Asus RT-N66U Dead? Not switching on!

[shobhitk]

I have been using this router for the past almost 3 years without any issues. I am running on Merlin Fork currently. Today i noticed that suddenly my computer lost wifi connectivity. when i went to the router to check it, i noticed that all the LED lights were switched off. i tried switching it on and off from mains several times but nothing worked. i again tried to switch it on from the mains after about 15 mins. and it booted and worked normally, but only for 5-10 minutes and then again went off.

this problem has since been repeating in loop, ie. goes permanently off for sometime, then again comes up and works fine for 5-10 mins. and then again goes off, no lights no nothing!

Things i have already checked:

1) Power supply is normal.
2) Mains socket is normal. have also checked on other sockets but same result.
3) power adaptor looks fine as the blue LED on the adaptor is stable.

One thing to be noted is that for the last 3 years i had enabled ONLY 2.4 ghz wifi. since last month i also enabled 5 ghz as it was required. Currently the temperature of the router was showing as 54' C for 2.4 and 56' C for 5 ghz.
Previously also even on 2.4ghz only mode i used to see 52-54' C temperatures.
Is temperature really the issue? it has been on these temperatures since day 1. i also think that asus must have made it robust enough to withstand these temperatures considering the fact that it was the flagship model at the time of its launch.

As i still have a few months of warranty left, i would be thankful if anyone could guide me in the correct direction.

Thanks

 

[wouterv]

I would first focus on temperature:
Are the few openings in the router housing clean from dust?
Use the support to put the router in vertical position (although not practical for the cables).
Place the router on a hard surface.
Do not put the router on top of other electronic equipment such as modem, tv or dvd player.
Do not put the router in a cabinet.
Eventually use an external fan.

The power adapter may be the second to suspect, did you test the adapter under load and did you check the output for noise...or simply try another adapter.

 

[john9527]

My top two would be
- Power supply failing under load - best to try another supply.
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-n66u-power-adaptor-failed-need-part-number-please.7507/
- A capacitor went bad on the router system board. If you are still under warranty I'd start an RMA process.

 

[mstombs]

I've seen quite a few reports of failed N66U's they do run hot and need good ventilation. I bought a cheap one from ebay 'untested, no returns' - hoping it was just firmware issue - but it was hardware, one of the internal voltage regulators had failed - fortunately I knew someone with skill to replace the FR9888, and it now works fine for testing!

If still under warranty don't open it to check!

 

[shobhitk]

I would first focus on temperature:
Are the few openings in the router housing clean from dust?
Use the support to put the router in vertical position (although not practical for the cables).
Place the router on a hard surface.
Do not put the router on top of other electronic equipment such as modem, tv or dvd player.
Do not put the router in a cabinet.
Eventually use an external fan.

The power adapter may be the second to suspect, did you test the adapter under load and did you check the output for noise...or simply try another adapter.

I am following all the above points except that i have not attached the vertical stand at the moment. i have also not used an external fan.
can you tell me how to test the adaptor under load? i have an Autoranging DMM. also i suspect that the test probes wont be able to get 'into' the tiny hole of the adaptor plug.
But as i have said earlier, the LED on the adaptor is perfectly stable.

My top two would be
- Power supply failing under load - best to try another supply.
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-n66u-power-adaptor-failed-need-part-number-please.7507/
- A capacitor went bad on the router system board. If you are still under warranty I'd start an RMA process.

I've seen quite a few reports of failed N66U's they do run hot and need good ventilation. I bought a cheap one from ebay 'untested, no returns' - hoping it was just firmware issue - but it was hardware, one of the internal voltage regulators had failed - fortunately I knew someone with skill to replace the FR9888, and it now works fine for testing!

If still under warranty don't open it to check!

Luckily I have 2 months of warranty left. But the sad part is that i have Merlin-Fork installed on it
I was trying to power it for just 1 more time so that i could load the stock firmware on it. With Merlin-Fork they might straitaway reject the warranty. I know the look and feel of Merlin-Fork is 99% similar to that of Asus Stock BUT if their eyes run even once on the firmware version above they will consider the warranty as void.

This is a very messy situation. Any tips to make it boot just ONCE?

Thanks

 

[john9527]

Long shot....turn off router and unplug the power plug. Then without the power being attached, cycle the power button about 10 times (1 or 2 sec duration on and off). Leave off, plug the power adapter back in and try and power up.

