Although various colors are flashed by the LED lights that tend to improve the aesthetics of the router, red is the most appealing among them. But, you should buckle up whenever the red color appears on the LED light of your router. Wondering why? It is because it represents a major problem. Stress no more as we are going to discuss how to fix red blinking light on router; especially the one brought in by Netgear. Keep reading.
What Does the Router Red Light Mean?
The red light on WiFi router is a sign that either your router is struggling with internet-related problems or with the power ones. This is to inform you that every LED present on the router tends to turn red. The red color appearing on the router LED is also a sign that it might deny transmitting WiFi signals in the future.
Moreover, the Netgear router red light is a sign that your router badly needs a firmware update which if ignored can result in its non-working status.
How to Fix Red Light on Router [Netgear]
The previous section made you aware of the messages conveyed by the red light on the Netgear router. You should now shift your focus to learning the troubleshooting techniques that can be implemented to fix the red light. Implementing a few of them might also need access to the routerlogin portal. So, be ready. Here’s what you should do:
First of All, Power Cycle the Router
The appearance of the red light on the Netgear WiFi router can be an outcome of a network glitch too. Therefore, you are required to get them resolved. For this, no option can be better than power cycling. But, instead of power cycling the router only, you are supposed to power cycle the entire home network i.e. modem, router, and switch. Given below is the sequence in which you should power down the devices and keep them in the rest mode:
- 1st – Modem
- 2nd – Switch
- 3rd – Router
You must switch on all devices in the same sequence as they are mentioned. In case you are still struggling with the problem, then don’t wonder how to fix blinking light on router. Instead, focus on the techniques mentioned ahead.
Minimize the Network Traffic
Have you connected numerous devices to the WiFi network of your Netgear router? If yes, then they can also act as possible causes behind the router’s red light. Therefore, you should also try reducing the network traffic. It can be done by disconnecting the extra devices from your router’s WiFi network.
Check for Power-Related Issues
It has already been mentioned that the Netgear router red light problem can be a sign that your router is dealing with power-related issues. Thus, you should now aim to have a thorough look at the factors supplying power to your router. Don’t know how to check them? Refer to the table given below.
| S. No. | Factor Involved | Required Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power cable | Use another power cable if damaged. But, make sure you use the genuine one (one supplied by the manufacturer) |
| 2 | Power source | Plug your WiFi router into another socket or simply get the current one repaired |
After taking the necessary actions, check if the red light issue is still troubling you. If yes, then ensure that there is no power issue from the backend. Use a UPS to power up the router in that case.
Ensure a Stable Internet Connection
It is not necessary that internet services have been interrupted because of an error from the ISP’s end. Perhaps, you have not connected your networking hardware properly which caused the red light issue. There are following possible workarounds in that case:
- The cable should be firmly connected to the LAN and WAN ports of your modem and router respectively.
- There should be zero cuts on the Ethernet cable connected to the WiFi devices.
So these were some of the workarounds that need to be performed with respect to the Ethernet cable and the power connections. However, you should also go for the WiFi router firmware update process to get the red light fixed.
Is the WiFi Router Red Light Fixed Now?
Our guide focused on making you learn how to fix red blinking light on router ends here. We are expecting that you have addressed all the power and internet-related issues that are indicated by the appearance of the red light successfully.
But, before putting a full stop to the post, we suggest you go for the factory default reset method if every attempt made by you till the last minute has failed. Keep in mind that you have to set up your router again after that.