Asus GT-AX11000 is bricked

[RalphKlein]

My three year old Asus GT-AX11000 has always run Merlin. It was running Merlin 388.2_2 when I decided to upgrade to Merlin 3004.388.7.

It had been a year since my last firmware update, so I was carefully reading the release notes to make sure there was no problem.

1. I went to the Merlin Administration menu and selected the “Firmware Upgrade” tab. I chose to do a manual upload and then accidentally selected the “Changelog-NG.txt” file instead of the actual firmware. Definitely not my finest hour.
2. I realized what I had done but it was too late, so I just waited and hoped that the firmware update would realize that it was not a file containing firmware. It took a couple of minutes and then the router rebooted with the old 388.2_2 firmware. Fantastic, I thought!
3. I then went to “Firmware Upgrade” and selected the correct file. The router updated and booted with the new firmware. Everything still seemed okay.
4. As a final step, I went to the Merlin Administration menu, selected the “Restore/Save/Upload Setting” tab and chose to “Restore” the factory default.
5. I set my computer’s IP to 192.168.50.10 and started to ping 192.168.50.1. I was startled to see that there was no response.
6. I tried the Asus Firmware Restoration Utility without success.
7. At that point, I went and bought a GT-AX11000 Pro. I thought I’d try it with the stock firmware. That lasted ten minutes and I installed Merlin 3004.388.7 and I went to work to setup my network.

That was last weekend. ☹

This weekend I decided that I needed to fix the bricked GT-AX11000, so I started reading relevant messages on SNB Forums.

Asus Firmware Restoration Utility​

First, I tried the Asus Firmware Restoration Utility again.

• I connected an RJ45 cable from my computer to LAN port 4 of the router.
• I had no trouble putting the router into rescue mode.
• I pinged 192.168.1.1 successfully with the following response

Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=100

The TTL was 100, so I knew that the router was in rescue mode otherwise the TTL would be 100. (I learned that at SNB Forums.)

• I loaded the Firmware Restoration Utility and selected the latest Asus stock firmware, “GT-AX11000_3.0.0.4_388_24328-g1e6e634_ubi.w”
• I clicked the upload button.
• Within five seconds my pings to 192.168.1.1 started to fail with “Request timed out.” After four of those, the ping response became “Reply from 192.168.1.10: Destination host unreachable.”
• Meanwhile the Firmware Restoration Utility continued “Connecting to the wireless device”. It counted to 31 seconds, at which point the utility reported a status of “The wireless router is not in rescue mode.”

I have tried the Firmware Restoration about ten times. I have tried LAN port 1 and LAN port 4. I see the exact same behavior each time.

Mini Web Server​

Next, I tried the mini web server method.

• I unplugged the router.
• Held down the WPS button and plugged in the router.
• I kept holding the WPS button until the power light went out.
• I pinged 192.168.1.1 successfully with the following response

Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=100

• I connected to 192.168.1.1 with a browser.
• I chose the latest Asus stock firmware, “GT-AX11000_3.0.0.4_388_24328-g1e6e634_ubi.w”
• I clicked the “Update Software” button.
• I waited 60 minutes.
• The router had rebooted, and I could, very intermittently, ping 192.168.50.1

I also retried this many times with the exact same result.

Rebooting After Updating the Firmware​

Whenever, I reboot the router, I now see the following behavior when I ping the default address 192.168.50.1

C:\>ping -t 192.168.50.1 Pinging 192.168.50.1 with 32 bytes of data: PING: transmit failed. General failure. PING: transmit failed. General failure. PING: transmit failed. General failure. PING: transmit failed. General failure. Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 Request timed out. General failure. General failure. General failure. General failure. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. … three or four minutes of Destination host unavailable … Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time=987ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 General failure. General failure. General failure. General failure. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable.

This ping pattern repeats indefinitely. Every three or four minutes there are between two and seven successful ping results. The router configuration page (192.168.50.1) cannot be loaded with a browser.

------------
I also tried using TFTP to PUT the stock firmware file on the router. It seemed to work properly. However, rebooting the router resulted in the exact same ping behavior above.

I’ve also left the router unplugged from AC overnight but there was no change when using the “Firmware Restoration Utility” or the “Mini Web Server” method.

