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RT-N66U frozen / won't reset

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IanCD

Occasional Visitor
Running Asus-wrt Merlin 380-70 firmware
Connected to ADSL (21?) via Netgear DM200 in modem-only mode

Wireless connections a bit 'iffy' over last few days... 2.4G disappeared day before yesterday, then had power cut-restored-cut again in quick succession yesterday.

Can't get the router to respond at all, it seems frozen with power, ethernet x 2, and internet / broadband lights on constant, even though I've disconected it from everything other than power. Can't access it through direct ethernet connection to PC.

I've tried keeping reset button pressed with power on - no response.
Tried power off, hold reset button while powering on - no response.

Found the dd-wrt guide to 30/30/30 hard reset but haven't tried that as it cautions using it with this and other Asus routers.

I've searched here, but haven't found a thread with the answers I need yet... though I guess that may be here somewhere, so if someone can point me in that direction, or give me a direct answer I'd be very grateful..

Many thanks, in anticipation,
Ian
 
The 30-30-30 DDWRT business doesn’t do anything on the Asus routers; from the sound of it you have nothing to lise by trying it. But just don’t expect anything to happen.

Sounds like it’s time for a new router, especially as Merlin wrote: “The move to the new 382 (now 384) codebase was completed. With that move we bid farewell to the RT-N66U and RT-AC66U, as was originally planned.”

And if you live in the UK, US or Canada, and decide to go via Amazon, please use the link on this forum.

You’ve tried leaving it unplugged for say 30 mins before trying the reset button whilst powering up?
 
Before you give up, try this. It worked for me several years ago when I thought I had killed my N66U. Disconnet all cables, usb devices and power plug. Press the power button as if you were trying to turn it on. This will drain all capicators that may be holding a charge. Leave it over night. Next day press the power button again before reconnecting the power cable. This will put it back to the off position. Plug in the power cable only. While pressing the reset button press the power button. Continue holding the reset button for 10 seconds or so and see if the power light starts flashing. If so release the reset button and leave it alone for an hour or more. If this doesn't help then it's probably time to look for a replacement.
 
I was doing the same thing on an RT-N66U yesterday for a customer! :)

Originally running the same RMerlin firmware (380.7), I couldn't get it into recovery mode for over an hour to try to flash john9527's fork on it.

Finally, I unplugged everything from the router (it was just using a couple of LAN ports and the WAN port) and pulled the power plug out. Turning off the power button I then plugged the power back in and tried once again to get into 'recovery mode'.

I pushed the reset button very firmly for a count of 10 and then pressed the power button. Finally, the router's power LED started flashing slowly as it should.

I flashed the router with the latest john9527 firmware and even though it loaded (and of course, I had to do a full reset to factory defaults afterward flashing the router) the router is not any more stable.

Today, the customer will decide on which new router to buy. He's not happy about it. But I will try to explain to him how much better his network security will be vs. the firmware he was originally running.

Here is how to use the recovery tool:
https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1000814/

Here is john9527's firmware if you want to give it a try. Don't forget; you may also try to reflash the same firmware you are now running too (at least as a test).

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/fork-asuswrt-merlin-374-43-lts-releases-v37ea.18914/

Hope this helps.
 
:)
......
Today, the customer will decide on which new router to buy. He's not happy about it. But I will try to explain to him how much better his network security will be vs. the firmware he was originally running.
helps.

For stability and reliability, I doubt he could find anything to beat the RT-AC68U.
 
For stability and reliability, I doubt he could find anything to beat the RT-AC68U.

martinr,

I agree 100% with you. The only other consideration is the RT-AC3100 (very good experience with it). But that is way out of this customers price range.
 
Thanks guys, still no joy, so looks like it's probably bricked...
I'll be running an old Thomson TG585v7 (from Plusnet) until I can save up the pennies for a replacement...
Recommendations at around £100-120..? Or should I really spend more..?
No gaming, and just two of us here, very rarely both using bandwidth for streaming and we only get 8mbps max anyway at the moment, but we do need decent range... thick stone walls, and a cabin in the garden that we need to get wireless to... with a range extender there to amplify the signal.
I really liked the guest network feature on the N66U... great for friends and guests staying in the cabin
Stick with Asus, or look at others..?
Any feedback appreciated
Ian
 
The N66 is reaching EOL for support so consider an AC68/AC1900.

It is still being supported and the AC radios will give you better throughput even on N clients.

Price new is probably slightly over the top end of your range, however you might be able to find a used/refurbished unit for less as some people have moved to one or two generations beyond the N68. With your speeds this N68 will be more than enough.
 
I heartily agree with CaptainSTX. The RT-AC68U is very reliable and stable and very popular on this forum. I can’t remember anyone complaining about it. Being so popular, I’m confident it will continue to be supported by Merlin for the foreseeable future.

Have a look on ebay. I got a used one there - usual caveats about checking the seller’s rating and why they’re selling it (especially why they want to sell such a great bit of kit!) and if they’ve had any problems etc.
 
Thanks guys, still no joy, so looks like it's probably bricked...?
One last thing you could try would be a replacement power supply. It's possible the router itself might be fine, but the power supply could be too weak/unstable to allow the router to start up. A compatible replacement should cost around £15 on Amazon/eBay/etc.
 
