It was probably more obvious in Broadcom MIPs such as RT-AC66 (where the CFE was on a separate 2MB NOR serial chip rather than on NAND flash with the firmware), but tools/commands for flashing firmware are usually designed to never touch the CFE. When Broadcom went to ARM everything just went to different partitions on the NAND flash to save on cost. And with so much RAM nowadays, the live CFE may even be shadowed (to run faster) so you may well be only writing to the temporary copy in RAM.
The ASUS Recovery webserver is nothing more than the bog-standard Broadcom GUI rescue/recovery mode in the CFE supplied by Broadcom, lightly modified with ASUS branding on it. It only seems like an unusual feature to us because Netgear, Linksys and TP-Link for some reason disabled it entirely.
As it is in the CFE, it never writes to the partition it is itself in either. The recovery webserver is automatically invoked if the firmware fails to boot, however if it does boot, control of everything including the LAN ports is handed off to the firmware even if that immediately crashes afterwards (I don't know if there's anything in NVRAM that affects the LAN ports in a similar way to wifi radios, but firmware can definitely write to that). Even dual firmware partitions would fail there because it would just keep bootlooping the primary partition.
Normally all it takes to manually invoke the recovery webserver (with the power LED flashing slowly) is to power-on with the reset button held down, but sometimes the NVRAM has to be cleared before this works with a power-on while the wps button is held down, then once the router reboots (all lights flash) let go of the wps button and hold the reset button as usual. Failing that, you have to stop the booting past the CFE with a serial cable just as as with Netgear, Linksys and TP-Link.
It's like these companies never expect things to break because sometimes even TFTP is disabled by default.
As for your question on why routers seem to die after a few years, it's almost always the electolytic caps as they have the shortest rated life, especially at elevated temperatures. While your RT-N18U appears to have particularly good build quality with just three polymer caps inside, there are still electrolytics in the power supply. So always try another power brick first.
Joined: 26 Mar 2013 Posts: 1884 Location: Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Posted: Thu May 16, 2024 10:42 Post subject:
BFG-9000 wrote:
As for your question on why routers seem to die after a few years, it's almost always the electolytic caps as they have the shortest rated life, especially at elevated temperatures. While your RT-N18U appears to have particularly good build quality with just three polymer caps inside, there are still electrolytics in the power supply. So always try another power brick first.
Okay, I finally pryed open my RT-N18U, along the front of the router.
The board has the printing "ASUS RT-N18U REV 2.20".
The 3 capacitors (4E4-100-16V, E479-300-6.3V, 470-25A-K64) are clean, no leakage of fluid. Not sure whether they are solid capacitors. No bulging as well.
I found no burnt marks on the dark blue PCB, front and back. I haven't removed the big heatsink, which is unnecessary as the firmware was basically working fine.
The 4-pin serial header J3 is now visible and accessible.
There are two kind of induction coils labeled "1419 HN36201CG" for the LAN ports, and one coil labelled "1419 HN18101CG" for the WAN port. Would they affect connection?
The top plastic cover is so tightly sealing the router that I don't know why 4 screws are needed. _________________ Router: Asus RT-N18U (rev. A1)
Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper! May the Force and farces be with you!
As for your question on why routers seem to die after a few years, it's almost always the electolytic caps as they have the shortest rated life, especially at elevated temperatures. While your RT-N18U appears to have particularly good build quality with just three polymer caps inside, there are still electrolytics in the power supply. So always try another power brick first.
mwchang wrote:
Asus RT-N18U **NOT** responding after flashing this build. Only 3 LEDs were lit up instead of 5 after booting this build, which was abnormal.
Asus' recovery mode seemed not working. The power LED was just blinking slowly, but no access to the CFE MiniWeb Page at 192.168.1.1.
Did all LAN ports just die? Right after flashing? Or was it bricked??
Other than dead LAN ports or even the Ethernet controller, couldn't understand what was happening.
Need more tests to confirm....
@mwchang Apparently you're a power user, 5 LEDs that could means using usb ports too. Since you have been owning it since 2014, I am wondering have you checked it's power adapter voltage value? FYI, I own it since 2014 too, but I only use it as a gateway plus it's wireless features, and it's OEM frailty adapter didn't last long. As a result, causing stability problems and then came to a situation where I can't get to my gateway IP address 192.168.1.1 one day. I've checked the adapter's voltage and found that it's value ~10 VDC, compares to the supposed power requirement of 12 VDC. A new replacement solved the problem for me. My two cents.
Often the voltage actually checks fine on a DC multimeter, while the problem is a massive amount of output ripple due to dead caps in the PSU. You'd have to use an oscilloscope to see that, or for just an averaged noise value set the multimeter to "AC".
The other common failure is tin whiskers growing from the lead-free solder shorting something out. Cold solder joints/cracks are usually seen in stuff that's frequently thermal cycled between cold and hot + fortunately aren't that common if operating at continuous high temperature, but shocks and vibration take their toll too.
