Release Asuswrt-Merlin 386.12_6 is now available for AC models

[Tech9]

I'm trying to correct misinformation,

I understand you are trying, but a bit too late. Quite a few people here on SNB Forums already lost their RT-AC86U routers due to hardware failure and replaced them with something else (mostly with RT-AX86 series). I don't know what is the state of your router, but I know you are always hoping the next firmware release will fix it and it never happens. For this specific model and issues encountered I always recommend replacement. No one is going to put an effort to fix almost 7-years old model two Wi-Fi generations behind the market at the moment. This is the reality. Many folks just replaced the dud model and moved on. What you are going to do - your choice.

I would only name the real cause of what is being conveyed: consumerism.

Not in this specific case. I personally always recommend hardware according to the needs. If something is working properly and covers current needs - keep using it. This specific RT-AC86U model though is the most unreliable Asus router in recent model history. It creates more trouble than any other model. I had a full bin of dead units in 2020, folks around lost one or more at around 2-year mark, two of the script developers lost theirs (@thelonelycoder and @Jack Yaz), two of my friends lost their units (I feel bad for recommending it), Eric reported once his own Asus sample died and has to be replaced. Unresolved software issue with freezing firmware components comes on top.

If you have RT-AC68U and it's good enough - keep it, the "golden standard" router, still supported. If you have RT-AC86U with issues - replace it before it fails completely. If you have RT-AC65/67/85/87U (older MediaTek hardware), RT-ARCH series (older MediaTek hardware), RT-AC3100, RT-AC3200, RT-AC87U, RT-AC88U, RT-AC5300, GT-AC5300, ZenWiFi CT8 - continue using it, but look for replacement on next upgrade, they are all already on EoL list. Some folks may want the upgrade faster, no security updates.

Complaining about RT-AC86U not working properly in every Asuswrt or Asuswrt-Merlin firmware release thread won't help.

 

[Tech9]

By the way, this release runs fine on RT-AC1900P. I don't have much time to test it, but both radios are up and operational, DHCP assignments and DNS resolution appears working as expected. I'll leave it running with full Trend Micro enabled and few clients connected and see what happens.

 

[heywire]

I understand you are trying, but a bit too late. Quite a few people here on SNB Forums already lost their RT-AC86U routers due to hardware failure and replaced them with something else (mostly with RT-AX86 series).

I'd wager to guess even more have "lost" their router not to complete hardware failure, but firmware-related instability which they interpret as "hardware failure" based, i must say, frequently on misinformation spread by you.

I don't know what is the state of your router, but I know you are always hoping the next firmware release will fix it and it never happens.

The latest firmware versions have been treating me badly, partly because I've been sloppy with the rollbacks, which again is partly due to the problems' intermittent nature - they can seem to work for a while, and then do a total crash on me like .11 did. They can work for a while after a reboot, but then it turns out it is not long term stable.

Not long ago, I actually had a stable AC86U working. I'm back on .10 ATM, trying to figure out if it was .10 or .9 that gave me long term stability.

This is not exclusive to AC86 btw, as I've experienced fw instability with both AX88u and AC68u (which you't thought they had stabilized by now and learned their lesson on, but you'd be wrong) relatively recently. All in all, I want more focus on Asus' shirtty fw QC than false reports on hardware failure, because I've already invested a pretty penny in my setup, and want to get it to work.

I tried to launch the idea of creating a standardized test-battery where all users can do a couple of stress-tests designed to tease out common failures on new firmware versions, but only received feedback on how this wouldn't be 100% guaranteed to solve every problem, which was never my point btw. Nevertheless...

For this specific model and issues encountered I always recommend replacement. No one is going to put an effort to fix almost 7-years old model two Wi-Fi generations behind the market at the moment. This is the reality. Many folks just replaced the dud model and moved on. What you are going to do - your choice.

It is a wifi 5 router which has been shown to perform equally if not better than AX routers on AC units, 7 has barely hit the market yet. 7 years since it hit the market, yes, sold long after that. We're not talking about smartphones here, the operational lifecycle of a top-tear wifi router doing simple internet sharing should not be 3-5 years.

Not in this specific case. I personally always recommend hardware according to the needs. If something is working properly and covers current needs - keep using it. This specific RT-AC86U model though is the most unreliable Asus router in recent model history. It creates more trouble than any other model. I had a full bin of dead units in 2020, folks around lost one or more at around 2-year mark, two of the script developers lost theirs (@thelonelycoder and @Jack Yaz), two of my friends lost their units (I feel bad for recommending it), Eric reported once his own Asus sample died and has to be replaced. Unresolved software issue with freezing firmware components comes on top.

