Best firmware (Asuswrt or Asuswrt-Merlin) for GT-AX6000 router

[fcoayuso]

Hi all,

I have purchased 2 x GT-AX6000 routers (got a great deal at 180€ each) to replace my existing AX88U router which I will give to my parents. Just wondering what firmware version is the most stable one for these routers (can be either Asuswrt or Merlin). I really need the AIMesh to work well as the main reason I was buying this router was to extend the network and cover the whole house. Also to have a 2.5Gbps backhaul connection between the routers.

My house is rewired with CAT-7 cables and currently have around 15 RJ45 sockets at home. Any suggestion on what sort of switches I should be looking at? I was using the AX88U as router (8ports) + another 8 port gigabit switch.

Any suggestion is appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 84281]

Unless you need the extra features Merlin offers like VPN or add on scripts i would stick with stock asus firmware. It's more recent and with Aimesh it works better.

 

[fcoayuso]

Unless you need the extra features Merlin offers like VPN or add on scripts i would stick with stock asus firmware. It's more recent and with Aimesh it works better.

I need to be able to connect some of the devices through a VPN (IPTV services) without having to manually enable VPN connection on the clients. What version should I install? The most recent one? or is there any Asuswrt stable one that I should be looking at?

 

[Tech9]

Use latest stock Asuswrt and VPN Fusion.

 

[Aiadi]

All I can say is that I was just about to return the CT-AX6000 to the seller just before it started to be supported by AsusMerlin when the whole game has changed and the stability of the router has become legendary. Merlin has made this one of the best home routers out there and you will be doing yourself and your routers a great disservice by omitting it and going for stock.

 

[Deleted member 84281]

All I can say is that I was just about to return the CT-AX6000 to the seller just before it started to be supported by AsusMerlin when the whole game has changed and the stability of the router has become legendary. Merlin has made this one of the best home routers out there and you will be doing yourself and your routers a great disservice by omitting it and going for stock.

While i like Merlin's firmware the stock firmware is very stable and has almost all the features of Merlin firmware now. Unless he needs one of these features there is zero reason to run Merlin firmware until he is up to date with the latest stock security updates and the fixing of a memory leak.

 

[Aiadi]

While i like Merlin's firmware the stock firmware is very stable and has almost all the features of Merlin firmware now. Unless he needs one of these features there is zero reason to run Merlin firmware until he is up to date with the latest stock security updates and the fixing of a memory leak.

You are wrong in my opinion as stock has never been anywhere near as stable in my experience as Merlin's (I am talking about the GT-Ax6000 here as my router but I don't know which Asus model you have). No WiFi dropouts and no random disconnects. Just compare VPN fusion in stock Vs VPN director in Merlin's as one example of a vital feature and you will see exactly what I am talking about. OP can try both for a while and then come back and tell us all about their experience.

 

[Deleted member 84281]

OP can try both for a while and then come back and tell us all about their experience.

Indeed yes. But as far as wifi stability Merlin changes nothing because it's all closed source. For me i have a simple setup and like i said Merlin firmware is a great thing but lets not forget it's all based on Asus stock code.

 

[Tech9]

On my experimental RT-AX86U I'm getting consistently better results with stock Asuswrt and it's usually one step ahead in development. What I find broken in Asuswrt base is usually broken in Asuswrt-Merlin as well. What I find fixed in Asuswrt comes to Asuswrt-Merlin after some time. With ever expanding model support and after this statement from the developer I personally don't expect any further Asuswrt fixes in Asuswrt-Merlin. For that reason I currently watch Asuswrt development only because it moves ahead faster. Discovered bugs I post in Asuswrt release threads and if they are fixable it may potentially make next Asuswrt-Merlin release better. I like Asuswrt-Merlin for features, but can't say it's more stable. Both Asuswrt and Asuswrt-Merlin are stable enough for home use on few hundred dollars all-in-one device with known hardware limitations.

 

[fcoayuso]

Thank you very much all for the responses. I think i will give it a try to both firmwares and check which one performs better for my use case. Could anyone tell me what Asus Merlin firmware should i use (latest one)?

 

[Aiadi]

Thank you very much all for the responses. I think i will give it a try to both firmwares and check which one performs better for my use case. Could anyone tell me what Asus Merlin firmware should i use (latest one)?

Latest version has been excellent for me and not missed a beat so far.

 

[doczenith1]

I believe most people would recommend factory resetting to defaults when switching back and forth between Asus-Merlin and stock firmware. And you'll want to do the reset after installing the new firmware version.

 

[Deleted member 84281]

I believe most people would recommend factory resetting to defaults when switching back and forth between Asus-Merlin and stock firmware. And you'll want to do the reset after installing the new firmware version.

I would agree best practice.

 

[Ampicillin]

Latest version has been excellent for me and not missed a beat so far.

Getting AX6000. I noticed it has two versions of Merlin. Rog and standard UI. I am more used to standard UI. which one are you using and if its stable WiFi?

 

[Aiadi]

Getting AX6000. I noticed it has two versions of Merlin. Rog and standard UI. I am more used to standard UI. which one are you using and if its stable WiFi?

I much prefer the visuals of the standard interface to the ROG one. My WiFi has fortunately been very stable. I have actually revisited installing the latest stock firmware the other day just to test and did not last for more than an hour before reverting back to Merlin's given how awful and limited VPN fusion appeared in comparison to VPN Director (which is an absolutely vital function for my use).

 

[aru]

The first thing I do after receiving the GT-AX6000 router is to flash it with Merlin firmware, primarily to install third-party software because it provides a variety of useful reports for reference.

 

[Ampicillin]

The first thing I do after receiving the GT-AX6000 router is to flash it with Merlin firmware, primarily to install third-party software because it provides a variety of useful reports for reference.

Thank you. I just received AX6000 and using Merlin non-rog version latest one. Although, I am using LAN but when tested on WiFi it's giving me max 450-500 Mbps range on speedtest. Router is siting next to the desktop. I am not using WiFi card. It's built in AX201 intel chip. I think there might be some configuration issue on router? It should at least give 700-750 range on WiFi on 1Gbps connection.

Edit 1: After disabling 160Mhz its now giving 600-650 Mbps range on speedtest.

 

[Ampicillin]

I much prefer the visuals of the standard interface to the ROG one. My WiFi has fortunately been very stable. I have actually revisited installing the latest stock firmware the other day just to test and did not last for more than an hour before reverting back to Merlin's given how awful and limited VPN fusion appeared in comparison to VPN Director (which is an absolutely vital function for my use).

Agree. I have been using AC66U B1 since last few years and used to Merlin UI. Rog is nightmare for visual appearance.

 

[M75]

I prefer Merlin. Not sure about lastest firmware updates but Asuswrt Web GUI has a bug where it would not completely logout.

 

[Helder Santos]

Hello, is there anyone using the Experimental ROG UI from Merlin?
I'm curious to know how it looks like.

Thanks