Release ASUS ZenWiFi XT8 Firmware version 3.0.0.4.388.21099 (2022/10/03 )

[damo2k]

Ok so this morning the node went "offline" again with the constant blinking blue LED. There was nothing in the logs showing "radar".
Therefore I started the process of downgrading the firmware on the router and node to 386.49873 and do a factory reset on both.

I did the router first, downgrade, factory reset, then setup. I then unplugged it and moved onto the node. It was quite difficult to connect to the node, as the blue LED kept flashing after startup, even after factory resetting a few times. I eventually was able to connect over ethernet to flash the older firmware, let it reboot and did a factory reset. The blue led flashing came back (on the older firmware!), and seemed to periodically restart itself. I did another factory reset and turned on the primary router. Eventually the node started up connected up to the mesh network itself. I though I would have to trigger this or at least hint that this is how I wanted it to operate, but it just joined the mesh network itself which was a bit strange, no? Hopefully there is no underlying hardware issue with the node.

Anyway both have been running for a few hours. Router and node are still in same locations in the house. I haven't moved them closer to each other yet. The are still connected via the 5GHZ-2 backhaul. The signal hovers between -62 to -69dBm (Great) and -70 to -72dBm (Good). I was able to achieve 501.87Mbps download and 51.22Mbps upload over wifi while connected to the node (verified I was connected to the node via the app). This is on a Virgin Media 500Mb/50Mb account. Hopefully the issues were only caused by the 388.21099 firmware. I guess time will tell.

 

[tgl]

Eventually the node started up connected up to the mesh network itself. I though I would have to trigger this or at least hint that this is how I wanted it to operate, but it just joined the mesh network itself which was a bit strange, no?

I believe that's SOP if you bought the units as a set: they arrive preconfigured to auto-pair with each other. I know that I've had to go to some lengths to keep my XT8s from auto-configuring into an AIMesh net after a reset, when I didn't want them to. I doubt that units bought separately would act that way --- seems like too much of a security hazard --- but I've not had an opportunity to experiment.

Anyway, sounds like you're good, so chalk it up to a bad firmware version. ASUS' quality control on that leaves something to be desired.

 

[Geir Ove]

I had to downgrade to older firmware. I experienced drops in connection on all devices connected to satellite mesh node. I only have 2 nodes. The backhaul 5GHz is constantly changing to 2,4GHz and signal strength drops from "great" to "week" when this happens. Not possible to have teams meeting with this firmware. At least v. 3.0.0.4.388.21099 and 3.0.0.4.386.49873 have this same problem with the backhaul connection constantly changing to 2,4GHz and internet connection lost. Also when the 2 nodes were placed near each other with very good signal (-55dBm) the switch to 2,5GHz backhaul continued and connection for users attached to satellite drops. After some time the 5GHz backhaul is back for a while and then it drops again to 2,4GHz.
All perfect with firmware version 3.0.0.4.386.48706, as it has been for 1,5 years before I upgraded to 3.0.0.4.388.21099.

 

[Geir Ove]

Since upgrading the firmware to 3.0.0.4.388.21099 on my AX8 (2x). I am having issues where sometimes the AX8 node (not the one acting as a router), has a blue light flashing constantly. When I factory reset both the router and node, they will connect to each other again using the 5GHZ-2 backhaul. However it will eventually go back and stick with using the 2.4ghz as the backhaul. The routers are not a massive distance between each other. One down stairs, one upstairs in a wooden framed house. This issue only seems to have started happening after upgrading to 3.0.0.4.388.21099. Anyone else experiencing the same?

I had to downgrade to older firmware, 3.0.0.4.386.48706. I experienced drops in connection on all devices connected to satellite mesh node. I only have 2 nodes. The backhaul 5GHz is constantly changing to 2,4GHz and signal strength drops from "great" to "week" when this happens. Not possible to have teams meeting with this firmware. At least v. 3.0.0.4.388.21099 and 3.0.0.4.386.49873 have this same problem with the backhaul connection constantly changing to 2,4GHz and internet connection lost. Also when the 2 nodes were placed near each other with very good signal (-55dBm) the switch to 2,5GHz backhaul continued and connection for users attached to satellite drops. After some time the 5GHz backhaul is back for a while and then it drops again to 2,4GHz.
I did try factory reset after upgrade but nothing helped, so this firmware is not working if you have more than 1 node it seems.
Downgraded and all perfect with firmware version 3.0.0.4.386.48706, as it has been for 1,5 years before I upgraded to 3.0.0.4.388.21099.

 

[Geir Ove]

Never had any major problems since 42095. Each updates went pretty smoothly so far. Felt like I was the lucky one. Until this one 21099.

Very bad connection across the board. Connexion drop, slow down, random events,…

Downgraded back to 48966 (I was previously on 48706 which worked like a charm). That was even worse. Factory reset for the first time hoping it would solve it. Nope. Decided to upgrade again to 21099 (you never know) and still some issues. Before going back to 48706, thought I’d do another factory reset. And to my surprise things are back to normal with firmware 21099!

that was a rough couple of days troubleshooting this mess! Still quite early, only time will tell but so far I feel like I have a functioning router again now I hope I’ve not jinxed it haha

I could not get backhaul working on 5GHz between my 2 nodes with the 388.210099 firmware, it constantly changed to 2,4GHz and all users on satellite node were disconnected regular. I changed back to 386.48706 and all is working perfect again with stable 5GHz backhaul as it has been for 1,5 years before the upgrade to 388.21099.

