TP-Link WR1043NDv2 switch not working after lightning strike

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
1

Hi all,

WLAN still works after the lightning strike, but the switch doesn't work anymore (all 5 ports).
I did a reset via Luci gui and updated to 18.06.1 and hoped it would get alive again (to 100%).

I remember bad flashing in the past and I could recover routers via TFTP.
But at this one there seems to be no current on the switch, the LAN LED's don't seem to work.

Did anybody have the same issue and was successful in reviving the router ?
Voodoo didn't work neither :wink:

cheers blinton

2

Sometimes a lighting strike is a message from a higher being (more on that later).

Are there log messages indicating that it was unable to configure the switch?

Does swconfig dev switch0 show suggest that it has been configured properly?

On that lead-in line, perhaps it's time to consider a new router to replace that 8/64 device. It won't be long until you run up against RAM problems, even with 8 MB of flash. Units with comparable performance and much greater resources are available for around US$20. Several options and opinions are in the (long) thread. Some actually have strong support for OpenWrt from the OEM, as well as attentive and active support communities.

3

@jeff, forget the message from Higher Being :pray: :prayer_beads:

The OP also seems as if he doesn't believe in physics!

@blinton,

You're making it seem like 3,000,000 Volts in a square meter...all looking for the path-of-least-resistance to Earth/Ground...in the process, passing through your router (and likely other equipment) - isn't a big deal.

Even if you were interested, I wouldn't suggest using or repairing the router. You have no way of [easily] knowing where the lightening actually traveled in the circuitry. I would consider that device a fire hazard at worse. At minimum, I wouldn't trust it to stay online much longer.

  • Have you opened the router, do you see any burns?
  • Do you notice the smell of "burnt circuitry" (I assure you, if you never smelled it, you'll know when you do)?

You may see burn marks on the board. I can say with high certainty, that [at least] the switch chip was destroyed by the surge.

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4

There's not much you can do software-wise with no Ethernet ports at all. The burnt-out switch chip is likely using more power than normal and running hot.

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5

Looks like you were all right, the router is gone :frowning: "burn out"
Luckily I could find a cheap WR1043Nv5 as a replacement .. and an overvoltage protection.

Thanks a lot guys ! cheers blinton

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