Beta Asuswrt-Merlin 386.1 Beta (stage 2) is now available

[FLA_NL]

With this latest 386.1b5, on RT-AC86U, looks like some people are still having high temps (like me) while others not.
What is the revision / Boot loader of your RT-AC86U?

Mine is Rev 1.5, of 2018. - Bootloader (CFE) 1.0.0.8
Even tough CPU Model seems to be the same among all AC86U (BCM490x - Cortex A53 ARMv8 revision 0) I noticed that Bootloader (CFE) is different among releases.
I have another AC86U (on which I cannot test betas) with Bootloader (CFE) 1.0.1.0

Mine is R1.5, 2017, BCM490x - Cortex A53 ARMv8 revision 0, Bootloader (CFE) 1.0.0.6. But differences can also be that some networks are far more busy then others. I don't consider my network as very busy, it is a home network for a 2 people household.

 

[Wade Coxon]

With this latest 386.1b5, on RT-AC86U, looks like some people are still having high temps (like me) while others not.
What is the revision / Boot loader of your RT-AC86U?

Mine is Rev 1.5, of 2018. - Bootloader (CFE) 1.0.0.8
Even tough CPU Model seems to be the same among all AC86U (BCM490x - Cortex A53 ARMv8 revision 0) I noticed that Bootloader (CFE) is different among releases.
I have another AC86U (on which I cannot test betas) with Bootloader (CFE) 1.0.1.0

The Energy Efficient Ethernet option has also changed between versions. That would be responsible for another 5 degrees or so.

You can manually disable that too if you want.

 

[Terry319]

Hi, I'm a long time lurker, user and appreciator of the work of @RMerlin, @john9527 and everyone else who works to bring us the Merlin releases.

I think I've found a problem with guest networks after upgrading my AC86U from 384.19 to 386.1b5. Specifically, client isolation seems to be permanently enforced on the wireless guest network (I've used the 5GHz network for this, haven't tried it on the 2G band). With 384.19, client isolation in the guest network seems to follow the 'Set AP isolated' setting in the Wireless -> Professional tab, but in 386.1b5 clients in the guest network are always isolated, regardless of that setting.

I did a factory default restore after upgrading to 386.1b5 and re-entered all my settings manually. I've tried (twice now) going back to 384.19 (where guest network isolation was not enforced if 'Set AP isolated' is set to No), and then back to 386.1b5, where once again the guest network clients are unable to see each other with the same settings applied. I did a factory default restore each time and have now left the router running 384.19.

On the temperature front, similar to what others have observed, I'm seeing a 6-7 degree increase in CPU temp with 386.1b5 compared to 384.19.

Some other notes on the guest network isolation issue:

You may be wondering why I don't want to have isolation between clients on the guest network anyway, since in most cases this would normally be applied due to security considerations. The reason in this case is that my AC-86U 'guest network' is not actually used by my guests - I have a separate router for that (see below). I'm using this 'guest network' for my Android and Chromecast devices, so as to keep them separate from my main network (I have 'Access Intranet' set to Disable). I've done this for security reasons because I am not able to update a couple of the older devices any more.

I'm using an older AC66U router with John's 374.43 LTS firmware for a separate network, and the (real) guest network on that router has client isolation enabled. Incidentally, in addition to the 'Set AP isolated' setting in the Wireless -> Professional tab, this firmware also has a 'Set AP isolated' setting for each guest network, whereas the Merlin 384 / 386 firmware does not have this.

I realise that this might be a bit of a 'corner case' in terms of the way I'm using my AC86U router, but if anyone is able to look into this it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[WillyTP]

Mine is R1.5, 2017, BCM490x - Cortex A53 ARMv8 revision 0, Bootloader (CFE) 1.0.0.6. But differences can also be that some networks are far more busy then others. I don't consider my network as very busy, it is a home network for a 2 people household.

HI @FLA_NL,
I confirm that mine is a home network, super lightweight.

Thanks

 

[tetar]

My configuration: RT-AC86U (stock Asus 3.0.0.4.386.41634 -> Merlin Beta 5 + HDD + USB 3G modem) and RT-AC68U (stock Asus 3.0.0.4.386.41634 -> Merlin Beta 5, node / ethernet backhaul ). No default reset. 20 devices connected.

There is a problem with the high temperature of the RT-AC86U. Uptime: 23 hours:
51 C / 57 C / 86 C (room temperature approx. 19 C)

Earlier on the original Asus firmware (3.0.0.4.386.41634) there was also a problem with high temperature.

