Linksys needs to fix
the DNS problem on their WRT160Nv2 router and they need to do it now. I haven't used
this blog to gripe much, the fact is I
have been very lucky and my equipment functions with little or no problem. Now I
have a big problem and a major gripe with Linksys,
a company whose products I have used for years without a hitch.
I decided to step up to a wireless N router about 6 months
ago even though all of my wireless apps are b and g. The router was an amazing
upgrade to the system. It extended the range and speed on all of my laptops and
other devises. I could even stream HD effortlessly from the DirecTV DVR on the
other side of the house. I was one happy camper. Then I got the news that there
was a DNS security risk associated with the routers firmware. I was running
2.0.0.2, build 8. Being the security nut that I am I immediately updated my
firmware to 2.0.0.2, build 11. This turned out to be a huge mistake.
Web pages started throwing 404 errors, I had to refresh
pages over and over before they would come up. I hated it, it was a serious
time suck for me as I spend most of my time working on the internet and God
help me if I wanted to order something online or pay a bill. the 404 errors
made it almost impossible to make it through a multi-page process.
I quickly jumped online and researched the problem to find
this is a well documented issue in the Linksys
forum. One of the threads I found had 17 pages of complaints and thankfully
a fix. Unfortunately 
when I
attempted to downgrade my firmware to the version I had previously, it failed and
the router did nothing but flash at me, nearly lifeless and unable to reset
itself to the factory defaults.
After 90 minutes of attempting to revive the WRT160Nv2, I
gave in and contacted tech support. Of course they ignored the fact that I had
attempted everything and made me do it all again before starting the RMA process. The
router was dead and Linksys is replacing it. After receiving all the
information and filling out the forms, mailing it back to them, at my expense I
now await my replacement which will undoubtedly have the new firmware version
and most likely the same problem that everyone else is having with this build.
The issue with the Linksys WRT160Nv2 firmware has been
around since October and Linksys has failed to acknowledge the problem and
worse, fix it. Linksys, I have spent tens
of thousands of dollars with you between my home and my business. If this is
not fixed, you can kiss my future business goodbye. I understand that shit
happens and errors take place, I accept and am happy to work with any vendor
while they correct the problem. You won't even admit there is a problem even
though there are hundreds of documented cases on your own website. This is an
issue and you need to fix it.
If you have the WRT160Nv2 router and are experiencing the
DNS problem, here is a fix. I
bricked my router attempting it but many have downgraded their firmware
successfully. I intend to try again if my new unit has the problem. Good luck!
*** UPDATE! *** Linksys does not have a fix yet but they did take care of me by replacing the router I killed with a new one. Read more here.