WRT1900AC V1 Problems

[marksanctuary]

If your setup is like mine, minus the Guest Network, it won't take you more than 15 minutes or so to setup. It's really simple.

I have my current settings spreadsheet from the Linksys firmware ready to go so I can do the setup quickly.

 

[B T C]

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=995338#995338

Thank you.

 

[htismaqe]

If you guys need any help, look me up here or over there. They were really nice to me when I joined and helped me get a pretty complex guest network setup working.

 

[marksanctuary]

Is the Bonjour Discovery issue I see people discussing an issue when using the dd-wrt in bridge mode across two separate routers?

I think Bonjour Discovery is what provides the automatic connections for the iPhone/iPads to the printer and Apple TV devices which we use a lot so I want to make sure that does not break. I don't bridge routers so if its tied to that then it should not be an issue.

 

[marksanctuary]

Well I just found my answer. It's the bridge mode not connecting Bonjour between the two routers. Bonjour treats them like separate islands.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1004188&highlight=bonjour#1004188

 

[marksanctuary]

Well I did it!
I'm on my first run of dd-wrt. You are right less than 15 minute configuration for my setup. Seems to be running good so far.

 

[htismaqe]

Yeah, the Bonjour/AirPrint issue only affects devices in bridge mode.

I actually had intermittent issues with AirPrint on stock firmware, it's one of the reasons I finally went with DD-WRT. I haven't had a problem since.

 

[B T C]

This may not be the best location for this question, but has anyone used the Linksys High-Gain antennas on this router? Amazon has them marked down to 77-78 bucks and looks like they may have recently been as low as $73. Any benefit to using these antennas?

 

[htismaqe]

This may not be the best location for this question, but has anyone used the Linksys High-Gain antennas on this router? Amazon has them marked down to 77-78 bucks and looks like they may have recently been as low as $73. Any benefit to using these antennas?

If you have a 1-floor home, you may get a boost, especially in 5Ghz. I will buy them eventually but given the price trajectory, they'll be under $50 before too long.

 

[B T C]

If you have a 1-floor home, you may get a boost, especially in 5Ghz. I will buy them eventually but given the price trajectory, they'll be under $50 before too long.

My home is a ranch with basement, but I'm rarely in the basement as it's unfinished. I'm also a big fan of products with the words High & Gain in the name. I had read some older posts somewhere regarding these antennas and it seemed debatable whether you would notice a performance improvement, but a lot of the Amazon reviews seem to be positive. One review mentioned that the high gain antennas would introduce "holes" in your coverage, which doesn't sound so good. All of my devices are currently connecting via the 5ghz band. Cheaper would definitely be better.

 

[htismaqe]

It's a simple question of beam width. These antennas radiate a more focused beam. They'll actually more than likely make coverage WORSE in a multi-story home. But if all your devices are on the same horizontal plane, like in a 1-story, you could see some improvement.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32774-linksys-high-gain-antennas-reviewed

 

[FattysGoneWild]

I have them for my WRT1900AC V1 and seen a decent improvement range wise with 5GHz. I thought they was worth it imo. Not a placebo effect either. They work. They are extremely over priced though. Get them on sale.

 

[sfx2000]

This may not be the best location for this question, but has anyone used the Linksys High-Gain antennas on this router? Amazon has them marked down to 77-78 bucks and looks like they may have recently been as low as $73. Any benefit to using these antennas?

They flatten the pattern out quite a bit, and performance is not as much as one would think, as clients think the AP is closer, so they reduce their Tx Power, which can increase the amount of retries from the client (impacting overall performance).

Range on this device, compared to others, is very good across both bands - I wouldn't recommend the antenna upgrade.

 

[B T C]

Sorry for bumping a really old thread, but lightening took out some of my home network a few days ago, including this router. Can they be repaired and is it even worth it?

Do people here run their network stuff through any kind of surge protection? Is that a common practice? I have a couple of Cyberpower surge protectors that have both coaxial & RJ45 inputs & outputs. I've never used surge protection for cable internet, but after recent events I'm thinking it may be a good idea, assuming it works and there aren't any downsides.

 

[e38BimmerFN]

First try to replace the power adapter for the router. This could be the one thing that can be taken out by power surges. If the router still fails after this, I recommend getting into a new router. I don't believe Linksys has a after warranty repair service. Can ask and see though. Might be time for something new.

