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

[dru500a]

The john9527 fork worked great and now I have the repeater function. RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_374.43_2-14E1j9527.trx is the one that I used to get it to work. THANK YOU for your advice and john9527 for the flash!

braebyrn and all: were you able to get the repeater to function properly? I followed the very helpful guides and was able to downgrade TM firmware, then flash Asus CFE, then flash Asus firmware, then flashed Merlin. The repeater option became available and I was able to select my existing AP. After the ac1900 configured it self I was able to see and connect to it but not use the internet. In the configuration I am able to see that it is indeed connected to my existing AP. I thought it may be Merlin so I flashed to John's fork 15e1, but received the same results.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks a bunch to the contributors btw. I had zero knowledge this AM and was able to flash using your guides.

 

[braebyrn]

braebyrn and all: were you able to get the repeater to function properly? I followed the very helpful guides and was able to downgrade TM firmware, then flash Asus CFE, then flash Asus firmware, then flashed Merlin. The repeater option became available and I was able to select my existing AP. After the ac1900 configured it self I was able to see and connect to it but not use the internet. In the configuration I am able to see that it is indeed connected to my existing AP. I thought it may be Merlin so I flashed to John's fork 15e1, but received the same results.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks a bunch to the contributors btw. I had zero knowledge this AM and was able to flash using your guides.

I have been enjoying this ever since the install. It was at the cusp of my knowledge base to even attempt this and many hours of frustrations, but it works great. I am sure someone else will chime in with the answer, but did you switch the choice back to obtain an ip address automatically? That's under the wireless network connections?

 

[gatorback]

braebyrn and all: were you able to get the repeater to function properly? I followed the very helpful guides and was able to downgrade TM firmware, then flash Asus CFE, then flash Asus firmware, then flashed Merlin. The repeater option became available and I was able to select my existing AP. After the ac1900 configured it self I was able to see and connect to it but not use the internet. In the configuration I am able to see that it is indeed connected to my existing AP. I thought it may be Merlin so I flashed to John's fork 15e1, but received the same results.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks a bunch to the contributors btw. I had zero knowledge this AM and was able to flash using your guides.

How did you verify CFE was flashed?
Did you reset the NVRAM after flashing the firmware?

When flashing firmware, it is a requirement to perform an NVRAM reset. Failure to do so is well...

Wiki: https://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Asus_T-Mobile_Cellspot

 

[dru500a]

I have been enjoying this ever since the install. It was at the cusp of my knowledge base to even attempt this and many hours of frustrations, but it works great. I am sure someone else will chime in with the answer, but did you switch the choice back to obtain an ip address automatically? That's under the wireless network connections?

Yes, I set it back to "obtain IP address automatically"

How did you verify CFE was flashed?
Did you reset the NVRAM after flashing the firmware?

When flashing firmware, it is a requirement to perform an NVRAM reset. Failure to do so is well...

Wiki: https://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Asus_T-Mobile_Cellspot

Verified CFE using: nvram get bl_version and the version number matched up. I used 1.0.2.0

Did a NVRAM reset using the power off, hold wps button, power on. Held wps for 20 seconds and router led blinked rapidly several times as confirmation.

Should I reflash merlin or john and reset using the telnet method? Will that make a difference?

 

[Joe Campitelli]

I'm not running repeater, but I am using my cell spot as a media bridge. My main AC-68r and the cell spot are running the latest stock firmware. If I were you, I would flash to asus stock 376.3626, reset NVRAM and flash to lastest asus stock build - currently 378.9313 and see if that makes any difference.

 

[gatorback]

Yes, I set it back to "obtain IP address automatically"



Verified CFE using: nvram get bl_version and the version number matched up. I used 1.0.2.0

Did a NVRAM reset using the power off, hold wps button, power on. Held wps for 20 seconds and router led blinked rapidly several times as confirmation.

Should I reflash merlin or john and reset using the telnet method? Will that make a difference?

It is unknown to me the extent of your wirless networking expertise, so perhaps you are already aware of the consequences of a wireless repeater:

If given a choice between running a repeater or putting in a ethernet cable, security, performance (speed): ethernet is the clear front-runner. A wireless repeater reduces your bandwidth: if you need wifi for a tablet at a remote location in the building, I always recommend a wired AP (access point) , preferably with POE (power over ethernet). This is less important for low-bandwidth network use (email), but becomes important in high bandwidth (video) and real-time (voice) applications.

