My ASUS RT-N66U Router Died. Well, Sort of...

[Deleted member 191766]

What intrigues me is that the C&K switch is rated at 200mA DC and the E-switch (which I avoided) is rated at 300mA DC
Seems the unit boots at 250mA and runs at 500mA

ASUS RT-N66U (Wifi router) uses 9.66 watts

This may not be of any relevance as what was failing was the mechanical part of the switch and not electrical, although one might argue that with too much current the switch itself might be getting hot.

It may be only the N66U and AC66U that use this switch

Broken power button

Man I joined the club about a year and a half ago on my AC66U. Now there's a nut and electrical tape holding it down Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

www.snbforums.com

What worries me is this guy who has seem 3 failures on 3 units

Broken power button

Plugging & unplugging coaxial plugs is lame. The other end of the cord works too. It is really such a small challenge to reach it since I need it only every few months.

www.snbforums.com

The problem here is that the switch does not break with use, but just sitting there (that is how this thread began), so even if you only use it 3 times there still may be an issue.

The unit consumes at least $10 of electricity a year, so a $7 switch seemed like a good investment to be sure it would not just turn itself off.

 

[Sasqui]

What intrigues me is that the C&K switch is rated at 200mA DC and the E-switch (which I avoided) is rated at 300mA DC
Seems the unit boots at 250mA and runs at 500mA

ASUS RT-N66U (Wifi router) uses 9.66 watts

This may not be of any relevance as what was failing was the mechanical part of the switch and not electrical, although one might argue that with too much current the switch itself might be getting hot.

It may be only the N66U and AC66U that use this switch

Broken power button

Man I joined the club about a year and a half ago on my AC66U. Now there's a nut and electrical tape holding it down Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

www.snbforums.com

What worries me is this guy who has seem 3 failures on 3 units

Broken power button

Plugging & unplugging coaxial plugs is lame. The other end of the cord works too. It is really such a small challenge to reach it since I need it only every few months.

www.snbforums.com

The problem here is that the switch does not break with use, but just sitting there (that is how this thread began), so even if you only use it 3 times there still may be an issue.

The unit consumes at least $10 of electricity a year, so a $7 switch seemed like a good investment to be sure it would not just turn itself off.

Agreed, I hadn't touched the power button in years, it just failed when it felt like it. The router gets warm so maybe there's a material in the switch that degrades with heat, or just degrades and some tiny latch breaks. The router itself is fine, and still working fine with a makeshift button holder.

I'm going to limp it along until Cyber Monday... and replace it then. It works fine though I'd probably see improvements depending on use cases. So I'll stick with it for now. Knowing my luck, if I try to replace the button, I'll render the unit useless.

I'm eyeing this upgrade: (Archer A9): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NF3K74H/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

[Deleted member 191766]

One needs to be good with a soldering iron as there are a lot of ground planes stealing heat; being willing to destroy the original switch helps as then one can remove pins separately.

It is the plastic that fails (picture taken from another persons post).

 

[dirtyferret]

I'm eyeing this upgrade: (Archer A9): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NF3K74H/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

It's an excellent router, just as fast as my Asus ac66u B1 and Netgear r6700v3

 

[Bill_Bright]

Agreed, I hadn't touched the power button in years, it just failed when it felt like it.

If me, before declaring it is broken, I would give it a couple blasts with some quality electrical contact cleaner. I recommend using CRC QD Electronic Cleaner or WD-40 Electrical Contact Cleaner. Typically, the power from the spray is enough for most cleaning jobs. Try getting the cleaner inside the switch then press the switch button a few times to scrape the contacts and locking mechanism clean and [hopefully - fingers crossed] restore functionality.

As far as replacing the switch if the contact cleaner is unsuccessful, that is an option. But an easier, safer, permanent and "free" fix might be to just solder in a couple jumpers, bypassing (shorting out) the switch altogether so that the router is always "On" when plugged in. Then in the future should you need to reset the device, you do what we all used to have to do before switches were included with home routers; you unplug the power for 30 seconds or so, then plug it back in.

I think this is a better solution than using a rubber band to hold the switch down. For one, it is permanent. The rubber bands will rot and break. For another, soldering in a jumper provides a solid "mechanical" connection - always essential for the best (zero resistance) electrical connection and maximum continuity. The rubber band solution could still allow dust and debris between the contacts and perhaps even some carbon build up. Not good.

You would need to use a multimeter to determine which contacts are "made" (shorted) when the button is pushed to the "On" position, then solder in a short little jumper wire. You don't need power connected to do this. Another advantage to using jumpers is you don't have to remove the switch which could pose the risk of damaging the PCB.

****

Note that soldering is skill. And like all skills, needs to be regularly practiced to get and remain good at them. If you don't feel comfortable with a soldering iron, there certainly is no shame in that. If you don't have a good soldering pencil and an old PCB to practice on, I am sure you can find a local tech who will run a couple jumpers for you for a nominal fee. A skilled and properly equipped tech could probably do the job in 15-20 minutes.

 

[Deleted member 191766]

The relevant pins are so close a dab of solder would connect them, but getting the case open is no easy task and a plate needs to be removed to get to the pins.

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do mail in repairs but I don't know how much they might charge (the switch itself is less than $2 before postage)

 

[Sasqui]

Thanks to @jboydgolfer - I have now the big brother, the RT-AC66 , I was considering it back in 2013/2014 when I got the RT-N66 but the price difference was huge and AC was just adopted.

