TP-Link Router Lights Explained — All LED Colors & Patterns
Every TP-Link router LED explained — Archer AX, AX73, AX90, Deco mesh. Orange, green, and blinking patterns on the Internet globe, LAN, and status LEDs.
Solid
orange
Quick info
Visual description
TP-Link routers have a distinctive design with a globe/internet icon LED, a power LED, and LAN port LEDs. Archer models use orange as their primary non-working color, while green represents a healthy working state. Deco mesh units use a single multi-color LED. The globe/internet LED is the most important indicator and most troubleshooting starts here.
What it means
TP-Link LED quick reference:
Globe/Internet LED solid green: Internet is working. Fully connected.
Globe/Internet LED solid orange: Physical WAN link detected but no internet — connection issue. The most common TP-Link error state.
Globe/Internet LED blinking orange: Router is trying to connect to the internet — negotiating WAN. Normal for first 3–5 minutes after startup.
Globe/Internet LED off: No WAN connection at all — cable issue or modem off.
Power LED solid green: Router is powered and operating normally.
Power LED blinking green: Router booting — wait 90 seconds.
Deco LED solid white: Normal operation.
Deco LED blinking orange: No internet. Deco LED blinking red: critical error.
LAN LED green/orange: Green = Gigabit device, Orange = 100Mbps device. Both blink when data is passing.
Brand & model variations
The same light pattern can mean different things across manufacturers.
| Brand / Model | What orange solid means | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
TP-Link Archer AX10, AX20, AX50, AX73 | Standard globe + power + LAN + Wi-Fi LED layout. Orange globe = no internet. Green globe = working. Blinking green globe = active data. Most common entry-level Archer behavior. | Globe LED orange: power cycle modem → router. Check TP-Link Tether app for error. |
TP-Link Archer AX90, AX6000 (high-end) | High-end Archers add a WAN LED in addition to the globe. WAN LED green = ISP link established. Globe green = internet flowing. Both required for full operation. | Check both WAN and globe LEDs. WAN off = cable issue. WAN green but globe orange = DHCP/authentication error. |
TP-Link Deco XE75, Deco X60, Deco W7200 | Deco uses a single ring LED. Solid white = normal. Pulsing blue = setup mode. Pulsing yellow/orange = no internet. Pulsing red = critical error. Solid blue = WPS active. | Deco app → Status shows which node has the issue and the specific error. |
Diagnose your issue
Answer a few questions to narrow down the cause.
What does the Globe or Internet LED show?
Safe next steps
Ordered from least to most involved. Check each step as you go.
Check the Globe/Internet LED first. Green = all good. Orange = internet issue. Off = no WAN signal.
For orange globe: power cycle modem first (wait 60s), then router. Check TP-Link Tether app for details.
For blinking orange: wait 5 minutes. If still blinking, swap the WAN Ethernet cable.
For globe off: confirm the ISP modem is powered on and its lights indicate connectivity.
Open the TP-Link Tether app — it provides specific error messages that save significant troubleshooting time.
When to escalate
Stop troubleshooting and contact your ISP or manufacturer if:
- Orange globe after multiple power cycles and ISP confirms service is active — call ISP to re-provision the connection.
- Globe off with confirmed good modem and cable — router WAN port may be damaged.