I’m not sure what to try next. It seems like the hardware is fine. It’s easy to put the router into rescue mode. I can successfully upload firmware files. However, I suspect that an unhandled exception is occurring during the boot, perhaps due to my mistakenly trying to update the firmware with a text file.

I’d appreciate any ideas that you folks have.
--
Ralph

 

[Tech9]

First of all - there is no way this router flashed a *.txt file as a firmware upgrade.

Not clear what was the issue after the successful firmware upgrade. Why did you need to set your computer to static IP 192.168.50.10? After GUI factory reset the router never booted up properly? Have you tried another WPS hard factory reset? Why did you jump to Firmware Restoration so fast?

 

[RMerlin]

If pings flip betwene 64 TTL pings and failures then it indicates your router is rebooting. Most likely cause is corrupted settings causing it to crash during boot, you can monitor the LEDs to confirm it.

This is usually fixed with a factory default reset.

 

[NotoriousNate]

My three year old Asus GT-AX11000 has always run Merlin. It was running Merlin 388.2_2 when I decided to upgrade to Merlin 3004.388.7.

It had been a year since my last firmware update, so I was carefully reading the release notes to make sure there was no problem.

1. I went to the Merlin Administration menu and selected the “Firmware Upgrade” tab. I chose to do a manual upload and then accidentally selected the “Changelog-NG.txt” file instead of the actual firmware. Definitely not my finest hour.
2. I realized what I had done but it was too late, so I just waited and hoped that the firmware update would realize that it was not a file containing firmware. It took a couple of minutes and then the router rebooted with the old 388.2_2 firmware. Fantastic, I thought!
3. I then went to “Firmware Upgrade” and selected the correct file. The router updated and booted with the new firmware. Everything still seemed okay.
4. As a final step, I went to the Merlin Administration menu, selected the “Restore/Save/Upload Setting” tab and chose to “Restore” the factory default.
5. I set my computer’s IP to 192.168.50.10 and started to ping 192.168.50.1. I was startled to see that there was no response.
6. I tried the Asus Firmware Restoration Utility without success.
7. At that point, I went and bought a GT-AX11000 Pro. I thought I’d try it with the stock firmware. That lasted ten minutes and I installed Merlin 3004.388.7 and I went to work to setup my network.

That was last weekend. ☹

This weekend I decided that I needed to fix the bricked GT-AX11000, so I started reading relevant messages on SNB Forums.

Asus Firmware Restoration Utility​

First, I tried the Asus Firmware Restoration Utility again.

• I connected an RJ45 cable from my computer to LAN port 4 of the router.
• I had no trouble putting the router into rescue mode.
• I pinged 192.168.1.1 successfully with the following response

Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=100

The TTL was 100, so I knew that the router was in rescue mode otherwise the TTL would be 100. (I learned that at SNB Forums.)

• I loaded the Firmware Restoration Utility and selected the latest Asus stock firmware, “GT-AX11000_3.0.0.4_388_24328-g1e6e634_ubi.w”
• I clicked the upload button.
• Within five seconds my pings to 192.168.1.1 started to fail with “Request timed out.” After four of those, the ping response became “Reply from 192.168.1.10: Destination host unreachable.”
• Meanwhile the Firmware Restoration Utility continued “Connecting to the wireless device”. It counted to 31 seconds, at which point the utility reported a status of “The wireless router is not in rescue mode.”

I have tried the Firmware Restoration about ten times. I have tried LAN port 1 and LAN port 4. I see the exact same behavior each time.

Mini Web Server​

Next, I tried the mini web server method.

• I unplugged the router.
• Held down the WPS button and plugged in the router.
• I kept holding the WPS button until the power light went out.
• I pinged 192.168.1.1 successfully with the following response

Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=100

• I connected to 192.168.1.1 with a browser.
• I chose the latest Asus stock firmware, “GT-AX11000_3.0.0.4_388_24328-g1e6e634_ubi.w”
• I clicked the “Update Software” button.
• I waited 60 minutes.
• The router had rebooted, and I could, very intermittently, ping 192.168.50.1

I also retried this many times with the exact same result.

