RT-AC68U with 378.55 stops working

[Slacker]

Hello!

I have a problem with my RT-AC68U router running 378.55_0. The router stops working, it disconnects WAN, LAN, Wi-FI etc, and I cannot even log in to it (Web interface or SSH). The LED's work and flash normally but the rest stops working. Only thing I can do to make it work again is by rebooting it by unplugging it.

I have tried to reset it using the WPS button and then factory restore in Administration --> Factory default. I have then restored my settings using a settings-file. I don't know if this matters? Or should I re-configure it manually? Anyway, I've uploaded the log to pastebin because I wanted to add as much information as possible, note that I cannot say exactly when the router dies, because the date seems to be messed up. I don't know why the date is messed up either, because I use NTP-server and my date-settings are correct.

Log: http://pastebin.ca/3216708


I really appreciate your help. Thanks!

 

[martinr]

Why's the date in the logfile suddenly defaulting to 1 Jan after the first couple of entries? (That's a rhetorical question.)

The logfile doesn't mean a great deal to me but the date jumps out at me.

If it were my router, I'd restore to factory default, set up the wireless security and the absolute minimum to be able to see if it fails, ideally not even connect it to the router or any device. Then, if it doesn't fail, slowly introduce the other devices/settings manually to try to pinpoint what, if anything, is causing the failure.

And if you have a spare power supply, I'd definitely give that a go first, but double check the voltage (19V?), current demand of router and polarity of connector if it's not the standard Asus power supply.

Is there any pattern to how long it runs before it fails? Have you tried tapping the power supply and router to see if that brings about the failure, in case there's a dry soldered joint/loose connection?

 

[RMerlin]

Why's the date in the logfile suddenly defaulting to 1 Jan after the first couple of entries? (That's a rhetorical question.)

Because the router just rebooted.

 

[Slacker]

Thank you for your reply, martinr.

I tried to reset the router again, but this time a little bit different:
Reset router with WPS button. Reboot after 2-3 minutes. Clear NVRAM with Telnet. Reboot again after 2-3 minutes. Entered all settings manually, did not restore from backup. And I have JFFS set to OFF because I don't need it. (Or should it be turned on even if I don't use it? Thinking if the firmware needs it for something?) Traffic Analyzer, QoS and AiProtection set to off because I don't need it.

It's been up for 4 days since the reset and it has been working fine since.

Any benefits updating to 378.56?

 

[Deleted member 22229]

Resetting the router via the WPS button clears all NVram so telnet was not needed.

 

[Slacker]

I had to make sure

 

[martinr]

Thank you for your reply, martinr.

It's been up for 4 days since the reset and it has been working fine since.

Any benefits updating to 378.56?

Good news; let's hope you cracked it. As for the benefits of updating; no doubt you'll have read Merlin's statement of changes http://www.snbforums.com/threads/asuswrt-merlin-378-56-is-available.27809/ or seen his changelog. The simple answer is: if there weren't any benefits, Merlin wouldn't have updated the firmware and then spent hours replying to all the posts that generally follow. But I'm sure you know that, and what you really mean is, having just gone through restoring to factory default, should you now go back and spend time reflashing. Well, you won't need to restore to factory default again, so it would be a much quicker job. And there are updates to OpenVPN and dropbear (SSH), so, if you use either of those, you might decide updated security is enough to tip the balance and update now rather than wait until the next update. I believe there is some merit in doing the update even if only to stay familiar with the process of updating and the web GUI.

 

[Blinkyz]

Why's the date in the logfile suddenly defaulting to 1 Jan after the first couple of entries? (That's a rhetorical question.)

The logfile doesn't mean a great deal to me but the date jumps out at me.

If it were my router, I'd restore to factory default, set up the wireless security and the absolute minimum to be able to see if it fails, ideally not even connect it to the router or any device. Then, if it doesn't fail, slowly introduce the other devices/settings manually to try to pinpoint what, if anything, is causing the failure.

And if you have a spare power supply, I'd definitely give that a go first, but double check the voltage (19V?), current demand of router and polarity of connector if it's not the standard Asus power supply.

Is there any pattern to how long it runs before it fails? Have you tried tapping the power supply and router to see if that brings about the failure, in case there's a dry soldered joint/loose connection?

Or a Faulty Power switch, try also tapping a bit on the switch