RT-AC68U bricked during firmware update

[Nullity]

Try a packet sniffer. See if the device has any network activity.

Maybe the IP magically changed. It happened to me with my Cisco 877.

 

[Henk59]

I think that only a "CFE over serial" (assuming that the router has an internal connection for it) would be able to recover from the failure - but I am not patient enough to go thru the pain...

Well the AC86U have JTAG
http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/asus/rt-ac68u

I did this once with a Linksys LAN to USB and I spend hours and days after setting up Linux, Python etc. but never a succes.

 

[joegreat]

I did this once with a Linksys LAN to USB and I spend hours and days after setting up Linux, Python etc. but never a succes.

Yep, that's also my fear...

 

[mckeven]

I wasted a few hours trying to bring an ac68u back to life the other day. I eventually had to bite the bullet and do an nvram erase via serial. Then recovery mode worked and I could flash with the asus firmware restoration tool.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/tm...d-while-flashing-from-tomato-to-merlin.29077/

 

[john9527]

Well the AC86U have JTAG

As far as I know, nobody has got JTAG to work on the ASUS ARM routers. You might be able to get in during the CFE boot process via the on board serial port (the pins are already there) and clear things up. Do a search for the AC56 and serial port....I seem to remember a set of directions being written up.

 

[kvic]

This is getting more interesting. So for unknown reason a corrupted or incompatible nvram can cause recovery mode not to start.

I did recall I had weird experience in getting into recovery mode before which I couldn't explain...

Just a quick thought in such case does the firmware or cfe still honor wps button to erase and restore nvram? I would thin it needs lots of patience to recover...

 

[joegreat]

This is getting more interesting. So for unknown reason a corrupted or incompatible nvram can cause recovery mode not to start.

Just a quick thought in such case does the firmware or cfe still honor wps button to erase and restore nvram? I would thin it needs lots of patience to recover...

In my case (unfortunately) it does not: No reaction on WPS button (as said in the first posting already).
I always end up with no reaction and fast flashing power LED!

But it looks like I am not the first one with a bricked device: As post by @mckeven in the posting above!
Looks like the JTAG approach works, but again, I am not patient enough to go that way...

Need to search now for new friend as Main Router...

 

[kvic]

Indeed I read his post, instead of serial into cfe and issue the erase command, I thought a Broadcom engineer could detect wps button pin and then erase. That was pure imagination from my insomnia and somehow I thought coinciding my anecdotal experience in which I once kept wps button pressed until power led lit up and then release.

Good news is that someone up in the sky decided u need a new router

 

[Nullity]

In my case (unfortunately) it does not: No reaction on WPS button (as said in the first posting already).
I always end up with no reaction and fast flashing power LED!

But it looks like I am not the first one with a bricked device: As post by @mckeven in the posting above!
Looks like the JTAG approach works, but again, I am not patient enough to go that way...

Need to search now for new friend as Main Router...

I thought john said JTAG no worky on ARM.

All ethernet ports are completely dead?

Just opening Wireshark should quickly show if there is any ethernet activity on the NIC connected to the RT-AC68U.

The other bricking case seems to be from tomato, not AsusWRT.

I still have hope that you can fix it.

 

[john9527]

I thought john said JTAG no worky on ARM.

I think JTAG doesn't work to load new code, but you may be able to get in to interrupt the CFE boot to be able issue some basic commands (like erasing nvram).

Here's the thread I remembered about the 56U.....
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt...nal-firmware-374-291.13628/page-3#post-127088

 

[joegreat]

Thank you guys for your active participation on my suffering!

I made up my mind and will get tomorrow a new RT-AC87U from my local dealer!
It costs only a small markup compared to the AC68U and give me some benefits which are worth the money.

Do not want to spend my time to reanimate the bricked AC68U*) with the JTAG story, or to wait until Asus releases the new version of AC68x somewhere during spring.

With kind regards
Joe

*) Should I brick the new AC87U with the particular fork, I will let you know... ...and then I might come back to the JTAG story to reanimate both!

 

[martinr]

Put it on ebay; someone - not me - would relish the challenge of bringing it back from the dead.

Good luck with the new router. (Don't forget: if ordering from Amazon, click the Amazon link top right so the forum host gets the small commission.)

 

[hggomes]

I would suggest you to take a look at your WPS Button, based on your description you have the button stucked, POWER LED fast blinking = WPS Button pressed (NVRAM Clean), its not the first router i see on this situation. (RESET and WPS buttons getting stuck)

You cannot brick a ASUS router with a FW flash, its highly unlikely, once the bootloader is there you will always bring it back to life.

