ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8) "Unidentified network" issue

[Qbcd]

Hello,

Would greatly appreciate if someone could help me with this. I picked up a used ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8) that has the following issue: After being powered on, it goes through the regular startup LED sequence of solid white, then flashing green, then solid blue. Solid blue indicates it's ready for setup. However, I don't see its default Wi-Fi network, I cannot find it as an AiMesh node, and if I plug in an ethernet cable, it says "Unidentified network" in Windows and I cannot connect to the router. This is all after a factory reset. It does get warm however, indicating the SoC is doing stuff.

So it appears it gets stuck somewhere in the initialization process or there's some hardware issue... Any ideas on what I could do to try to fix it or figure out what's wrong? Or is it completely bricked?

Alternatively, I looked up its S/N and it is actually still within warranty. I contacted Asus but got the following email back:

"...If the issue persists, I must inform you that this type of product (Router) has a type of service called Send in which means it is handled via the distribution chain, so the customer has to claim the warranty with their point of sale."

I don't have the original receipt unfortunately and can't get it. So... is there anything I can do? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[OzarkEdge]

Maybe you can use Rescue Mode to flash the firmware again. Then if you can't access the webUI, recycle it.

OE

 

[Qbcd]

Maybe you can use Rescue Mode to flash the firmware again. Then if you can't access the webUI, recycle it.

OE

I got excited for a second because the router successfully entered Rescue mode (magenta LED). But then when I tried to upload the firmware, the restoration tool could not connect to it, it timed out and said "router not in rescue mode" even though it was obviously.

So there's nothing else I can try?

 

[Bhoot®]

power of switch on router.
Wait a good 30 seconds.
Hold down WPS button.
Switch on router via on router switch.
Watch the lights.
It will eventually turn off.
Let go of WPS button.
Switch off router via router switch.
Power on router.
Once router is up.
Login. Set it router mode.
Got to admin > reset & tick box to initialize.
Let box reboot.
Login to GUI.
Configure as required.

(Previously had 3x XT8s > kind of lived through them and then some).

 

[tgl]

Yeah, try the standard WPS reset sequence and see if that brings it back. @Bhoot® omits one detail: keep holding the WPS button down until all the lights turn off. It only takes ~ 10 sec.

Also, I was reminded the hard way today that it's best to not have anything plugged into it during this process: I was resetting one and it did not use the IP address I expected it to, because it got another one from a DHCP server elsewhere on my net. The most reliable thing I think is to connect to the freshly-reset unit over WiFi using its default network name, and not connect it to anything else until you've completed basic configuration that way.

 

[Qbcd]

Yeah, try the standard WPS reset sequence and see if that brings it back. @Bhoot® omits one detail: keep holding the WPS button down until all the lights turn off. It only takes ~ 10 sec.

Also, I was reminded the hard way today that it's best to not have anything plugged into it during this process: I was resetting one and it did not use the IP address I expected it to, because it got another one from a DHCP server elsewhere on my net. The most reliable thing I think is to connect to the freshly-reset unit over WiFi using its default network name, and not connect it to anything else until you've completed basic configuration that way.

Yeah that was the first thing I tried, it doesn't fix it unfortunately. The LEDs indicate a normal factory reset, I hold the WPS button until the green LED stops blinking (about 10 seconds), then I switch it off and then on again. Then it initializes as normal again as described in my original post (white LED, flashing green, then solid blue). But then, again, I cannot find the network. It doesn't create a WiFi network, cannot find it as an AiMesh node, and when plugged into LAN1 says "Unidentified network" in Windows.

And it didn't have anything else plugged in during the process.

It appears to be close to working, the LEDs indicate everything is normal, it gets warm after being powered on for a while, when I press and hold the WPS button the blue LED starts flashing as normal... Even in Android, it lets me share my internet with the router via USB. But the router just does not create any networks and is inaccessible.

 

[kildare]

Have you tried to connect to the XT8 from the PC using the ASUS Device Discovery tool?

 

[Qbcd]

Have you tried to connect to the XT8 from the PC using the ASUS Device Discovery tool?

Just tried it, didn't work unfortunately. I think that's for finding the IP address of your router and AiMesh nodes. I can't connect to the router at all, so there's no way that would work.

Maybe if I could mess with it via the USB port... It seems like it boots just fine and responds to commands e.g. recovery mode, WPS button, etc. It just cannot present a network, either Wi-Fi or Ethernet. I can't find anything online on what may be causing that, I doubt it's a hardware issue, it's probably bricked in some weird way. If I could only flash a new firmware in some way other than via rescue mode.

Is there any way I can flash firmware via the USB port somehow...

Or factory reset it, but truly to the original factory state, not to whatever firmware it has.

 

[kildare]

If you have a DHCP server available on your LAN, try connecting both the XT8 and the PC to it, then use the Asus Discovery tool.

Otherwise, these are XT8's default settings:

The following are the factory default settings:
Enable DHCP: Yes (if WAN cable is plugged in)
IP address: 192.168.50.1
Domain Name: (Blank)
SubnetMask: 255.255.255.0
DNS Server 1: router.asus.com
DNS Server 2: (Blank)
SSID: ASUS_XX

You could set an IP address like 192.168.50.2/255.255.255.0 to your PC and try to connect point-to-point to 192.168.50.1

 

[Qbcd]

If you have a DHCP server available on your LAN, try connecting both the XT8 and the PC to it, then use the Asus Discovery tool.