If you have RT-AC68U and it's good enough - keep it, the "golden standard" router, still supported. If you have RT-AC86U with issues - replace it before it fails completely. If you have RT-AC65/67/85/87U (older MediaTek hardware), RT-ARCH series (older MediaTek hardware), RT-AC3100, RT-AC3200, RT-AC87U, RT-AC88U, RT-AC5300, GT-AC5300, ZenWiFi CT8 - continue using it, but look for replacement on next upgrade, they are all already on EoL list. Some folks may want the upgrade faster, no security updates.

Complaining about RT-AC86U not working properly in every Asuswrt or Asuswrt-Merlin firmware release thread won't help.

If we managed to land on which version was long term stable across most setups, we could extend the life of this router, which performs very well. The money is already spent, there is no way to get it back unless you still have the warranty. Thus, I recommend finding a stable firmware and rolling back to it until a new stable version appears, over binning it just because the last one doesn't.

 

[Tech9]

I'd wager to guess even more have "lost" their router not to complete hardware failure, but firmware-related instability which they interpret as "hardware failure" based, i must say, frequently on misinformation spread by you.

You are free to guess, no problem. I know what exactly fails inside and what kills the router on a hardware level. Search for "LAN4 LED death" - there is tons of "misinformation" all over Internet. Search for "MT3125 replacement" as well, the component causing sudden RT-AC86U death. You always complain about something not working and don't accept the fact this router was the first Asus NHD hardware released and came with more than usual issues. The issues won't stop until you replace it.

I recommend finding a stable firmware

What firmware fixes blown U355 and the low quality leaking thermal pads causing overheating and CPU cores shutdown at 100C threshold? I want to know. Thanks.

 

[Gar]

I put my old trusty, dusty AC66B1 into temporary service and updated it (I think the previous release came out in 1963). No scripts, just the built-in features. It works normally without issue. I did the electrical reset first to ensure it hadn't been corrupted. Except for being relatively sluggish on Sling it is a worthy AX88U (non-Pro) substitute.

 

[nomore4u]

Upgrade from RT-AC68U from 386.12_4 to 386.12_6 and now all wifi devices can't connect, except for wired. Not sure what's wrong but rolled back to 386.12_4 and everything fine.

Do you have Diversion 5.1 installed? I had the same problem with limited (zero) Wi-Fi connections on 386_12_6. The fix was to disable these two features in diversion:
- Fast Switch
- Exclude devices from ad blocking

See this thread: Diversion 5.1 - the Router Ad-Blocker, February 17 2024

 

[Tech9]

The latest firmware versions have been treating me badly

Trying to help you - the latest stock Asuswrt release didn't play well on the only 2x RT-AC86U AiMesh system still running around me. The owner had to revert to the previous release to stabilize AiMesh. One of the routers is already showing 92C CPU and this is thermal pads failure, unfortunately. This system won't last long and perhaps has to be replaced by the summer. Traffic Analyzer and Web History are freezing and the routers are set to reboot weekly. No way around it was found so far.

 

[heywire]

You are free to guess, no problem.

As are you. Point is, it does happen.

I know what exactly fails inside and what kills the router on a hardware level. Search for "LAN4 LED death" - there is tons of "misinformation" all over Internet. Search for "MT3125 replacement" as well, the component causing sudden RT-AC86U death. You always complain about something not working and don't accept the fact this router was the first Asus NHD hardware released and came with more than usual issues.

And you seem to not understand the fact that there is a difference between hardware failure and firmware-induced instability.

The issues won't stop until you replace it.

Or downgrade to a stable FW version.

Good luck with this. Let us know what firmware fixes RT-AC86U issues. I'm interested in how to load it on dead and unresponsive units as well.

I haven't made any remarks concerning dead and unresponsive units, I'm talking about living, responsive units but with FW related crashes and connection drops. If you're this confused as to what I'm actually talking about, I'd suggest you go back and read my previous postings on the topic before proceeding.

 

[Tech9]

I understand your frustration, but don't get angry on people sharing experience and trying to help you. Your issues with this model won't stop until you replace it. This is my advice - take it or leave it. I know it's unfair, I know Asus didn't provide good enough support for the customers, but this is what we have and we have to deal with it. Some folks managed to get replacement under warranty, some had to pay out of pocket for a new router. Some folks got lucky and still have good working RT-AC86U router.

 

[SwampKracker]

I haven't made any remarks concerning dead and unresponsive units, I'm talking about living, responsive units but with FW related crashes and connection drops. If you're this confused as to what I'm actually talking about, I'd suggest you go back and read my previous postings on the topic before proceeding.

