toro
join:2006-01-27
Scarborough, ON
 ·TekSavvy Solutions..
| [Equipment] Why do RT31P2s die ?
I'm seeing a lot of failed RT31P2s lately. First one was more than a year ago, I used it for only a few days before it dies for no reason. Another one was received like that (from an eBay seller). Third one I gave to a friend (this one a was a true RT31P2-NA), he was using it for a few months and it died a couple days ago.
The symptom for all of them: the router never boots up, power light blinking. It's not in safe mode, because it doesn't respond to ping to 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.15.1 (using a corresponding static IP for the PC I'm pinging from) and the Linksys TFTP utility can't communicate with the router.
Anyone managed to recover a RT31P2 with this symptom ? |
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mazilo
From Mazilo
Premium
join:2002-05-30
Lilburn, GA
| said by toro  :Anyone managed to recover a RT31P2 with this symptom ? I believe DogFace05 has some answers to this. |
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DogFace05
join:2005-12-09
Cary, NC
| reply to toro
This is a typical problem with the counterfeit PAP2-NA/RT31P2-NA adapters being unloaded through fleebay (not saying that that's what you have, though). These counterfeits are generally Vonage locked Linksys adapters of the similar designation, which have been cloned with the flash from a master -NA version. The tampering with the model designation makes them legally counterfeits, as they did not leave Linksys' factories as -NAs. They also have invalid security certificates, which further differentiates them from the real thing.
That said, some counterfeiters use inline programmers to do the flash cloning, which is usually harmless on the devices. However, many others actually physically remove, reprogram, and replace the flash. This is done in shoddy sweatshops, where the quality of the resoldering work is very poor, often leaving cold solder joints, or sometimes overheating and damaging components onboard. The end result is that these devices tend to fail often, and/or after short periods of use, like what you've observed.
With real, untampered versions, it's very seldom that I see a total failure like you describe, that affects the router side. Most often what I've seen on genuine RT31P2s, are failed voice modules that keep rebooting due to failing the self test on either of the phone ports. Such failure is generally caused by lightning surge, or to lesser extent, connecting to a live PSTN line. |
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toro
join:2006-01-27
Scarborough, ON
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| said by DogFace05 : Thanks for the reply. At least 2 of these weren't tampered. The -NA was purchased brand new from a local reputable VoIP store that I've dealt with many times. Another one was purchased also locally from someone who cancelled their Vonage account (was still locked at the time of purchase). As for the one from ebay I don't know the history behind it, but it was part of a lot of 3 where the others were still locked to Vonage, so I would assume the third one was the same.
Maybe it's just bad luck, but I'm starting to loose confidence in this Linksys model. |
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