Release Asuswrt-Merlin 386.12 is now available for AC models

Clark Griswald · Sep 5, 2023

Dirty from beta, and No Issues with AC86 in AP.
Can confirm Custom Device Icons now working.
As Always, Thank You RMerlin.

bennor · Sep 5, 2023

Benjamin John said:
Wow, I never knew that. I think I had this router since 2016 and have run merlin on it for a few years. First time seeing this message.

There are several sticked threads about it in various subforums (see here and here). However there has been a slight change; note what RMerlin stated recently in another sticked thread about the TM-AC1900:

After discussing it with @thiggins, we agreed that at this point, considering this device has long been EOL, it was time to drop this rule. If people can find ways to avoid TM-AC1900 from ending up as e-waste, then it's a Good Thing, and as this is an 8 years old device, I doubt either T-Mobile or Asus would complain.

That being said, one thing stays unchanged: that device is NOT support by Asuswrt-Merlin, and anyone trying to get things to work on it is entirely on their own, as I won't waste my time (or the community's time) trying to help people figure out issues that are caused by Asus's undisclosed protection measures they might have in place.

While the router is not supported by Asus-Merlin one can run the latest Asus-Merlin or stock Asus firmware on it provided the router was properly jailbroken and the MTD5 partition "fix" has been applied. There are several websites and posts elsewhere one can find doing a simple/basic internet search (using the term "TM-AC1900") that explain how to properly jailbreak the router to save it from becoming "e-waste". If one is having trouble, see those other discussions where there may be solutions to your issue there.

RMerlin · Sep 5, 2023

KrypteX said:
Is it required to clean NVRAM with the `clear_vpnclients.sh` script when upgrading directly from 386.10 to 386.12?

Yes. Anyone upgrading for the first time post-386.10 needs to run the script to remove the unused variables.

John Adler · Sep 5, 2023

Dirty flash over the 386.11 version
so far everything fine
thks Merlin

MysticGold04 · Sep 5, 2023

RMerlin said:

Asuswrt-Merlin 386.12 is now available for all supported AC models

Changes since 386.11:

Code:

386.12 (4-Sept-2023)
  - UPDATED: Merged with GPL 386_51997.
  - UPDATED: curl to 8.1.2.
  - UPDATED: OpenVPN to 2.6.6.
  - UPDATED: openssl to 1.1.1u.
  - UPDATED: tor to 0.4.7.13.
  - CHANGED: FTP server will now only support strong ciphers
             in TLS mode.
  - FIXED: QOS Classification showing no Upload data on some
           WAN configurations.
  - FIXED: Radio temperature graphs weren't updating
  - FIXED: nvram usage reported on Sysinfo page was inaccurate
           as it included JFFS stored values.

Downloads are here.
Changelog is here.

Thank you, Merlin.
All working well- AP and Media Bridges working good so far! Will this be your last release for AC hardware??

heywire · Sep 5, 2023

RMerlin said:
Yes. Anyone upgrading for the first time post-386.10 needs to run the script to remove the unused variables.

What issues arise if this is not done? And where can I find the guide on how to do this procedure?

bennor · Sep 5, 2023

heywire said:
What issues arise if this is not done? And where can I find the guide on how to do this procedure?

The directions are in the 386.x change log file under 386.11 (14-May-2023) section:

Code:

- CHANGED: Reduce max OpenVPN clients to 2 for RT-AC68U and
DSL-AC68U due to lack of NVRAM on these two
models.  Note that existing settings are not
automatically removed, you must run the following
command over SSH to remove them from nvram and
the /jffs/openvpn/ directory:

clear_vpnclients.sh

A backup will be saved in /jffs/openvpn_backup.tgz.

If one doesn't clear out the VPN clients then they'll potentially be taking up NVRAM space potentially leading to low NVRAM warnings and possible flaky issues with the RT-AC68U/DSL-AC68U routers. Plenty of other discussions to be found using the search feature about low NVRAM on the RT-AC68U router and issues that arise from it along with ways to try an combat it prior to the 386.11 firmware.

Subkulture · Sep 5, 2023

Running since last night with no issues - Thanks Merlin dude

RMerlin · Sep 5, 2023

MysticGold04 said:
Will this be your last release for AC hardware??

No, there will probably be at least component updates at some point in the coming months. 386.12 will probably be the last GPL merge for the RT-AC88U/AC3100/AC5300 however as these are now EOL by Asus. It will all depend on what Asus releases GPL-wise in the coming months.

Darkje · Sep 5, 2023

Wanabo said:
Upgraded RT-AC88U (mesh master) and a RT-AC86U_RT-AC2900 (slave) from 386.11 to 386.12. No issues discovered yet.
It seems my RT-AC88U lost 2.4 Ghz a couple of months ago. I was hoping a new firmware would trigger 2.4 Ghz to go working again.
I don't think it's related to firmware, but to the router itself. When I have a little bit more spare time, i'll do a factory reset to see if this revives 2.4 Ghz. For the moment I'll manage with 2.4 Ghz from my mesh slave.

