Asuswrt-Merlin 3.0.0.4.374.35 is out

[RMerlin]

AC66u - when the 2.4ghz Channel bandwidth is set for 20/40 it will be only channel 6, not possible to change.
But when I set the bandwidth to 20 or 40 the channel selection works as normal.
Tried with two browsers, same result.
Anymore places to look?

I think this has been posted half a dozen times already on these forums. The wireless driver is the one that establish which channel it uses when downgrading a 20/40 channel to 20 MHz. I have no control over it. Just set it to 20 Mhz (like you should be doing on the 2.4 GHz anyway) and it will properly use the channel you configure.

 

[RMerlin]

Anyway, with my AC56U and my Samsung laptop, on 5g AC wifi...i get -38 where I normally use my laptop..about 6 feet away from router.

When i move to my living-room...about 30ft away and through a wall...its -58..

That's about what should be expected from 5 GHz wifi.

 

[RMerlin]

Probably because you only have a few compatible clients. I have 32 clients, a lot consisting of Foscam 2.4GHz N IP security cameras. I have no issue with any other 2.4GHz device, but the reception on my security cameras is terrible. I did not have any issues on my RT-N66U, just the RT-AC68U.

Asus is working on a firmware update that uses a newer SDK from Broadcom. One of the things it should address is 2.4 GHz issues that some are experiencing.

That FW release shouldn't be long now, I already have an internal beta here. However none of my 2.4 GHz devices have any problem, so I can't confirm if this new version will really solve the issue or not.

 

[RMerlin]

RMerlin, i really apreciate your work... but unfortunately for me, for RT-AC66U router, since 3.0.0.4_270.26b the WAN to LAN routing speed is slower than $20 routers. With 3.0.0.4_270.26b (that i MUST NOT REBOOT or i lose the speed) i get over 750Mbps on my PPoE internet connection, while using the latest 3.0.0.4_374.35_2 i get a poor 130Mbps. It's just 5 or 6 times slower!!! And this is unnaceptable!

I have also tried to contact Asus tech support, but they helped with nothing. I've said it before and i will say it again: i am amased an Asus flagship product is crushed by some chinese TPLink products that cost like 10 times less. For me, this is the last Asus router i will ever buy.

My guess is, if that TP-Link device really gives you 600 Mbps with PPPoE then it must not be based on a Broadcom chip. In that case, you would also get the same results from an RT-N56U or RT-N65U, both being based on Ralink.

Your problem comes from the fact that HW acceleration does not work with PPPoE. HW acceleration is entirely handled by the closed source CTF driver. Not even Asus has the source code to this module. So basically the only ones that could do anything about it would be Broadcom. So your only real solution at this point is to switch to a router using a chip from a different manufacturer than Broadcom.

 

[speedingcheetah]

Can I ask why so many of you are using VPN?

So I can use my HDHomeRun Prime remotely...and access my network file shares.

 

[nekcyh]

VPN PPTP/L2TP Client

Select a VPN connection type(PPTP or L2TP), can not do a selection!

And so on, dosent save anything written! Any els got problems??

 

[bodean]

Great FW btw, thanks

 

[grahnen]

I must be blind, I cant find beamforming options (wireless/professional)?

Except that everything seems more stable and loopback with hw enable works.

 

[ozgurcnbyz]

hi,
i liked this firmware. but i am having an issue with openvpn. my selective routing script won't work anymore. when i establish the vpn connection all devices on the LAN go through the vpn. anyone who's had the same problem ?

 

[Metro]

NAT Loopback

Hello,

I'm sorry if this is posted elsewhere. I've searched, but can't find it.

I have an RT-N66U running the most recent 3.0.0.4.374.35_2, but can't find anyway to enable NAT loopback. I've disabled HW acceleration, as I've seen mentioned in other posts, but it's still not working. Is there anything else I need to configure?

Thanks All!

 

[speedingcheetah]

I must be blind, I cant find beamforming options (wireless/professional)?

Except that everything seems more stable and loopback with hw enable works.

I think Beam-forming is only on the 5ghz band page.

 

[RMerlin]

Hello,

I'm sorry if this is posted elsewhere. I've searched, but can't find it.

I have an RT-N66U running the most recent 3.0.0.4.374.35_2, but can't find anyway to enable NAT loopback. I've disabled HW acceleration, as I've seen mentioned in other posts, but it's still not working. Is there anything else I need to configure?

Thanks All!

There's nothing for you to enable, NAT loopback is working out of the box.

 

[MonkY]

My guess is, if that TP-Link device really gives you 600 Mbps with PPPoE then it must not be based on a Broadcom chip. In that case, you would also get the same results from an RT-N56U or RT-N65U, both being based on Ralink.

Your problem comes from the fact that HW acceleration does not work with PPPoE. HW acceleration is entirely handled by the closed source CTF driver. Not even Asus has the source code to this module. So basically the only ones that could do anything about it would be Broadcom. So your only real solution at this point is to switch to a router using a chip from a different manufacturer than Broadcom.

Then why the speed is OK with 3.0.0.4_270.26b (without rebooting) and NOT OK with 3.0.0.4_374.35_2? Isn't this the same router, using the same Broadcom chipset? I still believe it's just a software issue... that Asus is actually ignoring. Or Broadcom... whoever is handling this, is doing a very poor job.

 

[gLaiVe]

after falsh 3.0.0.4_374.35_2,i found my ac66u self reboot several times.at least 5 times in 24 hours. now i have flashed back older version 374.34_2,it works ok.anyone have same issue?
after buying my ac66u,I have only flash merlin builid FW and i really love it and because of it I buy asus router .from early build 372.xx till 3.0.0.4_374.35_2.I flashed immediate when the new build comes out.

 

[RMerlin]

Then why the speed is OK with 3.0.0.4_270.26b (without rebooting) and NOT OK with 3.0.0.4_374.35_2? Isn't this the same router, using the same Broadcom chipset? I still believe it's just a software issue... that Asus is actually ignoring. Or Broadcom... whoever is handling this, is doing a very poor job.

I find it surprising you would get 600 Mbps from 270.26b over PPPoE since Asus only mentionned adding HW acceleration for PPPoE starting with 3.0.0.4.3xx.

 

[shpankey]

Just want to add something I noticed and tested. I use a mid 2011 iMac on the 5ghz bandwidth. On speedtest.net if I check the "Optimize for Xbox" option in the 5ghz wireless network settings, I fully realize my full connection speed from my ISP. Which is 100 Mb/s. Actually, it test well over that, at 126 Mb/s. Consistently. If I untick the optimize for xbox option and run the same test, I only hit ~ 60-75 Mb/s.

Not sure what that option does, but I can produce and reproduce those exact results at will. Untick it and my download connection halves. Tick it and I get over my rated speed (Cox Ultimate) of 100 and hit 126.

My upload speed stays the same 26 Mb/s

 

[PAPPL]

Installed .33 .34 and .35_2 on RT-N66U. My WAN to LAN speeds are slow since then.
With <.26b builds i was able to download 12MB/s (100Mbit FTTH). Now 2MB/s with browser and max. 6MB/s with download manager and 12 parallel connections.
Started with jump from 26b to .33 build.
Never had builds between 26b and 33 installed, so don't know when this started.
First i thought my kids played with the network cables, but with other cables still slow wan speed.

Hardware Acceleration is On and QOS off.
Always cleared NVRAM after update.
Any other settings i can change?

ftp.halifax.RWTH-Aachen.DE

Current bandwidth utilization 1913.05 Mbit/s of 10000 MBit/sec

???

Speedtest.net result: 98MBit up / 70MBit down.
Another speedtester: 48MBit up/down
Speedtest File download: 2MB/s.

???

 

[SjoerdNLD]

after falsh 3.0.0.4_374.35_2,i found my ac66u self reboot several times.at least 5 times in 24 hours. now i have flashed back older version 374.34_2,it works ok.anyone have same issue?
after buying my ac66u,I have only flash merlin builid FW and i really love it and because of it I buy asus router .from early build 372.xx till 3.0.0.4_374.35_2.I flashed immediate when the new build comes out.

Had the same, after clear nvram it worked ok.
In my case the reboots were as soon as the wan connection connected.
When I was restoring my nat forwards, it came back when I added a group of ports (65000-651000). After removal it was fine. (ac66u)

 

[SjoerdNLD]

I think this has been posted half a dozen times already on these forums. The wireless driver is the one that establish which channel it uses when downgrading a 20/40 channel to 20 MHz. I have no control over it. Just set it to 20 Mhz (like you should be doing on the 2.4 GHz anyway) and it will properly use the channel you configure.

Thought it was something like that. I already changed to 20 w/o any problems.
I was just wondering why it does work on 5ghz and not on 2.4ghz.

 

[RMerlin]

Thought it was something like that. I already changed to 20 w/o any problems.
I was just wondering why it does work on 5ghz and not on 2.4ghz.

My guess is it works on the 5 GHz band because it doesn't downgrade to 20 MHz (not enough interference to do so), while on the 2.4 GHz it has to downgrade. That's probably where it fails to convert the 40 MHz channel (for example, 6l, 11u, etc...) into a regular channel (6, 11...).