 

[alejandrofm1]

beta 5 installed on ac66u b1. once installed restore to factory settings from the graphical user interface. configuration from 0. everything works correctly except the 5ghz WiFi shutdown programming that does not allow the configuration tested in Chrome and Egde

View attachment 30007

I edit to include a photo that was not at home before

I answer myself. I have refreshed the page several times and it did not load correctly. I have entered 2.4 that if it was visualized well. and once the 2.4 is done I have entered 5gh and the page has been loaded correctly.

 

[Smokey613]

On 384.19 my network is boringly stable. Roam assist works as expected and cpu temps are good. I like to keep my network devices updated but unless there are real advantages yet to be revealed, 384.19 will be my choice for the foreseeable future considering my current network configuration. I will keep an eye on the Merlin firmware progress as it is just my nature. I applaud Merlin and all the beta testers who efforts we benefit from.

 

[Calkulin]

Last night I noticed DHCP leasing issues, multiple devices started having IP conflicts. The logs were starting to go crazy with IPs saying they were being used by someone else, can't use it and devices were dropping off the network. Rebooting the router didn't fix it, I ended up having to clear the DHCP lease file to fix it. I see a dnsmasq commit now that was added after Beta 5 was released that deals with DHCP leasing, so I'm hoping that fixes that problem as I have never had DHCP leasing issues on any Merlin firmware that I can remember, especially after the device has been on the network for days/weeks and starts having that problem out of the blue,

 

[GHog]

To answer Smokeboxes question,

Ooma user as well, although I've never noticed any issues. What issues are you and GHog referring to? When you say interference when making calls, do you mean wifi interference? Just curious if I should be looking out for something as I've always had my Ooma box connected directly to the Asus.

Prior to adding my OOMA box to my ac68u, my router performed well. Never had slowdowns or connection interruptions. After I installed OOMA box between router and modem, I started to see slowdowns, mainly on my wifi 2.4ghz band since that was what my wife`s laptop was setup to use. I also started to see more 2.4ghz issues with steady data flow. I did a test to try to find out what was going on, so I disconnected the OOMA box for a couple of days, that didn`t go well with wife, and my signals and data flow returned to before OOMA box. At that point I purchased my Draytek Vigor 2762 and connected ASUS router ac68u to lan 1 and OOMA to lan 2 and have had no issues since. Even with OOMA connected in series with router, the OOMA box really did not perform well. It missed calls and really didn't work well. I too had noisy connections and low quality audio with phone. I also know that changing to a high end modem with CenturyLink DSL solves problems. I got rid of CL Actioncrap product and replaced it with Vigor 130 prior to OOMA addition about 5 years ago. Great low budget modem. Only problem was the single lan port. CenturyLink products really are not that good. I would dump their products and use Draytek anytime. Everyone that I have helped with OOMA setups and flakey DSL service have Draytek modems connecting to the NIC box. For bonded lines I use the Vigor 2862B. Pricey, but never misses a beat and always out performs anything CL has to offer. Now I have a ax88u and use that for master and the ac68u for node. OOMA still on it`s own lan port. No issues at all. Still have not upgraded to 386.1B5, but will probably do that this weekend. Currently on latest non beta Merlin firmware and running strong.

 

[shabbs]

I may have been reading it wrong <shrug>

Keep the faith!

 

[heysoundude]

Keep the faith!

well, I just wish he'd've dropped it Friday evening so I could have the weekend to work out whatever tiny things might need it, y'know?

 

[RMerlin]

I see this cosmetic issue in Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp, once I select 5GHz in the top drop down. Selecting 5GHz has top section with all regular options, and bottom section, which I could not understand. None of the drop downs in that section have any values.

This means there is a Javascript error preventing the page from loading properly.

 

[RMerlin]

beta 5 installed on ac66u b1. once installed restore to factory settings from the graphical user interface. configuration from 0. everything works correctly except the 5ghz WiFi shutdown programming that does not allow the configuration tested in Chrome and Egde

Works for me. Looks like none of your CSS are loading, check you browsers, disable any ad blocker, and try in Incognito mode.

 

[mvadu]

This means there is a Javascript error preventing the page from loading properly.

