NETGEAR Nighthawk and other NETGEAR routers lights: what each colour means

10 light states of the NETGEAR Nighthawk and other NETGEAR routers, from NETGEAR’s own page What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean?. It has a row of lights; the Power and Internet lights are the two that say what is wrong (the WiFi, USB, Ethernet and WPS lights only show activity). NETGEAR says the icons vary slightly with the age and model of the router. NETGEAR lists green and white together for the ready state of these lights (“Solid green or white”), depending on the model.

1. Power: solid green or white

   Your router is ready.

   NETGEAR’s page gives no step for this light.

   Source: What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean? (NETGEAR), checked 2026-09-29.

2. Power: solid amber

   Your router is powering on.

   What NETGEAR says to do

   1. If it stays solid amber and the router isn’t working, NETGEAR points to its article “How do I resolve amber LEDs or a blinking power LED on my NETGEAR router?”.

   Source: What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean? (NETGEAR), checked 2026-09-29.

3. Power: blinking amber

   Your router’s firmware is upgrading or the Reset button was pressed.

   What NETGEAR says to do

   1. If it keeps blinking and the router isn’t working, NETGEAR points to its article “How do I resolve amber LEDs or a blinking power LED on my NETGEAR router?”.

   Source: What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean? (NETGEAR), checked 2026-09-29.

4. Power: blinking white

   Your router’s firmware is corrupted.

   What NETGEAR says to do

   1. NETGEAR points to its article “How do I resolve amber LEDs or a blinking power LED on my NETGEAR router?”.

   Source: What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean? (NETGEAR), checked 2026-09-29.

5. Power: blinking white and amber (R8000)

   If you have an R8000 router, your router is in AP mode.

   NETGEAR’s page gives no step for this light.

   Source: What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean? (NETGEAR), checked 2026-09-29.

6. Power: off

   Your router is not powered on.

   NETGEAR’s page gives no step for this light.

   Source: What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean? (NETGEAR), checked 2026-09-29.

7. Internet: solid green or white

   The Internet connection is ready.

   NETGEAR’s page gives no step for this light.

   Source: What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean? (NETGEAR), checked 2026-09-29.

8. Internet: solid amber

   The router detected an Ethernet cable connection to the modem.

   NETGEAR’s page gives no step for this light.

   Source: What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean? (NETGEAR), checked 2026-09-29.

9. Internet: blinking white

   The port is sending or receiving traffic.

   NETGEAR’s page gives no step for this light.

   Source: What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean? (NETGEAR), checked 2026-09-29.

10. Internet: off

    No Ethernet cable is connected between the router and the modem.

    NETGEAR’s page gives no step for this light.

    Source: What do the LEDs on my NETGEAR router mean? (NETGEAR), checked 2026-09-29.

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