Rebooting After Updating the Firmware​

Whenever, I reboot the router, I now see the following behavior when I ping the default address 192.168.50.1

C:\>ping -t 192.168.50.1 Pinging 192.168.50.1 with 32 bytes of data: PING: transmit failed. General failure. PING: transmit failed. General failure. PING: transmit failed. General failure. PING: transmit failed. General failure. Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 Request timed out. General failure. General failure. General failure. General failure. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. … three or four minutes of Destination host unavailable … Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time=987ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.50.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64 General failure. General failure. General failure. General failure. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable. Reply from 192.168.50.10: Destination host unreachable.

This ping pattern repeats indefinitely. Every three or four minutes there are between two and seven successful ping results. The router configuration page (192.168.50.1) cannot be loaded with a browser.

------------
I also tried using TFTP to PUT the stock firmware file on the router. It seemed to work properly. However, rebooting the router resulted in the exact same ping behavior above.

I’ve also left the router unplugged from AC overnight but there was no change when using the “Firmware Restoration Utility” or the “Mini Web Server” method.

I’m not sure what to try next. It seems like the hardware is fine. It’s easy to put the router into rescue mode. I can successfully upload firmware files. However, I suspect that an unhandled exception is occurring during the boot, perhaps due to my mistakenly trying to update the firmware with a text file.

I’d appreciate any ideas that you folks have.
--
Ralph

I am currently sitting in your same shoes! following

 

[Tech9]

What happened to your router and after what actions on your end? The same GT-AX11000 or different model?

 

[RalphKlein]

Thank you for the responses. I appreciate your taking the time.

Tech9:
The router never booted up after the GUI factory reset. Within about a minute of turning on the router, the first three lights are on and stay solid. I seem to be having the same experience as HowieDoin in this thread - https://www.snbforums.com/threads/gt-ax11000-dead.90303/

Prior to Firmware Restoration, I tried the WPS hard factory reset at least three times. I should have noted that in my original message. The result of the reset was always the same as above, with the first three lights coming on solid and no response when trying to load the web GUI.

--------
RMerlin:
I've tried multiple factory resets using the WPS method. Is there a more thorough way to do a factory reset? After each factory reset, the router tries to reboot but just ends up unresponsive, with the first three LEDs on solid.

Thanks for your help,
Ralph

 

[Tech9]

Whatever happened your minor mistake trying to upload a wrong file didn't cause it. There is firmware verification process on upgrade.

 

[RMerlin]

After each factory reset, the router tries to reboot

The WPS button method must be done before turning on the router, not during boot.

Turn off the router, press WPS button, turn it on, wait about 15 secs then release the WPS button.

 

[RalphKlein]

The WPS button method must be done before turning on the router, not during boot.

Turn off the router, press WPS button, turn it on, wait about 15 secs then release the WPS button.

I tried the WPS method again this morning.

• The router was unplugged from AC overnight.
• I ensured that the router's power button was in the off position.
• I connected AC to the router.
• I pressed and held the WPS button.
• I turned on the router's power button, while continuing to hold down the WPS button.
• The router's power light came on. I continued to hold down the WPS button.
• After a few seconds, the router's power light turned off. I continued to hold down the WPS button.
• After ten more seconds, I released the WPS button.
• I turned off the router using its power button.
• I waited ten seconds and turned the router back on.

The behavior on the reboot was exactly the same. The router started to reboot but just ended up unresponsive, with the first three LEDs on solid.

Do you think that there might be a defect with the Asus factory reset? It seems that HowieDoin is having the same experience, with the same router, after a factory reset. HowieDoin documented his experience in this thread - https://www.snbforums.com/threads/gt-ax11000-dead.90303/

Thanks for your help,
Ralph

 

[cc666]

Turn off Router
Push in and Hold WPS button
Turn on router while holding down the WPS button
wait 30 seconds
turn off router
release WPS button
Wait 30 seconds
turn on router

CC

 

[RalphKlein]

That is pretty much what I've tried more than ten times now.

However, I tried again and carefully timed each step for 30 seconds.

Unfortunately, I am seeing the exact same behavior as I previously described.

Thanks for helping,
Ralph

 

[Tech9]

Based on information provided so far I believe purchasing a new router was the right thing to do. Electronic devices fail for multiple reasons and sometimes forced hardware upgrade is what happens as a result. At least the new version GT-AX11000 Pro is much newer and somewhat faster hardware, comes with new warranty period, it can run the new Asuswrt 5.0 firmware and has expected longer support.

 

[dcsang]

Have you tried using the new power adapter with your old router?