HELP!!! Broken Ethernet port on G73JH.

Hi NBR members,

I've got a pretty urgent problem on my G73JH that I need to solve immediately. I was plugging in a new Ethernet cable into my laptop today and for some reason the initial fit of the cable into the port was really tight. It was a standard RJ-45 cable so there was no reason it shouldn't have fit. Anyway, because the fit was so tight, I had to use a considerable amount of force to push the cable in, and now 4 of the 8 pins are bent as you can see in the pictures below:







Obviously, my Ethernet port no longer works, so how the heck do I go about fixing this? It looks like 2 of the pins may have snapped at the other end and have crisscrossed each other while the other 2 are merely bent. Is this something I can maybe fix myself or do I need to send my whole laptop in for an RMA and get the port either fixed or replaced? Also, since my laptop no longer has any sort of warranty on it, how much does it usually cost to get something like this fixed?

Please don't just tell me to use wireless Internet from now on; the wireless at my place is very erratic and online gaming especially is a nightmare. I probably use the wired connection 90% of the time, so this is a very big setback for me.

 

I've had this happen on all kinds of devices. It's never fun. Ideally you want a soldering station or a sewing station that has a lamp and a magnifying glass, so that you can see what you are doing.

First off use extreme care, you are going to need a ton of patience and a cool head. This is fixable but only with a gentle touch as these pins are very, very fragile. You need a small sewing needle or an extremely small paperclip to fold the first bent pin back over the crossed one, and then move them back into place. The bent one on the end shouldn't matter too much, as long as it's making contact.

Also lesson learned: never force an ethernet cable. Something is wrong if it doesn't click in easily.

 

Thanks for your replay ALLurGroceries. I'm going to try bending the pins back myself, but I really don't have that much confidence in myself right now.

I just contacted ASUS and they gave me an RMA number for this case. Since my laptop is not under warranty anymore, I would have to pay completely out of pocket if I want to get this fixed or replaced by a service center. The service center gave me an exorbitant quote of $76(!) for a replacement LAN board and labor charges. I think this is just ridiculous for such a small fix, especially considering that the LAN board itself only costs $5. If I buy a LAN board and follow online tutorials such as the BTOTech video, can I expect to be able to successfully replace the LAN board by myself?

 

replacing lan board is better, if I were you il br doing that.

 

Good news. I was able to use a tiny flathead screwdriver and bend the pins back to a somewhat normal orientation. It doesn't look pretty, but at least the pins are in contact with the Ethernet cable once again and I have Internet through the port now.