Do all Routers go to heaven?

[Wolfshanze]

I bought a Linksys WRT54G wireless router back in 2003. I hooked up DSL to it, and shared four computers on both wired and wireless network ever since. The router has been-on 24/7 since that time and I've never had a problem with the router until about two months ago.

I noticed in stages I lost my wireless laptop off the network for a day or so... then one of my wireless desktops dropped off the net for a day... a week later one of my wired computers disappears off the net (each computer would "magically" be back on the net hours or a day afterwards). All of this happened on differant weeks for about a month... then... yesterday...

*POOF*

Right in the middle of surfing the net, the internet just "locks up" on my main (wired) computer. I look up at the router status lights, and every light is flashing on and off (doesn't look good), then all the lights go out.

I turn the router on and off... NOTHING...

All of the computers in the house are off the net... internet doesn't work (obviously)... can't get any lights to come back on the router... can't access the router control panel through my browser commands.

I'm under the assumption that my router has just officially "died".

Am I wrong? Is there any way to bring it back to life or is it dead and should be burried?

Under this assumption, I went ahead and got another router (my family can't live the night without the internet). Everything is working fine with the new router. So, I still have the original box and everything of my old router... what should I do with the old router? Is it dead... trash?

I'm also curious to know...
Is two and a half years of 24/7 running a good or bad lifespan for a router?

 

[AsianriceX]

Considering that the router is all solid state and has no moving parts, I'm surprised that it suddenly died. The only thing I can think of is a capacitor failing gradually until it finally blew. If that thing is still under warranty, I'd RMA it to Linksys.

 

[Bluestealth]

Mine usually started having flaky connections and needed constant reboots before they died... however my first linksys router(say 1999) died after a minute... it was a very humid day and was also raining outside, plugged it in, all lights like normal, internet works, poof... all lights out. Buy.com got me another next day I have had 3 of those 1 port linksys routers since then, but none have died in the same way. One got to the point where it would only maintain a dsl connection for 5 minutes at a time. One had a NIC that would turn on and off several times a second. The last one wouldn't work for several applications I was trying to use no matter what firmware or ports were opened... thus it got trashed, ooo and it had to be powercycled with the dsl modem to reobtain an IP after disconnecting, every time.

Could have been an overheating controller chip, power supply going bad, or just a circuit going bad on the inside. It is probably cooked now though.

I would say it had a good run

 

[Zbox]

it's very rare for a wrt54g to die although I have heard many stories of the power adapters failing. do the router lights still come on? do you have another 12v adapter you can try with the router? have you tried holding in the reset button for 30 seconds (while the power is disconnected, then plug it in while still holding the reset button)?

 

[nyker96]

NOOOOOO! My condolences.

 

[spidey07]

Stuff does fail, and it generally goes quick.

I've had some core network gear that has been running since January 1, 2000.

talk about up time.

 

[networkman]

Do all Routers go to heaven?

Only if they have the correct DNS.

Otherwise... :evil:

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: Wolfshanze
I bought a Linksys WRT54G wireless router back in 2003. I hooked up DSL to it, and shared four computers on both wired and wireless network ever since. The router has been-on 24/7 since that time and I've never had a problem with the router until about two months ago.Is two and a half years of 24/7 running a good or bad lifespan for a router?

Is two and a half years of 24/7 running a good or bad lifespan for a router?[/b][/quote]

Now let see in 2003 this Router cost about $60 (or about 10 Burger's combo full of Fat and Cholesterol).

30 months x 30 x 24 = 21,600 hours (aprox.)

$60 / 21600 = $0.0027 per hour or almost 1/3 cents per hour.

You Judge :beer:

:sun:

P.S. The better life is, the more we tend to complian.

 

[Wolfshanze]

Thanks guys for the replies, I guess my router has passed over the rainbow bridge.

As for cost... in 2003 802.11G was fairly new and the damn-thing cost me about $80 (not $60). The stores were still pushing 802.11B at the time (for about $50).

Forced to quickly buy a replacement this week, I ran down to Wal-Mart (my only real choice in a small town) and paid $75 for the WRT54GS (with "speed enhancer"), since my wife's computer did indeed already have a "GS" network card in her computer. The direct replacment was selling for $50. I'm hoping the extra $25 is worth it (I did notice my wife's network signal went from 54 with the old router to 120 or something like that with the new one).

I figured I was probably ripped-off by Walmart for not having ordered on-line, but turns-out NewEgg sells the same routers for virtually the exact same price so I guess it wasn't too bad.

I "guess" I got a good investment on my $80 router for running 24/7 for 2 1/2 years, but I was kinda hoping something like that would last a little longer. Oh well... let's see how long the replacement router lasts... I'm also moving to Florida in a couple of months (lightning capital of the world).

 

[Madwand1]

Check the power supply. I had 2 WRT54G's fail due to power supplies going bad. Worked fine with another PS at same voltage & polarity. Was covered by 3-year warranty; Linksys couriered me replacements at no cost.

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: Wolfshanze
Thanks guys for the replies, I guess my router has passed over the rainbow bridge.

As for cost... in 2003 802.11G was fairly new and the damn-thing cost me about $80 (not $60).

LOL, sorry me Bad :thumbsdown: cost you $0.0037 not $0.0027 :brokenheart:

:sun: