ASUS RT-N66U new firmware version 178

[RMerlin]

Had WDS setup with one Rt-N66U as router and a second as a AP via WDS.
All worked fine under .112 but after .178 upgrade, it stopped working.
I can no longer find the Bridge option nor any mention of WDS on the AP unit unless it is in router mode.
Yes, I checked to see that all the settings tranferred. On the 2nd unit, they shw up correctly when t is in router mode.

Ready to give the RMerlin .168 a try.

thanks.

A lot has changed between 112 and 178. Have you tried doing a factory default reset? Just keep a backup of your settings, so if that does not resolve you issue, you can at least go back to your previous configuration.

 

[sidamos]

A question about the channel bandwidth.

When using 20 MHz on 2.4 GHz band, I have not so good signal outside the house. There are about 9 other networks competing. The range of the 5 GHz band is not good enough at this distance, so I have to use 2.4 GHz.

Then I set the router to 40 MHz, even though my Android tablet only uses 20 MHz. But I think the signal was more stable and stronger then compared to the router at 20 MHz. Is this to be expected?

Also, what does the setting "20/40" really mean?

Thanks!

 

[SoCalReviews]

20/40 mode

A question about the channel bandwidth.

When using 20 MHz on 2.4 GHz band, I have not so good signal outside the house. There are about 9 other networks competing. The range of the 5 GHz band is not good enough at this distance, so I have to use 2.4 GHz.

Then I set the router to 40 MHz, even though my Android tablet only uses 20 MHz. But I think the signal was more stable and stronger then compared to the router at 20 MHz. Is this to be expected?

Also, what does the setting "20/40" really mean?

Thanks!

Sidamos, This link might help explain how 20, 40, 20/40 and wireless N is suppose to work.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-features/31743-bye-bye-40-mhz-mode-in-24-ghz-part-1

 

[NeutralGold]

A question about the channel bandwidth.

When using 20 MHz on 2.4 GHz band, I have not so good signal outside the house. There are about 9 other networks competing. The range of the 5 GHz band is not good enough at this distance, so I have to use 2.4 GHz.

Then I set the router to 40 MHz, even though my Android tablet only uses 20 MHz. But I think the signal was more stable and stronger then compared to the router at 20 MHz. Is this to be expected?

Also, what does the setting "20/40" really mean?

Thanks!

20/40 is the channel width. Since you have quite a few devices around you, it would be best to use channels 1,6 or 11 and 20 mhz channel depending on interference. You can use inssider to check for interference levels. 40mhz channel means you're using a wider range outside of your channel which causes interference problems for you and other people, especially if people around you are using the channels in between 1,6, and 11.

 

[SoCalReviews]

20/40 is the channel width. Since you have quite a few devices around you, it would be best to use channels 1,6 or 11 and 20 mhz channel depending on interference. You can use inssider to check for interference levels. 40mhz channel means you're using a wider range outside of your channel which causes interference problems for you and other people, especially if people around you are using the channels in between 1,6, and 11.

Since I also live in an area crowded with 2.4Ghz users I check for interference using Wifi Analyzer for Android app...or just use the device's network scan to determine an open frequency and then set the wireless router to broadcast a fixed channel at 20Mhz. If 1,6 or 11 are not used by neighbors in close proximity those are optimal but if I experience interference problems or a weak signal then I find using 3 or 9 seems to also work very well with a 20Mhz bandwidth. There is a logic to this since most older g routers default to the usually over crowded channel 6 and using 3 or 9 maximizes frequency separation away from channel 6 while trying not to overlap too much with 1 or 11.

 

[sidamos]

OK, I know, that one *should* not use 40 MHz in a crowded 2.4 GHz band.

I had seen on my Android tablet (Wifi Analyzer), that 3 of my neighbors where using 2 channels with the same ID (maybe using repeaters, maybe using 40 MHz) and I was wondering, if this is the cause for my weak signal on the patio.

