E3200 Extender Blinking Yellow Light and No White Light

[ultramet]

So I purchased the E3200 to extend my network via WiFi (E3100). I followed all of the steps and got to the stage with the fast blinking yellow light (firmware update finished ). However, somehow the light won’t change to solid white light after rebooting. It just flashes yellow and then stays solid yellow. I’ve done a hard reset of the E3200 and tried again but to no avail. Should I reset my E3100 router and try to pair again. This is extremely frustrating, especially as I am switching from an Eero system that was essentially plug and play. Any help would be extremely appreciated.  I am giving logistic support to an area ICU during this COVID crisis and could use better WiFi access and speed. Thanks.

[Edg1 · Accepted solution]

Try pairing it next to the router then moving it the the location you want it. 

[ultramet]

Actually I reset both my E3100 router and the E3200 extender and then paired them as you suggested. Also, I made sure to let the firmware upgrade run a long time. It seems it can be a longer process than the 6-10 min. It now works. Thanks for the follow-up. The extender works great as I have an apartment with thick brick walls. Thanks for the follow up! 

[jstark03]

I'm getting the same blinking light..is the blinking yellow the firmware update?  I've let the update got past 15 minutes and still just blinking.  any help would be great.

[ultramet]

Did you previously have a good connection (white light) or was it the initial setup?. If this is the initial setup you will have to wait until you get the FAST blinking yellow light. You then unplug the extender and you should get the solid white light when you plug the extender again. Also, you should initially plug the extender in again closer to the router to make sure you are not too far away. I noticed that the dropped white light to a blinking yellow light is happening much less after about a week. I am not sure why but I think it might be related to the self-organizing network getting better with time. In essence, the extender is just working better with time on its own. Good luck

[Rob5589]

Okay I have a similar problem and can not figure this out with the initial setup.

I did a hard reset on both the router and extender. I am wired using an Ethernet if that means anything. 

I plug in the extender and get a solid yellow after it boots up. 

I press both the extender and router for 3-5 seconds and get both blinking blue. 

after a few seconds they both go solid blue. 

then about 10 seconds go by and the router goes to solid white and the extending goes to solid yellow. 

After that, the extender goes to fast blinking yellow in about 15 seconds and stays that way.

the first time I let it do that for 15 minutes and plugged it back in and got solid yellow, followed by fast blinking yellow. It never goes to solid white. 

I tried this so many times and can’t figure it out. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

[ultramet]

Hmm. It sounds as if you are doing everything correctly. Only thing I can suggest trying again is 

1. Let the firmware upgrade run longer than 15 min. I honestly let it run 30 min to be sure.

2. When I unplugged the extender after I received the rapid blinking yellow, I didn't move the extender very far at first. Maybe only 20 feet away at max. Eventually I got the solid white light. After I had the solid white light and checked that it was functioning well about 2 hours later I moved it farther away and it worked fine.

Please note that when you eventually get the solid white light there will be periods of blinking yellow. These gave decreased with time as the SON has improved.

I think it takes a while for the Verizon SON to realize that this extender is on your network. I also believe the firmware upgrade can take more than 15 min. Best Rob

[redleg1416]

I linked the extender to the router and the extender light went solid white. I moved it to the needed location and the extender light would not come back on. I tried to reset it and took it back next to the router, but the light would not come on again. What should I do???

[pianomanuel]

This is working as expected. After all you list, unplug and move the extender to another room at least 20 feet away from the primary router. Don’t mess with the primary router. 
plug in the extended and wait about 10 minutes. 

they don’t tell you this in the dumb setup guide. 

what happens is the two routers are smarter than you think. It knows if it is too close in proximity to each other, probably to prevent cross-talk. 

This took me some research to figure out. 

I hope it helps, it is anti-intuitive. 

[Eaglesei]

how do I fix frim wide update?i I can't get rid of the blinking light