I got a TP-Link Archer C54 router. The only thing I didn't like is that it required a complete reconfiguration whenever there was a power outage. Otherwise, it was fine. But the whole time I had it (about a year and a half), I was told I should update the firmware to avoid malware and so forth. I finally did that yesterday right after resetting it after a 2 second power outage. Now it's dead, even though I followed the step-by-step instructions. All the lights on the front light up steadily and that's all it does. Pushing the reset button on the back does nothing, and I can't access it from my computer to do anything.

I had put off the update because I heard something like this could happen, but after 1.5 years, I thought maybe I was taking a greater risk by not updating it. Besides, computer stuff update all the time (Windows, browsers, etc.) without a problem, so why should updating the router be a problem? Well, I no longer have home internet as a result.

So, is there a way of repairing this router I'm not aware of, or do I have to buy another one? If I do, I will never update it. You can trust me on that! :)

TP-Link website has a firmware update download page which allows me 2 versions for the firmware.  First is V1, the other is V1.60.  My requires the second one.  That's what I used.  Now I downloaded both of them to a flashdrive from a public computer to compare them, and it looks like they're both V1.  That means TP-link gave me the V1 when I needed V1.60, and using that one is what killed my router.

Since TP-link isn't providing the correct firmware update, is there anything else I can do to restore my router?  I sure would hate to have to give up on it just because the manufacturer puts faulty firmware updates on their site.  If I have to buy another router, I'd have to avoid TP-Link products if they won't provide firmware updates that won't cause their product to die.