ASUS 86U dropping out should I upgrade to Merlin?

[agentsmith1]

Hi there

My ASUS 86U keeps dropping devices off the network and sometimes the whole network drops out. This is occurring daily and I’m about to go nuts. I have also gone from 250down to about 75down. A hard reset usually fixes problem temporarily.

Should I upgrade to Merlin to have more control and to have a better experience all round? Will upgrading to Merlin at default level possibly iron out the issue or will I need to be changing channels etc ?

is there a latest instruction guide to set up Merlin with optimal settings?
thx in advance

 

[Tech9]

Asuswrt-Merlin doesn't improve anything Wi-Fi. If your router doesn't work properly in Asuswrt, it won't work properly in Asuswrt-Merlin as well. This particular AC86U is known for overheating issues and frequent hardware failures. I would replace the router and solve the problem permanently.

 

[L&LD]

What features/options and scripts are you using on the router past the defaults after a full reset?

What firmware?

What are your ISP speeds?

How do you use your network normally? How many devices are connected and in use, concurrently?

How are you resetting and reconfiguring the router?

Are your ambient temperatures high?

Are you using the router as a NAS, with a HDD plugged in?

What devices are dropping?

 

[bbunge]

AC86U or AX86U? Does make a difference..
Asus firmware for either router works very well especially the recent releases.
Are you shure you are doing a hard factory reset correctly? https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1039078

 

[Tech9]

AC86U or AX86U?

Read his other posts. It's RT-AC86U. I would check Wi-Fi settings first. It's a new unit, something in configuration is perhaps wrong. DFS channels?

 

[agentsmith1]

What features/options and scripts are you using on the router past the defaults after a full reset?

None running as stock

What firmware?

Firmware Version:3.0.0.4.386_45956

What are your ISP speeds?
80meg down 22up
277.01 at the modem

How do you use your network normally? How many devices are connected and in use, concurrently?

Sonos gear x3 1x android player, 4 phones 1 other bluetooth speaker

How are you resetting and reconfiguring the router?

running stock reset by turning off at back 10 secs or hard reset killing power also set to to auto reboot 3 times a week

Are your ambient temperatures high?

where do i check these please?

Are you using the router as a NAS, with a HDD plugged in?

no

What devices are dropping?

sonos gear and other devices

hope this helps

 

[Tech9]

First, make sure your router is in well ventilated place. Open the GUI and copy/paste this link in your browser to see current CPU temperature:
router.asus.com/ajax_coretmp.asp (above 90C with no load - it needs more air)

Second, solve issues one at a time with Sonos first and other devices after. I believe you have incompatible settings enabled like Airtime Fairness, Protected Management Frames, Universal Beamforming, etc. Select Auto channel @20MHz for 2.4GHz and channel 36 @20-40-80MHz for 5GHz. Test again.

 

[L&LD]

Turning off the power or pulling the power plug isn't a reset. It is merely a reboot.

What are your paid-for ISP speeds? Up/down?

The ambient temperatures I'm asking about are the normal room temperatures (or range) in your home where the router is located.

Sonos is known to have issues with almost all modern routers. You may need their 'hub' to get them to work properly.

As @bbunge already noted above, use the method described below to do a proper reset. If successful, you will have the new network wizard when you first connect to the router, afterward.

[Wireless] ASUS router Hard Factory Reset | Official Support | ASUS Global


The following may be helpful to get stable and reliable base settings. Do not use the auto-reboot feature. You are merely masking (and/or introducing) possibly additional issues with the network.

Fully Reset / Best Practice Setup / More


The following link(s) may be also useful to get the router/network to a good/known state.

Almost all L&LD Links

About L&LD


The main thing to keep in mind is that toggling options and features on/off are not the same as leaving them at defaults (a full reset is usually required to get the router back to a good/known state). Change only the settings suggested in the best practice link. Do not 'blindly' use old settings that may have worked 'once upon a time'. Use a new SSID that is 8 alphanumeric characters long. Use a password that is 16 alphanumeric characters long. Do not use punctuation, spaces, smiley faces, or special characters in either of those fields.

Use the 'Auto' setting for each band for the Wireless mode. Use manual Control Channels for each band/radio.

Leave the router/network to settle down for 15 minutes after making changes, then do any testing, if any (I 'test' by just using the network normally). Test that the router/network will keep those settings by rebooting it after at least 15 minutes of uptime, then reboot once more after an additional hour or more. When you've manually changed Control Channels, be as patient as you can be (24 hours is ideal) to allow the APs around your home to move to other channels (as they're most likely on 'Auto').

Use the Better Search option at the top of the forum pages here to get more posts with the issues Sonos causes and possible fixes.

 

[agentsmith1]

Turning off the power or pulling the power plug isn't a reset. It is merely a reboot.

What are your paid-for ISP speeds? Up/down?

The ambient temperatures I'm asking about are the normal room temperatures (or range) in your home where the router is located.

Sonos is known to have issues with almost all modern routers. You may need their 'hub' to get them to work properly.

As @bbunge already noted above, use the method described below to do a proper reset. If successful, you will have the new network wizard when you first connect to the router, afterward.

[Wireless] ASUS router Hard Factory Reset | Official Support | ASUS Global


The following may be helpful to get stable and reliable base settings. Do not use the auto-reboot feature. You are merely masking (and/or introducing) possibly additional issues with the network.

Fully Reset / Best Practice Setup / More


The following link(s) may be also useful to get the router/network to a good/known state.

Almost all L&LD Links

About L&LD


The main thing to keep in mind is that toggling options and features on/off are not the same as leaving them at defaults (a full reset is usually required to get the router back to a good/known state). Change only the settings suggested in the best practice link. Do not 'blindly' use old settings that may have worked 'once upon a time'. Use a new SSID that is 8 alphanumeric characters long. Use a password that is 16 alphanumeric characters long. Do not use punctuation, spaces, smiley faces, or special characters in either of those fields.

Use the 'Auto' setting for each band for the Wireless mode. Use manual Control Channels for each band/radio.

Leave the router/network to settle down for 15 minutes after making changes, then do any testing, if any (I 'test' by just using the network normally). Test that the router/network will keep those settings by rebooting it after at least 15 minutes of uptime, then reboot once more after an additional hour or more. When you've manually changed Control Channels, be as patient as you can be (24 hours is ideal) to allow the APs around your home to move to other channels (as they're most likely on 'Auto').

Use the Better Search option at the top of the forum pages here to get more posts with the issues Sonos causes and possible fixes.

 

[agentsmith1]

I do have a Sonos Boost ready to install fyi

 

[agentsmith1]

Paid for speeds are 250 meg down and 25 up

 

[agentsmith1]

First, make sure your router is in well ventilated place. Open the GUI and copy/paste this link in your browser to see current CPU temperature:
router.asus.com/ajax_coretmp.asp (above 90C with no load - it needs more air)

Second, solve issues one at a time with Sonos first and other devices after. I believe you have incompatible settings enabled like Airtime Fairness, Protected Management Frames, Universal Beamforming, etc. Select Auto channel @20MHz for 2.4GHz and channel 36 @20-40-80MHz for 5GHz. Test again.

hi I got this
fanctrl_info = ; curr_cpuTemp = "80.232"; curr_rxData = fanctrl_info[3]; curr_coreTmp_2 = fanctrl_info[1]; curr_coreTmp_5 = fanctrl_info[2];

 

[Tech9]

The CPU temp is okay, work on your Wi-Fi settings.