Sorry for bumping a really old thread, but lightening took out some of my home network a few days ago, including this router. Can they be repaired and is it even worth it?

Do people here run their network stuff through any kind of surge protection? Is that a common practice? I have a couple of Cyberpower surge protectors that have both coaxial & RJ45 inputs & outputs. I've never used surge protection for cable internet, but after recent events I'm thinking it may be a good idea, assuming it works and there aren't any downsides.

 

[B T C]

First try to replace the power adapter for the router. This could be the one thing that can be taken out by power surges. If the router still fails after this, I recommend getting into a new router. I don't believe Linksys has a after warranty repair service. Can ask and see though. Might be time for something new.

Thanks for chiming in. I've already purchased a replacement. I picked up an EA8300. Walmart has apparently been clearing out an older model of the EA8300 for $35. Unfortunately, I didn't get that screaming deal, but the price I got seemed decent under the circumstances. I'm not sure what the difference is compared to the model I got, but the UPC number on the one I purchased differs from the UPC on the clearance models. People are apparently still running across that deal at some locations.

I'm actually using the same power adapter that I was using with the WRT1900AC. I've got all the power running through a CyberPower UPS. I believe whatever happened came through my Comcast cable feed, which I did not have running through the UPS.

I was just curious if anyone ever bothers to get old routers repaired. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to have a backup. I liked the WRT1900AC and I got it for a good price. If I could get it fixed for 50 bucks, I probably would. The internet light is flashing amber/orange, which apparently indicates a hardware issue. Reading through the owner's manual, there may be some additional troubleshooting I can try, but I'm guessing I won't even be able to access the router.

 

[chadster766]

Thanks for chiming in. I've already purchased a replacement. I picked up an EA8300. Walmart has apparently been clearing out an older model of the EA8300 for $35. Unfortunately, I didn't get that screaming deal, but the price I got seemed decent under the circumstances. I'm not sure what the difference is compared to the model I got, but the UPC number on the one I purchased differs from the UPC on the clearance models. People are apparently still running across that deal at some locations.

I'm actually using the same power adapter that I was using with the WRT1900AC. I've got all the power running through a CyberPower UPS. I believe whatever happened came through my Comcast cable feed, which I did not have running through the UPS.

I was just curious if anyone ever bothers to get old routers repaired. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to have a backup. I liked the WRT1900AC and I got it for a good price. If I could get it fixed for 50 bucks, I probably would. The internet light is flashing amber/orange, which apparently indicates a hardware issue. Reading through the owner's manual, there may be some additional troubleshooting I can try, but I'm guessing I won't even be able to access the router.

Wow that is a really good deal for the EA8300.

Does the WRT Internet or LAN LEDs come on when you power it up? If so you might connect a USB to TTL cable to have a look at the boot loader output.

 

[B T C]

Wow that is a really good deal for the EA8300.

Does the WRT Internet or LAN LEDs come on when you power it up? If so you might connect a USB to TTL cable to have a look at the boot loader output.

That is a good price, but unfortunately wasn't my price. I'm not sure if folks here are familiar with SlickDeals, but that's where I learned of the clearance. Unfortunately, I learned of it after the fact and most of the units had likely been sold by the time I needed a router. According to BrickSeek, there are still a few out there, but the deal itself seemed very hit or miss. Some folks got it, some didn't etc. Other than the UPC, I don't know if there is an actual difference between the model of EA8300 that is on clearance vs the one that isn't. If you go to SlickDeals and search for EA8300, you'll find the conversation.

I would actually have to check the behavior of my WRT router. I know that some of the LEDs were lighting up when it was powered on, reset etc., but after a few seconds the Internet LED would start blinking amber/orange. Per the owner's manual, that indicates a hardware issue. Initially, I thought it was blinking because my modem had gotten fried and wasn't outputting a signal. I believe I confirmed that by hooking a couple of laptops directly to the modem, but it was 5am and I was scrambling to get something working before "work", so I'm not entirely certain what I did. I feel like I need to test the modem again to absolutely confirm that it's bad. I know a signal was getting into it because I was able to reset it from the Comcast website. All of the LEDs on the front of the modem were also lit up normally.