feature, you might just solve the issue!

To disable the WPS feature of your Cox Panoramic router, you’ll need to use the admin portal to access the settings.

Thus, you would need a secondary device such as a smartphone or a PC.

Here’s how to disable the Cox WiFi router WPS feature:

First, connect a phone or computer to your Cox gateway.
Info: You can use both the WiFi or Ethernet connection.
Then, open a web browser on your connected machine.
In the address bar, insert “192.168.1.1” and then search.
Sign in via – Username: admin and Password: password.
From the settings dashboard, head to Advanced Settings.
From there, select “Wireless” and then press/click “WPS.”
Move the toggle to enable or disable the WPS feature.
When the WPS is disabled, don’t forget to Save the changes.

When you are ready, you can exit the admin portal of your Cox Panoramic router and check if the blinking blue light is still there.

If yes, we recommend power cycling the router again to see whether this will help.

Info: Without the WPS function enabled from the settings, your Cox Panoramic router couldn't use this type of connection.

4. Disable Nearby WPS Electronics!

It’s not excluded that your Cox gateway is stuck in a loop while attempting to connect with an existing WPS-enabled device in the surroundings.

If you’ve been attempting to set up a WPS connection, but the process failed, your Cox Panoramic might remain stuck, blinking blue.

Disabling your secondary WPS-enabled device is one way to manually stop the blue light and supposedly prevent the WPS connection loop.

So if you have any turned-on WiFi extenders, WiFi pods, or other devices in “WPS” mode, directly unplug them from the power!

Reminder: The Cox gateway light should become solid white when the WPS mode is disabled.

5. Factory Reset the Cox Panoramic

In case you’ve attempted all of the solutions so far, but the Cox router is still blinking blue, then it’s likely that you’re facing a severe system bug.

One of the most potent solutions is to factory reset your Cox Panoramic gateway, which is a bit of a hash process but powerful enough to resolve anything!

Alert: The factory reset will permanently erase all settings on your Cox WiFi router, including the WiFi names, passwords, and configurations.

Here’s how to factory reset your Cox Panoramic gateway:

First, locate the Cox modem reset pinhole!
Acquire a thin and sharp object to fit inside.
Reach in and long-press the reset button!
After a few seconds, the LED will start flashing.
Then release the button and wait for the reset.

How to Set Up Cox Gateway After Reset?

With the Cox Panoramic, there is no setup required after the reset.

The Cox gateway will be set up automatically when the factory reset is over, and you would only need to configure the names of the WiFi’s, as well as input custom passwords.

You can enter your router’s settings from the admin portal “192.168.1.1” and sign in.

You must go to Advanced Settings > Wireless to set up your WiFi SSIDs and passwords.

In addition, you should also disable the WPS feature again to prevent the blue light from appearing at all.

Tip: The default WiFi SSIDs and their passwords are imprinted on the bottom of the gateway!

Need More Help?

If nothing from the guide helped, and your Cox router is still blinking in blue, there may be a severe issue with the gateway.

The best next step would be to contact Cox Support for more assistance in resolving the blinking blue light. Best of luck!

Quick Recap:

The reason why is my Cox router blinking blue is due to the enabled “WPS” mode, which is not an error, but rather an indication.

Hold the “WPS” button for 5 seconds to exit WPS mode, power cycle your Cox Panoramic router, and/or manually disable the WPS feature.

Finn Wheatley

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.

Why Is My Cox Router Blinking Blue? – Quick Fix Guide