New E4200 will not connect [ Edited ]

[Bean54]

I just connected my new E4200 router, it worked fine until it recommended updating, as soon as it connected to do this, the power light started blinking every second and it will no longer respond. Support has not been helpful. Any ideas?

[sabretooth]

Press and hold the reset button in back for 30 seconds and release.  Wait 10 seconds and power cycle the router.  Now is the power light still blinking?  If yes, let us know.

If no, connect with your wired computer to 102.168.1.1 username blank, password 'admin' and configure the router back to your ISP settings.

[Bean54]

Tried that, and still blinking

[KoRnGtL15]

You don't ever upgrade firmware with a live internet connection. I cant believe Linksys even allows that. Just an example in your case. You either have corrupted firmware or bricked it. The only way to fix it is by getting another and flashing properly. You can try for a hail mary and do 30/30/30 reset. 

[Bean54]

I will try the 30/30/30 reset tomorrow, not sure what the flashing is? Thanks for your help.

[sabretooth]

Power light flashing is corrupted firmware after an upgrade.  It failed.  

Go here to attempt to fix.

http://www.savemondo.com/2008/11/21/how-to-unbrick-a-linksys-router/

or

http://www.lancelhoff.com/how-to-fix-a-bricked-linksys-router/

Make sure you have a good copy of firmware ready.  Always use a wired computer.

[kawal]

you'll just have to make sure that you are able to hardwire a PC to the router, set static IP address on the ehternet adapter on that computer, and be able to get replies when pinging the router. this way, there is a huge chance that the router's firmware can still be flashed to revive the device itself.

[NVS]

Mine is doing the same, was connecting for first time - asked for update so I said 'OK'. Now constantly blinking and I can't connect

[tkobo]

This is unreal,this is without a doubt the hieght of incompetence.

I bought this defective router,e4200,about 3 weeks ago now.The first one arrived and didnt work.Spent over 6 hours dealign the the "tech support",from the useless location of india,where the phone connection was horrendous and worked nicely with the accent and un familarity with english of the "tech support person" to make it a complete waste of hours.

Then they give me the tel number to the philpines "tech support" location,which has only a mildy better phone connection,but a measureably better "tech support person".Hours later they have decided routed number 1 is dead.

So they send me out another.Here i am,recieved the replacement today,and trid to install it,only to have it behave exactly as the last one.

I make the mistake of calling "tech support" again, and end up havibng to answer the same half-buttucked uselss questions as the last time, and about to be "run thru the nescesary procedures" to determine the "problem" with router number 2.

Yay,another 6 hours of completely wasted effort about to take place.....

No thank you.

I go out on the web and come across this thread and this other one,

http://homecommunity.cisco.com/t5/Cisco-Connect/E4200-Renew-IP-Address-Problem-firmware-1-0-02/td-p/...

both showing that the firmware for the e4200 is screwed up beyond use.That the router continually trys and fails to renew the ip adress.rendering the router completely inoperable,and if you listened to tech support and tried to update the firmware,leaving the firmware corrupted as it fails in the middle of the update.

Is cisco aware of this ? If they are they are NOT admitting it.In the meantime,they are selling this high end product in its defective state,and even worse,replacing it with another just as defective,creating a huge problem for those soon to never be thier customers again.

So, over 3 weeks,and over 8 hours now,dealing with a company that specializes in routers,that couldnt manage to turn out their top end product in a working condition.And is either unwiling to acknowledge the huge issue this is,of unaware of it.

So much for taking my home wireless this year,a  new tv,3 computers,a  new reader,and a new phone all now sitting collecting dust becuase cisco was inept in producing their product.Far as im concerned,there simply isnt a punishment large enough to bestow upon them........

For those of you at the blinking fast endlessly stage,its very likely your router is now "brinked"/coppurtped beyond your ability to fix,and will need to be replaced....

Its also very likely the next e4200 they send you will meet the same fate.

Your screwed.

Just like me.

Good luck,we are gonna need it.

[edubz123]

hey guys,

my e4200 was working great for a few days and now it won't connect to the internet properly anymore.  I'm using Comcast cable here in Chicago with a DOCSIS 3.0 compliant Motorola SB6121 cable modem.  Everything was working fine for a few days until just today. I bought the router from BestBuy on 27-Dec-2011 and I'm running back to the store right now for a refund right now (02-Jan-2012), didn't even last a week!  These forums were quite helpful actually in making the decision.  I'm not spending another minute with this thing, this is a really basic setup (one cable modem, one e4200 router, one desktop connected wirelessly via Belkin N300 stick and this laptop connected via cat5, all machines on the same floor within 30 feet of each other). 

If I plug my laptop directly into the cable modem I can succesfully get to the internet, no problem, so that means the problem is with the e4200 router.

If I plug my laptop (using cat5 cable ethernet) directly into the router (to avoid wireless) I CANNOT get to the internet.  Tried power cycling and all the other easy stuff (restore to factory defaults etc.) but still no internet.  I'm using firmware version 2.0.21 if it matters. I thought I had disabled automatic firmware updates but perhaps it was really enabled the whole time. I think at one point it showed firmware version 2.0.26 but I could be mistaken.

anyway, what a complete FAILs from Linksys' top router.  I will stay away from this brand but I doubt the others are much better.

Thanks for posting here, you guys saved me hours on the line with tech support.