First time my router quit(smoked)

[TonyH]

MY less than 2 months old Netgear R7500 smoked and quit in operation last night. First time ever a router quit like this. When I checked AC adapter with O'scope and
tried it on replacement router it was fine. Time for RMA. Having couple routers lying around as a back up is good idea.

 

[CooCooCaChoo]

Hopefully you are also running on a UPS so that if it does get to up in flames, it doesn't take down your house.

 

[azazel1024]

Uhhhh...UPS would do no good here. Think a smoke detector and fire extinguisher are what is needed.

 

[htismaqe]

Uhhhh...UPS would do no good here. Think a smoke detector and fire extinguisher are what is needed.

No kidding.

I've "let the magic smoke out" a few times in the field but I've never had it happen at my home.

 

[azazel1024]

No kidding.

I've "let the magic smoke out" a few times in the field but I've never had it happen at my home.

Hehehe, I've done it at home a few times. Not in several years though and never on unattended equipment. Usually I did something run and the magic smoke got released within seconds. Once or twice I even left enough magic smoke in the equipment that it continued to work properly after immediately killing power to the equipment in question.

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
This one is dead. And Netgear tech support is trying to trouble-shoot it on the phone with
a router which won't even power up???? Isn't it odd? Mean time Linksys EA8350 is on the air.

 

[htismaqe]

Hi,
This one is dead. And Netgear tech support is trying to trouble-shoot it on the phone with
a router which won't even power up???? Isn't it odd? Mean time Linksys EA8350 is on the air.

I wish I could say it was odd but my most-recent experiences with Netgear tech support have been ridiculously awful, unfortunately.

 

[azazel1024]

Hi,
This one is dead. And Netgear tech support is trying to trouble-shoot it on the phone with
a router which won't even power up???? Isn't it odd? Mean time Linksys EA8350 is on the air.

Amusingly enough a few years ago with a laptop that I plugged in and had it smoke out the fan exhaust port before it promptly ceased working entirely (fortunately, not my personal laptop) when I called IBM tech support to get an RMA (yes, this was pre Lenovo ownership of the Thinkpad line) the customer support person asked what was wrong.

My reply was simply "Well, I turned it on and I let the magic smoke out of the fan exhaust on it and now it refuses to power on and no LEDs come on even when connected to AC".

The technician with only a barely perceptible pause replied back "Hmm, yeah if you let the magic smoke out, it won't work any more. We'll get you started with an RMA to ship it back to use so we can fill it back up"

Not the response I was expecting at all and I really wanted to high five the customer support person through the phone. Though...after he said that, he did make me do the "mandated tech support questions" before issuing the RMA. But it was very much "let me guess, you've tried this plugged in? Yup, okay. You are sure you are pressing and holding down the power button for at least a couple of seconds? Yup, okay. Any LEDs? yup, okay. Here's your RMA and a return package will be to you in a couple of days. Have a nice one"

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
The router went back per Netgear request. Instead giving me RMA #, they gave Case #.
It says "Beta unit defective" I thought I had retail unit not Beta one. What all this mean???
Any one knows? Looks like to me serial no. contains some code they know what the
unit is.

 

[CooCooCaChoo]

It means you are gonna get another unit in the mail. Cross your fingers its a brand new unit instead of a refurbish.

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
Free over night shipping both ways, new unit arrived. For the service, can't complain.
Unit back on the air as soon as climatized. During airborne transit it got pretty cold.