[Q] RT-AC86U AC2900 w/ Merlin - All Lights off, LAN Port 4 only...?

[Flipmode11]

Had device running on Merlin for a year. Updated occasionally. About a year ago the device failed. Have finally had some time to diagnose it (between moving house twice, family health issues, etc) however I cannot get it to work. Last backup I made is "2019.06.21".

Holding reset button for 10-20 secs after powering on the device does nothing.
LAN Port 4 is steady / on and not flashing.
No other lights are on. Power light is not on.

LAN connection from PC to router via LAN 1 does not light up the indicator on the router, nor can I ping 192.168.1.1 or 0.1.

Any thoughts?
Thank you!

RT-AC2900 / RT-AC86U

 

[ColinTaylor]

Try this. Note that this is slightly different than the instructions for other models.

https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1039078

 

[Rezzor]

I’m having the exact same problem. Tried the above but it didn’t work. Did you get it working?

I should add that everything was working, I was setting a static Lan address and then it just happened as I was in the GUI.

 

[Rezzor]

Well my problem got solved with an Asus repair. I sent it in and they sent me a new one. Oddly enough the one I sent in was a 2020 production I bought 2 months ago and they sent me a 2018 as a replacement.

 

[Flipmode11]

@Rezzor, are you in the US? I bought mine "New" on Ebay.
That's so dodgy they send you a 2018??? In Australia the law is they need to replace like-with-like. Not old refurbished devices with a newly bought one.

A bit of an update - my AC66u failed so bought another AC86u. After receipt, it was clearly NOT "NEW" from Ebay. No packaging, quite obviously refurbished!
Within 3 weeks the new RT-AC86u failed - could not recover device or clear NVRAM via WPS or Reset buttons.

Asus firmware recovery software found nothing - I could ping 192.168.1.1 but that was it. Oh, or could I??
Anyway, sent it back. I reported him to Ebay and Ebay told the seller to send me $60 to send to router back to CHINA, despite the seller's location being "Australia, Australia". LOL

So now I am deciding between WRT32XB / 1900ACS / 3200ACM / AC86U...
I have not used OpenWRT for a long time - several years. I wonder if it is any good??? Do they implement (integrate) new functionality or rely simply on manufacturer?
Tomato was terrible. Something WRT and OpenWRT were quite average back then compared to ASUS's AsusWRT...
Anyway... I need to decide what to do about buying a new device, or whether I stick with one that I know well....

 

[Rezzor]

Yes I bought mine locally from Best Buy in June. My problem was very sudden, everything was fine. I logged into the gui and then it just disconnected and the lights went to just Lan 4. Nothing I tried could get it back. The nice thing is the two year warranty. The replacement seemed brand new but with an old manufacture date.

 

[Flipmode11]

@Rezzor wow, that is strange.
I'm looking at AC86U and 3200ACM. But I'm thinking for the extra $50, I may as well just get the Asus...

I cannot afford to pay $499+ retail. It doesn't even make sense how these devices can be so much more expensive - just a few MB of ram and flash! I could understand if it was a GB of memory, etc. LOL

 

[CaptnDanLKW]

Remember, Default IP address of a factory reset RT-AC86U is 192.168.50.1

 

[Mjs975s]

Unfortunately this just happened to me today. My router is 2 months out of warranty. Same issue, no lights except port 4. Is the AC86U still the best router to buy for Merlin or is there a new, better model?

 

[Rezzor]

Remember, Default IP address of a factory reset RT-AC86U is 192.168.50.1

In my case there was no signal broadcast and when I connect to LAN it was not recognized by computer, even trying different cords and computers. I thought I was doing something wrong but I also had a walk through with ASUS phone support with same results .

 

[Flipmode11]

@Rezzor wow, that is strange.
I'm looking at AC86U and 3200ACM. But I'm thinking for the extra $50, I may as well just get the Asus...

I cannot afford to pay $499+ retail. It doesn't even make sense how these devices can be so much more expensive - just a few MB of ram and flash! I could understand if it was a GB of memory, etc. LOL

 

[Wisco Guy]

Unfortunately this just happened to me today. My router is 2 months out of warranty. Same issue, no lights except port 4. Is the AC86U still the best router to buy for Merlin or is there a new, better model?

Any resolution? My unit just went out of warranty - same boat as the rest of the crew. Need to send it back for diagnostics and then additional payment for repairs.

 

[Tech9]

This is what causes LAN4 sudden death:

Router temperatures

this is when I truly wish I had CAD skills. I have been imagining designing a manifold/duct that attaches to the bottom of our AC86 routers where the stand "leg" hides the bottom air vents. place a fan blowing into it, and thus, bringing cool air into the bottom, and allowing it to escape...

www.snbforums.com

The IC is only $1, hot air station is needed to replace it. If you supply the 1R0 indictor visible contact on picture with 5.2V from external power source, the router will come back to life. Perhaps, the most common AC86U failure.

 

[Wisco Guy]

This is what causes LAN4 sudden death:

Router temperatures

this is when I truly wish I had CAD skills. I have been imagining designing a manifold/duct that attaches to the bottom of our AC86 routers where the stand "leg" hides the bottom air vents. place a fan blowing into it, and thus, bringing cool air into the bottom, and allowing it to escape...

www.snbforums.com

The IC is only $1, hot air station is needed to replace it. If you supply the 1R0 indictor visible contact on picture with 5.2V from external power source, the router will come back to life. Perhaps, the most common AC86U failure.

Good to know what "blew up". Unfortunately, soldering electronics is beyond my capabilities, just need to decide between sending it back to Asus for repairs or buying a new router (this time with 4 years warranty from Best Buy or Assurion / Amazon).