In a densely populated area, it becomes problematic to run a repeater (or wifi in general) over long distances because everyone is competing / interfering with one another. Those who are using ethernet are rewarded with speed, security, and ease of maintenance. It is only my phones / tablets that are relegated to wifi.

When I was living in BFE, where it was sparsely populated: I used ethernet despite the lack of wifi 'competitors'.

 

[Pete Runyan]

Just an FYI here for anyone with the T-mobile variant of the RT-AC68U router. The last few versions of Merlin (post version 378.55) have not worked reliably with mine. The problems usually manifest after a few days of normal operation, and slowly things stop working. (DCHP server won't hand out manually assigned DCHP addresses, the traffic analyzer gets wonky and stops working, you suddenly can no longer ping devices attached via a hard-wired AP connected to the RT-AC68U, and then the wireless section of the RT-AC68U just simply stops working as it appears that the firmware image somehow gets corrupted. (Which means that when you power-cycle the router, the wifi lights never come up, and you simply can't get into it. The reset button does nothing at this point.)

A firmware restore with the recover utility will get it back up and running for a few days, until the problems described above happen again.

I have since reloaded version 378.55 and all is well again, and running reliably for many days with no issues. This would seem to rule out a hardware problem with the router. I also use many of the Merlin-only features: Traffic analyzer, Time Machine, Samba, etc. etc. So I'm pushing the router pretty hard.

Anyone else had problems like this with their unit?

 

[braebyrn]

It is unknown to me the extent of your wirless networking expertise, so perhaps you are already aware of the consequences of a wireless repeater:

If given a choice between running a repeater or putting in a ethernet cable, security, performance (speed): ethernet is the clear front-runner. A wireless repeater reduces your bandwidth: if you need wifi for a tablet at a remote location in the building, I always recommend a wired AP (access point) , preferably with POE (power over ethernet). This is less important for low-bandwidth network use (email), but becomes important in high bandwidth (video) and real-time (voice) applications.

In a densely populated area, it becomes problematic to run a repeater (or wifi in general) over long distances because everyone is competing / interfering with one another. Those who are using ethernet are rewarded with speed, security, and ease of maintenance. It is only my phones / tablets that are relegated to wifi.

When I was living in BFE, where it was sparsely populated: I used ethernet despite the lack of wifi 'competitors'.

FYI, for my situation, I am out in the boonies with very little wifi competitors. The distance from router/modem to repeater is about 1000 ft and with no option to hardwire ethernet cable between the two. I repurposed a small satellite dish and have been utilizing this method for about 5 years now. With the addition of the Asus RT-AC68U routers, I am having no problems with my connections and am pleased to enjoy the results.

 

[Joe Campitelli]

Just an FYI here for anyone with the T-mobile variant of the RT-AC68U router. The last few versions of Merlin (post version 378.55) have not worked reliably with mine. The problems usually manifest after a few days of normal operation, and slowly things stop working. (DCHP server won't hand out manually assigned DCHP addresses, the traffic analyzer gets wonky and stops working, you suddenly can no longer ping devices attached via a hard-wired AP connected to the RT-AC68U, and then the wireless section of the RT-AC68U just simply stops working as it appears that the firmware image somehow gets corrupted. (Which means that when you power-cycle the router, the wifi lights never come up, and you simply can't get into it. The reset button does nothing at this point.)

A firmware restore with the recover utility will get it back up and running for a few days, until the problems described above happen again.

I have since reloaded version 378.55 and all is well again, and running reliably for many days with no issues. This would seem to rule out a hardware problem with the router. I also use many of the Merlin-only features: Traffic analyzer, Time Machine, Samba, etc. etc. So I'm pushing the router pretty hard.

Anyone else had problems like this with their unit?

I have had some issues with my set up. I have an OEM Asus RT-AC68R as main router with two T-Mobile RT-AC68U set up as media bridges. In my set up only the main router is broadcasting wifi. I noticed that after a few weeks of uptime that pings from wireless clients to the main router or to the outside world would not go through on some of my wireless devices, they would timeout. After a few minutes of ping timeouts, the pings would start going through and everyone was normal again. I also noticed the symptoms happening on my hard wired clients that were connected to the media bridges. At the time, I was running stock 380.1031 on all three devices. I recently updated the firmware on all devices to 380.1842 and I haven't had a problem since. 2 weeks running so far.

