Router All Lights Off — No LED Response
Router showing no lights at all — what it means and how to diagnose whether it's a power issue, LED night mode, or hardware failure on any router brand.
Off
white
Quick info
Visual description
The entire front panel of the router is completely dark — no LEDs of any color or pattern. This is visually identical whether the router is completely unplugged, has entered LED night mode (deliberate LED shutoff), or has lost power due to a hardware issue. The distinction is made by checking whether Wi-Fi and wired connections are working.
What it means
All LEDs off covers three completely different scenarios:
1. No power at all: The router is unplugged, the power adapter has failed, or a circuit breaker tripped. Devices can't connect to Wi-Fi at all.
2. LED Night Mode / Quiet Mode: Many modern routers (Netgear, Asus, TP-Link) have a scheduled LED off mode designed to avoid light pollution at night. The router is fully operational — Wi-Fi works perfectly — but all LEDs are deliberately suppressed. This is the most common reason for 'all lights off' on a healthy router.
3. Hardware failure: The router's LED driver circuit has failed. Less common, but the router may still function while showing no LEDs. More serious if accompanied by Wi-Fi going down.
Brand & model variations
The same light pattern can mean different things across manufacturers.
| Brand / Model | What white off means | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
Netgear Nighthawk, Orbi, RAX series | Netgear Night Mode turns all LEDs off on a schedule. Check the Nighthawk app → LED Control. Also, Netgear routers have a physical LED on/off button on some models — check if it was pressed. | Nighthawk app → Settings → Device → LED Control. Toggle Night Mode off. |
TP-Link Archer AX series, Deco | TP-Link Archer has 'Night Mode' and a hardware LED toggle button (on some models). The Tether app can turn LEDs off globally. If all lights are off but Wi-Fi works, Night Mode is active. | Tether app → Advanced → LED Control. Or press the LED button on the router if present. |
Asus RT-AX series | Asus AiMesh nodes can have independent LED schedules. ASUS router admin → Advanced Settings → LED Control. Also if only the main power LED is off, the router may have crashed and rebooted to a dark state. | Check 192.168.1.1 → Administration → LED Display. Or check the ASUS router app. |
Eero Eero 6, Eero Pro | Eero's LED behavior is minimal by design. Eero has no night mode but the LED is very dim in normal operation. If the LED is fully off and Wi-Fi is down: the eero has lost power or crashed. | Confirm eero is plugged in. The Eero app will show the node as 'offline' if it has no power. |
Diagnose your issue
Answer a few questions to narrow down the cause.
Are your devices still connected to Wi-Fi and browsing normally?
Safe next steps
Ordered from least to most involved. Check each step as you go.
First: check if Wi-Fi still works on any device. If yes, LED Night Mode is on — check your router app to disable it.
If Wi-Fi is also down: verify the power cable is firmly seated at both the router and the wall.
Test the wall outlet with a different device (phone charger, lamp).
Check your home's circuit breaker panel for a tripped breaker.
If the outlet works but router still shows no lights: try a different power adapter with the same voltage/amperage specs.
If nothing restores the router: the internal power circuit has failed and the router needs replacement.
When it resolves on its own
Condition: LED Night Mode scheduled
Expected time: Night Mode turns LEDs back on at the scheduled time (usually 7 AM) automatically.
When to escalate
Stop troubleshooting and contact your ISP or manufacturer if:
- Router has power (new verified adapter) but still shows no lights and no Wi-Fi — hardware failure.
- All LEDs off, power confirmed good, router is warm to the touch — possible thermal shutdown or short circuit.