Broken power button

[GTvert90]

Man I joined the club about a year and a half ago on my AC66U. Now there's a nut and electrical tape holding it down

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[hawkwyndca]

Crazy crazy crazy. Network just went down in the middle of World of Warships game. PCs, printers, tablets, smartphones, TVs, everything! Several minutes before realized stupid power button on RT-AC66U had popped up and would no longer stay pressed down. Tape alone would only last 10 minutes or so. Had to use Popsicle stick and lots of tape. Working like a charm now. Sad part is I've been using ASUS stuff since I built my 386 PC with their motherboard. Never had anything so stupid fail before.

 

[wouterv]

See also here:
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-n66u-broken-power-switch.29492/

Also my RT-N66U decided overnight to release the power button to OFF position.

My solution was:

1. Remove the four rubber feet.
2. Remove the four philips screws under the rubber feet.
3. Wiggle, jiggle, force the top cover of (I did not care much about breaking the plastic clips around the cover, the four screws will finally securely hold the cover).
4. I did not manage to remove the aluminium shielding plate to get access to the solder points of the switch (I did not have a small enough screw driver for the small philips screws).

Because of the above I decided to modify the power switch as follows:

1. Pull of the black push button.
2. Remove the little U shape metal clip that hold the spring.
3. Remove the spring.
4. Add the black push button again.
5. Assemble the router again.
   
6. The power switch stays in the ON position (and you can no longer get it OFF other than remove the power supply).

 

[Keenan]

Just adding another data point, my power switch failed tonight. Annoying as hell, but after reading this thread I've decided not to get a new router but to try some of the remedies here. Thanks for the ideas folks!

 

[Wysie]

Adding another case, bought in November 2013 (Amazon Warehouse Deals), and the power button failed on Mar 25, 2016. No warranty as I'm not based in the US. So far, I've tried the following:
1. Tape but it only works for like an hour before the power button stretches it out
2. Toothpick, not bad, lasted a day
3. Currently using cable tie plus a small piece of cut plastic (from the cable tie itself actually) to press against the button, hoping this works!

 

[MarkJohnson]

Installed a new modem and hit the power button on the router to plug in the modem and then it wouldn't come bavk on.

Check out this video on fixing it. I've had this issue many times over the years on many different products, but never thought of this solution. lol

 

[MarkJohnson]

Anyone have a diagram on how to just solder the thing? I found a video some weeks back but it was for a different asus router, but looked exatly the same as this one.

Anyway, I can't for the life of me find the video. The above video with the spring removal seems fine. But I move my router around a lot and it becomes loose. I easily just turn it around and firmly push the power button and it works. But I need a more permanent solution. I thought of glue, tape, and string. But I'd prefer to use solder. It seems more secured that way.

 

[JoeSchmoe007]

I am joining the club with my 3 year old RT-N66U. Being held with eraser and a scotch tape now.

 

[TonyH]

ll

I am joining the club with my 3 year old RT-N66U. Being held with eraser and a scotch tape now.

I never had an occasion with bad switch on so many routers I have had over the years. My router is running 24/7 year round. If ever one goes bad, will just replace with better switch, just a matter of opening the router and little soldering work. There is guys selling vintage switches of all kind. Surely I'd find one nice one. I often work on newer electric guitars with Chinese made pots and switches, rotary switches. Still can get U.S. made vintage switches built like tank which will last LONG time.

 

[Dick_W]

My RT-AC66U power switch failed last year at 2 years and several months, so barely out of warranty. ASUS offered to fix it for about $5 less than amazon.com was selling new RT-AC66Us with new warranties. Bought an RT-AC68U, rationalizing because it had some more features anyway--notably AFP support, and put the AC66U on the emergency spares shelf--if it comes to that, I'll jam the toothpick in. Felt really stupid rewarding ASUS for screwing me--and so many others--on the RT-AC66U. But it was still the best choice in the market.

 

[roboninja]

Happened to me last night. Quite the manufacturing defect. Using a push pin to keep the button in.

