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Help, cannot access router after Merlin firmware update

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diesel88

New Around Here
Hi

New owner of RT-N66U. I have a big problem right now... My router stopped working and when I power it back on, only Port 1, Port 2 and WAN lights are on. No other lights are on.

I tried to do reset, hold down reset button for 30s while powering the unit on, b ut no help.

I tried holding down the wps button for over 30s while powering the unit on, but still doesn't work.

Please help, thank you.
 
You might have ended up flashing the wrong firmware (there are separate builds for the N16, AC66 and N66).

First, make sure you download the correct build.

Unplug all devices from your router except for the one computer you will be using for recovery. That includes unplugging the modem from the router.

After that, turn the router on while holding the reset button, then release it. Your router should be in recovery mode then.

Run the Firmware Recovery tool from the support CD, and re-flash the firmware you downloaded.
 
Actually I tried to do all the reset stuff just now with absolutely no cables going into the router, but still no luck.

Even tried to do a 30/30/30 with both the reset button and the wps button

I still only see 3 solid lights - LAN 1, LAN 2, and WAN
 
Last edited:
Actually I tried to do all the reset stuff just now with absolutely no cables going into the router, but still no luck.

Even tried to do a 30/30/30 with both the reset button and the wps button

I still only see 3 solid lights - LAN 1, LAN 2, and WAN

The procedure I posted isn't to reset the router, it's to put it into recovery mode, which will allow you to reflash it.

What firmware are you currently running? Did the problem appear after you flashed it, or it was working properly and just stopped working suddenly?
 
I've tried to do that as well, but it wouldn't go into recover mode. The lights were still solid.

I as using this build "ASUS RT-AC66U 3.0.0.4.246.19". It actually worked for a couple for days before this happened. It just stopped working for no apparent reason, I wasn't doing any further configuration etc.
 
I've tried to do that as well, but it wouldn't go into recover mode. The lights were still solid.

I as using this build "ASUS RT-AC66U 3.0.0.4.246.19". It actually worked for a couple for days before this happened. It just stopped working for no apparent reason, I wasn't doing any further configuration etc.

So you flashed a firmware for the RT-AC66U on your RT-N66U. That's not good :(

If you can't access recovery mode (which surprises me, since the firmware doesn't affect the recovery partition) then I'm afraid there isn't much that can be done. On the other hand if it worked for a few days your router just might have experienced a hardware failure. Either way, you will have to get it replaced, sorry.
 
Actually, copy and pasted the wrong firmware version. It's RT-N66U_3.0.0.4_246.19b (Apparently I still have the trx file on my comp)

But anyhow, I figured it could very well be a hardware problem and will be returning it.

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
Actually, copy and pasted the wrong firmware version. It's RT-N66U_3.0.0.4_246.19b (Apparently I still have the trx file on my comp)

But anyhow, I figured it could very well be a hardware problem and will be returning it.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Especially since you can't access recovery mode, and have a pretty weird LED pattern on the router. I would expect a real software brick to have only the power LED on, or no LED at all.

One last thing to try: unplug the AC adapter from the wall while the router is still turned on (so the router will drain any remaining power from all the circuitry). Wait about 10 secs. Turn the router off, plug it back, and turn it back on. That will cause the hardware to fully reset (just the hardware itself, not the settings).
 
Hi

New owner of RT-N66U. I have a big problem right now... My router stopped working and when I power it back on, only Port 1, Port 2 and WAN lights are on. No other lights are on.

I tried to do reset, hold down reset button for 30s while powering the unit on, b ut no help.

I tried holding down the wps button for over 30s while powering the unit on, but still doesn't work.

Please help, thank you.

Hello!

I registered because I had a similar problem. Even after plugging in power and holding the reset button, I could not get the router to access Recovery Mode.

However, after reading through a bunch of forums, I managed to find that specifically on my ASUS RT-N66U router, the way to enter recovery mode successfully was the following:
- Unplug the power of the router
- While plugging the power back in, hold the WFS Button (to clear the NVRAM)
- The power LED is flashing, then it took command and will clear the NVRAM
- After releasing WFS, all of the LEDs light up. This is when you start holding the Reset button.
- If you did this correctly, the Power LED will be flashing on and off, slowly. This means you have accessed recovery mode.


I hope this will help someone in the future, similarly to how it helped me today. :cool:
 

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