Asus RT-AC68U problem

[Chris-I]

I am new here but am struggling with a problem on my Asus RT-AC 68U router and am looking for some advice as to how best to proceed.



Some background:
I have had the router for 2 years, without any issues, having bought new via an e bay seller.

In Jan 2020 I switched from a windows 10 pc to an I Mac and am still learning the Catalina OS

In early march I downloaded upgraded software for the Router and problems seem to have started around this time.

Symptoms are: System freezes intermittently when trying to update internet page.

This affects both LAN connected devices and wireless.

Internet comes back eventually but loading pages is extremely slow.

What have I done to try and fix problem:
Loaded later firmware update
Reboot router
Reboot Imac
Reboot open reach modem
Factory reset
Reached out to Asus support who advised:
Check the cables and asked if I had re loaded firmware after factory reset.

I updated the router online using the router itself to obtain the update. I think it possible that there were two updates between my previous update and the early March update.
I have now changed the cable from my IP provider fibre broadband box and the Asus router.
I have also changed the cable between the router and my I Mac.

Today I performed a firmware restoration using a windows 10 x64bit pc with a direct lan connection to the router closely following the instructions in the Asus“ how to use rescue mode(Firmware restoration) FAQ."
I installed the 3.0.0.4.385-10000 software from last November as I was sure that this was Ok when previously installed.
The restoration worked OK and the router re booted at the end of the process.
All worked Ok for a short time but once again the problems returned.
The router seems to loose internet connection for a varying period of time and sometimes comes back.

Changing to an ISP provided router cures the problem so am certain that the problem relates to the Asus router

Some observations form my side.
The system log seems to jump between todays date and the 5th of May.
The system log for the 24 th of March also shows a time discrepancy of 992651 minutes which equates to 689 days. 689 days before 24 March 2020 was May 5 2018

I am unsure if this time discrepancy is relevant.
I have found Asus warranty support very difficult to reach.
I have been switching routers to ensure access to internet.
I am somewhat of a novice when it comes to routers but am methodical when it comes to following advice and instructions so any help that the experts of this forum could give me would be much appreciated.

Original System details:
ASUS RT_AC68U
H/W Ver A2
F/W Ver 3.0.0.4.376_3602

Connections LAN
Imac
TP link system supporting
2X smart TV
2 X freesat boxes
2X freeview boxes



Wireless
2x I pad
2X I phone
Smart speaker
The attached screenshots may be relevant
View attachment 22312 View attachment 22312


Thanks for reading this plea

Chris

 

[Grisu]

5th May is after power on, there is no battery inside!
Maybe your bitten fruit brings all the troubles?

 

[ilicitano]

Try firmware Versión 3.0.0.4.384.45717 https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/...3.1444965981.1585661447-1863065017.1585661447

I had a similar problem and this firmware is the last one working fine.

 

[Chris-I]

Thanks for the suggestion
Unfortunately reverting to firmware 3.0.0.4.384.45717 has not helped.
I did a firmware restoration and uploaded this firmware but it took an extraordinary amount of time to input the system data for internet connection and wireless sids, passwords etc.
The link between the computer and router is extremely slow for inputting and I am still getting intermittent interruptions to internet.

I am totally Mystified by Grisu’s post?.

“5th May is after power on, there is no battery inside!
Maybe your bitten fruit brings all the troubles?“



The problem still remains and the interruptions and very slow speed makes internet access virtually unusable

I am unsure if it is a hardware or firmware problem but am convinced it is the router as replacing it resolves all the issues.

Thanks
Chris

 

[OzarkEdge]

I am totally Mystified by Grisu’s post?.

“5th May is after power on, there is no battery inside!

When the router reboots, it logs the time last stored at the factory. Eventually, the router updates to and logs current time.

OE

 

[Grisu]

After power on you will see 5th may 2018 in the logs or whatever comes from firmware. It will change to recent time after it got IP connection and updates time/date.
Whats unclear?
And what are bitten fruits? https://www.google.com/search?q=bitten+fruit
Some not-pear devices or iOS releases may have incompatibility issues too (other clients could as well).

