Does T-Mobile/ASUS TM-AC1900 (RT-AC68U) Support Merlin?

[vivithemage]

If you change the CFE to an Asus CFE (per the guides on SlickDeals), yes, you can throw Tomato ARM by Shibby (or Victec's or Toastmans versions also) on it. Runs pretty well. Don't think IPv6 has the bugs ironed out yet. I'm running it on this router as well as an R7000 Netgear.

Which do you prefer? I also have a nighthawk (r7000) up and running. I was thinking of trying the two, and maybe replacing the R7000 with this guy.

 

[Thatrouterguy]

I just successfully converted a TM-AC1900 running 3.0.0.4.376_3002 with CFE 2.1.2.4 into a RT-AC68U. This router was connected to the internet with latest t-mobile locked firmware.

I downgraded the t-mobile firmware to 3.0.0.4.376_1703, updated the CFE to 1.0.2.0, and using the asus recovery utility to flash directly to Merlin RT-AC68U_378.54_2.trx. All seems to work without a glitch. The jiffs partition also have changed from 32M to 64M.

Did the same things as you. Updated to 378.51 then to 378.55 from there. How can I check to make sure my JFFS is 64 now?

 

[vivithemage]

My router has 3.0.0.4.376_2827, which of the guides should I follow to get it on tomato's 130 build? I had not heard of CFE before, how do I check it, I am guessing I need to downgrade it? Which guide is that? I have not plugged the router into the internet.

following this guide:
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=73690012&postcount=3895

It says to do this:
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=71142918&postcount=2949

But I do not see where the CFE actually gets downgraded? I also tried the tip to flash via mini CFE and I get 'the file transferred is not a valid firmware image'. I tried 130 VPN and 124 VPN only to do a 10mb file.

 

[Thatrouterguy]

Everything you need is right here:

http://slickdeals.net/f/7193262-t-m...uter-by-asus-free-for-postpaid-25-deposit?v=1

In summary:
1. Use the MiniCFE server or Firmware restoration tool to get down to TMobile version 1703 (link to that in the link I've included)
2. Wipe NVRAM
3. Once you're on 1703, enable Telnet, and flash CFE to 1.0.2.0 as guide tells you.
4. Wipe your NVRAM
5. Now use the MiniCFE server or Firmware restoration tool to flash to a stock Asus (not Tmobile) firmware.
6. Do as you please!

 

[vivithemage]

Good to go, thanks!

 

[Engineer]

Which do you prefer? I also have a nighthawk (r7000) up and running. I was thinking of trying the two, and maybe replacing the R7000 with this guy.

To be honest, I can't tell the difference when running Tomato. I like the fact that I can use Merlin/Asus/Tomato/DD-WRT on the RT-AC68U vis Tomato/DD-WRT/Netgear (and some variant of Merlin ported over) to the R7000. The R7000 is faster and actually runs cooler but I can tell no difference in performance. I probably would lean toward the Asus because of it's recovery utility and the fact that support through Asus/Merlin is there (and may not always be with the ported version of Merlin to the R7000).

 

[vivithemage]

Yeah, good to know. Also, I can sell the R7000 and probably get 120 for it, when this 68U was 'free'!

 

[Engineer]

Yeah, good to know. Also, I can sell the R7000 and probably get 120 for it, when this 68U was 'free'!

My 68U was $99 (through TMobile deal) but my R7000 was actually a money maker (I was paid $5.00 to take it) because Walmart.com screwed up and wouldn't listen when I called them twice to actually correct it and pay for it, lol. I finally gave up and just kept it for FREE.

 

[vivithemage]

My 68U was $99 (through TMobile deal) but my R7000 was actually a money maker (I was paid $5.00 to take it) because Walmart.com screwed up and wouldn't listen when I called them twice to actually correct it and pay for it, lol. I finally gave up and just kept it for FREE.

Nice, can't complain . I did some tests, I get about 1-2 db better with the R7000, so i'll just flip my R7000 and keep the 68U. One thing I noticed was the cpu % was about 3-4% higher then the R7000, which was interesting, but it's still quite low (rides 3-5%).

 

[Authority]

Thank you all, I got mine done. The part I got stuck, and doesn't seem to be in anyone's docs or faqs, is that the router LEDs didn't "flash slowly" when in recovery mode. I must have tried a dozen times holding that damned reset button before realizing it was in the right mode, but the lights just weren't behaving as expected.

