AC68U regularly drops dhcp from ISP when inactive (sometime when active, too)

[canuck in the wilderness]

My RT-AC68U is currently sporting the stock ASUS 3.0.0.4.380_3264 firmware, but also previously used Merlin's 380.57 version. In both cases, the router regularly drops the dhcp address from my ISP (Shaw, in Canada) overnight, sometimes during the day (say after the lease expires, which is frequently only 1 hr), but the timing is inconsistent. Sometimes an hour, sometimes a few hours, sometimes when semi-active, and almost always when inactive for an extended period.

In either case I can't get an address back until I turn the WAN off, then back on again.

This happens regardless of whether in normal or aggressive mode.

I've done clean resets and reflashes, to no avail.

Having read some threads on this, the normal suggestion seems to be "change the cable between the modem and the router". I can't do that. My modem is in a town 25 km away where there is a cable connection, and I have a series of radio links passing the IPs (I also have a couple of static ones for other routers) to my home, which is very rural.

Is this a known issue at all with the AC68U or am I likely stuck with needing another static address (there goes another $10/month...) so as not to lose my connection regularly?

 

[L&LD]

I can't see how the router is at fault here? The radio links is where I would be seeing for any issues myself.

 

[canuck in the wilderness]

I can't see how the router is at fault here? The radio links is where I would be seeing for any issues myself.

I get that - but then I think about networks where the dhcp request/response is made through many routers, switches and other cabling and where the connection is nowhere near "direct" - and yet they all work (barring bad wiring of course). So why not here?

I do know I've had problems (at other locations) where dhcp hasn't worked through unmanaged switches, but mine are now all managed and VLANned, so that problem shouldn't exist. Latency is not high when the weather is decent, and not terrible when the weather is hideous.

Perhaps it's my lack of knowledge in networking but I can't understand why, if the messages actually get through for the request/receipt, why they wouldn't stay doing so. And why it continues to work for static addresses using exactly the same pathway (except different routers obviously). Same main switch, different VLANs.

I understand that the better the connection between router and modem, the better the signal, speed and everything else. But it should still work as long as both ends can talk, no?

 

[L&LD]

With radio, I think that they can't 'keep' talking as they should.

 

[canuck in the wilderness]

Update: during the last few days I've reflashed the router a few times - went from stock Asus fw to Merlin to John's fork then back to Merlin's 374.43_2 with necessary nvram erasing and reflashing, restoring defaults etc. in between.

The router now no longer drops the dhcp from my ISP (at least it hasn't in the past 24 hr).

However my ExpressVPN client doesn't seem to work on it at the moment. Haven't had time to debug it or try a different version as yet.

 

[Mears148]

I am having the same issues since upgrading to the newest 3341 release on my AC88U. I have to restart my router everyday it seems now. Unfortunately I can't downgrade with this release so I think I'm stuck. Anyone find a solution to this? Is this fixed in newest betas? I have Verizon DSL over PPPoE.

 

[Skillphil]

I am having the same issues since upgrading to the newest 3341 release on my AC88U. I have to restart my router everyday it seems now. Unfortunately I can't downgrade with this release so I think I'm stuck. Anyone find a solution to this? Is this fixed in newest betas? I have Verizon DSL over PPPoE.

Same goes for me with my AC88U i have Fiber (DHCP from ISP) and mostly when i make a Chance as QOS activate i must Reset my Router... Newest Merlin Firmware doesnt Fix it