Question

Linksys WRT160N v2

Asked by: grandrew

I just recently purchased a Linksys WRT160N wireless router.  I have connected the router and made the necessary configuration changes, (changed password, setup wireless security, etc.)  I have my desktop connected via a wired connection and a laptop via a wireless connection.  I do not seem to be having any issues with the laptop but the desktop is having issues connecting to web sites.  It appears that it is having problems resolving DNS.  For example, if I want to do to yahoo.com it sometimes comes up and sometimes not.  I go to a command prompt and try to ping www.yahoo.com with no response.  Not even a request time out.  I can then attempt to ping a known ip address at my office, 75.145.xxx.xxx and it pings without an issue most of the time.  This is why I believe it is a DNS issue.  I have hard coded the DNS servers into my desktop and still have issues.  I can plug my old Linksys router in, which is what I am using right now, and have not issues.  I can also directly connect my PC to the cable modem with no issues.  I assumed the router was defective and took it back to Circuity City for an exchange and brought the new one home and set it up and have the same issues!  Linksys tech support is a joke.  I spoke to someone who took me through a setup procedure much like I did on my own and still have the issue.  They then told me they would transfer me to level 2 tech support and they never answer.  I am on hold for more than 30 minutes and the line disconnects.  Since Circuit City is closing there is no returns or exchanges now.  So I am stuck with this thing.

At this point I can only assume there must be some type of compatibility issue with my desktop network card and the Linksys wired ports.  I have tried several wired ports with same results.

If anyone has suggestions on what to do next, please reply to this post.

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Asked On
2009-01-18 at 06:48:22ID24061815
Topics

Wireless Technologies

,

Networking Hardware

Participating Experts
2
Points
250
Comments
8

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Answers

 

by: Frosty555Posted on 2009-01-18 at 07:15:01ID: 23405138

From googling around a little it looks like this is a known issue on the WRT160N v2 routers. You can read up on other users complaining about it here:
http://forums.linksys.com/linksys/board/message?board.id=Wireless_Routers&thread.id=119107&view=by_date_ascending&page=1



Seems to be a recent problem with v2 due to a combination of 1) less RAM in the v2 models, and 2) some kind of issue with the latest firmware (build 11). Linksys will most likely release new firmware soon, but it seems that the problem is build 11's firmware has some bugs in it.

Two things to try:
    1) Set your DNS server to OpenDNS.com's servers. They're quite fast. Better than Rogers, though I don't know who your ISP is. OpenDNS's nameservers are 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220. Set it on the router if possible, rather than the computer.

    2) Revert (or upgrade) back to Build 8 firmware. Firmware downloads for all models are here:
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_CASupport_C1&childpagename=US/Layout&cid=1169671246380&pagename=Linksys/Common/VisitorWrapper

  The actual link to the build 8 firmware for wrt160n v2 is:
is:ftp://ftp.linksys.com/opensourcecode/wrt160nv2/2.00.02_008/wrt160nv2_v2.0.02.008_us_10022008.tgz


If neither of those solutions work... unfortunately you will have to wait on Linksys to provide a solution. Which sucks, unfortunately.


 

by: Darr247Posted on 2009-01-18 at 07:38:43ID: 23405220

grandrew said:
>> Linksys tech support is a joke.  

Try the live chat instead of phone support. There is often no waiting.
http://linksys.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/linksys.cfg/php/enduser/live_request.php

 

by: Darr247Posted on 2009-01-18 at 07:45:23ID: 23405237

Frosty555 said:
>> Revert (or upgrade) back to Build 8 firmware. Firmware downloads for all models are here:

Ummm... That link is to the open source GPL code which must be compiled before it can be loaded using the Administrator tab's Firmware Update function.

 

by: Darr247Posted on 2009-01-18 at 08:38:16ID: 23405399

grandrew,
Before downloading the 195 MB GPL file, obtaining a C compiler, and learning how to make your own firmware, try a 30-30-30 reset on it and see if that helps.

http://beta.experts-exchange.com/articles/Hardware/Networking_Hardware/Wireless/Perform-a-30-30-30-reset-on-your-Wireless-Router.html

 

by: grandrewPosted on 2009-01-18 at 08:44:51ID: 23405428

I downloaded the build 8 and found the code.bin in the results folder.  I loaded it and will see if that fixes the issue.  I checked Linksys web site and did not find all the posts on this issue.  Once I clicked on the link provided by Frosty555 I see this is a very big issue.

 

by: grandrewPosted on 2009-01-18 at 08:58:36ID: 23405481

I just loaded the build 8 and within minutes had the same issues.  I guess I can wait until Linksys fixes the issue.

 

by: Darr247Posted on 2009-01-18 at 10:09:59ID: 23405789

grandrew said:
>>  I guess I can wait until Linksys fixes the issue.

Did you try the 30-30-30 reset?

 

by: Frosty555Posted on 2009-01-21 at 11:14:55ID: 23432821

I'm been ticked off at linksys for the last while. Their products used to be fantastic but they've been shaving RAM off their models for years now, almost to the point of absurdity. I think it's the cause of a lot of problems with their more recent devices.

You can see some unofficial specs on wikipedia for these routers and similar models:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linksys_WRT300N_series

The router should have a warranty though. Perhaps Linksys can ship you a v1 router which will work much better for you. Other v2's will most likely have this same problem though.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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