Release Asuswrt-Merlin 386.1 is now available

[jjtally]

@RMerlin
As always your code and firmware is beyond excellent and much appreciated. I've been using your firmware exclusively for years and wouldn't consider anything else. I flashed to 386.1. All seems fine with one glaring and troubling item.

First, pertinents about my config:
RT-AC5300
Dual WAN with failover. WAN+Eth1
I have my IoT devices on guest wifi-1
I have my LAN internal devices routed through a VLAN/Switch then to LAN3 on the router.
Other internals on guest2.

This config was running fine until I upgraded from 384.19.

Now, when I look at my network map, I see the IoT devices from guest wifi-1 showing as ethernet (wired) connected along side of my LAN connected devices.

I can ping the guest-1 wifi devices 192.168.101.x from my LAN 192.168.2.x. Access Intranet is off and I tried toggling it on an off to be sure.

I then did a complete reset to factory, uploaded the firmware and reconfigured everything from scratch to be sure there wasn't a corrupted config parameter being introduced from the upgrade.

I rolled back to 384.19 to be safe until I can figure out the issue.

Thanks for any assistance.

Bump

 

[Deleted member 72428]

Hello and thanks for the firmware, are there any known issues with upnp?
I ask as ive always used Merlin firmware for this very reason as it usually gives me open nat on all 3 pcs here which game.
Ive noticed on this build that i am more often than not getting moderate to strict nat and occasionally i get open nat?

Games are COD Cold war/warzone/destiny 2 and apex legends

anything i can check to help with finding what the cause might be?

You have to open up the ports via port forwarding if you want open NAT

 

[Atomic7431]

You have to open up the ports via port forwarding if you want open NAT

i have never had to do this while using Merlin firmware ever, its always just turn upnp on and it works for all 3 pcs, 384.18 work as expected still but this firmware seems it doesnt.

Stock firmware i would agree upnp has never worked as expected.

 

[dave14305]

@RMerlin
As always your code and firmware is beyond excellent and much appreciated. I've been using your firmware exclusively for years and wouldn't consider anything else. I flashed to 386.1. All seems fine with one glaring and troubling item.

First, pertinents about my config:
RT-AC5300
Dual WAN with failover. WAN+Eth1
I have my IoT devices on guest wifi-1
I have my LAN internal devices routed through a VLAN/Switch then to LAN3 on the router.
Other internals on guest2.

This config was running fine until I upgraded from 384.19.

Now, when I look at my network map, I see the IoT devices from guest wifi-1 showing as ethernet (wired) connected along side of my LAN connected devices.

I can ping the guest-1 wifi devices 192.168.101.x from my LAN 192.168.2.x. Access Intranet is off and I tried toggling it on an off to be sure.

I then did a complete reset to factory, uploaded the firmware and reconfigured everything from scratch to be sure there wasn't a corrupted config parameter being introduced from the upgrade.

I rolled back to 384.19 to be safe until I can figure out the issue.

Thanks for any assistance.

Two points to consider:

1. Network map components are not open source, so Merlin has no control over how it works, nor do we know exactly how it behaves.
2. There are many reports of issues with the new ASUS behavior of Guest Network #1, so try moving IoT to Guest Network #3, which still behaves like you would expect.

 

[mpilasy]

Two points to consider:

1. Network map components are not open source, so Merlin has no control over how it works, nor do we know exactly how it behaves.
2. There are many reports of issues with the new ASUS behavior of Guest Network #1, so try moving IoT to Guest Network #3, which still behaves like you would expect.

My only issue with #2 is that guest2 and guest3 do not get "mesh"d out.

 

[raion969]

Even with the disableing features my wireless performance is still very bad many disconnections

 

[capncybo]

Any one have issue on AC68U (A1) with CTF + FA enabled and Guest1 wifi (both 2.4 and 5Ghz) cannot be connected? Log error as following

Feb  1 09:59:31 syslog: wlceventd_proc_event(555): wl1.1: Assoc XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: Successful (0), rssi:0
Feb  1 09:59:37 syslog: wlceventd_proc_event(490): wl1.1: Deauth_ind YY:YY:YY:YY:YY:YY, status: 0, reason: 4-way handshake timeout (f), rssi:0

After doing some test, I can confirm this is due to FA is enabled. I have 2 AC68Us running in AiMesh. was on 384.19 and everything was working fine. Since I don't use any AiProtection/QoS/Traffic Analyzer Statistic features, I always have CTF + FA enabled in Tools System Info. Its all fine on 384.19.

