Asuswrt-Merlin 374.42_2 is out

[RMerlin]

Asus RT-AC68U reboots every 2 days since version 374.40.
Version 374.42_2 did not fixed the issue.
I am checking the logs but no good information is there.
I am using Optware with transmission, minidlna, samba, 500MB SWAP, no OC, temperatures are good (2.4 GHz: 55°C - 5 GHz: 56°C - CPU: 85°C).

It gets really frustrating!

I get well over a week of uptime on my own RT-AC68U (before I had to reboot it with a new test build). Try not using Transmission and minidlna for a few days to track down the cause.

 

[Muyfa666]

The SDK5 build was discontinued months ago, as a new specialized driver was integrated in the RT-N66U build.

Cool. Then I'm considering the RT-N66U.

Range is my main concern and for that this model seem outstanding, no?

 

[josh.zyman]

I get well over a week of uptime on my own RT-AC68U (before I had to reboot it with a new test build). Try not using Transmission and minidlna for a few days to track down the cause.

I bought this router TO BE USED with Transmission and minidlna. If these do not work, it's useless for me.
Still, I will try.

 

[Builder71]

I bought this router TO BE USED with Transmission and minidlna. If these do not work, it's useless for me.
Still, I will try.

Sorry, but use a NAS for stuff like transmission.
Let a router route.

IMHO.

 

[jim769]

I bought this router TO BE USED with Transmission and minidlna. If these do not work, it's useless for me.
Still, I will try.

Routers are meant to route anything else is just a huge gamble. As always YMMV.

 

[Builder71]

Routers are meant to route anything else is just a huge gamble. As always YMMV.

Exactly, it's your first line of defence as well.
Cut all the crap. (Read attack surface.)
I switch off everything unless I have a very good reason not to.
(And no, Transmission should not be one of them.)

IMHO

 

[TeeDee]

USB Hard Disk getting corrupted

On version 374.39 and older, my USB hard disk got corrupted several times.
The corrupted hard disk cannot be read by the computer and have to be reformatted.
I upgraded to version 374.42_2, hopefully the problem will be fixed.

 

[stevocz]

Today i am add 42 firmware to my N16 and multicast doesn't work. when i add back 40 firmware multicast works ok.

 

[RMerlin]

Today i am add 42 firmware to my N16 and multicast doesn't work. when i add back 40 firmware multicast works ok.

Can you provide more details? What isn't working specifically?

 

[RMerlin]

On version 374.39 and older, my USB hard disk got corrupted several times.
The corrupted hard disk cannot be read by the computer and have to be reformatted.
I upgraded to version 374.42_2, hopefully the problem will be fixed.

Paragon's NTFS driver has never been a staple of reliability. I recommend using ext3 instead, especially if the disk gets a lot of writing done to it while hooked to the router.

 

[RMerlin]

I bought this router TO BE USED with Transmission and minidlna. If these do not work, it's useless for me.
Still, I will try.

You can't troubleshoot such issues without trying to pinpoint its cause first. Once it's pinpointed, THEN you can look into finding a solution. So for example, if you find out the issue disappears after Transmission is disabled, then you know you might need to check your disk or the Transmission setting. For example, maybe you are allowing too many simultaneous connections to Transmission, and these need to be tune down. However if it still crashes with Transmission disabled, then you know the problem is elsewhere.

One step at a time. First step is to reduce the scope of the problem to its simplest form. You can't track down the problem by looking at everything at the same time, unless you are willing to plug a serial cable to capture the actual error message as the router reboots.

 

[RMerlin]

Cool. Then I'm considering the RT-N66U.

Range is my main concern and for that this model seem outstanding, no?

AC66 and AC68 have very similar range as well. Depends on your needs and your budget.

 

[htismaqe]

My AC68U is supposed to be here today. I'm anxious to see how it stacks up against the Netgear R7000 for wireless range and performance. I like so many things about my Linksys but the R7000 was just so much more powerful...

 

[Muyfa666]

AC66 and AC68 have very similar range as well. Depends on your needs and your budget.

I have tried both AC66U and now I have AC68U. None of them are close to the range of Netgears R7000, for me that is. AC68U are very stable for me, but I'd be lying if I said I don't miss the supreme performance of the R7000. Too bad that router have bugs up the ar$e...

So I heard RT-N66U had killer range and hoped to pick one up cheap to try. While I like the 5ghz band, I have no real use for 1900 standard, so a 450 would do just fine if the range was great.

 

[kibosh]

I found that the r7000 had better range, particularly on 5ghz but the ac68u is far more stable. I tested 2 different r7000s and my wireless connections would slow to a crawl after a few days requiring a reboot. If you are interested in parental controls, merlin's implementation is waaaay better. Being able to filter traffic per mac is ideal . . . Netgear cant compare.

 

[htismaqe]

Really how much better is the range on the R7000 though? I mean I have a Linksys EA6900 right now and the range isn't THAT much different than the R7000.

It's the the throughput over distance that has soured me on the Linksys vs. the R7000. In my office, RSSI for the R7000 was about -65dB. The EA6900 runs between -68 and -72dB. However, the R7000 throughput on the uplink was about DOUBLE of the EA6900.

I want to be able to archive my time machine in less than 5 or 6 hours (R7000 took just over 4, EA6900 could take between 7 and 12 depending). That's really my benchmark.

If the AC68U can even get CLOSE to that, I'll be happy because the R7000 experience I had was one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever had in my 25 years of being a technology consumer.

 

[kibosh]

Sorry, I personally didn't do any comparisons of that nature but based on what I have read the ac68u should be comparable or even better than the r7000 in terms of wireless throughput.

Should be interesting to get your findings.

 

[jmantn]

I have the rt-N66U and had got an R7000 last summer. The range on the 5ghz was better however the router was pure crap for me. Has issues with Apple devices as noted in their support forums and has issues dropping connections and random slowdowns that they haven't been able to fix for over half a year. Was so bad I got mine returned and refunded after six months of use if that says anything.

I now have the RT-AC68U and am now having to relocate the router due to reduced 5ghz coverage and would buy the RT-AC87U if it were available however as it stands I'm 100% more content with the 68U than I was with the R7000.

As a everyday joe trying to use upwards of 16 devices with the issues noted above was intolerable.

Hope that helps and TY to Merlin for all the great work done here. You're the main reason I chose Asus over Linksys after my disappointing experience with Netgear.

 

[Marsi4eg]

At last I had some free time and found what causes the problem with not working client list on AC66U (maybe also the others)!

As someone suggested here earlier (unfortunately can't find that message, it's somewhere here) the problem was caused by wireless network name. I have an apostrophie in it (Marsi4eg's WLAN). It's really strange, how can this cause problems with client list??

Also I want to notice that this bug appears ONLY when there is an apostrophie in the name of 2.4 Ghz network and all works fine with apostrophie in the name of 5 Ghz!

Just try to rename 2.4 network this way without rebooting a router and then try to see client list on the Network Map. Rename it back and see it works again.

Maybe it's Asus bug and not Merlin's but I don't want to test it with native firmware.

I have used that name for my network for ages, and not only me use like this, I guess. Hope this bug will be fixed. There wasn't such bug in 374.41 and earlier, only in 374.42

P.S. and also the router shows itself in the 'Network' folder (Windows 7) like 'upnp router' in 374.41 and .42 but there was the router's name earlier, 'RT-AC66U' for example. Not a problem but is not beautiful

 

[jim769]

Interesting observation strange I use a @ symbol in my ssid's and don't have any issues. Good work tracking that down.