I tried in both latest edge (chromium engine) and Chrome browsers. For a sec the drop down shows 24GHz, 5GHz, and 5Hz-2. THen it goes to only two. When I select 5GHz, I see below error in the console.

chanspec.js:232 Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read property 'chanspec' of undefined
    at wl_chanspec_list_change (chanspec.js:232)
    at genBWTable (Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:474)
    at initial (Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:67)
    at onload (Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:1931)
wl_chanspec_list_change @ chanspec.js:232
genBWTable @ Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:474
initial @ Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:67
onload @ Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:1931

 

[RMerlin]

I tried in both latest edge (chromium engine) and Chrome browsers. For a sec the drop down shows 24GHz, 5GHz, and 5Hz-2. THen it goes to only two. When I select 5GHz, I see below error in the console.

chanspec.js:232 Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read property 'chanspec' of undefined
    at wl_chanspec_list_change (chanspec.js:232)
    at genBWTable (Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:474)
    at initial (Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:67)
    at onload (Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:1931)
wl_chanspec_list_change @ chanspec.js:232
genBWTable @ Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:474
initial @ Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:67
onload @ Advanced_Wireless_Content.asp?flag=0:1931

Do you use anything that customizes your webui, like addons?

Also, which router model?

 

[mvadu]

Do you use anything that customizes your webui, like addons?

Also, which router model?

RT-AC3100, I don't have any addons. Only customization I have are around post config scripts for mounts and upnp configs.

 

[MNoisy]

After upgrade Instant Guard seems to be having issues. Log shows

Jan 16 12:38:40 00[DMN] Starting IKE charon daemon (strongSwan 5.7.2, Linux 2.6.36.4brcmarm, armv7l) Jan 16 12:38:40 00[CFG] loading ca certificates from '/etc/ipsec.d/cacerts' Jan 16 12:38:40 00[LIB] file coded in unknown format, discarded Jan 16 12:38:40 00[LIB] building CRED_CERTIFICATE - X509 failed, tried 4 builders Jan 16 12:38:40 00[CFG] loading ca certificate from '/etc/ipsec.d/cacerts/asusCert.pem' failed Jan 16 12:38:40 00[CFG] loading aa certificates from '/etc/ipsec.d/aacerts' Jan 16 12:38:40 00[CFG] loading ocsp signer certificates from '/etc/ipsec.d/ocspcerts' Jan 16 12:38:40 00[CFG] loading attribute certificates from '/etc/ipsec.d/acerts' Jan 16 12:38:40 00[CFG] loading crls from '/etc/ipsec.d/crls' Jan 16 12:38:40 00[CFG] loading secrets from '/etc/ipsec.secrets' Jan 16 12:38:40 00[LIB] loaded plugins: charon aes des rc2 sha2 sha1 md4 md5 random nonce x509 revocation constraints acert pubkey pkcs1 pkcs7 pkcs8 pkcs12 pgp dnskey sshkey pem openssl fips-prf curve25519 agent xcbc cmac hmac attr kernel-netlink resolve socket-default stroke vici updown eap-identity eap-md5 eap-mschapv2 eap-tls eap-peap xauth-generic counters Jan 16 12:38:40 00[JOB] spawning 8 worker threads Jan 16 12:38:40 06[CFG] received stroke: add connection 'Host-to-Netv2' Jan 16 12:38:40 06[CFG] adding virtual IP address pool 10.10.10.0/24 Jan 16 12:38:40 06[LIB] file coded in unknown format, discarded Jan 16 12:38:40 06[LIB] building CRED_CERTIFICATE - ANY failed, tried 1 builders Jan 16 12:38:40 06[CFG] loading certificate from 'svrCert.pem' failed Jan 16 12:38:40 06[CFG] added configuration 'Host-to-Netv2'

Is anyone else having issues with instant guard or just me?

 

[mobileineurope]

After 4 days completely uneventful with this beta 5 - I did notice something which I think is a bug on my AX88U. I wanted to do a speed test, which I have done a couple of times before on beta 5, but this time I couldn’t, apparently because of some problem detected by the router? The router writes “This function is temporarily disabled due to Internet disconnection”? But the everything works as expected - speed from clients are fast as ever. I also noticed that the upload and download bars on the front page were not functioning.

 

[KingBravery]

Is anyone else having issues with instant guard or just me?

yeah me too.. before this, easy to connect.. now it said vpn server does not respond

 

[MNoisy]

yeah me too.. before this, easy to connect.. now it said vpn server does not respond

Ok, thanks. I thought I was the only one.

I figured I would wait for official release and do a fresh setup after reset to see if its resolved since that didnt fix it in beta.