So, I did a test by setting my router to 40 MHz only and in this short test, my signal to my 20 MHz only Android tablet got better, but maybe it was coincidence.

 

[SoCalReviews]

OK, I know, that one *should* not use 40 MHz in a crowded 2.4 GHz band....

If 40Mhz works for you then I say do some more testing at 20Mhz and if 40Mhz works better then keep it set there. It might not be coincidence. Maybe your neighbor's routers automatically adjusted to accommodate room for your router's wider bandwidth wireless signal and channel. Just make sure you aren't starting any bandwidth battles in your neighborhood. Are you sure the device is only capable of 20Mhz? Is it a wireless g device instead of N?... because I believe the N router specification is designed to fall back its broadcast automatically for the g devices...but I'm not sure about "40Mhz only" setting. Maybe someone else here could confirm exactly how that is suppose to work since I actually don't claim to be an all knowing wireless router guru.

At my home I actually broadcast with two different routers...one for DSL and one for cable (yes I have both). I usually like using 1 or 11 for 40Mhz bandwidth but the neighbor's wireless broadcasts don't always make those the best choices so right now I have one router fixed on 1 at 20Mgz and the other router fixed on 9 at 20Mhz. There are three neighbors broadcasting a fairly weak signal (according to Wifi Analyzer) on channel 6, one on channel 7 and two on channel 11. The auto channel setting didn't work very well at all but I have had great success with fixed channels.

BTW...How well do you get along with your neighbors? I was going to mention the RT-N66U's Tx power setting options but I won't even go there if your current settings with 40Mhz only bandwidth is working well.

 

[sidamos]

The Android device is capable of wireless N, but the Wifi Analyzer app only shows my router occupying 20 MHz.

But inSSIDer on my Laptop shows it correctly, when my router is running at 40 MHz.

I already have set the TX power to 100mw, more is not legal in Europe... Does a higher setting (maybe 150) make a huge difference?

 

[SoCalReviews]

Goes to 11

I'm not sure if the basic Wifi Analyzer app actually detects whether a broadcast signal is 20Mhz or 40Mhz but I doubt it. It's an Android app to help you avoid channel interference by using simple basic references and doesn't provide detailed accuracy. inSSIDer or the detailed PC software based analyzers should provide more information.

100mw Tx power should be fine. I use the default of 80mw. As you probably already know for Europe and the rest of the world there may be more channels available than 1 - 11 (up to 14). In the states wireless routers only "go to 11".

 

[sidamos]

Yep, inSSIDer shows 11/7 when I set channel 11 and 40 MHz.

Someone not far away is already using channel 14. :-(

 

[2000wolf]

Guest WLAN settings control main WLAN

I've just updated from .151 to .178.

Because I don't need a guest WLAN I' ve disabled it. After doing so my regular WLAN also disappeared...

My findings: The SSID and WPA2 key of the guest WLAN and the main WLAN are identical too. One has to enable guest WLAN in order to have the regular WLAN. Very strange behavior!

RMerlin suffers your FW from the same Asus bug?

 

[SoCalReviews]

2000wolf, Did you try changing the name of the guest WLAN (like simply adding a " -guest " to the SSID guest name) to see if that solved the problem of the regular WLAN disappearing when you disable the guest WLAN?

 

[RMerlin]

I've just updated from .151 to .178.

Because I don't need a guest WLAN I' ve disabled it. After doing so my regular WLAN also disappeared...

My findings: The SSID and WPA2 key of the guest WLAN and the main WLAN are identical too. One has to enable guest WLAN in order to have the regular WLAN. Very strange behavior!

RMerlin suffers your FW from the same Asus bug?

I never had that problem - I have guest WLAN disabled here. I only enabled it once for a test, and then I re-disabled it. However it's not something that I changed in my firmware, the behaviour will be the same as with the original firmware.

