Beta Asuswrt-Merlin 386.13 beta is now available for AC models

[RMerlin]

Thanks, dave14305. My brain sparked into gear and I figured that out just before you wrote that reply

Or disable that privacy option on your Apple devices. That option works both as a VPN (routing traffic through a tunnel) and as an encrypted DNS resolver. This would allow Apple devices to bypass your preferred DNS configuration, hence it is now blocked by the the same option that blocks auto-DoH connection promotions done by Firefox and Windows.

 

[Shadow101]

wo

I forgot to document it in the changelog.

Originally when setting it to Disabed ,Asus would also actively block that traffic type at the firewall level, meaning you could either Block, or Allow and load the NAT helper, which was of no use for anyone who needed to just keep the NAT helper disabled (for instance when using any modern SIP VoIP system). The "Enabled + NAT Helper" was added to replace Asus's Enabled option, and Enabled only opened the firewall. Now that Asus stopped actively blocking firewall traffic when set to Disabled, the third option was no longer needed. The setting is back to truly only controlling whether or not these obsolete ALG modules should be loaded or not.

Ideally, these old NAT helpers should just be completely removed. They are a legacy from 20 years ago and have been deprecated at the Kernel level for a long time. I am keeping them only because Asus still offers them on the stock firmware.

Would there ultimately be any benefit disabling these outdated deprecated ALG modules? I dont remember the last time i used voip or sip , doesnt seem like it should still be around

 

[RMerlin]

wo

Would there ultimately be any benefit disabling these outdated deprecated ALG modules? I dont remember the last time i used voip or sip , doesnt seem like it should still be around

You actually need to disable it with most modern SIP services, otherwise it will create compatibility issues.

I am leaving the settings there because they are still there upstream, otherwise I would need to start explaining to people why these settings are "missing" when compared with the stock firmware. However I am considering changing most of these to default to "Disabled" as this would be the most compatible setting and therefore make much more sense.

 

[jsbeddow]

You actually need to disable it with most modern SIP services, otherwise it will create compatibility issues.

I am leaving the settings there because they are still there upstream, otherwise I would need to start explaining to people why these settings are "missing" when compared with the stock firmware. However I am considering changing most of these to default to "Disabled" as this would be the most compatible setting and therefore make much more sense.

A couple of observations here: the page header/descriptive text reads: "Enable NAT Passthrough to allow a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection to pass through the router to the network clients." Does this really have anything to do with VPN connections?

Also, while those of us who have read the explanations here will understand what to do with these settings, the labels themselves seem quite unintuitive: setting something to "Disabled" (without more background info) would indicate to most people that the basic functionality is blocked (and not simply disabling the old add-on "helpers"). For example, the way it is now worded makes it seem like if we want SIP to pass-through, we would need to change the setting to ""Enabled". I understand this may be following the upstream Asus method and wording, but it might be an example of where this could be done better (and clearer).

 

[David Cavalli]

Just saw the new release and will install the beta over the weekend and report results.

Seeing that my RT-AC68U will be able to run "new" Merlin releases only through 2024, I assume that means my router will technically work, but eventually be vulnerable to security issues, or just that there won't be new Merlin features? Not sure exactly what "end of life" means, but it doesn't sound good. I like all the Merlin features I've come to understand and would like to retain them past the current 386.13.xx firmware.

Assuming it's really bad (i.e. new router by 2025), I assume I'll be buying a new Asus which is Merlin ready. From what I glean on the boards here, the RT-AX88U Pro ($267) or GT-AX6000 ($230) were the go-to models to get. Assuming I buy one of those two (or whatever someone senior here says is better for 2024), is it wise to consider using my old AC68U in some sort of mesh configuration? Or should I just toss it? I have a two-story house and if I could repurpose it to "downstairs" wifi usage in "mesh", that would be great. If I understand "mesh" right, it would allow my new router to extend through the current one to double coverage in my house. If this is a bad idea, that's OK too, becuase the AC68U currently covers most areas of the house well, and I assume the replacement would do the same. Any guidance on anything above appreciated.