I had a slowly dying router (not RT-AC86U) that caused much frustration for many months. Trying new firmware, downgrading back to older firmware, resetting back to factory defaults, lots of testing, etc. I figured out it was bad hardware after borrowing the same model from someone, and realizing it performed flawlessly with the same firmware and same settings. I was almost inspired to consider purchasing routers in pairs, but never went down that path.

My point is - if you are struggling with firmware that others seem to be using without difficulties, maybe you should consider that your hardware has issues.

 

[Tech9]

I had a slowly dying router

@OzarkEdge shared similar experience some time ago. One of the routers started acting up for no apparent reason. Replacing the unit fixed the issue.

 

[heywire]

Some folks got lucky and still have good working RT-AC86U router.

What FW version are they running?

My point is - if you are struggling with firmware that others seem to be using without difficulties, maybe you should consider that your hardware has issues.

That makes sense. What does not make sense, however, is if the issues vary in frequency and character between different FW versions. If hardware issues were to blame, you'd expect to see consistent issues across the FW versions.

As I've previously said, I have both had absolute hell with the AC86 (not long after I got it, and grew wise to Asus atrocious/non-existent QC), but then later 100% stable operation. We have to use logic to differentiate the two. That's why I'm so tired of unproductive shutdowns of the conversations with complaining about how many issues it has had and how it' probably a hardware failure, when the truth is that it is much more probable that an earlier FW version will make the problems go away. I speak from experience.

From what I've seen, there have been numerous users having problem with the latest FW versions (.11 .12), so it's not just me.

The problem is, we don't have good data on which FW works well long term in which use-cases, across potential reboots- which also seem to be a factor with the aforementioned latest fw-versions..

Another problem is, people who have no issues generally seem to say so just after they have updated, which is of very little if any use, and there are very few reports on how well it is working a few weeks later, especially if there are no problems to report back. So we might get a skewed picture, or we may not.

 

[OzarkEdge]

What does not make sense, however, is if the issues vary in frequency and character between different FW versions. If hardware issues were to blame, you'd expect to see consistent issues across the FW versions.

For me, hardware issues can 'feel' different and are often 'inconsistent'. The AC86U hardware failures being discussed here were/are a standout experience not easily confused with a firmware issue... you'll know it when you 'feel' it.

OE

 

[Tech9]

What FW version are they running?

Just asked the person to find out. Apparently the routers were running fine for some time on older firmware, but kept auto upgrading to the latest and causing issues with wireless AiMesh or completely not booting up after auto upgrade unless physically power cycled. Sorry, I wasn't aware of changes - the system was replaced with some Netgear mesh set a few months ago. I don't know anyone else with RT-AC86U. You can ask @heysoundude - he has a good working unit, maybe?

 

[Diamond67]

RT-AC68U. Dirty update from 386.12_4 to 386.12_6.

My Wi-Fi (only 5 GHz enabled) seems to work OK after updating, and so far all clients can connect nicely. Uptime only 40 minutes, so let's see. But no problemo whatsoever at the moment.

 

[bibikalka]

Can anyone post this output with a working dirty upgrade to 12_6?

nvram show |grep dhcp |grep -v custom |grep -v static

Here is my output, I wonder if there is something different about nvram variables that impact the updated dnsmasq.

dhcp1_enable_x=0
dhcp1_end=192.168.2.254
dhcp1_lease=86400
dhcp1_start=192.168.2.2
dhcp_dns1_x=192.168.1.1
dhcp_dns2_x=
dhcp_enable_x=1
dhcp_end=192.168.1.254
dhcp_gateway_x=
dhcp_lease=86400
dhcp_start=192.168.1.32
dhcp_wins_x=
dhcpc_mode=1
dhcpd_dns_router=1
dhcpd_lmax=253
dhcpd_querylog=1
dhcpd_send_wpad=1
ipv61_6rd_dhcp=1
ipv61_dhcp6c_release=1
ipv61_dhcp_end=
ipv61_dhcp_lifetime=86400
ipv61_dhcp_pd=1
ipv61_dhcp_start=
ipv6_6rd_dhcp=1
ipv6_dhcp6c_release=1
ipv6_dhcp6s_enable=1
ipv6_dhcp_end=
ipv6_dhcp_lifetime=86400
ipv6_dhcp_pd=1
ipv6_dhcp_start=
vpn_server1_dhcp=1
vpn_server2_dhcp=1
vpn_server_dhcp=1
wan0_dhcp_qry=1
wan0_dhcpenable_x=1
wan0_proto=dhcp
wan0_proto_t=dhcp
wan0_vpndhcp=1
wan1_dhcp_qry=1
wan1_dhcpenable_x=1
wan1_proto=dhcp
wan1_vpndhcp=1
wan_dhcp_qry=1
wan_dhcpenable_x=1
wan_proto=dhcp
wan_vpndhcp=1