 

[2000wolf]

2000wolf, Did you try changing the name of the guest WLAN (like simply adding a " -guest " to the SSID guess name) to see if that solved the problem of the regular WLAN disappearing when you disable the guest WLAN?

Yes I changed the name of the guest WLAN however that action changed the name of the regular WLAN, too.
E.g. regular WLAN's SSID was WLAN-xyz, guest WLAN was surprisingly WLAN-xyz, too. Then I went to the guest WLAN page, changed that SSID to WLAN-xyz-guest. And then the regular WLAN's SSID was changed simultaneously in the same way...

 

[2000wolf]

I never had that problem - I have guest WLAN disabled here. I only enabled it once for a test, and then I re-disabled it. However it's not something that I changed in my firmware, the behaviour will be the same as with the original firmware.

Maybe the settings are mixed up after some updates without factory resets.
I'm going to wait for your future .182 based custom FW because I expect that your 64 K RAM version will wipe out all that historic "waste".

 

[2000wolf]

I couldn't wait for .182 so I upgraded to RMerlin's .178.15.
The result was the same: Only after activating the guest WLAN my regular WLAN was available.

As RMerlin mentioned he didn't change there anything so this is definitive an Asus related bug obviously only visible if one uses the RT-N66U as an access point. The old .151 had not that bug.

I appreciate RMerlin's outstanding work and will keep on using his custumized fw.

 

[DaveMishSr]

I've just updated from .151 to .178.

Because I don't need a guest WLAN I' ve disabled it. After doing so my regular WLAN also disappeared...

My findings: The SSID and WPA2 key of the guest WLAN and the main WLAN are identical too. One has to enable guest WLAN in order to have the regular WLAN. Very strange behavior!

RMerlin suffers your FW from the same Asus bug?

I am using version 208 of the AiCloud beta firmware which is 64k-nvram enabled! I have both a 2.4GHz and a 5GHz guest network set up and I am not experiencing any such issues. In fact, it is running perfectly, or so it seems. I would suggest backing up your configuration and then telnet into the router and erase the nvram using the "mtd-erase -d nvram" command and then "reboot". If you still have the issue I would reflash and erase the nvram both before and after flashing just to be safe. Good luck!

 

[2000wolf]

Well the "mtd-erase -d nvram" and then "reboot" commands didn't solve the issue. Sorry, I had no time to reflash the fw and repeat that commands afterwards.

However I can report further findings in AP mode:
- Though my regular WLAN is gone after deactivating the guest WLAN the 2,4 GHz status LED is still on.
- If I reactivate the guest WLAN (what actually activates my regular WLAN) then when I mouse over the respective area at the GUI in the right upper corner just right of the fw version number it tells me that guest WLAN is deactivated...
- myabe a different bug: If I want to adjust the transmit power e.g reduce it from 80 to 40 mW then before that I have to click on all days when WLAN shall be available.

To me that means that with the current fw it's not possible for me to have an additional guest WLAN.

 

[Mrwirez]

Can anyone on using: Firmware Version:3.0.0.3.178.15 (Merlin build)
CONFIRM ipv6 working?

I have Comcast and I verified with tech support ipv6 is enabled in my area. I have a Motorola Surfboard SB6121 DOC-3 cable modem...

I have tried using the native DHCP-PD settings with advertising on. I fail the IPv6 test HERE: http://test-ipv6.comcast.net/ Weird because it passed running ASUS 3.0.0.3.162 build...

Any help would be much appreciated....

Thanks ---------------->[No Expert]

 

[richto]

20/40 is the channel width. Since you have quite a few devices around you, it would be best to use channels 1,6 or 11 and 20 mhz channel depending on interference. You can use inssider to check for interference levels. 40mhz channel means you're using a wider range outside of your channel which causes interference problems for you and other people, especially if people around you are using the channels in between 1,6, and 11.

Actually the recommendation for most of the world is to use channels 1, 5, 9 and 13.