Router busted, but why?

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2007-12-14 06:00pm

I decided it would be a good idea to bring my spare wrt54g down to florida for the weekend, so I stuffed it into my luggage and checked the bag in. For reference, it was not in any sort of padded or rigid enclosure, it sat in a side compartment with my toothbrush and electric razer(which still works just fine). I went to plug it in, and the lights did not go on, the outlets were good, the wire did not appear to be damaged, the damn thing just wouldn't turn on. So, what is the most likely caues of death? Got dropped and the force of the drop caused damage? Could it have been the climate it was exposed to while in the 737's hold? Gremlins? Do they use some sort of electronics busting scanner before loading baggage up maybe?

Post by **Dalton** » 2007-12-15 01:17pm

Is it a linksys? I've noticed some oddity with the power port tending to kinda jiggle a bit, sometimes causing the router to die.

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2007-12-15 11:40pm

It is.

RThurmont · Post by **RThurmont** » 2007-12-16 12:21am

This may sound a tad unusual, but I'd suggest putting it in a freezer, and leaving it in there for at least twelve hours, then see if it will turn on, also, if you have another WRT54G, try using its power supply on your non-functional unit (to see if the problem is with the router itself, or its adaptor). I'm a bit baffled by the problem you're having, as the extremely dry, cold climate aircraft luggage gets exposed to is ideal for storage of electronics...one interesting possibility though might be exposure to unusual amounts of static electricity...St. Elmo's Fire comes to mind. The WRT54G is devoid of moving parts, and dropping it is unlikely to have caused any damage...

As Dalton suggested though, I'd check to see if the power port looks at all "funky." Try my freezer technique also, its often helpful on intermittent electronics to freeze them solid, and then see if they run (this works if they are shorting out due to moisture on the circuits).

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2007-12-16 01:10am

Well it is very humid here in Florida. I did go out and replace it (with another wrt54g), but unfortunately they've changed the power adapter, and its got different outputs. My dad has another wrt54g thats around the same age as the one which is broken, I'll head over there sometime over the next few weeks and try its power cord. Meanwhile, I'll leave the router (which I took apart, to see if anything was obviously busted - nope) in the freezer overnight and test it in the morning.

Spyder · Post by **Spyder** » 2007-12-16 10:48pm

Get a multimeter and test for voltage on the adaptor. It's usually that.

RThurmont · Post by **RThurmont** » 2007-12-18 05:24pm

So out of curiosity, did freezing it do any good?

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2007-12-18 07:00pm

No, in fact I'll wager it made it worse. The frost turned to water shortly after I took it out.

RThurmont · Post by **RThurmont** » 2007-12-18 07:12pm

Ah, well that's why I should've added...after freezing, I like to test it *immediately*, then, with just as much haste, leave it to try... I successfully brought back to life a keyboard that had been the victim of a massive Dr. Pepper spill in this manner.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2007-12-18 07:55pm

InnocentBystander wrote:No, in fact I'll wager it made it worse. The frost turned to water shortly after I took it out.

This sucks to hear afterward, but you should have put it in a Ziploc bag or something before sticking it in the freezer, so as to help prevent condensation.