 

[shobhitk]

Long shot....turn off router and unplug the power plug. Then without the power being attached, cycle the power button about 10 times (1 or 2 sec duration on and off). Leave off, plug the power adapter back in and try and power up.

I gave it a shot and all the LED lights flashed for 1-2 secs, then all the LEDs went off and 2 LEDS started glowing. lastly both of them went off and nothing

btw john thanks for the lovely Fork edition u rock!

 

[john9527]

Last hope would be if you have a friend that would let you try their power supply just to positively rule that out.

Glad you like the fork....appreciate it.

 

[shobhitk]

Last hope would be if you have a friend that would let you try their power supply just to positively rule that out.

Glad you like the fork....appreciate it.

unfortunately that is not an option. will try to switch it on and will see if i just get lucky 1 more time.

otherwise i'll send it for warranty as it is and hope they dont check-out the firmware version
i have heard their after sales is pretty bad.

yesterday it was able to boot after 15-20 mins. of cool-off. i used that opportunity to reinstall second-last Merlin-Fork version. I hope i had installed the stock at that time :/

 

[john9527]

I honestly think you'll be fine on an older router like that. I'd be surprised if ASUS goes any further than confirming it's dead....I doubt it would be a candidate for a refurb where they would see the fw.

 

[shobhitk]

Will try my luck
thanks for your time and support.

 

[wouterv]

I am following all the above points except that i have not attached the vertical stand at the moment. i have also not used an external fan.
can you tell me how to test the adaptor under load? i have an Autoranging DMM. also i suspect that the test probes wont be able to get 'into' the tiny hole of the adaptor plug.
But as i have said earlier, the LED on the adaptor is perfectly stable.

The LED on the power adapter is only an indication the power is somehow ON.
To get into the tiny hole of the power plug you can use e.g. a bend-open paperclip.
To test the adapter under load you need to apply some load, together with your DMM.
The load can e.g. be a truck bulb-lamp of 24V / 21W.
Reading your reply I doubt this is a task for you to perform.

I would recommend: RMA as long as the router is under warranty, don't worry about the firmware.

 

[shobhitk]

......I would recommend: RMA as long as the router is under warranty, don't worry about the firmware.

this one suits me
Will go that way.

 

[RocketJSquirrel]

I am having a similar problem. My N66U went stone-cold dead after 3 years of faithful service.

It seems I can revive it by holding in the power button, but as soon as I let go of the button, the router turns off again. The button will not stay depressed.

This is weird. The router lives in a closet and no one touched it. Has anyone heard of Death by Power Button before?

 

[wouterv]

I am having a similar problem. My N66U went stone-cold dead after 3 years of faithful service.

It seems I can revive it by holding in the power button, but as soon as I let go of the button, the router turns off again. The button will not stay depressed.

This is weird. The router lives in a closet and no one touched it. Has anyone heard of Death by Power Button before?

Too bad to say: yes, you are not the first with a failing power switch.
The best solution is (to find someone) to solder a bridge to bypass the power switch in allways ON position.
Or use a toothpick or glue to hold the button pressed.
These cheap power switches are added due to power saving requirements in certain regions. In practise they do not add any value.

 

[RocketJSquirrel]

Too bad to say: yes, you are not the first with a failing power switch.

These cheap power switches are added due to power saving requirements in certain regions. In practise they do not add any value.

Thanks for confirming. I agree that the power button is useless. Now, it's worse than useless.

 

[L&LD]

Thanks for confirming. I agree that the power button is useless. Now, it's worse than useless.

Many have used toothpicks to 'fix' it.

 

[shobhitk]

Yesterday i gave my router under RMA. Lets hope for the best.

 

[jlake]

Thanks for confirming. I agree that the power button is useless. Now, it's worse than useless.

I've noticed several reports of power switch issues in the past. I pretty much blew off those reports as isolated incidences. For the last couple months, my power switch does not feel the same when I press it. I really haven't used the power switch exclusively....as I've disconnected the power cable to power cycle it about 75 percent of time.. So I've probably got a ticking time bomb on my power switch. I still have 1 year on warranty thankfully.

 

[shobhitk]

But it is sad to see such an expensive piece of equipment going bad in such a short time. Other cheaper routers which cost 1/3rd the price of this router continue to work for several years without any issues.

I hope Asus is listening.