Also notable is that it isn't necessary to set your computer to a static IP to do any of this as everyone seems to write, in all steps (including recovery mode) DHCP worked just fine.

Thanks again.

 

[theramenman]

This is an old thread I know and sorry for reviving it, but in case any ones wondering, here are some up to date information that I tried my best to check and make sure its valid:

• The method of editing the web page to make telnet available seems to no longer work with the latest T-Mobile firmware. It will show that it's enabled but it will not actually. I tried it multiple times, I tried using PuTTY , I tried using the command prompt. Nothing.
• The latest T-mo firmware makes it so that the lights don't flash in recovery mode and also the recovery utility does not detect it as a router in recovery mode (the utility and the flashing lights will work as expected after you flash the asus CFE though).
• When putting it into recovery mode, the rear asus logo will be off for about 5 to 10 seconds before turning on. On the front panel, only the power and the ethernet LED will be solidly lit up. Thats how you know its in recovery mode.
• Once the router is in recovery mode using the "holding reset button while turning the router on" method, you must go to 192.168.1.1 (or whatever ip adress youve set) which will display a web gui (ASUStek CFE miniWeb Server) asking you to upload a firmware.
• From the CFE miniWeb Server, I have tried flashing Merlin, Asus, DDWRT and even Tomato by shibby/Advanced Tomato just to see what would happen (I had access to an extra TM1900 due to matters not relevant here so I wasnt particularly worried about bricking it), none of which were accepted. The old stock T-Mobile firmware (TM-AC1900 3.0.0.4_376_1703) was the only one that worked and it worked very well. It flashed quickly and after an nvram reset, everything was working perfectly and I could finally enable telnet.
• As mentioned in an above post, it doesn't seem to be necessary to set a static IP but that might just be a fluke and IMO it's one less thing you have to worry about not working so I highly recommend you do set a static IP to guarantee that it'll work.
• After flashing the new CFE (highly recommend the ASUS one, it will give you nearly endless options on what firmware you can use) you should flash an older merlin firmware. The setup guide says if you use the old T-Mobile firmware, if you flash the ASUS CFE, you will be unable to flash any other firmware unless you first flash tomato using a specific method and go on from there. That seems to no longer be the case. As mentioned, I went directly from TM-AC1900 3.0.0.4_376_1703 to Merlin 376.47 without an issue and then upgraded to the latest from there. I presume you could go from the stock T-Mobile old firmware to the latest Merlin firmware, but I've seen some posts on other sites indicating that people had trouble getting that to work unless they first flashed an older Merlin firmware first.

From there on, you can basically do whatever you want to your new completely stock Asus router. All in all, this process (if you follow the guide by Engineer and keep in mind what I wrote about) only takes about 30 minutes which is very worth it to get a $200 Asus router out of a free T-Mobile one.

In any case, I used to be very active in the router scene circa 2006~2010 but simply didn't have time to bother with anymore. Now that I'm getting back into it, what the hell happened to DD-WRT? Its amazing that anyone even bothers with it any more with the 500 different versions, snarky forum members and truck loads of outdated misinformation. I can't even begin to thank people like @Engineer, @john9527 and @RMerlin for making this and other forums not only very beginner friendly but super easy to get started with. You guys seem to be everywhere and always willing to help. You guys are awesome.

 

[L&LD]

Thank you all, I got mine done. The part I got stuck, and doesn't seem to be in anyone's docs or faqs, is that the router LEDs didn't "flash slowly" when in recovery mode. I must have tried a dozen times holding that damned reset button before realizing it was in the right mode, but the lights just weren't behaving as expected.

Also notable is that it isn't necessary to set your computer to a static IP to do any of this as everyone seems to write, in all steps (including recovery mode) DHCP worked just fine.

Thanks again.

Glad you got it working.

The static IP is necessary, but you may have lucked out with the computer you were using that it simply held onto the last IP address it had (and it happened to be in the right IP range while the router was in recovery mode).

 

[Engineer]

@theramenman, thanks for the updated post and the thanks. It's appreciated.

I posted your post in the SlickDeals thread to help others.

Thanks again!

 

[pantag]

@Engineer

First of all, thank you for all your hard work and Time! I have been reading quite some time now to make the switch from the TMO version to a stock Asus RT68 and i have been finding several sources (mainly from SNB) with slightly different ways to do the firmware switch. I want to verify a couple things:

1. As of Sept 28th 2015, is this the latest and greatest guide to follow, on the 1st page? (+ adding the useful comments of @theramenman above?)

