[ALPHA] 386.9_alpha1 for WiFi 5 (802.11ac) Models (GT-AC2900, RT-AC68U, and RT-AC86U)

[RMerlin]

Thank you for the good intentions, but get ready for questions "is latest CVE-xxxx included" and "when is feature X coming"... as usual.

That would not be anything new, I get these even for models I provide more frequent update to...

 

[heysoundude]

Let's make AC86U great again!

well, at least until the AX86u is C$250 or less regular price lol

 

[Tech9]

You don't need AX86U, trust me. You use IPv6 and ADSL connection. QoS is broken on latest firmware with IPv6 enabled. The GUI is broken... and I started seeing it after some time playing with it. There is always something broken on this one. This 386.9 firmware for AC86U is like fresh air. One day on my way to Niagara I may stop by you and drop the AX86U dud so you can see. May not want it back after.

 

[maxbraketorque]

The Dec 16 alpha 1 has been running stably for a few weeks now at my cabin AC86U main/AP combo. Nothing unusual in the router logs. Hopefully the incoming GPL will maintain that.

The one feature I wish would be fixed is for the Client List to work reliably over long periods. I know its out of Merlin's hands, but I don't understand why ASUS can't fix this long standing issue.

 

[Tech9]

I don't even look at Client List anymore. It's very inconsistent on all firmware versions I've seen and on different model Asus routers.

 

[Smokey613]

I have tried RT-AX86S, RT-AX86U and GT-AX6000 lately, I still have the 2 AX86 units as I have until 01-31-23 to return them to Amazon.

None of them work as well with my farthest 2.4g IoT devices as do my 2 RT-AC86U units. I consistently get better performance on the wifi of the RT-AC86U.

I only have 2 AX devices (iPhones) and with my limited ISP bandwidth AX speed really does not matter.

I am seriously thinking about putting a single RT-AC86U back online, loaded with the latest RMerlin in place of my current setup to test how well it works.

My current setup works well enough, even though the USB cell modem is intermittent due to poor cell signal.

 

[Tech9]

After reading @Smokey613 post above I have a different offer for @heysoundude - swap my AX86U for his working AC86U.

 

[capncybo]

I have tried RT-AX86S, RT-AX86U and GT-AX6000 lately, I still have the 2 AX86 units as I have until 01-31-23 to return them to Amazon.

None of them work as well with my farthest 2.4g IoT devices as do my 2 RT-AC86U units. I consistently get better performance on the wifi of the RT-AC86U.

I only have 2 AX devices (iPhones) and with my limited ISP bandwidth AX speed really does not matter.

I am seriously thinking about putting a single RT-AC86U back online, loaded with the latest RMerlin in place of my current setup to test how well it works.

My current setup works well enough, even though the USB cell modem is intermittent due to poor cell signal.

Not to throw salt in the wounds but... In my testing I've also noticed that my (two) RT-AC68U had better 2.4G range than my RT-AX86U
Maybe you happen to have an old one laying around gathering dust?

 

[Smokey613]

Not to throw salt in the wounds but... In my testing I've also noticed that my (two) RT-AC68U had better 2.4G range than my RT-AX86U
Maybe you happen to have an old one laying around gathering dust?

Actually I have a 1900P on loan to a neighbor. The last time I checked, it was still working great and had an uptime of almost 9 months. I have it on a UPS and the last time it went offline was due to his wife rearranging furniture and unplugged it.

 

[capncybo]

Actually I have a 1900P on loan to a neighbor. The last time I checked, it was still working great and had an uptime of almost 9 months. I have it on a UPS and the last time it went offline was due to his wife rearranging furniture and unplugged it.

Yeah & especially with me turning 50 Yesterday, I'll re-quote my OLD saying... "Newer isn't always Better" LOL

 

[Smokey613]

Yeah & especially with me turning 50 Yesterday, I'll re-quote my OLD saying... "Newer isn't always Better" LOL

50 ?? ... you are just a "youngster" !! I have 20 years on you.

 

[dave14305]

The one feature I wish would be fixed is for the Client List to work reliably over long periods. I know its out of Merlin's hands, but I don't understand why ASUS can't fix this long standing issue.

I think it goes back to the AC86U “stuck commands” issue. If you find it not refreshing anymore, login over ssh and run:

kill $(pidof asusdiscovery)

Won’t solve all the issues with it, but unsticks it when it gets stuck.

 

[Clark Griswald]

386.9 beta

Currently working well in my environment

 

[maxbraketorque]

I think it goes back to the AC86U “stuck commands” issue. If you find it not refreshing anymore, login over ssh and run:

kill $(pidof asusdiscovery)

Won’t solve all the issues with it, but unsticks it when it gets stuck.

Thanks! Can I script this to run once per week?

 

[heysoundude]

Yeah & especially with me turning 50 Yesterday, I'll re-quote my OLD saying... "Newer isn't always Better" LOL

Belated Happy Birthday! I passed that milestone this year too

 

[capncybo]

Belated Happy Birthday! I passed that milestone this year too

Awww thanks dude, & if it makes you feel better... my card said,
"Don't think of it as 50, think of it as being 5 perfect 10's !!!"

 

[Tech9]

"Don't think of it as 50, think of it as being 5 perfect 10's !!!"

You're 18 with 32 years of experience.

 

[capncybo]

You're 18 with 32 years of experience.

LOL, that's a keeper also ;-)

 

[maxbraketorque]

Thanks! Can I script this to run once per week?

I figured it out myself. I added the following item to services-start to create a cron job at boot time to restart the client list every week at 12:30 am:

cru a mbtrstrtclst "30 0 * * 0 kill $(pidof asusdiscovery)"

Seems like this is a solution that Merlin could incorporate into his firmware to get around the issue until ASUS fixes it (if ever).

 

[Tech9]

I think it goes back to the AC86U “stuck commands” issue. If you find it not refreshing anymore, login over ssh and run:

kill $(pidof asusdiscovery)

Won’t solve all the issues with it, but unsticks it when it gets stuck.

I'm getting:

kill: you need to specify whom to kill

I'm not doing something right, I guess. I have a list of names and addresses here... if this is what the router is asking for...