Ac86u most stable firmware

[Sohaib Sarwar]

Just got me new ac86u and trying to find out which stock or Merlin is most stable firmware. I have been reading and some people reporting issue like rebooting preodicaly using Merlin. I am coming from N66U which was extremely stable. Only reason I am upgrading to have ac device connect. Also, please let me the steps to upgrade forfor Mer since it will be out of the box. I heard people talking about factory rest and power cycle. Thanks in advance.

 

[Treadler]

Just got me new ac86u and trying to find out which stock or Merlin is most stable firmware. I have been reading and some people reporting issue like rebooting preodicaly using Merlin. I am coming from N66U which was extremely stable. Only reason I am upgrading to have ac device connect. Also, please let me the steps to upgrade forfor Mer since it will be out of the box. I heard people talking about factory rest and power cycle. Thanks in advance.

I’ve been running the new alpha for 8 days, no hassles thus far.......

Out of the box, do all your configuration, let the router update to whatever factory firmware it likes.
Then jump over to Merlin as you require. I don’t think you’ll need to reset a new unit, no rubbish to get rid of?

https://asuswrt.lostrealm.ca/download

 

[Zarrow]

I got my AC86U a couple of days ago. Did a basic configuration on the stock firmware, saved that. Flashed to Merlin 384.7 through the web interface. No problems so far.

 

[PolarBear]

trying to find out which stock or Merlin is most stable firmware

-1-
Merlin wrote elsewhere on the forum that he concentrates more on ironing out any problems in the stock software, rather than adding new features. So generally the Merlin build can be expected to be more stable than stock.

As an example, I am running 384.6_alph2_g5b076fc87 on a RT-AC86U with uptime right now of 107 days.

IMHO that is very stable, especially as it is an alpha version and not the production release !

(Yes, I know the alpha version is intended for testing only, and that I should really update to something more recent, but sometimes other things in life have to take priority When I find the time I intend to update to the final 384.6 or 384.7.)


-2-
For maximum stability, after updating you may want to do a factory reset and power disconnect (details elsewhere on the forum). It adds only a few minutes, but doing the job properly the first time is often quicker in the long run.

 

[Sohaib Sarwar]

-1-
Merlin wrote elsewhere on the forum that he concentrates more on ironing out any problems in the stock software, rather than adding new features. So generally the Merlin build can be expected to be more stable than stock.

As an example, I am running 384.6_alph2_g5b076fc87 on a RT-AC86U with uptime right now of 107 days.

IMHO that is very stable, especially as it is an alpha version and not the production release !

(Yes, I know the alpha version is intended for testing only, and that I should really update to something more recent, but sometimes other things in life have to take priority When I find the time I intend to update to the final 384.6 or 384.7.)


-2-
For maximum stability, after updating you may want to do a factory reset and power disconnect (details elsewhere on the forum). It adds only a few minutes, but doing the job properly the first time is often quicker in the long run.

Thanks for this onfo. Where do I find the alpha? I wondering if this is under Beta which I never really browse through. Also, do you where I can find specifics steps for flashing the fiemwfir for Merlin and how many power cycle, factory should I be doing on a router that is out of the box. Thanks again

 

[Sohaib Sarwar]

I got my AC86U a couple of days ago. Did a basic configuration on the stock firmware, saved that. Flashed to Merlin 384.7 through the web interface. No problems so far.

What work speed your seeing on your 2G? I am on 384.7 now and seeing only 5mb which can't right. I spent all night trying to figure out, changing configuration in 2G band and still no go. I even revert to stock and still same thing. I am thinking this is just bad device since i purchased used from Amazon.

 

[loveleeyoungae]

Also, do you where I can find specifics steps for flashing the fiemwfir for Merlin and how many power cycle, factory should I be doing on a router that is out of the box. Thanks again

FYI, these are steps that can ensure a successful factory-reset (flash) of any firmware:
1. Ssh'ed into the router to erase nvram (and write firmware):
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# mtd-erase2 nvram
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# nvram erase
(admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# ls
Your-ac86u-firmware-here.trx
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# mtd-write2 Your-ac86u-firmware-here.trx linux
linux: CRC OK)
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# mtd-erase2 nvram
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# nvram erase
2. Turned off the router at this step for 5 seconds.
3. Hold the WPS button and turned on the router. Released it when the power led started blinking.
4. Waited for the router boot up to access welcome page: set Router mode, automatic IP, change SSIDs names & passwords, changed admin password.

 

[Sanna1967]

Where do I find the alpha?

here : Pre-Beta test builds
https://asuswrt.lostrealm.ca/download

 

[PolarBear]

Where do I find the alpha?

@Sohaib Sarwar
If I understand correctly from your first post, you would prefer to use a very stable version.

In this case, it would be better to avoid any alpha or beta versions, which are really test versions before the finished product is released.

Better would be to load the "stable (current)" version shown on Merlin's web page here:
https://asuswrt.lostrealm.ca/download

The only reason I mentioned the alpha version was to illustrate that even the test versions (alpha and beta) of Merlin's software are very stable. I'm sorry if this lead to any confusion.

 

[Hawk]

Just want to add after flashing, do perform factory reset. This is especially important when coming from stock version or any other version which is not merlin.

