What's new

Asus RT-N66U just stopped working, can not connect

  • SNBForums Code of Conduct

    SNBForums is a community for everyone, no matter what their level of experience.

    Please be tolerant and patient of others, especially newcomers. We are all here to share and learn!

    The rules are simple: Be patient, be nice, be helpful or be gone!

Alpejohn

New Around Here
Hi,

First, some information:
I have a Inteno modem where the wifi is turned off, and i have used my Asus RT-N66U for the wireless connection (in AP mode). I have configured it to use the best channel number, but wouldnt be a problem anyway i think as i only have 2 close nabours.

Its been working fine for a long time. But the last year it has started to loose internet connection. It started to happend once in a while, not very often.
Last months it has happend more. The firmware was updated last week, but i did not factory reset after that.

Today i woke up to a message on my phone saying IP configuration fault (Android phone). This has never occured before. My girlfriend also had lost connection. So i checked on the router and tried to connect to it with a cable but no such luck. I got a long message saying "Settings has been updated.....", i've seen this message around here when searching. But was not able to connect, not even after factory reset.

The weird thing is though, the light for port 1, 2 and 3 is lit (lighted up) even though there is no connection on any port.. I have tried connecting with the cable on every port but no connection.
When connecting to port 1 the light doesnt light up.
I just started it up again, and now only port 2 and 3 lights up with no connections. Number 3 is flashing just like it would when a computer is connected, number 2 stay constant.
2.4 and 5ghz lights flashes occationaly to.

When connecting direct to my modem with cable i have full internet access.


-What have caused this?
-Is it possible to solve?
-How can i get to connect to it? Seems impossible at the time.

Thanks for any help! I would prefere not to buy a new, as i really like this! And it isnt very cheap either..
Regards
Fredrik
 
-What have caused this?
Hard to say.
Maybe a memory issue, high temperature, a bad power adapter or failing router hardware.

-Is it possible to solve?
See next.

-How can i get to connect to it? Seems impossible at the time.
I suggest a hard reset:
  1. Power up the router.
  2. Hold the reset button pressed more than 5 seconds.
  3. Access the router at the default IP address 192.168.1.1 and admin/admin
  4. Manual configure the router again (do NOT load a firmware backup file). Suggestion: write down your setting changes.
  5. Optional: delete the wireless connection profiles on your computers and connect again.

Additional question: what is the current router firmware version?
 
Hi,
Thank you for your answer!

I have done as you suggested. When i plug the cable between my MAC and the router it says in the settings of the computer that the cable is connected but there is no "connection". It seems as i get connected and disconnected randomly. I was able to get in to the settings where the guide starts but before i got to the main screen i got disconnected. So the connection seems very unstable, and it seems that port 4 is the only port where i have got randomly connected. The other 3 doesnt seem to work.

I just turned it off, and a new page appeared that seems to let me flash a firmware, reboot, and reboot to default NVRAM values.
"ASUSTeK - CFE miniWeb Server" or something.

I just noticed that it gets really hot on top at the usb ports and the wan port. Its so hot that you can really feel it when you touch the metal frame of the ports, and also the tip where you connect the antenna. When it touchen inside of my finger, i wasnt able to hold it there for long. So its no doubt that it gets hot, probably to hot. I meassured the temp with a laser thermometer, and when beaming down the WAN port, i get 53 degree celcius! And an average og 48 degre celcius on the top around the usb ports.

Do you have any idea what could cause that?

Could the overheating and ports not working be a sign of a failing device?
I cant seem to get in to the UI, im connected but it just dont work.

Regards
Fredrik
 
Not able to hold your finger on the metal parts tells me it is 60 deg C or more ... unless you have weak fingers ;-)
60 deg C on the outside means 70+ at least at the hot spots inside the router box.
I am sure the electronic components are not Mil Spec and will fail at those temperatures (usually it starts to act random and unpredictable, before it will really get stuck).
I just checked my router, it becomes cuddly warm on top (40 deg C or so) and the metal frame parts of the USB ports and networkports seems to be at room temperature, my fingertip did not complain.