Otherwise, these are XT8's default settings:

The following are the factory default settings:
Enable DHCP: Yes (if WAN cable is plugged in)
IP address: 192.168.50.1
Domain Name: (Blank)
SubnetMask: 255.255.255.0
DNS Server 1: router.asus.com
DNS Server 2: (Blank)
SSID: ASUS_XX

You could set an IP address like 192.168.50.2/255.255.255.0 to your PC and try to connect point-to-point to 192.168.50.1

Yes, I have my RT-AX86U which is my main router and DHCP server. I have the PC connected to it, and I've connected the XT8 to it as well (from the LAN port of the AX86U to the WAN port of the XT8). But again, unfortunately the Asus Discovery tool did not find it.

Otherwise, I tried setting my IPv4 on my Ethernet port to 192.168.50.2 and then connecting it to LAN1 on the XT8 and trying to access 192.168.50.1 and again, nothing.

 

[Qbcd]

Ok, so my theory is that the router is functional and there is no hardware issue, but it's bricked by someone flashing the wrong firmware to it, or perhaps the right firmware didn't flash correctly.

It all appears to work fine based on responses I get from the LEDs, except the router is inaccessible via wireless or Ethernet. This means I can't use rescue mode (even though it enters rescue mode just fine) to push new firmware to it.

However, the USB port seems to work, because when I plug in my Android phone, it gives me the option to share internet via USB. When the router is in rescue mode, I don't get that option on the phone, so to me this means that in "regular" blue LED mode, the router actually recognizes the Android phone as a modem when I enable internet share. This potentially means USB modem mode can work on the router.

So... I was thinking perhaps I can use a USB to Ethernet adapter to flash new firmware to it via rescue mode. I just ordered a $4 usb-to-gigabit ethernet adapter from Ebay... fingers crossed, tho I'm 90% sure it won't work. Beyond that, I'm looking for SOME way to mess with the router using the USB port, potentially flashing firmware to it via the USB port. If anyone knows of a way to do that, please let me know.

And in parallel, I am also going to beg Asus to take it back since it's within warranty. It's supposed to be returned to the reseller (which I can't do), but if I beg them enough maybe they'll take it, sometimes it works. Fingers crossed...

Any advise/help is appreciated.

 

[Tech9]

This router was most likely flashed with lower number firmware release than minimum required. There is no known user fix.

 

[Qbcd]

This router was most likely flashed with lower number firmware release than minimum required. There is no known user fix.

Well that's discouraging. Isn't there a way to access it using JTAG or another similar interface?

 

[Tech9]

I have no experience with this on XT8, but I know one SNB member accidentally killed few units following best firmware for AiMesh advice and it was an old one before Asus started posting warnings in red like this:

Seems like even revision V1 units manufactured in different periods have different hardware inside and V2 has totally different firmware files. It's a bit tricky situation with XT8 and your unit may be one of unlucky ones.

 

[Qbcd]

I have no experience with this on XT8, but I know one SNB member accidentally killed few units following best firmware for AiMesh advice and it was an old one before Asus started posting warnings in red like this:

View attachment 48036

Seems like even revision V1 units manufactured in different periods have different hardware inside and V2 has totally different firmware files. It's a bit tricky situation with XT8 and your unit may be one of unlucky ones.

Mine is V1. So no way to access it via JTAG? Nothing I can do, wrong firmware means it's unfixable, really?

 

[Tech9]

Search around Internet for information. I don't even know if this unit has JTAG header. Never seen one disassembled. Sorry.

 

[Qbcd]

Search around Internet for information. I don't even know if this unit has JTAG header. Never seen one disassembled. Sorry.

I searched a lot, did not find much. There's this thread:

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/asus-zenwifi-ax-xt8-hard-bricked.79374/

That confirms the existence of JTAG leads, but the thread ends with the guy not knowing how to flash new firmware to NAND using JTAG, I have PMed him, we'll see... But I suspect it's not possible or there isn't public JTAG support for the XT8.

I picked up a 2nd hand white XT8 for $100 which is a great price for it where I am... So I will just use that. Don't like the white color, but can just swap the black case of the bricked XT8, so I may get some use from it after all. And then I will sell it on Ebay for parts.

So that's that I guess, what a waste of a perfectly good, expensive router. If anyone from Asus is reading (doubtful), I want to say that I can't believe this is still a thing 2023. That is, if you flash the wrong firmware to a router, it can become a $200 brick. They should have an easy way to debrick these, rescue mode is clearly not good enough because in certain scenarios the LAN ports stop working and then you're screwed. Just add a tiny recovery partition to the flash memory with the original firmware image and have a way to flash that through a combination of buttons, how hard is that? Won't add any cost. So we don't have to throw away $200 bricks.

 

[Tech9]

That is, if you flash the wrong firmware to a router, it can become a $200 brick.

Flashing wrong firmware requires some efforts, usually kills the device regardless of the price and is not covered by warranty.

 

[tgl]

It would not be hard at all to have cross-checks that'd refuse to flash a firmware version that's not compatible with the specific hardware release. Maybe ASUS has these and the warnings on the download page are just meant to save people the time of a useless download ... but I wouldn't bet on it, because their general level of software-engineering competence seems awfully low.

I concur with the view that this unit is just bricked and it's not worth spending more effort on. Whether there is an actual hardware fault, or the unit was flashed with incompatible firmware and can't get out of that, or something went wrong during the last flash attempt leaving corrupt data, who knows? It's dead, Jim.