 

[snbwb]

My RT-AC66U power button broke this morning. I have fixed it temporarily, but now I am in the market for a replacement router that doesn't have a basic mechanical flaw like this.

Does the RT-AC88U have the same power button?

From product photos it looks like it probably does, although the power button is in a slightly different position. I won't buy another ASUS if they won't fix the design of a known breaking power button on a $300 device, regardless of whatever other merits it might have.

 

[L&LD]

My RT-AC66U power button broke this morning. I have fixed it temporarily, but now I am in the market for a replacement router that doesn't have a basic mechanical flaw like this.

Does the RT-AC88U have the same power button?

From product photos it looks like it probably does, although the power button is in a slightly different position. I won't buy another ASUS if they won't fix the design of a known breaking power button on a $300 device, regardless of whatever other merits it might have.

A strategically placed toothpick will 'fix' this issue and the design has been fixed (the RT-AC66U is half a decade old design by now).

Don't shoot yourself in the foot to spite your nose.

 

[Pierino]

Or do what I did, cut a piece of plastic and superglue it on the switc so it's always on.

 

[snbwb]

It is my understanding that the RT-AC68U also has/had power button issues.

How has the issue been fixed, specifically?
Did they use a different part? A different way of securing the power button internally?

In my opinion ASUS is the one spiting me, not the other way around. They could have the best electronics and software in the world, but if it fails due to the power switch it's not worth much to me.

 

[L&LD]

The RT-AC68U is also (similarly) old.

I agree that a power switch failing is not what we would ever want. But that is an old issue now. Time to move on.

Every other consumer/prosumer router manufacturer is doing much worse than this with what they're offering to customers. Really.

 

[snbwb]

As near as I can tell, the RT-AC68U as a product is roughly 3 years old, and this issue seems to occur in routers in that age range. I wouldn't expect people (unless they are very unlucky) with newer hardware to have this issue...yet. So what I want to know is if they really fixed the design, or if they just haven't encountered the same issue because it won't break for another 12-24 months.

I also don't want to reward a company for selling me a router that breaks soon after my warranty expires, by replacing it with a newer device from the same company, especially if those devices suffer from the same problem. As I said, I have temporarily fixed the issue thanks to the advice in this thread, but I don't consider that a permanent solution and I also don't want to experience the same issue on a similarly expensive piece of hardware in a few years.

 

[L&LD]

As near as I can tell, the RT-AC68U as a product is roughly 3 years old, and this issue seems to occur in routers in that age range. I wouldn't expect people (unless they are very unlucky) with newer hardware to have this issue...yet. So what I want to know is if they really fixed the design, or if they just haven't encountered the same issue because it won't break for another 12-24 months.

I also don't want to reward a company for selling me a router that breaks soon after my warranty expires, by replacing it with a newer device from the same company, especially if those devices suffer from the same problem. As I said, I have temporarily fixed the issue thanks to the advice in this thread, but I don't consider that a permanent solution and I also don't want to experience the same issue on a similarly expensive piece of hardware in a few years.

I understand what you're saying, but don't understand the concern, today/now.

Make a decision on sound facts. Not emotionally, like you are now. But it's your decision in the end.

Look into what I mention in post 76. A power button issue that can be fixed for a hundredth of a penny isn't something to jump out of the pan for (and into the fire).

 

[RMerlin]

Does the RT-AC88U have the same power button?

Only the RT-N66U and RT-AC66U shared the same mechanical switch model (and possibly a few other low-end products also using a similar flat, diamond-patterned case).

 

[sickboy]

i registered to the forum just to reply to this thread! I have a modem router baudtec TW263R4 which has the exact same switch as a power button like the asus model you guys mention. Thanks to the excellent info in this thread I got a workaround for my issue:

1. remove the 4 screws on the bottom of the modem and remove the cap
2. using Needle-nose pliers grab the spring of the button and pull it right out
3. Press the button so that it is in the 'ON' state
4. insert a toothpick between the button and the modem casing, in order to hold it down

Worked like a charm! I assume that duct tape would do the trick also, since now that the spring is removed it would probably hold the button down.
Thanks again to all for this valuable info!