DHCP issue - distributing 169.254.X.X ip address instead of configured 192.168.X.X - AC5300 Merlin 386.7.0

[andre-20]

DHCP issue - distributing 169.254.X.X ip address instead of configured 192.168.X.X - AC5300 Merlin 386.7.0

The issue is happening randomly every few weeks. Because of the issue, I can't access web UI of the router, as well as lost internet connection. The router is not accessible via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. I also tried different devices like windows, android or mac.
I had enabled VPN Director with NordVPN client configured, as well as both frequencies 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

The only solution, known to me is to reset the router to factory settings (hard reset) and setting it up from scratch, this is lasting for a while and then the issue is reoccurring.

Thanks,
Andy

 

[ColinTaylor]

DHCP issue - distributing 169.254.X.X ip address instead of configured 192.168.X.X - AC5300 Merlin 386.7.0

The router doesn't "distribute" 169.254.x.x addresses. 169.254.x.x addresses are what the client gives to itself when it can't get a response from a DHCP server. This usually means that you have no network connection at all.

As you say this is affecting all clients rather than just one it would suggest that your router has crashed. There should be no need to reset the router. Just turning it off and on again should be sufficient for it to boot up and you to be able to look at the system log.

Your firmware is out of date so I suggest you update to either 386.7_2 or 386.9.

If you still can't get it to work without a hard reset (not just a normal reset) then I'd say it's a hardware failure.