Linksys WRT1900AC First User Reports

[sm00thpapa]

I have 2 chromecasts one on the patio and one upstairs in the master bedroom. The patio one has 1 mac address while the one upstairs has 8. This makes no sense. I may be going back to my RT-N66W soon.

 

[htismaqe]

Are they connected to different SSIDs?

If one works correctly and the other doesn't, how are you arriving at the idea that the router is the problem?

 

[jlake]

Are they connected to different SSIDs?

If one works correctly and the other doesn't, how are you arriving at the idea that the router is the problem?

Probably because the cloud firmware has a long history of the bug that affects multiple smart wifi routers and hundreds of people have complained about it.

http://community.linksys.com/t5/Wir...Multiple-devices-under-one-device/td-p/572310

 

[sm00thpapa]

I've seen that and that has to do with one device having different means of connecting. For example my laptop is hard wired and I have 3 wireless adapters to it. Therefore same name with different mac addresses and 4 different IP addresses. The chromecast is one single device with 8.

 

[htismaqe]

Probably because the cloud firmware has a long history of the bug that affects multiple smart wifi routers and hundreds of people have complained about it.

http://community.linksys.com/t5/Wir...Multiple-devices-under-one-device/td-p/572310

Interesting.

I don't use Cloud Connect or Smart Wifi, I only use local administration.

I see a couple of posts in that thread that seem to indicate it's related to the Cloud feature.

It also looks like this issue was reportedly fixed in a firmware update for the EA6500.

 

[jlake]

I've seen that and that has to do with one device having different means of connecting. For example my laptop is hard wired and I have 3 wireless adapters to it. Therefore same name with different mac addresses and 4 different IP addresses. The chromecast is one single device with 8.

Actually....it doesn't have anything to do "with one device having different means of connecting". Clearly you don't understand the issue.

 

[sm00thpapa]

I went back to my RT-N66W till a new firmware is released. I had enough of this router.

Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

 

[htismaqe]

Actually....it doesn't have anything to do "with one device having different means of connecting". Clearly you don't understand the issue.

Right.

What he described with the laptop is expected behavior. Each adapter has a different MAC address, so of course the router sees each as a separate device.

What you linked to, and possibly what he's seeing with one of his Chromecasts, is a bug.

In fact, that thread you linked to appears to suggest that devices are "combining" in the network map, for lack of a better term. Definitely a bug.

 

[sm00thpapa]

On the network map page where the router is in the middle I have 8 chromecast surrounding it all with the same name.

Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

 

[jlake]

Right.

What he described with the laptop is expected behavior. Each adapter has a different MAC address, so of course the router sees each as a separate device.

What you linked to, and possibly what he's seeing with one of his Chromecasts, is a bug.

In fact, that thread you linked to appears to suggest that devices are "combining" in the network map, for lack of a better term. Definitely a bug.

And just because Linksys releases a new firmware that says they've fixed the bug.....doesn't mean it's fixed.

http://community.linksys.com/t5/Wireless-Routers/EA6500-Device-List/m-p/677631#M261065

I once had my iPhone show up 8 times on an EA4500 with 8 different MAC addresses....all showing connected. There's only 1 iPhone at my house.

Like I said.....that cloud bug has been around for a long time.....and to my knowledge it never got fixed. Some consider it a minor bug.. Some consider it a major bug. If you want to use parental controls, it would obviously fall in to the major bug category.

You can reset to factory defaults to temporarily clear the bug.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Yeah it's no biggy just annoying to look at.

Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

 

[htismaqe]

And just because Linksys releases a new firmware that says they've fixed the bug.....doesn't mean it's fixed.

That's why I used the word "reportedly". I never said it was definitively fixed.

 

[htismaqe]

On the network map page where the router is in the middle I have 8 chromecast surrounding it all with the same name.

Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

So not the same issue as jlake linked to...

 

[htismaqe]

http://community.linksys.com/t5/Wireless-Routers/EA6500-Device-List/m-p/677631#M261065

I once had my iPhone show up 8 times on an EA4500 with 8 different MAC addresses....all showing connected. There's only 1 iPhone at my house.

Just to be clear, the thread you are linking illustrates a single device in the Network Map with several MAC addresses for other devices listed underneath it.

Example: I have a PC, an iPhone, and an iPad. When the problem manifests, the MAC addresses for iPhone and iPad appear under my PC, as if my PC had 3 MACs and 3 IP addresses.

The problem you and pete are describing seems to be different. You have a single device showing up multiple times in the Network Map. It not only has multiple MAC addresses, it also has multiple appearances, aka icons in the Network Map, correct?

 

[sm00thpapa]

So not the same issue as jlake linked to...

Exactly!!!!!!

 

[jlake]

Exactly!!!!!!

Well, I gave two links. One showed the original problem and one showed a morphed problem.

Can you post a screenshot?

 

[htismaqe]

Both links point to screenshots of what appears to be multiple devices appearing as aggregated interfaces underneath a single device.

The behavior Pete has appears to be a single device appearing multiple times in the Network Map.

2 different issues but at the end of the day I'm not sure it matters. Both issues potentially point to the Smart Wifi Network Map being buggy as hell.

I can tell you from my own experience that the GUI in general has a lot of issues.

 

[jayw654]

Heavy is DEFINITELY a GOOD thing!

Hey but for $250.00 it is pretty blue and weighs allot!

Yeah it may weigh a lot but that's because of the massive heatsink use to keep the dual-core processors cool. The plastic is sturdy and very well made so that is also good. The weight is plenty fine and if it weigh 5 times more that would be fine with me. So for build quality I give it a 9 out of 10, would give 10 out of 10 if it were made of metal. Build Quality for my Asus RT-AC66U is a 6 out of 10.

Personally, I like the lights I like know what's going on with my router at ALL times.

Coverage is better than my RT-AC66U but I did notice it wanted to drop speed a bit too easily. However a firmware fix should resolve that. Also it is very premature and immature to tout that the ASUS router is faster as someone else mentions on the forum as the ASUS router has been out longer and has had more time to fix and optimize firmware.

However I'm putting my WRT1900ac back in the box for a bit because of all the DNS issue and IPv6 issues. The firmware is absolutely atrocious but this what you get when you let people overseas write firmware as they don't care about the quality of work they put into the firmware.

Hopefully they'll get the firmware fixed as its killing the router's usefulness.

 

[sm00thpapa]

I contacted Belkin about the moderate and strict NAT and the 2 people had no clue what NAT was. I laughed and said serious you're a customer rep and don't know what NAT is. LOL!

 

[theveterans]

I switched from ASUS RT-AC66U to this since the ASUS router reduces performance and speed after 10 days or so of uptime. No matter what I do, clear NVRAM, various Merlin builds and stock firmware builds, the issue still persisted.

So far so good but as a general user who only seeks connection stability and speed, the WRT1900AC fits my requirements. The lack of full IPv6, multiple DNS and advanced features isn't too much of a deal to me compared to other people.

I haven't had the multiple icons appearing on Network Map for the same device though.

After more than a week of uptime, the router still gives my laptop 866 Mbps link rate with throughput of 50 - 60 MB/s

USB transfer rates is more than double than what I get with ASUS AC66U as well.