A few hints about router temperature:
  1. Place it on a hard surface (with a few milimeters free from the bottom).
  2. Do not place it on top of other electronic equipment such as your TV, DVD player or modem.
  3. Do place it in "open air", not in a closet.
  4. Just to try: do not connect any devices in the USB ports (maybe one of those external devices is faulty and drains too much power from the router).
  5. Quite obvious: the router is designed for use in an average room temperature of say 20 deg C.
  6. Use the supplied stand and place the router vertical (ok, there is a design issue, the cables will now stick out from the top, together with the antenna's (this issue was solved with e.g. the RT-AC68U design).
  7. Ultimately use an external fan (I do NOT suggest an USB fan fed from the router USB port, the fan will drain power from the router and cause it to warm more).

With all the above considered: let the thing cool down and see what it does.
I suggest to reload the firmware, revert to factory defaults and manual configure it again.

If the router still runs hot, either your power adapter may be faulty, or the router it self has a failed component.
 
Last edited:
Hehe, it wasnt THAT hot, i could hold my fingers on it, but you could really feel the heat.
I would say mine is warmer then it should be on top.

Its been placed in my basement at my "office", a pretty cold room without any heater to keep it warm (its cold when not in use), and its placed on its stand, with alot of air around it.
Never had any extra things connected to it, and the room temp i would think could be around 10-15 degree celsius, maybe a bit above 15. So its pretty cold there.

For the record, now that i was testing it in my livingroom, it was turned on for maybe 5 minutes after been turn off for several houres and it got that hot, running without any load, for 5 minutes...

Im not sure if im able to get a new/used power adapter to test with.
But im starting to think its the router it selfe thats failed, considered the ports not working, heating problem and so on.

But as im having problems connecting to it, i dont think i will be able to flash new firmware either.. :-/
 
The router already runs at 54°C stock so no wonders it's hot. A small computer fan blowing behind the vents will easily cut down about 15°C.

There are bad batches of the RT-N66U with failing ports. Maybe you have one of them?

Another problem could be the power supply failing: the one supplied with the router is a known failing item. I replaced mine with an Asus EXA0901XH power supply from eBay meant for Asus EEE nettops with the exact same plug and voltage, but it has a bit more spare power and runs way cooler.

Does it work well for a while if you let the power adapter cool down?

Last possibility is that it's dying. If it's still under warranty you can RMA it.
 
antdes45:
Oh, then i guess its normal then, i have never actually checked the temp when its been on for a while.

Maybe i have a bad one, i bought it June 2013, and its been working fine since then.
It started to loose connection about a half year ago, but it happend just a few times and then i updated the FW and it seemd to work fine after that.

I just plugget it in again and i actually get contact with it again now, but not any more then yesterday. I get the "ASUSTeK - CFE miniWeb Server" menu a few times and i have gotten in to the UI once. But when i start the guide it looses connection and i never see next step.

I've asked a friend of mine who has a Asuus EEE, to send me a pic of the plug to see if it will fit. Its a few years old now. Hopefully it fits and i can test to see if anything changes.


If it doest work i might just RMA it and hope for the best. :)

I dont think i will be able to flash anything either, i manage to hit the reset NVRAM but i lost connection and after i turned it on and off a few times i got a screen telling me that NVRAM was reset.


THanks for your help guys!

Fredrik
 
Also, the NVRAM size was increased between some firmware revisions and sometimes the upgrade didn't happen properly I think. There are different CFE revisions you can find on the net with fixes for this, but there are risks of bricking it even more than it is right now if it's acting that bad. Another way to fix it while you have the CFE loader webpage is to use the Asus Firmware Restoration utility and flash it without going through the web UI.
 
Also, the NVRAM size was increased between some firmware revisions and sometimes the upgrade didn't happen properly I think. There are different CFE revisions you can find on the net with fixes for this, but there are risks of bricking it even more than it is right now if it's acting that bad. Another way to fix it while you have the CFE loader webpage is to use the Asus Firmware Restoration utility and flash it without going through the web UI.
The actual NVRAM size has not changed.
The available NVRAM has been increased from 32k to 64k (firmware 3.0.0.4.220).
The NVRAM chip type has changed some time ago, resulting in a B2 hardware version of the router and firmware to support both the old and new chip type (3.0.0.4.272 and 3.0.0.4.372, all newer firmware support both hardware versions).

CFE is not issue as it seems to me.

First problem of Alpejohn is to keep the router hardware up and running to be able to access the interface. The router seems to have issues with the firmware or configuration and starts with the mini web interface, ready to load a new firmware image file. Before something can be done it seems his router heats up quick and terminates LAN port communication.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Latest threads

Sign Up For SNBForums Daily Digest

Get an update of what's new every day delivered to your mailbox. Sign up here!
Top