 

[heysoundude]

Just asked the person to find out. Apparently the routers were running fine for some time on older firmware, but kept auto upgrading to the latest and causing issues with wireless AiMesh or completely not booting up after auto upgrade unless physically power cycled. Sorry, I wasn't aware of changes - the system was replaced with some Netgear mesh set a few months ago. I don't know anyone else with RT-AC86U. You can ask @heysoundude - he has a good working unit, maybe?

I seemingly do, yes, but I’ve been fairly religious about waiting for release versions of firmware, don’t tend to mess with settings particularly often and remember to keep things updated (and perform them as instructed), but I also maintain it by blowing the dust out maybe 2-3x per year and keep it in a location with good airflow and have a fan running near it 24/7 just in case it actually does need to stay cool.
My issue this time around was (I believe) due to not unmounting the Entware drive before flashing, and a number of my past firmware updates were without a factory reset may have also contributed to needing to re-do my entire Merlin/amtm/entware/addon scripts to square everything up. (And I don’t recall -because I don't keep notes on it- if 64bit entware was available when I initially installed it on this machine), but that may be part of why it seems much more like a new router than with prior flashes.
Take this all FWIW, the proverbial it’s printed on.

 

[heywire]

I seemingly do, yes,

You have achieved perfect stability as long as you are following the procedures below? I presume we're talking about Merlin FW exclusively (and full releases as you said, as in not betas), btw?

but I’ve been fairly religious about waiting for release versions of firmware, don’t tend to mess with settings particularly often and remember to keep things updated (and perform them as instructed)

Does this mean that you are doing a full Factory reset before every incremental update, or just when it's required according to the Changelog?

My issue this time around was (I believe) due to not unmounting the Entware drive before flashing, and a number of my past firmware updates were without a factory reset may have also contributed to needing to re-do my entire Merlin/amtm/entware/addon scripts to square everything up. (And I don’t recall -because I don't keep notes on it- if 64bit entware was available when I initially installed it on this machine), but that may be part of why it seems much more like a new router than with prior flashes.
Take this all FWIW, the proverbial it’s printed on.

What version were you upgrading from (and presumably to .12_6?), and have you been able to fix it now by doing a full Factory reset, or did you have to revert to the previous FW version also?

And you say "this time around" - can you remember other things you did not according to usual procedure that caused problems in the past? (I'm trying to map out potential causes of instability that is caused by something else than not following special procedures described in the Changelog when that is required)?

 

[scjr]

Smooth upgrade to 12_6. Everything running smoothly. Thank you Eric!

 

[Shadow101]

What FW version are they running?


That makes sense. What does not make sense, however, is if the issues vary in frequency and character between different FW versions. If hardware issues were to blame, you'd expect to see consistent issues across the FW versions.

As I've previously said, I have both had absolute hell with the AC86 (not long after I got it, and grew wise to Asus atrocious/non-existent QC), but then later 100% stable operation. We have to use logic to differentiate the two. That's why I'm so tired of unproductive shutdowns of the conversations with complaining about how many issues it has had and how it' probably a hardware failure, when the truth is that it is much more probable that an earlier FW version will make the problems go away. I speak from experience.

From what I've seen, there have been numerous users having problem with the latest FW versions (.11 .12), so it's not just me.

The problem is, we don't have good data on which FW works well long term in which use-cases, across potential reboots- which also seem to be a factor with the aforementioned latest fw-versions..

Another problem is, people who have no issues generally seem to say so just after they have updated, which is of very little if any use, and there are very few reports on how well it is working a few weeks later, especially if there are no problems to report back. So we might get a skewed picture, or we may not.

I have been browsing this forum for the last two years and never bothered to make a account for some reason until now

To respond to your question on the firmware with the AC86 alot of people from what i have seen have issues with DHCP and there Aimesh setups after version .11
From my personal testing i have found .12.4 to be quite stable although with one or two hiccups with Aimesh having DHCP problems As someone with a AC86u , if your looking for firmware thats stable but quite new i suggest you do mutliple hard resets using the wps button and the gui and flash 368.10 I havent found any problems really besides the network map reading the wrong stats and breaking it
I would say more but I don't wanna make this any longer then it needs to be , hope this helps