 

[TonyK132]

FYI, these are steps that can ensure a successful factory-reset (flash) of any firmware:
1. Ssh'ed into the router to erase nvram (and write firmware):
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# mtd-erase2 nvram
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# nvram erase
(admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# ls
Your-ac86u-firmware-here.trx
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# mtd-write2 Your-ac86u-firmware-here.trx linux
linux: CRC OK)
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# mtd-erase2 nvram
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# nvram erase
2. Turned off the router at this step for 5 seconds.
3. Hold the WPS button and turned on the router. Released it when the power led started blinking.
4. Waited for the router boot up to access welcome page: set Router mode, automatic IP, change SSIDs names & passwords, changed admin password.

Sorry for the NOOB questions, but your step 1 is really 5 steps, with maybe the addition of 1 or 2 reboots in the middle? Also, in step 1c (the ls cmd), what are you looking for? That the dir is empty? But what if it is not? Just delete the files? Also in 1d, are you verifying the CRC against the CRC that Merlin provided?

 

[loveleeyoungae]

Sorry for the NOOB questions, but your step 1 is really 5 steps, with maybe the addition of 1 or 2 reboots in the middle? Also, in step 1c (the ls cmd), what are you looking for? That the dir is empty? But what if it is not? Just delete the files? Also in 1d, are you verifying the CRC against the CRC that Merlin provided?

The commands were run continuously without reboot, so I collected them in "one step". And I meant you should have uploaded the firmware to the router, hence the command "ls" to make sure that the fw was in the directory before we could run the flash command. After the fw had been flashed, the terminal output that CRC check, which would help ensure that the command had been run successfully.

 

[Sohaib Sarwar]

FYI, these are steps that can ensure a successful factory-reset (flash) of any firmware:
1. Ssh'ed into the router to erase nvram (and write firmware):
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# mtd-erase2 nvram
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# nvram erase
(admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# ls
Your-ac86u-firmware-here.trx
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# mtd-write2 Your-ac86u-firmware-here.trx linux
linux: CRC OK)
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# mtd-erase2 nvram
admin@RT-AC68U-11C8:/tmp/home/root# nvram erase
2. Turned off the router at this step for 5 seconds.
3. Hold the WPS button and turned on the router. Released it when the power led started blinking.
4. Waited for the router boot up to access welcome page: set Router mode, automatic IP, change SSIDs names & passwords, changed admin password.

When running mtd-erase2 nvram on my AC86U getting not found in putty. Any suggestions?

 

[Hawk]

When running mtd-erase2 nvram on my AC86U getting not found in putty. Any suggestions?

mtd-erase2 command is not valid for rt-ac86, it is completely different architecture compare to all previous routers. Instead here is what you should do to make sure you smooth operation with current router after firmware upgrade.

1. Install current merlin firmware, just like any other firmware.
2. While powered on reset router by pressing reset button on back of router with pen or sharp tip, ensure your hold long enough for power light start blinking.
3. Wait for router to complete it's initialization process and then configure your router normally. Do NOT load setting from previous back up, instead redo all of it from scratch.

If you still have questions just ask.

 

[Karlston]

2. While powered on reset router by pressing reset button on back of router with pen or sharp tip, ensure your hold long enough for power light start blinking.

Or Factory Default / Restore in the UI?

Any advantage to also resetting the router before the firmware upgrade?

 

[Sanna1967]

Any advantage to also resetting the router before the firmware upgrade?

no

 

[GS1]

Just got me new ac86u and trying to find out which stock or Merlin is most stable firmware. I have been reading and some people reporting issue like rebooting preodicaly using Merlin. I am coming from N66U which was extremely stable. Only reason I am upgrading to have ac device connect. Also, please let me the steps to upgrade forfor Mer since it will be out of the box. I heard people talking about factory rest and power cycle. Thanks in advance.

i have an AC86U running latest Merlin 384.9
i have problems in that, when i reboot the router i get to stage where it says "Complete" then it just loops and never returns to GUI, i have to power off at back of router

also, there are instances where the GUI freezes on Chrome , "waiting 192.168.1.1" then no GUI, but the Router still functions.

strange as never had this with the RTAC68U

any advice would be welcome.

 

[L&LD]

i have an AC86U running latest Merlin 384.9
i have problems in that, when i reboot the router i get to stage where it says "Complete" then it just loops and never returns to GUI, i have to power off at back of router

also, there are instances where the GUI freezes on Chrome , "waiting 192.168.1.1" then no GUI, but the Router still functions.

strange as never had this with the RTAC68U

any advice would be welcome.

Do a full reset to factory defaults followed by a minimal and manual configuration to secure the router and connect to your ISP. Do not use a saved backup config file.

See the links below for further info.

 

[Billy Chaney]

i have an AC86U running latest Merlin 384.9
i have problems in that, when i reboot the router i get to stage where it says "Complete" then it just loops and never returns to GUI, i have to power off at back of router

also, there are instances where the GUI freezes on Chrome , "waiting 192.168.1.1" then no GUI, but the Router still functions.

strange as never had this with the RTAC68U

any advice would be welcome.

Try logging in using 192.168.50.1. I tried to change my AC86U to 192.168.1.1 and it kept going back to 192.168.50.1