Joined: 26 Mar 2013 Posts: 1884 Location: Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Posted: Fri May 17, 2024 3:49 Post subject:
khayalan wrote:
@mwchang Apparently you're a power user, 5 LEDs that could means using usb ports too. Since you have been owning it since 2014, I am wondering have you checked it's power adapter voltage value? FYI, I own it since 2014 too, but I only use it as a gateway plus it's wireless features, and it's OEM frailty adapter didn't last long. As a result, causing stability problems and then came to a situation where I can't get to my gateway IP address 192.168.1.1 one day. I've checked the adapter's voltage and found that it's value ~10 VDC, compares to the supposed power requirement of 12 VDC. A new replacement solved the problem for me. My two cents.
That I.T.E DC 12V power supply of Asus RT-N18U can power another 12V Totolink router without problem. So it's safe to rule out this issue.
As I said in another thread, only the 4 LAN ports are not responding. The firmware is indeed responding to the RESET button, both DD-WRT(?) and Asus' recovery mode, based on the blue LEDs' behavior.
Could it be a dead flash (NVRAM) chip after being flashed for 10 years? That strangely just affect the LAN function? Or is it really the fault of DD-WRT? _________________ Router: Asus RT-N18U (rev. A1)
Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper! May the Force and farces be with you!
That I.T.E DC 12V power supply of Asus RT-N18U can power another 12V Totolink router without problem. So it's safe to rule out this issue.
It is often difficult to rule out the power supply. It may work fine on another device that doesn't draw as many amps and way less if no usb devices are plugged into it. An will even check out fine on a multi-meter. The multi-meter doesn't compensate for the load. That is what makes them malfunction.
Quote:
Could it be a dead flash (NVRAM) chip after being flashed for 10 years? That strangely just affect the LAN function? Or is it really the fault of DD-WRT?
Very unlikely. I have been flashing my EA8500 way more than I would ever think was safe, but still taking updates nicely. You have anywhere from 50k to 250k writes to firmware. Very few of us might ever exceed this or get even close...unless the flashrom itself is faulty otherwise. _________________ - Linksys EA8500: I-Gateway, WAP/VAP 5ghz only. Features: VLANs, Samba, WG, Entware - r60xxx
- Linksys EA8500: 802.11s Secondary w/VLAN Trunk over 5ghz - r60xxx
- Linksys MX4300: 802.11s Primary w/VLAN Trunk over 5ghz. 2.4ghz WAP/VAP only - r60xxx
- Linksys MX4300: (WAP/VAP (7)) Multiple VLANs over single trunk port. Entware/Samba r60xxx
- Linksys MR7350: WDS Station for extended Ethernet r60xxx
- Linksys MR7500, MX8500: None in production. Just testing. r60xxx
- OSes: Fedora 40, 10 RPis (2,3,4,5), 23 ESP8266s: Straight from Amiga to Linux in '95, never having owned a Windows PC.
- Forum member #248
Joined: 26 Mar 2013 Posts: 1884 Location: Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Posted: Fri May 17, 2024 7:47 Post subject:
BFG-9000 wrote:
Often the voltage actually checks fine on a DC multimeter, while the problem is a massive amount of output ripple due to dead caps in the PSU. You'd have to use an oscilloscope to see that, or for just an averaged noise value set the multimeter to "AC".
lexridge wrote:
It is often difficult to rule out the power supply. It may work fine on another device that doesn't draw as many amps and way less if no usb devices are plugged into it. An will even check out fine on a multi-meter. The multi-meter doesn't compensate for the load. That is what makes them malfunction.
I can connect the Totolink 12V power adapter, which is seldom used, to my Asus RT-N18U. It has the same spec (12V, 1.5A) as the Asus' power adapter.
Update: Tried it. No change, LAN ports are still NOT working.
Still think it's not a power issue as the firmwares in the NVRAM are still responding to the RESET button, based how the LEDs flashed.
I have since found 3 breadboard jumper cables (female to female), and my motherboard has a serial port header. But it seemed that TFTP flash requires a working LAN port, but all LAN ports of my Asus RT-N18U are not working. TFTP is T-FTP.
Unless I can upload a BINARY file over serial port, and without any file transfer programs(e.g. Kermit). And what about storage for the upload?
As I said in another thread, only the 4 LAN ports are not responding. The firmware is indeed responding to the RESET button, both DD-WRT(?) and Asus' recovery mode, based on the blue LEDs' behavior.
BFG-9000 wrote:
Normally all it takes to manually invoke the recovery webserver (with the power LED flashing slowly) is to power-on with the reset button held down, but sometimes the NVRAM has to be cleared before this works with a power-on while the wps button is held down, then once the router reboots (all lights flash) let go of the wps button and hold the reset button as usual. Failing that, you have to stop the booting past the CFE with a serial cable just as as with Netgear, Linksys and TP-Link.
BFG-9000’s words remind me of there is another way you could try before going with a serial cable route; an Asus WPS method that you didn’t mention in your post.
Joined: 26 Mar 2013 Posts: 1884 Location: Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Posted: Fri May 17, 2024 7:57 Post subject:
khayalan wrote:
BFG-9000’s words reminds me of there is another way you could try before going with a serial cable route; an Asus WPS method that you didn’t mention in your post.