After upgraded to 386.1, initial dirty upgrade seems fine, but quickly I find the GN1 wifi issues. Then I remove the Node AC68u and reset it to start from scratch setup as test. The GN1 issue persist with this Factory reset AC68U. But by luck I find the issue is related to FA. GN1 works right after reset and setting up the router with only basic and guest network 1 and 2 without reboot. but once reboot, GN1 is broken (GN2 and regular Wifi are fine). The difference is after reset it is always only CTF, but once reboot, it will report CTF + FA.

There is always a mystery to me is that my 800Mhz A1 AC68U have FA supported? I remember I read somewhere Merlin stated the old AC68U A1 800Mhz CPU do not have FA. But to me it is always reported there. but the strange thing is everytime if I reset the router, the 1st time in Web UI reports CTF only. but a reboot will make it CTF + FA both enabled. so during my test, after reset and setup GN1 (without reboot router), I can connect to it fine. but once after reboot, then GN1 cannot be connected. The difference is before reboot it is CTF only and after reboot it is CTF + FA.

I know I can turn off FA by enable Traffic Analyzer Statistic and I can use this to replicate my GN1 issue. Enable Statistic and reboot (because FA won't be disable until reboot, at least in the WebUI it is like this) then my GN1 is all fine. Turn off Traffic Analyzer Statistic and reboot, then my GN1 is broken again. I now tested on both my AC68U and both resulting the same issue. so now I am turning on Traffic Analyzer Statistic just for FA off and GN1 functioning.

Anyone have this issue?

I know it's not a perfect solution but perhaps you could add some lines into say... /jffs/scripts/post-mount
To reset the desired HW accelerator after a reboot.
Remember to remove the "#" for the lines that you want
From Memory... I think maybe you can also use these two (Some combo's worked while others didn't)
#nvram set ctf_fa_mode=1
#nvram set ctf_fa_mode=0

Here's my previous notes from within my file...
#I've added these lines hoping to enable CTF+FA NAT Hardware-Acceleration
#It's unclear if FA actually works on the RT-AC68U but this seems to enable Both Types in the WebServer
#And after running speed tests & watching CPUs on the Router it seemed to free-up some resources
#nvram unset ctf_fa_cap
#nvram set ctf_fa_mode=2
#nvram commit

Note: I also think I read somewhere the AC68U could not actually do the FA

 

[Fred2u]

Many thanks for the 386.1 Merlin release.

I would love to try it, but unfortunately, several attempts to update my 304.19 version on my AC86U have failed.

Any attempt to reach the Administration UI option to update and/or upload immediately flashes to a "Firmware Downloading..." screen I have never seen before (screenshot pdf attached). In effect, this prevents me from choosing to upload the 386.1 update already on my MacBook Pro, or to start the firmware update as is usually done. In other words, I cannot reach the normal options to initiate and confirm either an update or upload in the UI. And the "forced" Firmware Downloading screen actually doesn't download anything, as far as I can tell.

After several failures to "outsmart" this forced Firmware Download, I also tried updating via my Android Asus app. That too failed repeatedly after reaching about 60% completion.

Could someone please help with this?

I realize that this plea might not be posted in the right section of the forum: it's not a direct Merlin 386.1 matter, but I hope to get there eventually. Many thanks in advance...

 

[L&LD]

Did you extract the RT-AC86U_386.1_0_cferom_ubi.w file first?

Did you verify the SHA5 hash with a utility like Hashtab?

HashTab (implbits.com)

Did you Safely remove any USB drives attached to the router before trying to flash?

Did you Safely remove any USB drives and then physically remove them from the router, reboot it, and try flashing the file above again?

I wouldn't be using any 'app' to flash a new firmware on my router.

 

[dave14305]

Many thanks for the 386.1 Merlin release.

I would love to try it, but unfortunately, several attempts to update my 304.19 version on my AC86U have failed.

Any attempt to reach the Administration UI option to update and/or upload immediately flashes to a "Firmware Downloading..." screen I have never seen before (screenshot pdf attached). In effect, this prevents me from choosing to upload the 386.1 update already on my MacBook Pro, or to start the firmware update as is usually done. In other words, I cannot reach the normal options to initiate and confirm either an update or upload in the UI. And the "forced" Firmware Downloading screen actually doesn't download anything, as far as I can tell.

After several failures to "outsmart" this forced Firmware Download, I also tried updating via my Android Asus app. That too failed repeatedly after reaching about 60% completion.

Could someone please help with this?

I realize that this plea might not be posted in the right section of the forum: it's not a direct Merlin 386.1 matter, but I hope to get there eventually. Many thanks in advance...

What if you login via SSH and run these commands and try again?

nvram get webs_state_upgrade
nvram unset webs_state_upgrade
nvram commit

Post the output of the first command to see if I am on the right track.