 

[Chris-I]

After power on you will see 5th may 2018 in the logs or whatever comes from firmware. It will change to recent time after it got IP connection and updates time/date.
Whats unclear?
And what are bitten fruits? https://www.google.com/search?q=bitten+fruit
Some not-pear devices or iOS releases may have incompatibility issues too (other clients could as well).

Thanks for the clarification.
The only clues I have as to what the problem might be comes from the system log, which I do not fully understand so maybe missing crucial points or misinterpreting irrelevant information.

The log seems to indicate that the router has an absence and reverts back to May 2018 on its own without any power off or other reason.
In my frustration looking for a fix I have downloaded merlin software and installed it. Initially I thought that this had sorted the problem as the log indicated " an initial clock set" system seemed to work ok for a period but then reverted to freezing and no internet.

Still floundering looking for a solution but beginning to think that the router is done for.

I am currently using a Plusnet router which seems to work without problems.

System log attached for any expert that can interpret and identify the issue

Any advice much appreciated

 

[dlandiss]

The log seems to indicate that the router has an absence and reverts back to May 2018 on its own without any power off or other reason.

An off-the-wall thought: a failing power supply might temporarily power off the router, retutiong again when it cools down.

 

[AndreiV]

An off-the-wall thought: a failing power supply might temporarily power off the router, retutiong again when it cools down.

Not so off the wall, power supply failing is possible and also the temperature of the router, is that getting too hot?

@Chris-I you might want to remove your IP address from your images.

 

[Chris-I]

Not so off the wall, power supply failing is possible and also the temperature of the router, is that getting too hot?

@Chris-I you might want to remove your IP address from your images.

Thanks for the advice noted and actioned.
The power is supplied by a plugin transformer is this the potential problem or is it likely to be within the unit itself
With regard to router temperature I have not noticed it getting hot but is there any accurate way to get the temperature?

Probably silly questions but please excuse my ignorance

Thanks

 

[Grisu]

the adapter is meant, with Merlin on it temps are shown in his GUI, shouldn go above 80°C for CPU.
Buggy firmware or clients may bring the router down too to restart.

 

[wouterv]

To me it is totally unclear what you have done and not done to get the router back on track.
I suggest to start to revert the router to factory defaults:

1. Access the router configuration pages.
   
2. Select: Administration > Restore/Save/Upload Setting
   
3. Select: Initialize all the settings...
   
4. Hit Factory default: Restore
   
5. Access the router at the default IP address 192.168.1.1 and admin/admin
   
6. You shall get the router configuration wizard.
   
7. Manual enter a bare minimal configuration to get the router on the Internet (do not load an old configuration backup file).
8. Test the router behavior.

What firmware version is in the router?
Let's take it from here.

 

[Chris-I]

To me it is totally unclear what you have done and not done to get the router back on track.
I suggest to start to revert the router to factory defaults:

1. Access the router configuration pages.
   
2. Select: Administration > Restore/Save/Upload Setting
   
3. Select: Initialize all the settings...
   
4. Hit Factory default: Restore
   
5. Access the router at the default IP address 192.168.1.1 and admin/admin
   
6. You shall get the router configuration wizard.
   
7. Manual enter a bare minimal configuration to get the router on the Internet (do not load an old configuration backup file).
8. Test the router behavior.

What firmware version is in the router?
Let's take it from here.

I have performed the steps that you have detailed above and in addition a firmware restoration.
I have not loaded any old configuration files but reset all of the inputs using the wizard.
Based on the suggestion by Dlandiss I have checked the power supply and temperatures.
To get the temperatures I loaded the merlin firmware and am getting 76 c on CPU 47deg on 2.4 ghz and 51 deg on 5ghz.
I have changed the power supply from a board with surge protector to simple mains point.

Somewhere along the line this seems to have solved the problem and the system haas now been operating normally without any dropouts for almost 24 hours. It seems the power supply is very sensitive.

A very big thank you to Grisu, AndreiV and Dlandiss and of course wouterv for their help and suggestions I am not sure which one finally resolved the problem but it seems to have ended well.

Thanks!!