Perhaps a USB drive attached?

heywire · Sep 5, 2023

bennor said:
The directions are in the 386.x change log file under 386.11 (14-May-2023) section:

Code:

- CHANGED: Reduce max OpenVPN clients to 2 for RT-AC68U and DSL-AC68U due to lack of NVRAM on these two models. Note that existing settings are not automatically removed, you must run the following command over SSH to remove them from nvram and the /jffs/openvpn/ directory: clear_vpnclients.sh A backup will be saved in /jffs/openvpn_backup.tgz.

If one doesn't clear out the VPN clients then they'll potentially be taking up NVRAM space potentially leading to low NVRAM warnings and possible flaky issues with the RT-AC68U/DSL-AC68U routers. Plenty of other discussions to be found using the search feature about low NVRAM on the RT-AC68U router and issues that arise from it along with ways to try an combat it prior to the 386.11 firmware.

Not enough notice IMO, should be written clearly in the firmware upgrade page in the WebGUI.

Am I right in assuming that this only applies if I'm doing a "dirty" upgrade from one Merlin version to another?

What will happen if I switch to official firmware and back, will it get cleared out then?

Deleted member 84281 · Sep 5, 2023

heywire said:
What will happen if I switch to official firmware and back, will it get cleared out then?

At this point it's just best to upgrade to AX. AC routers are hitting End of Life pretty quickly now and support is ending.

colossus · Sep 5, 2023

GT-AC2900 dirty upgrade 386.11 to 386.12 - AP mode OK

Thank you Merlin!

Kitsap · Sep 5, 2023

AC68U, dirty update from 386.11 on an Ethernet connected PC using Firefox. All smooth.

Merlin, once again, thank you for your efforts.

Squall Leonhart · Sep 6, 2023

J23 said:
Thats the problem. It's not a supported model and it's illegal to run this firmware on it.

American consumer law disagrees with you, this forum has been in the wrong the entire time just because "Asus" said so, and it should have been brought up and contested long ago rather than rolling over for them.

heywire · Sep 6, 2023

J23 said:
At this point it's just best to upgrade to AX. AC routers are hitting End of Life pretty quickly now and support is ending.

I don't know what question you are answering exactly, but at this point, I see absolutely no reason to upgrade to AX.

atkinsom · Sep 6, 2023

heywire said:
I don't know what question you are answering exactly, but at this point, I see absolutely no reason to upgrade to AX.

I upgraded my AC68U to an AX recently but gave it my senior parents and they love it. The 68U gives them way better range than their Bell modem and they love the idea of the OpenVPN server on the router for travel purposes (let's Dad connect to his gambling pony sites in Canada without regional blocks)....works for them as they just want good speed and range.

ColinTaylor · Sep 6, 2023

Squall Leonhart said:
American consumer law disagrees with you, this forum has been in the wrong the entire time just because "Asus" said so, and it should have been brought up and contested long ago rather than rolling over for them.

The forum wasn't wrong. The issue was never about the hardware it was the software licencing. The current firmware includes proprietary software (AiMesh, TrendMicro, etc.) that was never licenced for use by TMobile on the routers they sold (because it didn't exist at that time). It's no different than you buying a PC with an OEM version of Windows XP installed on it. That does not give you the right to install a retail version of Windows 11 on it without paying the appropriate fee. There's nothing to stop you running open source software on your router or PC.

Tomo · Sep 6, 2023

Is there a fix for this vulnerability in the Ac86u firmware?

L&LD · Sep 6, 2023

From the changelogs, no. But that doesn't mean it isn't there already.

Thread starter	Title	Forum	Replies	Date
B	Unable to establish VPN connection to my PiVPN (ovpn) from my Asus RT-AC86U running Asuswrt-Merlin 386.14	Asuswrt-Merlin	1	Oct 27, 2024
	Release Asuswrt-Merlin 386.14 is now available for AC models	Asuswrt-Merlin	201	Jul 20, 2024
	Beta Asuswrt-Merlin 386.14 beta is now available	Asuswrt-Merlin	35	Jul 1, 2024
	Release Asuswrt-Merlin 386.13 / 386.13_2 is now available for AC models	Asuswrt-Merlin	79	Apr 7, 2024
	Beta Asuswrt-Merlin 386.13 beta is now available for AC models	Asuswrt-Merlin	32	Mar 28, 2024
	Release Asuswrt-Merlin 386.12_6 is now available for AC models	Asuswrt-Merlin	168	Feb 26, 2024
	Release Asuswrt-Merlin 3004.388.8_4 is now available	Asuswrt-Merlin	26	Yesterday at 3:41 PM
	Release Asuswrt-Merlin 3006.102.2 is now available for Wifi 7 devices	Asuswrt-Merlin	62	Nov 3, 2024
F	Several Questions Re:Asuswrt-Merlin Feature Implementation	Asuswrt-Merlin	2	Oct 16, 2024
	How to enable port randomization in Asuswrt-Merlin?	Asuswrt-Merlin	4	Oct 12, 2024

Release Asuswrt-Merlin 386.12 is now available for AC models

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