RT-N66U Bricked - No WIFI

[dibs]

johns fork is the best to use right now. it also brings back the option to overclock the tx power on your router with ssh.

@dibs What happens if you try to flash John's firmware normally by using the GUI option (Administration - Firmware Upgrade)?

Hi Colin / Lara

I have not tried flashing John's Firmware yet. Kind of messed up about the process to follow.

Can you advice on the following:
1. Which is the best method to flash - CFE Mini Web Server OR Firmware Restoration
(I am unable to get on the Asuswrt-Merlin Web GUI as the username and password option is greyed out)

My current situation - I am able to ping the router. Only the power LED and Lan Port 1 LED is on.
My system IP is set at :
192.168.1.10 - static ip
255.255.255.0 - Gateway
192.168.1.1 - gateway

2. Before I flash Johns Fork, Should I reset to factory defaults (press and hold the RESET button for 10 seconds)?
3. I put the router to Recovery Mode by the following - Power down router - Keep Pressing the reset button and Power on the router - Release the reset button as soon as the Power led starts blinking slowly.
4. Flash the Johns Fork Firmware , once it reaches around 100%, let the router be as it is for around 2 hours.
5. Reset to factory defaults - (press and hold the RESET button for 10 seconds)?

 

[dibs]

No wireless driver shown means it can't detect the wireless hardware and is likely some type of hardware related issue.

If you have another power supply, that would be my first thing to try. These often fail with age and can't supply sufficient power to bring up all the hardware.

The N66Us are also known for failing electrolytic capacitors on the system board. You could try opening up the router and do a visual inspection for any leaking, burned or 'bulging' components.

Hi John

I opened the router last night and could not find any sign of damage. I checked the power adapter using a voltmeter and it showed 19 V.

 

[john9527]

I checked the power adapter using a voltmeter and it showed 19 V.

This won't tell what you need.....it needs to be checked under load.

 

[Maverickcdn]

If you can get to the web GUI follow Colin's advice and try flashing from there, recovery options are your last resort. They were recommended because you originally lost web access

Like John mentioned the power supply could be the culprit supplying enough amperage to boot but not enough to bring up everything. Short of testing a known good power supply I don't personally know of a good easy way to check it. I've had numerous 5v ones fail for old 720P IP cams over the years

And capacitor damage can be tough to see, look at some reference pictures on the internet, they generally have swollen tops

 

[Maverickcdn]

Got 3 sips of coffee now.

I'm 50/50 on your issue... either bad power supply like John mentioned. Or your WIFI is dead resulting in all the issues you are seeing...

Check out this post from RMerlin several years back.... Log-In error message

 

[ColinTaylor]

Hi Colin / Lara

I have not tried flashing John's Firmware yet. Kind of messed up about the process to follow.

Can you advice on the following:
1. Which is the best method to flash - CFE Mini Web Server OR Firmware Restoration
(I am unable to get on the Asuswrt-Merlin Web GUI as the username and password option is greyed out)

My current situation - I am able to ping the router. Only the power LED and Lan Port 1 LED is on.
My system IP is set at :
192.168.1.10 - static ip
255.255.255.0 - Gateway
192.168.1.1 - gateway

2. Before I flash Johns Fork, Should I reset to factory defaults (press and hold the RESET button for 10 seconds)?
3. I put the router to Recovery Mode by the following - Power down router - Keep Pressing the reset button and Power on the router - Release the reset button as soon as the Power led starts blinking slowly.
4. Flash the Johns Fork Firmware , once it reaches around 100%, let the router be as it is for around 2 hours.
5. Reset to factory defaults - (press and hold the RESET button for 10 seconds)?

Side note: Make sure you're pressing the reset button and not the WPS button.

1. I prefer to use the CFE miniWeb Server because if you can see it it guarantees that the router is in Rescue Mode. If you use the Firmware Restoration utility you just have to hope that it's in Rescue Mode.
2. I do factory reset using the button beforehand, it can't hurt. Give it 2 minutes to boot up after the reset before turning off the power.
3. Take John's advice and before starting the recovery procedure start a continuous ping (ping -t 192.168.1.1) from your PC to the router. That way you can see exactly when the router starts responding again. The TTL should be 100 when in recovery mode, not 64.
4. Once you upload the new firmware ignore any "progress/timeout" messages on the screen. It usually takes about 45 minutes to apply the flash using recovery mode.
5. Confirm you can log into the router and the firmware version is correct before doing a factory reset again. This can be done through the GUI.

 

[dlandiss]

This won't tell what you need.....it needs to be checked under load.

If I may add to that:

To provide a baseline I tested a known good supply from an AC68U, rated at 19VDC, 1.75A. I happen to have a few 8 ohm power resistors around so I tested with 8 and 16 ohm loads.

No load: 19.2V, 0.0A (of course)
16 ohm load: 18.4V, 1.15A
8 ohm load: 17.8V, 2.23A (above rating but still working)

The real regulation of voltage occurs inside the router, but the regulators must receive sufficient input voltage to work. My (untested) guess is that anything in the 15V to 20V range will work.

 

[dibs]

Side note: Make sure you're pressing the reset button and not the WPS button.

1. I prefer to use the CFE miniWeb Server because if you can see it it guarantees that the router is in Rescue Mode. If you use the Firmware Restoration utility you just have to hope that it's in Rescue Mode.
2. I do factory reset using the button beforehand, it can't hurt. Give it 2 minutes to boot up after the reset before turning off the power.
3. Take John's advice and before starting the recovery procedure start a continuous ping (ping -t 192.168.1.1) from your PC to the router. That way you can see exactly when the router starts responding again. The TTL should be 100 when in recovery mode, not 64.
4. Once you upload the new firmware ignore any "progress/timeout" messages on the screen. It usually takes about 45 minutes to apply the flash using recovery mode.
5. Confirm you can log into the router and the firmware version is correct before doing a factory reset again. This can be done through the GUI.

Ok, I have now flashed the Johns Fork Firmware via the CFE Mini Web Server. Its been now 2 hours. I got a ping TTL=100 when in recovery mode. I flashed the firmware using CFE and now the ping TTL=64.
After waiting for 2 hours, I reset the router by pressing the reset button for 10 seconds while the router was powered on.
Went to 192.169.1.1 using chrome, it brought up the WEB GUI and asked to setup the router. Have done a Factory Reset from the WEB GUI as well.
However the wifi leds are still not on. Went to the wireless setup page and the Control channel has only Auto and 0.

 

[john9527]

Two different firmware levels both with no wireless....I'd say definitely a hardware fail. Time for you to decide how much more time/effort/$$$ you want to invest in trying to track it down.

 

[dibs]

Bought a Asus RT-AX3000. Seems to be good router.

 

[john9527]

Bought a Asus RT-AX3000. Seems to be good router.

Think you made a wise decision.
About the only thing I might try at some point is if you know someone where you can borrow a power supply to try...just to rule that out.

 

[cofetym]

I still have mine with Johns Fork on it, serving me well as an ethernet switch