 

[darrinmc]

Just an FYI here for anyone with the T-mobile variant of the RT-AC68U router. The last few versions of Merlin (post version 378.55) have not worked reliably with mine. The problems usually manifest after a few days of normal operation, and slowly things stop working. (DCHP server won't hand out manually assigned DCHP addresses, the traffic analyzer gets wonky and stops working, you suddenly can no longer ping devices attached via a hard-wired AP connected to the RT-AC68U, and then the wireless section of the RT-AC68U just simply stops working as it appears that the firmware image somehow gets corrupted. (Which means that when you power-cycle the router, the wifi lights never come up, and you simply can't get into it. The reset button does nothing at this point.)

A firmware restore with the recover utility will get it back up and running for a few days, until the problems described above happen again.

I have since reloaded version 378.55 and all is well again, and running reliably for many days with no issues. This would seem to rule out a hardware problem with the router. I also use many of the Merlin-only features: Traffic analyzer, Time Machine, Samba, etc. etc. So I'm pushing the router pretty hard.

Anyone else had problems like this with their unit?

Yes I recently changed my tmobile ac1900 to the ac68u and have had issues with the latest 380.58 build. Merlin suggests 378.56_2 in another thread for those with issues with the AC68U. Did you try that one yet? I am looking to revert to one of these past releases because my family is getting pissed with all this tinkering. My old NT16 running Tomato had no drama and is a great backup workhorse. Merlin has an impossible task, he can fix bugs to features he introduces, but should he attempt to fix bugs that Asus brings out? I think not.

 

[freeza]

Been thinking about picking up one of these tmobile units.. but i keep reading about random issues people are having with the firmware flash from tmo to asus/merlin and upgrading etc.

Has there been a way to flash this TMobile router to AC68U 100%? Meaning it is exactly like a ac68U in every way possible? I don't want to run into any issues down the road updating firmware or using the features.

Thanks everyone!

 

[tsaltzma]

I just picked up a TM-AC1900, and I have been unable to get it into restore mode. I have tried the unplugging, holding reset, plugging in power, waiting up to a minute, the light never blinks. I have tried it with the WPS button the same way, and it blinks fast, but when I let go it stops blinking. The firmware restore utility will never connect properly, and when I use the IP I don't get the CFE, I get the regular router setup page. Any ideas? I have a R6300 v2 I can use but I would prefer to use the TM-AC1900 if I can get the AC68U firmware on it, as the specs and reviews all seem to be better.

I have also gone to the router admin/system settings and edited the HTML, modified it to show telnet. I enabled telnet and applied, and it appears to work, but when I attempt to telnet to the device it won't connect.

 

[Engineer]

I just picked up a TM-AC1900, and I have been unable to get it into restore mode. I have tried the unplugging, holding reset, plugging in power, waiting up to a minute, the light never blinks. I have tried it with the WPS button the same way, and it blinks fast, but when I let go it stops blinking. The firmware restore utility will never connect properly, and when I use the IP I don't get the CFE, I get the regular router setup page. Any ideas? I have a R6300 v2 I can use but I would prefer to use the TM-AC1900 if I can get the AC68U firmware on it, as the specs and reviews all seem to be better.

I have also gone to the router admin/system settings and edited the HTML, modified it to show telnet. I enabled telnet and applied, and it appears to work, but when I attempt to telnet to the device it won't connect.

A tip from the guide (I verified this working a few weeks ago).

Tips for getting to mini-CFE webserver

• Power off the router using the power button
• Set your PC's IP to 192.168.29.2, subnet 255.255.255.0 & gateway 192.168.29.1 (assuming the recovery mode is 192.168.29.1)
• Navigate to 192.168.29.1 using your browser. Browser status will spin indicating looking for page
• Press and hold the reset button while powering on
• When the mini-CFE webpage appears on the browser, release the reset button
  
  The browser status must be spinning (looking for a webpage) for this to occur. This method seemed much easier than the hit and miss of trying to go into mini-CFE webserver blindly

 

[Authority]

I just picked up a TM-AC1900, and I have been unable to get it into restore mode. I have tried the unplugging, holding reset, plugging in power, waiting up to a minute, the light never blinks. I have tried it with the WPS button the same way, and it blinks fast, but when I let go it stops blinking. The firmware restore utility will never connect properly, and when I use the IP I don't get the CFE, I get the regular router setup page. Any ideas? I have a R6300 v2 I can use but I would prefer to use the TM-AC1900 if I can get the AC68U firmware on it, as the specs and reviews all seem to be better.