PS: You have bricked it from what FW? Tomato also? What was your bootloader version on the router?

 

[joegreat]

I would suggest you to take a look at your WPS Button, based on your description you have the button stucked, POWER LED fast blinking = WPS Button pressed (NVRAM Clean), its not the first router i see on this situation. (RESET and WPS buttons getting stuck)

Well, got this suggestion already above and answered here - it's not the problem as nobody was pressing WPS when it happened and the buttons work correctly.

You cannot brick a ASUS router with a FW flash, its highly unlikely, once the bootloader is there you will always bring it back to life.

Well, there is evidence that NVRAM can be messed-up during firmware update which will results in bricked routers (as outlined here for the AC68U and here for the AC56U). Only the JTAG approach will allow you to erase the NVRAM and bring the router back to life!

PS: You have bricked it from what FW? Tomato also? What was your bootloader version on the router?

I feel sorry for you, but it was Fork 380.57 HGG-FINAL which bricked the router (installed over Merlin's 380.57)...
Bootloader version is 1.0.2.0 (EU) - as it came with one of the recent updates from Asus to re-partition the EEPROM.

 

[hggomes]

Hi, you are wrong about it, JTAG doesnt work on those models, because theres no software support on them, the way to recover it is via Serial Connection, its a very simple step if the bootloader was not affected. JTAG port is only used when the booloader is not working, even if thats the case you will not recover it at all, the way is de-soldering the NAND program it and solder it again on the PCB.

About the RT-AC56U the Bootloader (specially old versions) they are messed up, and yes its not new, it can happen, some days ago my friend had that problem with RT-AC56U didnt accept any FW, ASUS Stock, RMerlin, DD-WRT, Tomato and then it started again accepting them, the fix was use the smaller FW found (old Tomato FW) and then flash the others.

Some people flash their routers via wireless and with USB devices connected, most of the times will result in partial upgrade or file uploaded to the router and that can result to this kind of unpredictable situation, but usually when that scenario happens it leads you to the Bootloader Recovery process, as you pointed out there where some others situations like that happening even with RMerlin FW Stock, but it doesnt mean at all its FW fault, it simply isn't, like i said before FW don't do that, but routers/bootloaders do.

TBH i never got a RT-AC68U bricked after a FW upgrade, even after flashing 3 units with the FW you've described.

You should feel sorry by yourself, because you have bricked/lost your device/router, i do.

I'm sure you will be able to recover it, simply connect the serial cable there.

Good luck

 

[hggomes]

I think JTAG doesn't work to load new code, but you may be able to get in to interrupt the CFE boot to be able issue some basic commands (like erasing nvram).

Here's the thread I remembered about the 56U.....
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt...nal-firmware-374-291.13628/page-3#post-127088

JTAG is only used when no Bootloader exists on the router, you will directly access to the hardware (CPU/NAND/RAM) and start it from there the bootloader recovery / upload process. Once you are able to do it you will upload after the FW via Serial or Recovery Mode.

 

[L&LD]

joegreat, before you updated the firmware, did you reset your overclocked router to normal (no overclock)?

 

[joegreat]

joegreat, before you updated the firmware, did you reset your overclocked router to normal (no overclock)?

Well, my AC68U was OCed since I have it, but never had this kind of problems until the last firmware update...

 

[L&LD]

Well, my AC68U was OCed since I have it, but never had this kind of problems until the last firmware update...

That is not a good reason to set the clocks to stock beforehand.

To me, doesn't seem to be an issue with the firmware so much as the fact that an overclocked router was used.

Hope you can recover it!

 

[hggomes]

I missed that part, if it was overclocked then it could surely explained it, that definetely could be the cause (even previously never happened), bootloaders dont work 100% stable with different clocks (overclocked), and it randomly can fail/lock up anytime with higher clocks.

A good example of this is looking at my RT-AC87U, first one accepted 1.4GHZ without a problem and was 100% stable (ive used stress software on it 0 warnings and 0 errors) and used it for 8 months, the new one i have now that came from RMA cant go further than 1.2GHZ, if i set it up higher than that i see the booloader failing sometimes to boot, i need to power off and "pray" for being stable until the Bootloader process boots and the FW boot doesnt lock up, so i can revert the clocks back to 1.2GHZ or the original value 1GHZ.

Everytime i set it higher i will see the FW getting locked or Bootloader failing randomly.

Each router works differently, it depends on the CPU VID, some can reach higher values some dont, its a lottery, i had one RT-AC68U that run fine at 1.6GHZ (100% overclock) and rock stable for 1 year, until i (sadly now) have sold it.