 

[ML007]

I had to downgrade to older firmware, 3.0.0.4.386.48706. I experienced drops in connection on all devices connected to satellite mesh node. I only have 2 nodes. The backhaul 5GHz is constantly changing to 2,4GHz and signal strength drops from "great" to "week" when this happens. Not possible to have teams meeting with this firmware. At least v. 3.0.0.4.388.21099 and 3.0.0.4.386.49873 have this same problem with the backhaul connection constantly changing to 2,4GHz and internet connection lost. Also when the 2 nodes were placed near each other with very good signal (-55dBm) the switch to 2,5GHz backhaul continued and connection for users attached to satellite drops. After some time the 5GHz backhaul is back for a while and then it drops again to 2,4GHz.
I did try factory reset after upgrade but nothing helped, so this firmware is not working if you have more than 1 node it seems.
Downgraded and all perfect with firmware version 3.0.0.4.386.48706, as it has been for 1,5 years before I upgraded to 3.0.0.4.388.21099.

I have exactly the same symptoms and problems.
Also the last stable firmware is 386.48706.

 

[DarkSector]

I have exactly the same symptoms and problems.
Also the last stable firmware is 386.48706.

Hi, i also got the same problems but now i upgraded to beta FW_ZENWIFI_XT8_900438821101
They say that have solved the problems with the nodes.
I'll keep u guys in touch

 

[ML007]

Hi, i also got the same problems but now i upgraded to beta FW_ZENWIFI_XT8_900438821101
They say that have solved the problems with the nodes.
I'll keep u guys in touch

I updated to the beta FW_ZENWIFI_XT8_900438821101 an hour ago.
A moment ago I had the first connectivity problem between main router and node :-(

 

[Dodgydrains]

I updated to the beta FW_ZENWIFI_XT8_900438821101 an hour ago.
A moment ago I had the first connectivity problem between main router and node :-(

Did you perform a full factory reset after the update to rule out any lingering problems with settings?

 

[ML007]

Did you perform a full factory reset after the update to rule out any lingering problems with settings?

I'm going to do a factory reset.
Nevertheless, from this one-off case, the router and node behave stable. I am still testing ...

 

[Dandy]

I could not get backhaul working on 5GHz between my 2 nodes with the 388.210099 firmware, it constantly changed to 2,4GHz and all users on satellite node were disconnected regular. I changed back to 386.48706 and all is working perfect again with stable 5GHz backhaul as it has been for 1,5 years before the upgrade to 388.21099.

I spoke too soon, it started to act weirdly again after a day or two on firmware 388.21099. Factory reset improved stability but wasn't quite right. I ended up in the rabbit hole of custom firmware! Installed Gnuton's fork of the Merlin firmware for the XT8 router. Wish I did that move far earlier, it allows the XT8 to do so much more with increased stability! Not going back to stock firmware for sure.

 

[mrbill]

I have two XT8's running firmware 21099. The wireless node went down today and thought it was bricked. Damn thing wouldn't connect after a factory reset. Had to unearth the stuff around the main unit to access it for a factory reset, then reset the node again and was able to get up and running. About an hour lost there. I haven't rolled back to the previous stable firmware version, which I would do in lieu of using the beta firmware.

 

[bradbort]

Hi, i also got the same problems but now i upgraded to beta FW_ZENWIFI_XT8_900438821101
They say that have solved the problems with the nodes.
I'll keep u guys in touch

Hi Darksector, How did the Beta software work out for you?

 

[ML007]

Hi Darksector, How did the Beta software work out for you?

I've been testing beta firmware since 10/28.
Absolutely not a stable firmware for me. Every now and then there are problems - loss of connection between the node and the main router, yellow or blue light, big differences in bandwidth etc.
However, it's definitely better than version 3.0.0.4.388.21099 and 3.0.0.4.386.49873 - it was a failure :-(

 

[bradbort]

My problems have been somewhat different. With 21099, I was experiencing my node dropping with a flashing red light (lost internet)? My nodes, however, are connected by ethernet cable. I also had my guest network drop once over the course of a week. I'm trying out the beta to see if resolves any of my issues. If not, I'll downgrade to an earlier version. I also, by the way, submitted a trouble report from within the router itself.

 

[bradbort]

My problems have been somewhat different. With 21099, I was experiencing my node dropping with a flashing red light (lost internet)? My nodes, however, are connected by ethernet cable. I also had my guest network drop once over the course of a week. I'm trying out the beta to see if resolves any of my issues. If not, I'll downgrade to an earlier version. I also, by the way, submitted a trouble report from within the router itself.

I've now been running the beta for about 28 hours. So far, its stable. No dropped nodes. Of course, my backhaul is hard wired

 

[Raven76]

My problems have been somewhat different. With 21099, I was experiencing my node dropping with a flashing red light (lost internet)? My nodes, however, are connected by ethernet cable. I also had my guest network drop once over the course of a week. I'm trying out the beta to see if resolves any of my issues. If not, I'll downgrade to an earlier version. I also, by the way, submitted a trouble report from within the router itself.

[Specification] How to judge the current status of ZenWiFi Series Router from LED color? | Official Support | ASUS Global

flashing red light isn't even listed as a possible event... usual asus good work!

 

[bradbort]

I've now been running the beta for about 28 hours. So far, its stable. No dropped nodes. Of course, my backhaul is hard wired

Beta has now been solid for me for several days.

 

[Tell]

I've reverted to the previous main 3 series release not beta 9 series. This release zonked the nodes if using the WiFi backhaul, not just switching to 2.4ghz but disconnecting. The red lights. I thought it was my provider fiddling with the fibre, even if it was it shouldn't knock out the nodes. So reverted all good.

Seems every third release or so of the Asus software is problematic. What I'm finding. Evident their QA isn't brilliant on software testing.

Thanks board for the info to check ones personal experience.

 

[Daylight_Invader]

21099 also problematic for me, despite hard wired backhaul. The deeded flashing red nodes and sometimes dropped internet but with no flashing LEDs.

Trying to decide whether to roll back or wait for the potential upcoming release.