How to port Merlin settings to a new router

[pianopete]

My AC68U is being end of lifed. I'm considering replacing it with an Asus RT-AX86U Pro.

Is there an accepted way of transferring an existing setup with Merlin s/w so that I can (hopefully) seamlessly move the config files to the new router ?

Cheers, Pete

 

[Viktor Jaep]

10 - Step 1: Open your Merlin web UI in the browser, open each page
20 - Step 2: SCREENSHOT IT!
30 - Step 3: Paste in a Word Document (or something similar for easy retrieval)
GOTO 10

When complete, replicate the settings (as much as you can) on the new router manually.

 

[Ripshod]

You could always try it, but I'd wager you'll have to factory reset and start again from scratch. Viktor's advice will save you time and effort (plus downtime if the family rely on the internet).

 

[Viktor Jaep]

You could always try it, but I'd wager you'll have to factory reset and start again from scratch. Viktor's advice will save you time and effort (plus downtime if the family rely on the internet).

@pianopete ... I will have to say, @Tech9 has done some important work in this area as of late, and you may have success in restoring a config from one to the other... he might have some good input on this. Worst case, you may lose some functionality, or something may not translate right... even worser case, you might brick it, probably not, but ya never know.

 

[Tech9]

Nah, this one is too much work, not worth the time. I don't know the exact configuration, but perhaps typing it will be faster.

And again what works for Asuswrt is not guaranteed to work for Asuswrt-Merlin with the changes on top Asus save/restore may not even recognize.

 

[AntonK]

I've never heard anyone on these forums say, "...absolutely, transfer your settings between different ASUS routers!" That doesn't mean it can't succeed, but I've just never seen it.

You can evade having to type in all your former router's settings to your new one, by using a browser extension such as SingleFile (or others like it). These will allow you to save your old router's webpages in a sort of pseudo-live format, thus allowing copy-and-paste.

 

[L&LD]

Or, just use Firefox to save the router's pages as a pdf.

Which allows for copy/paste.

 

[Tech9]

I've never heard anyone on these forums say, "...absolutely, transfer your settings between different ASUS routers!"

Here is one, for stock Asuswrt:

can configuration information of the same firmware version be exported/imported to each other?

If you overwrite these nvrams with the MAC of a different device's config file, they won't be replaced by the correct one unless you did another factory default reset. You will end up with a mixture of correct and incorrect MACs. On which mac addresses do you refer to? This is the AX88U I...

www.snbforums.com

And my older post on the same subject:

Replacing AC86U with AX86U - what about settings?

I am gonna replace an old AC86U with an AX86U. After installing merlinwrt, is there a way to "copy" my settings over? Or do I have to reconfigure the new router step by step? I'd like to keep settings, DHCP allocations etc. if possible.

www.snbforums.com

Most people on SNB Forums just repeat someone else's opinion without verifying.

 

[pianopete]

Thanks all. Especially @Tech9 for hunting those posts down. Interesting that some people have had some success with the nvram upload ... but having seen the range of opinions here, I'm probably going to do what I've done in the past and save the html pages just to be cautious (a £200 brick isn't going to be easy to explain!).

I've got a bunch of stuff (entware, RouterBackup etc) configured through the amtm interface over ssh as well, all on an external usb SSD drive - any thoughts about plugging that straight into the RT-AX86U Pro? Or should I reconfigure each of these services from scratch ?

 

[Ryansr]

Clicked the like button on the best advice IMO.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I've got a bunch of stuff (entware, RouterBackup etc) configured through the amtm interface over ssh as well, all on an external usb SSD drive - any thoughts about plugging that straight into the RT-AX86U Pro? Or should I reconfigure each of these services from scratch ?

I don't know what RouterBackup is but your new router has a different architecture than the old one. So save any data and config files on the the USB, reformat it, and then install the correct version of Entware and reinstall any packages.

 

[Tech9]

I've got a bunch of stuff (entware, RouterBackup etc) configured through the amtm interface over ssh as well

Start over from scratch. The two routers are generations apart.

RT-AC68U -> RT-AC86U -> RT-AX86U -> RT-AX86U Pro

 

[SNBForums User]

My AC68U is being end of lifed. I'm considering replacing it with an Asus RT-AX86U Pro.

FWIW, I fairly recently replaced my own long-in-the-tooth RT-AC68U (which was many years ago converted from a TM-AC1900) with an RT-AX86U, and after doing my own due diligence decided that the risk/reward ratio was skewed way too far to the risk side. As a result, I bit the bullet, took a deep breath, and did the screenshot "upgrade" path via manually entering the settings, which took less than an hour. In the end, the results are that I was "forced" to explore a number of new menus and settings that simply don't exist on the RT-AC68U and my new router is now perfectly configured. It was worth the effort.

 

[Morris]

Open two browser windows one with the old router and one with the new. Go to the first tab on both routers and make the new as close as you can to the old. Next tab...

It goes fairly fast, less than 15 min.

 

[Tech9]

Next tab...

And how exactly you are going to run two routers on the same network and with the same settings?

It is possible, but not that easy as you describe it... more than just two browser windows is needed for this.

 

[jksmurf]

And how exactly you are going to run two routers on the same network and with the same settings?

It is possible, but not that easy as you describe it... more than just two browser windows is needed for this.

Ok I’ve got a free minute… I’ll take a stab at it.. . More of a way to achieve the end result than answer your question though.

What if you had the two routers connected to two standalone computers (or even one), that could be accessed via Ethernet cable from the computer, router IP address. No network running (and not needed). That’d work wouldn’t it?

Personally, I use the screenshot method …

 

[bennor]

What if you had the two routers connected to two standalone computers (or even one), that could be accessed via Ethernet cable from the computer, router IP address. No network running (and not needed). That’d work wouldn’t it?

One possible way to do it is have a computer with two network ports (example WiFi and Ethernet or a computer with two Ethernet ports). Then set up each network port to connect to each individual router. As others said above, its possible but not as simple as some make it sound. Additional configuration or setup would likely be needed if trying to run two routers on the same local network and then mirroring the settings between the two.

 

[Morris]

And how exactly you are going to run two routers on the same network and with the same settings?

It is possible, but not that easy as you describe it... more than just two browser windows is needed for this.

Connect to the new router with it and your computer stand alone. On the new router, turn off DCHP and assign an IP that will work on the old router. Then connect them via lan ports. After configuring the new router. Turn off the old router. Connect the new router to WAN. Enable DHCP and then connect all LAN ports.

 

[Tech9]

This is not copy/paste of settings in two browser windows. You have to setup the routers differently in the process. The new router has to have different LAN IP on the same subnet, DHCP disable option comes further down in settings after QIS, the new router will need few reboots during setup process and won't get DNS and NTP, etc. As I said - it's doable, but the user has to know some networking plus Asuswrt quite well. Extra complication for no reason. Suggested above screenshots method is much easier.

 

[Morris]

This is not copy/paste of settings in two browser windows. You have to setup the routers differently in the process. The new router has to have different LAN IP on the same subnet, DHCP disable option comes further down in settings after QIS, the new router will need few reboots during setup process and won't get DNS and NTP, etc. As I said - it's doable, but the user has to know some networking plus Asuswrt quite well. Extra complication for no reason. Suggested above screenshots method is much easier.

Same and waste of paper