A word of caution about buying aftermarket power supplies. I purchased this on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007O24GES/?tag=snbforums-20
It clearly states that it is compatible with the AC68U and the AC86U. That's not completely true. It would work fine if the plug was the right size. It does not fit firmly into either router. I have both and if you bump the router or move the cable it will lose contact and cause the router to reboot which is not good. The quality of the unit is excellent and it's made in Taiwan, not China. I didn't return it because I figured if I really needed a replacement power supply I could cut the plug off the Asus power supply and splice it onto the cable of the new power supply. Good luck trying to get an exact replacement form Asus. It was a good buy at $19.99usd. Too bad about the issue with the plug size.
 
To bring closure here; the customer okay'd an RT-AC68U replacement. He can't believe the upgrade from the old router, but he is still miffed that the old router died in half a decade of use.

Today, his network has changed considerably since he had installed the RT-N66U. Almost exclusively AC clients. Heavy NAS access is not as important as it once was (cloud is shared with all 'instantly' and therefore preferable). (NAS is mostly backup of the cloud). WiFi signals have been increasingly saturating the area. Again: AC helps with that a lot, as he saw first hand.

As I was leaving, he kind of asked how much more the RT-AC3100 was. I told him to save his money until 'ax' routers had the clients to connect to them first. :)
 
Thanks guys, still no joy, so looks like it's probably bricked...
I'll be running an old Thomson TG585v7 (from Plusnet) until I can save up the pennies for a replacement...
Recommendations at around £100-120..? Or should I really spend more..?
No gaming, and just two of us here, very rarely both using bandwidth for streaming and we only get 8mbps max anyway at the moment, but we do need decent range... thick stone walls, and a cabin in the garden that we need to get wireless to... with a range extender there to amplify the signal.
I really liked the guest network feature on the N66U... great for friends and guests staying in the cabin
Stick with Asus, or look at others..?
Any feedback appreciated
Ian

Looking at the power requirements, my spare RT-AC68U power supply might suit your router. You’d have to double check, polarity too. If you’re in the UK as it seems, I could send it to you if you PM me your address. Given Dave Parker’s warnings, and the obsolescence of your router for Merlin firmware, your money’s far better off going towards a newer router. Anyway, you’re welcome to try my power supply.
 
Thanks folks,
And wow, thanks Martin, that's a very generous offer - you're right re where I'd want to spend the money, much prefer to put it toward a replacement router, particularly if I'm going to notice a difference using ac rather than n... (I'm also not clear why, or whether, the power supply is likely to be at fault...)
So, I found these on Amazon, the last looks like it's proably new, but with damaged packaging: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00O27PHGY/?tag=smallncom-21
I think the modem might be a write-off, too (tried getting it to connect for about 2 hours, but it just would not... gave up and got the Thomson out of the junk box), hence looking at the modem-router version.
 
Thanks folks,
And wow, thanks Martin, that's a very generous offer - you're right re where I'd want to spend the money, much prefer to put it toward a replacement router, particularly if I'm going to notice a difference using ac rather than n... (I'm also not clear why, or whether, the power supply is likely to be at fault...)
So, I found these on Amazon, the last looks like it's proably new, but with damaged packaging: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00O27PHGY/?tag=smallncom-21
I think the modem might be a write-off, too (tried getting it to connect for about 2 hours, but it just would not... gave up and got the Thomson out of the junk box), hence looking at the modem-router version.

Wait a minute: don’t get the DSL version - Merlin doesn’t support it. Someone has been very clever and managed to install Merlin on such a model, but the skill level would be too high for me. And you lose the flexibility of a separate modem and router.

As you’re in no rush, why not put a watch on a few ebay auctions and see what the RT-AC68U goes for; you’ll then have an idea about the Amazon prices. And you never know: sometimes you can land a bargain on ebay, especially if you are patient. I got a new model BT Openreach modem for £2.50 (+ postage).

Now your modem looks bad, too. I suppose that’s just coincidental. Nothing silly like a dodgy mains socket, is it? There’s a reset button on the modem?

Let me know if you change your mind on the mains adapter.
 
You can find good deals on eBay if you read the descriptions carefully and research the seller. look at the pictures. If they don't have good pictures I move on. I got my 68u and the 86u on eBay used. Don't remember what I paid for the 68u, that was more than 2 years ago buy I paid $130US for the 86u in November. Both were in excellent condition in the original box with all original stuff. And they were buy it now sales, not auctions.
 
You can find good deals on eBay if you read the descriptions carefully and research the seller. look at the pictures. If they don't have good pictures I move on. I got my 68u and the 86u on eBay used. Don't remember what I paid for the 68u, that was more than 2 years ago buy I paid $130US for the 86u in November. Both were in excellent condition in the original box with all original stuff. And they were buy it now sales, not auctions.
Buy it now: I can well believe that. I recently sold an iPod Touch on ebay auction; I got many enquiries asking for a buy-it-now price. In the end, it sold for a good deal more than I could have got with a buy-it-now listing.
 
Last edited:
Exactly, that's why I usually avoid auctions, unless of course I want to sell something. I did bid on a couple of 86u's but I set a maximum amount I'm willing to pay and if I get out bid I move on. I got my 86u on the same day the seller listed it. I liked the description and the pictures were good and I knew it would be gone that day. So, lucked out on that one.
 

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