advice on repairing a linksys router

[bazzieb]

Hi everyone

My linksys router WAG120N got hit by lightning. It doesnt turn on anymore even though there is power running through the circuits.

Now my question, would i be able to repair it (like is there a typical part that gets damaged when lightning strikes) or should i just buy a new one?

I would really like to repair it if possible.

 

[rob_croxford]

After a little google search of the above product the datasheet mentions that it has absolutely no protection against things such as lightning or other surges. So could be fried...

You mention there is "power" running through the circuits. Is this something you have measured?

 

[(*steve*)]

Considering the price of these things, and the probability of damage to parts you won't be able to easily identify or get replacements for... Buy a new one.

Maybe your home insurance will cover part of the cost.

 

[duke37]

I have repaired electric fence energisers which get clobbered by lightning because they are connected to a long wire aerial.
Almost anything can be damaged. Is is obvious that lightning is involved if components are blown apart or the PCB has been stripped of its tracks. Sometimes there is no visual damage.

 

[davenn]

Hi bazzieb,
welcome to Electronics Point

At $50 for a decent linksys router, as steve said just replace it

the chances of anyone being able to repair it after a lightning strike is highly unlikely

Dave

 

[(*steve*)]

Yeah, by all means take a look, but treat it as a learning experience or an adventure. Don't bet that you're going to fix it.

It *may* be something entirely trivial but I've had lightning damaged equipment that exhibited multiple faults. Including a network hub that lost its power supply and about a third of its ports. I was able to limp along on the remaining ones until I replaced it.

 

[CocaCola]

It *may* be something entirely trivial but I've had lightning damaged equipment that exhibited multiple faults.

True this, I 'attempted' to fix my moms computer after a lighting hit... At the end of the day I just salvaged the tower and built a new system... There were killed components and damaged pc boards though out the entire system... It was almost a laughable experience as I took it apart, some stuff obvious like the 1/8" crater blown out of the perfect center of the hard drive's main IC, to little pin hole with a touch of magic smoke residue around them on other misc ICs on the motherboard and graphics card, to discolored and even burnt up traces on the PC boards... Amazing how much destruction it can do and how far into the system it was able to penetrate...

 

[bazzieb]

Hi there,
Thanks for all the reply's, appreciate it. I guess the consenses is to buy a new one.

Now another question, this same router also busted my xbox through the 1st lan port. The xbox comes one, i can hear it doing its thing but there is no picture.

Has anyone fixed something like this or no of a way to fix it?

 

[(*steve*)]

Same trick possibly. Remember my hub? Everything attached to the ports that died also failed in some manner.

An xbox is perhaps a little more expensive. I'd definitely be looking closely at my insurance.

Fixing it yourself... tricky. Again, you don't know how much has failed. And if it is a video chip, can you get hold of one? What are the chances it's some passive component or easily replaceable transistor? It's really hard to say.

Fixing things has three major steps, finding the fault, sourcing the parts, and replacing the parts. Where all three are going to be hard, I tend to feel a little pessimistic.

 

[bazzieb]

Hi Steve

Thanks for your reply. I didnt get insurance cause i was too stingy. I guess after my 10th router and 3 consoles later it might be a good idea.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[soldernoob]

I just replaced a used WRT54G last week with a failed port. Jumping the port with a patch cable to another port actually fixed it. From then on, the port had to have a cable in it for the router to operate properly.

I would drop the WAG120N anyway and get yourself one of the older wrt54g models for $20 on craigslist. Theyre everwhere and affordable and arguably, better than the newer models.