Not the biggest fan of change, since I like when things are working, but ultimately see how a new router might be better and buy me 4-5 years of well-supported router/firmware. Thanks for all you do Merlin, and board support!

 

[Shadow101]

Just saw the new release and will install the beta over the weekend and report results.

Seeing that my RT-AC68U will be able to run "new" Merlin releases only through 2024, I assume that means my router will technically work, but eventually be vulnerable to security issues, or just that there won't be new Merlin features? Not sure exactly what "end of life" means, but it doesn't sound good. I like all the Merlin features I've come to understand and would like to retain them past the current 386.13.xx firmware.

Assuming it's really bad (i.e. new router by 2025), I assume I'll be buying a new Asus which is Merlin ready. From what I glean on the boards here, the RT-AX88U Pro ($267) or GT-AX6000 ($230) were the go-to models to get. Assuming I buy one of those two (or whatever someone senior here says is better for 2024), is it wise to consider using my old AC68U in some sort of mesh configuration? Or should I just toss it? I have a two-story house and if I could repurpose it to "downstairs" wifi usage in "mesh", that would be great. If I understand "mesh" right, it would allow my new router to extend through the current one to double coverage in my house. If this is a bad idea, that's OK too, becuase the AC68U currently covers most areas of the house well, and I assume the replacement would do the same. Any guidance on anything above appreciated.

Not the biggest fan of change, since I like when things are working, but ultimately see how a new router might be better and buy me 4-5 years of well-supported router/firmware. Thanks for all you do Merlin, and board support!

You may still use your router as a mesh node , Merlin did say he would stop supporting the AC models by the end of 2024 but may still release a security patch if required once in awhile , personally I think you should keep the router and use it as a node

 

[Shadow101]

You actually need to disable it with most modern SIP services, otherwise it will create compatibility issues.

I am leaving the settings there because they are still there upstream, otherwise I would need to start explaining to people why these settings are "missing" when compared with the stock firmware. However I am considering changing most of these to default to "Disabled" as this would be the most compatible setting and therefore make much more sense.

makes sense , any suggestion on what should be disabled if you were to do it , alot of these options for me personally seem useless , although I know there is no performance gain , keeping unsupported deprecated ports / features open on my router doesn't sound all too convincing to keep them enabled , i keep sip and pptp disabled by default , hopefully ipv6 becomes the standard by 2030 so nat and ipv4 can be removed / become unused as the standard

 

[anotherengineer]

Are there any applications that could extend the life of these routers, or are they basically e-waste in a year?

 

[ColinTaylor]

@David Cavalli @anotherengineer I suggest you post your EOL questions in the existing thread on that subject as it's off-topic for this beta testing thread.

 

[KrypteX]

Are there any applications that could extend the life of these routers, or are they basically e-waste in a year?

OpenWrt or DD-WRT, you can discuss more here:

Asus moving some devices to EOL while issues still remain

Well, this is surprising: AC68U, AC86U, AC88U are all EOL https://www.asus.com/event/network/eol-product/

www.snbforums.com

 

[David Cavalli]

@anotherengineer I suggest you post your EOL questions in the existing thread on that subject as it's off-topic for this beta testing thread.

Fair enough. Done. Thanks.

I installed the 386.13.beta1 here on the AC68U and so far so good after a couple of hours. Nothing noteworthy to report after a dirty install.

 

[RMerlin]

A couple of observations here: the page header/descriptive text reads: "Enable NAT Passthrough to allow a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection to pass through the router to the network clients." Does this really have anything to do with VPN connections?

No, except for the PPTP and IPSEC passthrough option. Probably a 15 years old help string that Asus never updated, and I don't touch catalog files because it would be a nightmare for me to maintain these 20+ different languages.

Same with the labels, I would need to completely rewrite that page to update the labels, not something I intend to do due to the problems it would create with merging upstream changes.

 

[RMerlin]

386.13 final has been released.