Looking for the answer to “why is my Orbi purple”? You may want to stay with us because we’re about to go through all of the probable causes for the problem.
Furthermore, we will review the best-working solutions to eliminate all issues with your Orbi, causing purple light!
The light of your Orbi satellite/router may be purple if any of the devices are not hooked up to the internet in the first place.
It is also likely that a power issue or HW malfunction has caused the purple light on your router or magenta for the Orbi satellite.
Let’s learn more about the occurrence of this problem!
| Why Is My Orbi Router Purple? | Orbi Purple Light On Satellite? |
| The router can’t connect to the internet | A bad profile of the Orbi satellite app |
| The service cable is loose/disconnected | Orbi satellite is not connected to the router |
| There’s an outage on Netgear’s end | Bad satellite’s WiFi/Ethernet connection |
| The router is experiencing power issues | The satellite is too far away from the router |
| There’s a loose/disconnected setup cable | The Orbi satellite is damaged or defective |
Info: The purple light also means that your Orbi router does not connect to the internet right now, nor transmits a WiFi signal.
If the purple light on your Orbi satellite is continuous, it means that the WiFi is not extended on that end and corner of your home.
How to Fix Purple Light On Orbi Router?
The purple light on your Orbi router, specifically means that the device has lost signal.
Thus, your WiFi will be inactive and the Orbi router will not receive a connection itself. We’ve listed some easy ways to resolve the purple light quickly and effectively!
Follow these steps!
1. Power Cycle Your Orbi Router
The first and most easy solution to the problematic purple light of your Orbi router is to power cycle the device.
The power cycle will discharge your Orbi router from the excess electricity and give a fresh start the next time you reboot the router.
Here are the specific instructions to perform a power cycle on your Orbi router:
- Unplug the power adapter from the Orbi router.
- Wait for 2-3 minutes while the cable is unplugged.
- Plug the power adapter back into your Orbi router.
Alert: When connecting the power cable back to the electrical outlet, verify that the connection is secured and that the cable is not damaged in any way!
2. Reconnect the Service Cable
To flush the connectivity of your Orbi router, you must reconnect the service coaxial cable.
If the cable is faulty or something has gone wrong with your Orbi router’s ability to recognize the cable, reconnecting it should resolve the problem instantly!
Follow these steps to reconnect the service cable of your Orbi router:
- Disconnect the coaxial cable from the wall outlet.
- Unplug the other end of the coaxial cable, going into the router.
- Wait for at least 60 seconds while the coax is unplugged.
- Connect the coaxial cable of your Orbi router back into the port.
- Check if your Orbi router’s lamp will still change to purple.
Note: Once the service cable is connected, the light of the Orbi router should adjust to blue!
3. Re-Add the Router from the Orbi App
A solution to the purple light problem on your Orbi router is to re-add the device from the Orbi mobile application.
Using the iOS/Android platform is mandatory for setting up your Orbi router and satellite system effectively, without the need for too much manual work.
Follow these steps to re-add the Orbi router:
- Launch the Orbi app on your mobile device.
- Go to “Offline Devices” and locate your Orbi router.
- Select the router and choose “Delete This Device”.
Note: Go back to the homepage of the Orbi app and tap “Add New Device” to re-add the network unit.
4. Restore the Router to *Initial Settings*
The final solution to the persistent purple light on your Orbi router is to factory reset the device.
This is a method to restore the initial settings on your device, re-add it from the Orbi application, and flush all user-configured settings on the device, along with the problem.
- There is no backup from the factory reset on your Orbi router!
Follow these steps to restore the initial settings on your Orbi router:
- Acquire a paperclip, since you will need one for the reset.
- Find the small, round pinhole on the back of your Orbi router.
- Insert the paperclip into the pinhole and push the button inside.
- Keep holding the reset button for 10 seconds and don’t let go.
- Release the button once the light of the router changes to amber.
Info: Once the light on your Orbi router changes to amber/orange color it means that the factory reset has successfully started!
How to Fix Purple Light On Orbi Satellite?
As we’ve clarified, the answer to “why is my Orbi purple” on a satellite Orbi, is when the device unpair from the router.
On the other hand, syncing issues can be caused by a bunch of factors in the Orbi satellite, we’re about to review and troubleshoot!
Let’s start with re-syncing your Orbi satellite to the router first!
1. Re-Sync the Orbi Satellite!
Perhaps, syncing your Orbi satellite with the router once again will resolve the issue.
If you’ve had the Orbi setup for a while now, sync loss could happen due to numerous issues, including interference in the path between the router and the satellite.
- Your Orbi will continuously blink in purple when unsynced from the router!
How to Sync an Orbi Satellite to the Router?
- Plug the Orbi satellite into power next to the router.
- Press and hold the “Sync” button on the back of the satellite.
- Press the “Sync” button on the back of your Orbi router.
- Wait for your Orbi satellite to start blinking in blue.
Note: Your Orbi satellite’s power LED should adjust to solid blue if the sync was successful.
How to ‘Sync’ With an Ethernet Cable?
It is known that there is no syncing when using your Orbi satellite with an Ethernet cable connected to the router.
When the satellite is wired with the router, the WiFi extension in the area of the satellite is boosted much more significantly.
- Reboot the Satellite
A temporal issue with the power of the Orbi satellite may cause the device to lose sync with the router repeatedly and blink in purple continuously.
To quickly address this issue, you must reboot the satellite, by disconnecting it from the power.
How to ‘Power Cycle’ an Orbi Satellite?
The power cycle is an advanced type of reboot for your Orbi satellite:
- Unplug the Orbi satellite from power.
- Disconnect the power cable of the device.
- Press and hold the “Sync” button on the back.
- Keep holding the button for 60 seconds.
- Connect the cable of the satellite back into power.
- Wait for the Orbi satellite to turn on and diagnose.
Note: It is recommended to keep the Orbi satellite unplugged for at least 60 seconds!
3. Check the Ethernet Connection (Wired)
If using your Orbi satellite with an Ethernet cable, it is possible that the purple light is caused by an inappropriate network connection.
This is when either the router or the Orbi satellite itself cannot recognize the Ethernet cable and so the satellite unpairs from the router.
- To refresh the Ethernet connection with the router, unplug the cable and keep it disconnected for at least 60 seconds!
Alert: If the Ethernet cable also seems damaged in any way, replace it with a brand-new one!
4. Factory Reset the Orbi Satellite!
If nothing worked so far, let’s factory reset your Orbi satellite! Like with the router, this is a way of reverting the factory settings of the satellite and resolving any issues with the device altogether!
For the reset, you will only need a paperclip or something thin and sharp!
- Find the reset pinhole on the back of the satellite and insert a paperclip to reach and hold the reset button for 10-15 seconds!
Note: The light of your Orbi satellite should also adjust to amber for the being of the reset!
Quick Recap:
We’ve now learned why is my Orbi purple and we know that the device is probably not connected to the internet.
If that’s not the issue, verify that the power supply of the unit is intact and perform a “factory reset” to resolve the purple/magenta light in the Orbi setup.
Read Next: How To Reboot Orbi Router? – The Correct Method
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.