I think I tried various combinations of WPS and RESET buttons. Asus assumed that you are still using Asus' official firmware.
But thank you for the link.
O yea? I have put method 1 into a test. Power off my RT-N18U, while pressing WPS button, press power button on. Wait until I see the Power LED flashing rapidly, then I release my pressing of WPS button. Wait for a moment(2 or 3 minutes) or so, then I will see the Power LED, Wireless LED, and WAN LED lights up.
Now, I double check with ping -t 192.168.1.1, and via the web browser, voila! My Asus RT-N18U is running with the latest DD-WRT firmware, reset.
Joined: 26 Mar 2013 Posts: 1884 Location: Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Posted: Fri May 17, 2024 11:18 Post subject:
khayalan wrote:
O yea? I have put method 1 into a test. Power off my RT-N18U, while pressing WPS button, press power button on. Wait until I see the Power LED flashing rapidly, then I release my pressing of WPS button. Wait for a moment(2 or 3 minutes) or so, then I will see the Power LED, Wireless LED, and WAN LED lights up.
Now, I double check with ping -t 192.168.1.1, and via the web browser, voila! My Asus RT-N18U is running with the latest DD-WRT firmware, reset.
The four LAN ports in your RT-N18U are working. But mine are not. SO being able to reset the firmware or its settings are useless to my RT-N18U.
When the LAN ports in my RT-N18U were still working, I could also go to Recovery Mode and ping 192.168.1.1. They failed after I flashed DD-WRT build r56359 and a cold boot. Could just be a coincidence.
But thank you for the suggestion anyway. _________________ Router: Asus RT-N18U (rev. A1)
Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper! May the Force and farces be with you!
Joined: 26 Mar 2013 Posts: 1884 Location: Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Posted: Fri May 17, 2024 11:47 Post subject:
BFG-9000 wrote:
The ASUS Recovery webserver is nothing more than the bog-standard Broadcom GUI rescue/recovery mode in the CFE supplied by Broadcom, lightly modified with ASUS branding on it. It only seems like an unusual feature to us because Netgear, Linksys and TP-Link for some reason disabled it entirely.
As it is in the CFE, it never writes to the partition it is itself in either. The recovery webserver is automatically invoked if the firmware fails to boot, however if it does boot, control of everything including the LAN ports is handed off to the firmware even if that immediately crashes afterwards (I don't know if there's anything in NVRAM that affects the LAN ports in a similar way to wifi radios, but firmware can definitely write to that). Even dual firmware partitions would fail there because it would just keep bootlooping the primary partition.
So programmers of DD-WRT (and anyone from the government?) *theoretically* could destroy the CFE inside the mandatory Broadcom binary as well as to destroy the shared LAN ports' management codes?
Too bad the CFE / Recovery mode is NOT completely safe from tampering.... Well...
10 years of DD-WRT adventure will most likely rest this time. _________________ Router: Asus RT-N18U (rev. A1)
Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper! May the Force and farces be with you!
I can connect the Totolink 12V power adapter, which is seldom used, to my Asus RT-N18U. It has the same spec (12V, 1.5A) as the Asus' power adapter.
Update: Tried it. No change, LAN ports are still NOT working.
Okay, I would agree then, probably not the p/s.
Quote:
I have since found 3 breadboard jumper cables (female to female), and my motherboard has a serial port header. But it seemed that TFTP flash requires a working LAN port, but all LAN ports of my Asus RT-N18U are not working. TFTP is T-FTP.
Unless I can upload a BINARY file over serial port, and without any file transfer programs(e.g. Kermit). And what about storage for the upload?
Not sure how to upload via serial with your particular hw, but if you find out it's possible, you would upload the file into /tmp.
If nothing else, I would connect to the serial port to see what is happening on boot, and if it is actually really booting (or completing to boot) at all, for that matter. Connecting the serial port is really the only true way to find out for sure. Otherwise you are working completely in the dark with zero information about the goings on under the hood. _________________ - Linksys EA8500: I-Gateway, WAP/VAP 5ghz only. Features: VLANs, Samba, WG, Entware - r60xxx
- Linksys EA8500: 802.11s Secondary w/VLAN Trunk over 5ghz - r60xxx
- Linksys MX4300: 802.11s Primary w/VLAN Trunk over 5ghz. 2.4ghz WAP/VAP only - r60xxx
- Linksys MX4300: (WAP/VAP (7)) Multiple VLANs over single trunk port. Entware/Samba r60xxx
- Linksys MR7350: WDS Station for extended Ethernet r60xxx
- Linksys MR7500, MX8500: None in production. Just testing. r60xxx
- OSes: Fedora 40, 10 RPis (2,3,4,5), 23 ESP8266s: Straight from Amiga to Linux in '95, never having owned a Windows PC.
- Forum member #248
x2 for serial port. That will tell you what is happening on boot, and you can also break boot and clear nvram and reboot to see if that is part of the issue. As far as how to upload a file without ethernet ports, might be able to utilize the usb port(s). _________________ "The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep." - Robert Frost
"I am one of the noticeable ones - notice me" - Dale Frances McKenzie Bozzio