@jboydgolfe sent it for free! Another TPU hero, pay it forward.

 

[Deleted member 191766]

A ray of light in a world that seems so dark these days.

 

[Sasqui]

A ray of light in a world that seems so dark these days.

True... though there's a lot of light if you look for it. I don;t want to say a million points of light, that'd be political, lol.

 

[Deleted member 191766]

How hot does the RT-AC66U get compared to the RT-N66U?

At 10W the RT-N66U is costing me $10 a year

 

[Sasqui]

How hot does the RT-AC66U get compared to the RT-N66U?

At 10W the RT-N66U is costing me $10 a year

Quite hot, I'd say more than the N66. I should pop my Kill-A-Watt on it and see what the draw is. Can't right now, WiFi is in use

 

[Deleted member 191766]

Those Kill-A-Watt units are great, even if the screen started to fade on mine after a few years. Opened it up, put some silicone oil on the contacts to the screen and it has been good ever since.

 

[AsRock]

It is really odd these "mechanical" switches are breaking when nobody is touching them. I can see a switch wearing out under normal use after 1000s of pushes. Or even breaking after the first couple pushes. But when no one is around? That's pretty sad.

Back in my radio maintenance days, instead of "gremlins" we used to call that "FM" - not for "frequency modulation", but for a certain type of magic!

I bet some times it's just dirt on a tiny point of contact.

EDIT: I guess the days of dirt being the probable course have for the most part gone.

 

[Deleted member 191766]

It is not the contact that failed but the switch auto-magically pops out to the off position and won't latch in the on position any more.

 

[dirtyferret]

How hot does the RT-AC66U get compared to the RT-N66U?

At 10W the RT-N66U is costing me $10 a year

They are the practicaly the exact same router with both suffering from the power button issue. I owned both and never had that issue with either one but the internet is full of posts on the issue with these routers, probably one of the reasons Asus went to vertical stands soon after. The original AC66u is a draft AC router based on the broadcom 4706 (same as the n66u) using the BCM4331 for the N signal (same as the n66u) and they added the BCM4360 chip for the AC signal. If you recall this was also around the time Netgear sued Asus for using too much power in their routers.

FYI, Asus settled with netgear but was also fined by the FCC.

 

[Deleted member 191766]

I may not have needed to change my button, but am glad it is now done.

 

[AsRock]

It is not the contact that failed but the switch auto-magically pops out to the off position and won't latch in the on position any more.

So wear on some plastic or the metal bents or some thing, either way seems a little cheap.

 

[Deleted member 191766]

If you recall this was also around the time Netgear sued Asus for using too much power in their routers.

FYI, Asus settled with netgear but was also fined by the FCC.

Did they reduce the power in subsequent firmware?

 

[Bill_Bright]

EDIT: I guess the days of dirt being the probable course have for the most part gone.

If the device has mechanical components - that is, if it has moving parts, and the device is not sealed, dirt, moisture and corrosion can still easily be a factor. Time is a factor too, but so is the environment. A non-smoking, one-person, no pet, airconditioned newer home will certainly pose a much cleaner environment than a multi-person home with rug-rats and pets running around, stirring up dust, shedding dander, and coming into and out of the house all the time.

So wear on some plastic or the metal bents or some thing, either way seems a little cheap.

Could be wear, but it could also be crud/contaminants gumming up the works. That's why I suggested contact cleaner before going to extremes with a soldering iron and potentially causing irreparable damage.

Again, how often is a router's power switch actually used? Switches, even cheap ones, are designed to be pushed, thrown, or flipped 1000s of times. It seems very unlikely to me these switches are wearing out.

It is more likely they are dirty, or there's a flaw in the design and/or manufacturing. But because in normal installations, most users rarely ever use the switch to power off their routers, any flaw in design or manufacturing goes undetected.

It really would be good if the actual manufacturer and part number of those switches could be determined for then we could easily see if that switch is still being produced. And if still produced, if ASUS is still using them in this application. But it is unlikely we will ever know that information.

 

[dirtyferret]

Did they reduce the power in subsequent firmware?

NETGEAR notified ASUS of its intention to sue in early July. Since then, ASUS has posted multiple new versions of firmware for the products named in the suit that NETGEAR says lower transmit power.

If you recall Asus and Merlin at one time allowed the user to adjust power in UI settings.

 

[Sasqui]

If you recall this was also around the time Netgear sued Asus for using too much power in their routers.

Seems VW stole that playbook

 

[Deleted member 191766]

Ah yes

The Volks WiFi ;-)

 

[Bill_Bright]

Seems VW stole that playbook

More like the other way around - since the VW scandal began way before the Netgear vs ASUS feud. Beyond that, it would be pretty stupid to use a stolen playbook that resulted in the company being fined $billions and the authors of that playbook getting to vacation 7 years in federal prison!

 

[Deleted member 191766]

Finally got to photograph an undamaged mechanism; seems to be based on a series of ramp/steps to avoid returning immediately to the same position.
Looks like it is the middle (chevron) catch that breaks on failure, perhaps because the spring was too strong.

 

[Sasqui]

Finally got to photograph an undamaged mechanism; seems to be based on a series of ramp/steps to avoid returning immediately to the same position.
Looks like it is the middle (chevron) catch that breaks on failure, perhaps because the spring was too strong.

A combination, that and simple material failure. I'm guessing heat from the router plays into it as well. My unit was mounted on a wall for 6+ years, button at the top where all the heat flows. Just speculating.