 

[SheikhSheikha]

Thanks, I'm experiencing the same issues as @raion969 so I will try these as well. Interesting that Apple clients can hose the network at large, never heard that before. Is it only older Apple devices that are problematic?

Also, don't we lose good functionality by disabling Multi-User Mimo? Is this just a temporary fix?

Thank you again!

Apple: any old or new Mac, iPad or iPhone (the other stuff like pods I have no clue but I do not think it will be different) (hence why Apple themselves advize very often "reset network settings" as a solution for WiFi or connection problems without further explanation).

BTW: Nest products have the same problem when your router firmware changes. (see their solutions when you have connection problems.

​

• MU-MIMO uses a special form of beamforming that is part of the 802.11ac standard. It works in 5 GHz only.
• MU-MIMO theoretically enables up to four devices to share the same Wi-Fi airtime. Many 4x4 based designs support only up to three simultaneous devices, 3x3 designs support up to two, 2x2 designs can't support any.
• You need both MU-MIMO enabled routers and devices to benefit from MU-MIMO
• You need at least two MU-MIMO devices to get any benefit from MU-MIMO
• MU-MIMO works only for downlink data (moving from router to device). It provides no benefit for uplink
• MU-MIMO works best with strong to medium strength signals
• MU-MIMO does not increase range

If you google you can find more about Mu-Mimo.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac5300-performance-security-guide.45710/ gives you a nice direction on how to configure your Merlin firmware after flashing following the directions of user L&LD.

So to answer your MU-MIMO questions: I do not think you will miss MU-MIMO and no it is not a temporary fix as it is in the architecture of MU-MIMO.

I think choosing the right channel for your Wi-Fi is more important to ensure optimal range and transmission speed. The less crowded your neighborhood is with WiFi routers the better.

See yah!

 

[Protos]

I do not see Quad 9 in the DNS over TLS list.
Has it been pulled ?
Was there a reason ??

 

[Makaveli]

I do not see Quad 9 in the DNS over TLS list.
Has it been pulled ?
Was there a reason ??

 

[Rici]

Fastest way is to just backup then restore the files with something like WinSCP.
You get a windows explorer interface to all the files on the router.

Any details of how to do that?
How to create the backup, and how to restore that?

 

[bobhope]

It is safe to install the alpha beta release.....I ask because apparently the "parental control" time scheduling is fixed on this.........C86U_386.2_alpha1-g18f27b0693

 

[ATLga]

It is safe to install the alpha beta release.....I ask because apparently the "parental control" time scheduling is fixed on this.........C86U_386.2_alpha1-g18f27b0693

Why don't you read through the Alpha thread and see for yourself.

 

[telUK]

@Matthew Patrick

Hi

I thought I would give you an update on 2.4ghz wifi stability on 386.1 on my ac86u, its been stable since updating, now at 6 days uptime.
I know that doesn't really help you though!
I don't currently have any features enabled like AiProtection or guest networks.

 

[bobhope]

Why don't you read through the Alpha thread and see for yourself.

Oh i'm not lazy, was not aware there was such a thread.....And for the time it took you to write that sarcastic answer you could have typed a more warm felt reply.........Im simply a newbie here, probably not as smart as you on such matters but relax a little bit, ive notice a few sharp replies on this thread and I appreciate some people are just lazy but also some people just need a little help.......

 

[ATLga]

Oh i'm not lazy, was not aware there was such a thread.....And for the time it took you to write that sarcastic answer you could have typed a more warm felt reply.........Im simply a newbie here, probably not as smart as you on such matters but relax a little bit, ive notice a few sharp replies on this thread and I appreciate some people are just lazy but also some people just need a little help.......

You're not lazy and wasn't aware there was such a thread? Yet you didn't search...hmmm
Anyway, sorry for my rude welcome to the forum.

[Alpha] 386.2

Out there for early birds who likes cake! Test builds - OneDrive (live.com)

www.snbforums.com

 

[Matthew Patrick]

@Matthew Patrick

Hi

I thought I would give you an update on 2.4ghz wifi stability on 386.1 on my ac86u, its been stable since updating, now at 6 days uptime.
I know that doesn't really help you though!
I don't currently have any features enabled like AiProtection or guest networks.

Yeah that is weird. Mine is fine on 384.19 now. Stable for a week . Weird. It could be a guest network issue on 386.1 but I was using just guest network 2 and 3 since i know to avoid guest network 1 for now.. i did have aiprotection enabled. But idk if that affects things tbh.. hmm weird. Did you upgrade it to 386.1 from 384.19 without resetting or what? I'm trying to figure out if it's because some default settings on 386.1 that's causing my issue.... Thank you!