Asus RT-N16 Stopped working

So randomly, last night, my router stopped working. It powers for a second or two, but not every time plugged in, and then power drops out again. longest power on was about 10 seconds, just long enough to enable the wifi and then died. I do have a multimeter, can't i check the output of the power supply for at least voltage?

I can reset it and get it to go in to flashing power button mode, but then nothing happens from there. I loaded the latest firmware on to a usb drive and have it plugged in the back and it's in flashing power light mode right now; hoping that updates the firmware, lol.

and of course, the warranty ran out last month.

Wow, nice timing, eh?

Yeah, you can check the voltage from its power supply, I'd do it directly in the plug first, then once it's plugged in (no warranty left, go ahead and crack that monkey open!).
If the voltage drops much on the second test (when loaded) it's worth a hunt through your collection to find another.

bulged cap with a little goo on top; that could be it couldn't it?

after looking around the web and searching the actual capacitor; I'm finding a lot of people who have the same issue, replaced the capacitor, and now the device work. Some are even using a different cap, a 1000uf 25v.

so the capacitor is 680uf 16v, can someone explain the difference. Also, is it an issue to solder directly to the board? some are using jumpers. are all 680uf 16v going to be roughly the same? I beleive this one is a HERMEI

PSS: is there a right way vs wrong way to install them, is one lead power?

OMG WOW... such a simple fix for a few cent piece that disabled a $100 router, what a joke. I piggy backed the leads and bent the capacitor over, RIGGED! but hey, it works.

Fantastic!

Sorry I missed this coming back, but glad you got it sorted!

Could you please describe the procedure for replacing the capacitor. By that, I mean what kind of soldering iron, solder, precautions, etc. I don't want to burn up the board trying to replace it. Thanks.