RT-AC66U - 2 dead LAN ports, USB ports extremely hot

[Kees]

Yesterday I woke up to find that I had lost my Ethernet connection to my AC66U on LAN 1 overnight. Up to now, I was only using LAN 1 and LAN 4 (LAN 2 and 3 were empty). I tried a different cable in LAN 1, no difference. I tried LAN 2, and discovered it was also dead. LAN 3 worked. LAN 4, which had also been in use before this happened, continued to be OK. So, LAN 1 and 2 are now dead, 3 and 4 work.

Also, while fiddling around with the cables, I noticed that the 2 USB ports between the power switch and the WAN port were extremely hot to the touch. I mean too hot to hold my finger on them for more than a couple of seconds. The reset switch area just to the right of the USB ports was similarly hot. Temperatures were showing about 65C for 2.4 GHz, and 70C for 5 GHz. To be honest, I never paid attention to these numbers, so I don’t know if this is hotter than before. But with the burning hot feel of the USB ports, and the sudden death of 2 LAN ports, this doesn’t seem right.

The loss of 2 LAN ports doesn’t matter in my particular setup, since I only need 2 working ports. But do all these symptoms point to my router dying? I’m also concerned about whether the extremely hot ports are an early indicator of a potentially hazardous electrical incident.

If it’s advisable to retire this unit, I’m a bit out of touch with the current lineup of Asus routers. I do NOT want to give up running Merlin’s superb firmware by changing brands. I need to consider budget given this unexpected need for a possible replacement, and don’t need a “gaming” router. So, opinions are welcome for a mid-priced unit.

 

[badaboom]

I have the same unit, working fine afaik. I can't check the temperature of the USB ports right now, but these are the other temps:
2.4 GHz: 57°C - 5 GHz: 64°C

I don't know the current lineup of Asus routers right now either, but if you want to get another one and live in Canada, you can get refurbished AC66U's for $100 from these guys: http://www.nmicrovip.ca/asus-802-11...abit-router-2-4ghz-5ghz-rt-ac66u-refurbished/

Good luck!

 

[Kees]

I have the same unit, working fine afaik. I can't check the temperature of the USB ports right now, but these are the other temps:
2.4 GHz: 57°C - 5 GHz: 64°C

I don't know the current lineup of Asus routers right now either, but if you want to get another one and live in Canada, you can get refurbished AC66U's for $100 from these guys: http://www.nmicrovip.ca/asus-802-11...abit-router-2-4ghz-5ghz-rt-ac66u-refurbished/

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply, and sorry for the delay on this response.

My AC66U continued to run for about a day after my initial post (with 2 dead LAN ports and burning hot USB ports). Then it completely died. I forget how long I've had it, probably 3 or more years. But it's very aggravating to have a router just burn up for no reason other than probably substandard components. Ordinarily I would look for another brand when something like this happens. But giving up Merlin's firmware is just not an option...

So I was forced to make a quick decision to replace it with another Asus router. Best Buy (Canada) is running a special till Aug 10 on RT-AC1900P: $180 CAD, reduced from $220 CAD. That's the one which is a Best Buy exclusive with a 1.4 GHz CPU. So I bought it. A good deal I suppose, but an unexpected financial hit.

Only had time to do a basic setup just to get it running. I still need to flash it with Merlin's firmware, and reconfigure everything by hand, because my saved config is from the 66U, and importing that is certain to not work properly. I'm looking forward to configuring the VPN, which should do better on this unit than on the 66U with a much slower single core CPU.

 

[badaboom]

It's interesting to me that you mention the VPN performance. I don't use mine for that, though I have used a N56U in the past for VPN, remote desktop access and copying files, and its performance was satisfactory. Did you use the 66U for that kind of VPN task, or for something more multi-media intense?

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Good luck with the AC1900P!