@jackwil,

If the orange light is solid, that just means that the connection between the router and the modem is broken, did you have the router set up in AP mode? if you have wi-fi from your main router, you would need to either set up as an AP or enable bridge mode on your modem.

I am more concerned with the fact that you are unable to reset the router, try again holding the reset button until the Power LED blinks.

If you plug a PC directly into the router, you can access your router settings directly via the local IP address, or via tplinkwifi.net

I would make it my first goal to gain access to the router settings or to reset the router, the internet problem can be solved later, but you should be able to access the interface for your router no matter what. If you can see the SSID being broadcast by the router, even though the light is off, you should be able to connect to that to access the local management interface through the tether app.