I have also gone to the router admin/system settings and edited the HTML, modified it to show telnet. I enabled telnet and applied, and it appears to work, but when I attempt to telnet to the device it won't connect.

I remember that part that confused me is that the lights didn't do what I expected but it still went into recovery and I got mine upgraded.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tsaltzma]

A tip from the guide (I verified this working a few weeks ago).

Tips for getting to mini-CFE webserver

• Power off the router using the power button
• Set your PC's IP to 192.168.29.2, subnet 255.255.255.0 & gateway 192.168.29.1 (assuming the recovery mode is 192.168.29.1)
• Navigate to 192.168.29.1 using your browser. Browser status will spin indicating looking for page
• Press and hold the reset button while powering on
• When the mini-CFE webpage appears on the browser, release the reset button
  
  The browser status must be spinning (looking for a webpage) for this to occur. This method seemed much easier than the hit and miss of trying to go into mini-CFE webserver blindly

I was able to finally get into mini-CFE using your approach. When I did, I attempted to upload TM-AC1900_3.0.0.4_376_1703-g0ffdbba.trx. The browser spins like it is trying to work. I came back after 10 minutes and turned off and back on the router. It's still on the same old 3108 firmware. I have tried this several times. It acts like it's trying but it doesn't appear to take on the router.

 

[Engineer]

I was able to finally get into mini-CFE using your approach. When I did, I attempted to upload TM-AC1900_3.0.0.4_376_1703-g0ffdbba.trx. The browser spins like it is trying to work. I came back after 10 minutes and turned off and back on the router. It's still on the same old 3108 firmware. I have tried this several times. It acts like it's trying but it doesn't appear to take on the router.

I would suggest an NVRAM reset (press and hold the WPS button while powering router on and continue to hold WPS button for at least 10 seconds or so after powering on). Also, your IP address is static, correct? Finally, try a different browser.

 

[tsaltzma]

I would suggest an NVRAM reset (press and hold the WPS button while powering router on and continue to hold WPS button for at least 10 seconds or so after powering on). Also, your IP address is static, correct? Finally, try a different browser.

I tried that, it comes back up with the same firmware still. I've tried the same thing in Explorer, Edge, and Chrome, same results. It spins like it's thinking then it comes up with 'hmm we can't reach this page'. I have tried my IP as 192.168.29.2, and 192.168.29.88 as suggested, subnet 255.255.255.0, gateway 192.168.29.1,

 

[tsaltzma]

Ok, I must have tried it 30 times in a row, with different browsers, finally the firmware upgrade went through and is showing as 1703. I'm not sure why it finally decided to work, but it did.

Thanks for the help.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein

 

[tsaltzma]

Now I've run into something interesting. I'm modifying the CFE to replace the original, and it says to copy the Mac addresses from the original cfe I dumped from the router, to the new_cfe.bin. However, when I search mac in the original_cfe.bin, the mac addresses are exactly the same as the mac addresses in the new_cfe.bin which I got in tmo2ac68u.rar. So I went into the router web interface, and the mac address does match the one from the replacement CFE. I double and triple checked, upzipped the new cfe again, and the backup from the router definitely matches the replacement CFE. This leads me to believe someone else tried to flash the router and wasn't able to get it to work properly. I'm assuming atleast one of the mac addresses in my original_cfe.bin should match the mac address on the back of the router, correct? How do I find out what the other two were, or are supposed to be, or can I create my own?

 

[Engineer]

Now I've run into something interesting. I'm modifying the CFE to replace the original, and it says to copy the Mac addresses from the original cfe I dumped from the router, to the new_cfe.bin. However, when I search mac in the original_cfe.bin, the mac addresses are exactly the same as the mac addresses in the new_cfe.bin which I got in tmo2ac68u.rar. So I went into the router web interface, and the mac address does match the one from the replacement CFE. I double and triple checked, upzipped the new cfe again, and the backup from the router definitely matches the replacement CFE. This leads me to believe someone else tried to flash the router and wasn't able to get it to work properly. I'm assuming atleast one of the mac addresses in my original_cfe.bin should match the mac address on the back of the router, correct? How do I find out what the other two were, or are supposed to be, or can I create my own?

First two MAC's are the same. I would enter the one on the back into the first two. As for the other, you could take a guess (or pull one from an old router in the house). You could also just change the last two digits (as that seems to be the pattern anyway - off by a few digits).