2. Is the youtube video on the 1st page, a complete follow-blindly way to do the upgrade today, Sept 28th 2015? Or is it JUST for out of box routers with no upgraded TMO firmware?

3. What if the router has to be returned back to T-mobile? Will they charge $99 for returning a working router with "hacked" Asus firmware on it? Is there a guide that shows how to revert back to stock T-Mobile firmware?

-- Just confused on which guide to use having the latest TMO firmware installed.

Thanks!

 

[Engineer]

@pantag

The video guide, not made by me, should be enough to get you through. The changes that TMobile/Asus made with certain CFE updates and firmware combinations, have complicated things in the past.

Previously, you simply had to (assuming you have Telnet ability)

enable Telnet
download your original CFE
extract the MAC address values and SECRET code for WPS
paste them into the generic Asus 1.0.2.0 (or 1.0.2.1) CFE
flash the edited CFE
reset NVRAM

and you would be good to go on flashing any firmware that you wish.

Now, because of TMobile/Asus removing Telnet from the router choices, you'll have to add another step: You'll need to downgrade to firmware .1703 first (located in the Wiki of the SD thread). Once on Tmobile .1703, you can then do the above.

Steps now (assuming you don't have Telnet ability):

flash older TMobile .1703 firmware
enable Telnet
download your original CFE
extract the MAC address values and SECRET code for WPS
paste them into the generic Asus 1.0.2.0 (or 1.0.2.1) CFE
flash the edited CFE
reset NVRAM

The CFE guide is located in the WIKI. It's been updated with fresh links and is a good read even if following the video.

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=73690012&postcount=3895

(Special thanks again to hggomes for the original guide for the RT-AC66 which this guide was started from as well as the CFE collection thread. Invaluable information for this guide)!

 

[pantag]

Great, thanks for verifying the process. That was my understanding as i was going through the process. I was checking the "last updated date" of the posts and cross-reading other sources on the new TMO firmware limitations such as the Telnet removal, trying to figure out what has changed and what process I should use today.

I think I have narrowed down all the latest specs/details/guides that I will need as of today, and they are in these pages, with the order that I will have to follow:

1. Main guide: http://slickdeals.net/f/7193262-t-m...uter-by-asus-free-for-postpaid-25-deposit?v=1

2. Guide to CFE Flashing (To get info on how to downgrade to TMO firmware .1703 to enable Telnet):
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=70991738&postcount=2576

3. How to install the older TMO firmware: http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=71142918&postcount=2949
(Does the Asus Restore Utility works or use CFE mini-webserver? For some reason, I have a feeling that I will face issues on this step...)

4. CFE Flashing 2.0 (nice work @Engineer !): http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=73690012&postcount=3895
(Although you wrote "To Be Continued..., which scares me a bit thinking that it might not be a complete guide... )

5. Just flash the firmware of your choice I guess...

 

[Engineer]

@pantag,

The guide never ends. I'm constantly adding little bits of information here and there. I just added the new recovery mode LED pattern (from this very thread that I somehow missed) a few minutes ago. Buying this router just over a year ago and diving into turning it into an Asus full RT-AC68U has been a full time job, lol!

Hopefully, the guide has enough information and is easy enough to follow that most people can get through it!

By the way, #4 replaces #2 above. Guide #2 became so convoluted that I decided to start over and try to organize it better and keep it that way.

As for #3 (question), seems people are having trouble lately (with latest firmwares / CFE's) of using the restore utility. Seems that using the mini CFE webserver while in restore mode seems to solve this issue most of the time (if not all). Try either and switch to the other if one does not work.

As for #5: If going to some of the later 376.xxxx or 378.xxxx firmware editions, some people have had them rejected. Most of the time, it's because there is a firmware (Asus 376.3626 will do it) that expand the rootfs partition from 32M to 64M. My advice is to go to 376.3626, reset NVRAM and then flash to the newer firmware edition if you want the latest firmware. Of course, you can try the 378.xxxx version (Asus or Merlin) first to see if it will simply work.

 

[pantag]

Thank you all ! I have successfully freed "my" router to an AC68U. Overall smooth... just a couple issues I had and I want to write about them to help future doers:

- Do NOT use the Asus Restore utility from Asus' website as it does not work with this process. It looks like it is a latest version that "blocks" the restoration of older firmwares. The version that is provided in the links of this forum, works for the final restoration (not the downgrade to .1703 TMO firmware).

