Asus rt-n56u router intermittently losing all connection (wired and wireless)

[monkeyfeet]

The setup: My router is an Asus rt-n56u that I just got. It's connected to the internet through an Arris CM820A cable modem provided by SuddenLink. I have my main desktop wired directly (has no wireless card at all) into the router and several (I believe 10 maximum, though it's rare for all of us to be on at the same time) wireless devices (mine and my roommates phones and laptops). At this very moment, the only thing connected is my desktop. There is no NAS. The router is running the latest firmware.

The problem: When I first set it up, everything worked amazingly. No trouble connecting and everything running as fast as expected. This was Wednesday. This morning (Friday) I couldn't get my phone to connect (it would show the network as "saved, secured" but any attempt to connect would instantly fail). I assumed this was a problem with my phone and left for work to deal with it later. I later learned that none of my roommates could connect either. When I eventually got home, my desktop couldn't connect as well. Not just unable to connect to the internet, but I can't connect to the router control panel either (I get a message saying to "reconnect my wireless and use updated IP and port number" even though I'm on a wired connection). When I power cycle the router, I can get back into the router control panel and sometimes even the internet but it goes away without fail, sometimes after a few seconds, sometimes after a half hour.

I've tried:
Power cycling router - temporarily fixes the problem.
Power cycling modem - nothing
Factory reset - did nothing.
Windows diagnostics -
"Ethernet" does not have a valid IP configuration Not fixed
The default gateway is not available Not fixed
Playing with cables - nothing
ipconfig release&renew - once so far release has given me normal output, but mostly it just tells me I don't have an address assigned. Renew hangs.
Running the router without the modem plugged in - Still disconnects after a few minutes

I feel like at this point I'm mostly just poking it with a stick. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[monkeyfeet]

Figured it out. Turns out it was overheating. Put a giant fan next to it and haven't had a problem so far.

 

[monkeyfeet]

Figured it out. Turns out it was overheating. Put a giant fan next to it and haven't had a problem so far.

Scratch that. After an hour and a half it still died. Coincidentally, 5 minutes after I posted. So now added on to the list of things I've tried, big fan, and a forced firmware update.

 

[ImaGonnaGitYou]

I've got the same problem. I bought the RT-N56U in early September. Every few days it seems, everything drops off the network. Ipads, Roku, Wireless PC, Wired PC, etc. Many times, after about two minutes, the network comes back. Other times, I have to restart the ASUS.
Just this afternoon, I logged in and updated the firmware to the latest version. Now I'm getting the 65Mbit download speeds from my ISP (for now). We'll see if this firmware update helps or not. If not, I'm returning this to Amazon and going with a different manufacturer. This router replaced a cheap Netgear that lasted years and was rock solid. This is very frustrating.

 

[blepore35]

Asus makes great routers but, terrible firmware! I know because I tried 2 different routers with the exact same overheating and resetting issues. Even the latest Asus firmware versions still cook the box to the point where it will fail and reset (factory default with unsecure open network... LOVE that vulnerability) even without putting much of a load on it.

Answer: Use a better firmware than Asus provides. Simply downloaded the newest Padavan base firmware and the router now feels like it's turned off... it's so cool to the touch https://code.google.com/p/rt-n56u/ No more outages or resets to factory settings. I enjoy the new option to turn off the 5G radio (never used it) which also helps keep it cool. There's also a great "Hardware Monitoring" option that will automatically reboot the router if it looses internet connection for 15 seconds. It's simply MUCH better written code than Asus provides. Like I have a new router!!! ENJOY!