- If you downgrading your FW from the latest TMO down to .1703 TMO firmware which includes Telnet support, the Asus Firmware Restoration utility will not work (at least for me it didn't). Use the router's IP address, hard-code the same range of IP (+1) on your adapter settings and use the Asus mini CFE webserver browser utility, which is basically an in-router FW restoration. You can use the Asus Firmware Restoration utility at the last step, when you are ready to install the FW of your choice. The utility does work then.

- Pay extra attention during the HEX editing. Engineer has a couple commands in his tutorial that compares the MAC addresses and the WPS code. If they are different, stop and revisit.

- @Engineer: I would add this to your awesome write-up, pulled from here:
CHECK YOUR ROUTER FLASH CHIP:
========================
After a reboot:
dmesg | grep -e "flash" -e "nand" -e "amd" /tmp/syslog.log

Possible brands are: Spansion aka AMD, Numonyx, Micron, Toshiba, Hynix, Samsung, Esmt, Mxic, Zentel, Winbond.

Flash Chip (NAND): SPANSION(AMD) / ESMT

1.0.1.1 (US)
1.0.1.6 (US) **
1.0.1.6 (EU) *
1.0.1.7 (EU) **
1.0.1.8 (EU) **
1.0.2.0 (EU) **
1.0.2.0 (US) **
1.0.2.0 (US) ASUS => Compiled from ASUS *increase rootfs/mtd3 to 64MB*
1.0.2.0 (US) ESMT => Compiled from ASUS for AC68U with ESMT NAND *increase rootfs/mtd3 to 64MB*
*DO NOT USE THIS CFE ON SPANSION(AMD) NAND*
1.0.2.1 (US) => DDR3 *unlocked* to 800MHZ

* DDR3 locked to 666MHZ
** DDR3 unlocked to 800MHZ

You recommend to use either 1.0.2.0 or 1.0.2.1. Most users would go for the latest, but according to the above, it will cause issues. I am not sure what kind of issues; I am guessing it will overclock the DDR3 memory and it is not stable on AMD chips...?? In any case, I checked before I select the CFE version and I was running AMD. So, I went with 1.0.2.0.
(Will OEM Asus new firmware releases update the CFE?)

- I had some issues making my AC1900 accepting the old stock Asus firmware 376.3626 (that enables the partition expansion). I did install the 1.0.2.0 bootloader first successfully, but during the 376.3626 restoration, it would fail around 50%. Even if I cleared the NVRAM, it would not accept it. It seems to be some incompatibility having the 1.0.2.0 bootloader with a TMO firmware (I had downgraded to .1703). To overcome the issue, I installed Tomato 1.24 VPN (not the AIO) which is very small, about 10MB. That seemed to do the trick. From here you have two options: Upgrade to the firmware of your liking thru Tomato or use the Asus Firmware Restoration utility, which is what I did. This time, it took the OEM Asus firmware 376.3626 without issues. Then, cleared NVRAM again and thru the Asus interface, I upgraded to the latest version 378.8258 .

-----------
Didn't have the chance to do any extensive testing, but so far everything seem to work fine. My Asus PCE-AC68 adapter shows 1300Mbps, although I think it is BS, since the Windows 10 drivers still suck, as they are a carry over from Win8. Hopefully Asus will update them soon.

That's all. Be patient and watch this Youtube video to get a taste of the work that you will have to do. It will give you vertigo, but it is worth it.

 

[Engineer]

1.0.2.1. doesn't have a warning...it's the one above it (1.0.2.0 ESMT) that has a warning.

Many of the items that you report should be in the "Tips and Troubleshooting" section of the guide. Asus restore utility hasn't worked well on the TMobile version for some time but mini cFE webserver seems to work. The Tomato trick is also listed in the guide!

Happy you got it going....it's a challenge and for many, it's worth it!

 

[pantag]

Aaaaa crap! Ok... It was not very clear on his page... OK. I have installed the CFE 1.0.2.0 that comes in your package, which I believe it the ASUS one. Now that I am up and running, should I bother upgrading to 1.0.2.1? Any negative aspects if I do it or anything that I should pay attention to? Looks like I might get benefited from the DDR3 unlocked to 800MHZ. I don't think this comes in 1.0.2.0. Also, do we know if the stock Asus firmware updates will update the CFE ?