my troubles flashing an Asus RT-AC68P

[DTS]

SOLVED - thanks for the help!

I'm having trouble flashing an RT-AC68P. (This unit uses the same firmware as the AC68U.) Right now my unit is booting up into the ASUSTek CFE miniWeb Server. From there I have tried flashing Merlin builds 384.6 and 384.7. I have also tried stock Asus firmware and two recent dd-wrt builds.

I prefer the Merlin 384.7 build, but that this point I am just trying to get any non-stock firmware to flash successfully.

I was previously running RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_378_8258-g847cc77.trx, and my problems started when I tried to flash a standard dd-wrt build betas_2018-10-04-r37139_asus_rt-ac68u-firmware.trx. I flashed that through the web GUI. Since then, I have mostly not been able to get past the CFE miniWeb Server.

After some time, I did manage to reflash RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_378_8258-g847cc77.trx successfully again. Then I double checked my steps and tried a Merlin build again, and once again I cannot get past the CFE miniWeb Server.

I have 2 other routers running dd-wrt - TP-Link Archer C7 v4, Netgear R7000. I had no problems flashing those. Also, a while back I was running dd-wrt on this exact same device. Any suggestions for resolving my current issues with flashing a Merlin build to the RT-AC68P?

Some things I have tried without success:

• With and without the 30/30/30 reset
• Waiting 30 minutes after flashing before rebooting (still never saw the WLAN lights come on)
• Let it sit powered off overnight
• Reboot multiple times
• Re-downloading the firmware images to be sure they are not corrupted
• Re-reading so many posts that now I'm confused.

One of the threads I read was this one:

RT-AC68P Firmware Upgrade Issues | SmallNetBuilder Forums http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac68p-firmware-upgrade-issues.28252/

I was not able to tell exactly if I need to flash an older Merlin build before flashing 384.7 (from the latest stock Asus firmware). Could that be my problem?

 

[Grisu]

try a smaller (older) stock firmware <32MB with restauration tool and cfe-mini-web, like RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_376_3626-g9a8323e.trx or an older Merlin version.

 

[DTS]

try a smaller (older) stock firmware <32MB with restauration tool and cfe-mini-web, like RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_376_3626-g9a8323e.trx or an older Merlin version.

Thanks. I just tried a stock firmware I had from 7/25/2015. It is 26.3 MB. That's a firmware I have had running on this router in the past. However, the present result appears to be the same: after flashing it and waiting about an hour, the WLAN lights never come on and the ASUSTek CFE miniWeb Server page comes up.

(BTW, I can now get the ASUSTek CFE miniWeb Server page to come up just by making 3-4 connection attempts on a LAN port. I do not have to use the reset button when booting up.)

I would like to try RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_376_3626-g9a8323e.trx if you know of a download link. Alternatively, I can try some of the older and smaller Merlin builds from here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/asuswrt-merlin/files/RT-AC68U/Release/

I have tried a number of different firmwares and not had success with any of them today. (Yesterday I did get a stock firmware to flash correctly.) The only thing I have not done is wait multiple hours after flashing. I have extended my wait time to 30 to 60 minutes, but that hasn't made any difference so far.

I cannot easily use the restoration tool because my PC runs Linux. Does the restoration tool do anything the ASUSTek CFE miniWeb Server page can't do? If so, I'll borrow a Windows laptop.

 

[Grisu]

Thanks. I just tried a stock firmware I had from 7/25/2015. It is 26.3 MB. That's a firmware I have had running on this router in the past. However, the present result appears to be the same: after flashing it and waiting about an hour, the WLAN lights never come on and the ASUSTek CFE miniWeb Server page comes up.

(BTW, I can now get the ASUSTek CFE miniWeb Server page to come up just by making 3-4 connection attempts on a LAN port. I do not have to use the reset button when booting up.)

I would like to try RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_376_3626-g9a8323e.trx if you know of a download link. Alternatively, I can try some of the older and smaller Merlin builds from here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/asuswrt-merlin/files/RT-AC68U/Release/

I have tried a number of different firmwares and not had success with any of them today. (Yesterday I did get a stock firmware to flash correctly.) The only thing I have not done is wait multiple hours after flashing. I have extended my wait time to 30 to 60 minutes, but that hasn't made any difference so far.

I cannot easily use the restoration tool because my PC runs Linux. Does the restoration tool do anything the ASUSTek CFE miniWeb Server page can't do? If so, I'll borrow a Windows laptop.

Found in Johns folder: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=!AAkJBWoo-OiyKJo&id=9332FC159A7E129!857&cid=09332FC159A7E129
They should do similar things but maybe, some got issues solved loading firmware twice beside factory resets and doing power cycles, not only reboot.
Let it be loading with miniweb for many hours, its slow, could be not fully loaded.

 

[DTS]

Found in Johns folder: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=!AAkJBWoo-OiyKJo&id=9332FC159A7E129!857&cid=09332FC159A7E129
They should do similar things but maybe, some got issues solved loading firmware twice beside factory resets and doing power cycles, not only reboot.
Let it be loading with miniweb for many hours, its slow, could be not fully loaded.

Thanks again. Can you explain the difference between power cycles and reboots?

Also, what sequence should I try if I want to do factory resets and power cycles, like you mentioned?

 

[Grisu]

power off and on again after some seconds, reboot is from GUI or via SSH!
load firmware, factory reset, power off, and all again second time and some prayers between.

 

[skeal]

I'm having trouble flashing an RT-AC68P. (This unit uses the same firmware as the AC68U.) Right now my unit is booting up into the ASUSTek CFE miniWeb Server. From there I have tried flashing Merlin builds 384.6 and 384.7. I have also tried stock Asus firmware and two recent dd-wrt builds.

I prefer the Merlin 384.7 build, but that this point I am just trying to get any non-stock firmware to flash successfully.

I was previously running RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_378_8258-g847cc77.trx, and my problems started when I tried to flash a standard dd-wrt build betas_2018-10-04-r37139_asus_rt-ac68u-firmware.trx. I flashed that through the web GUI. Since then, I have mostly not been able to get past the CFE miniWeb Server.

After some time, I did manage to reflash RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_378_8258-g847cc77.trx successfully again. Then I double checked my steps and tried a Merlin build again, and once again I cannot get past the CFE miniWeb Server.

I have 2 other routers running dd-wrt - TP-Link Archer C7 v4, Netgear R7000. I had no problems flashing those. Also, a while back I was running dd-wrt on this exact same device. Any suggestions for resolving my current issues with flashing a Merlin build to the RT-AC68P?

Some things I have tried without success:

• With and without the 30/30/30 reset
• Waiting 30 minutes after flashing before rebooting (still never saw the WLAN lights come on)
• Let it sit powered off overnight
• Reboot multiple times
• Re-downloading the firmware images to be sure they are not corrupted
• Re-reading so many posts that now I'm confused.

One of the threads I read was this one:

RT-AC68P Firmware Upgrade Issues | SmallNetBuilder Forums http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac68p-firmware-upgrade-issues.28252/

I was not able to tell exactly if I need to flash an older Merlin build before flashing 384.7 (from the latest stock Asus firmware). Could that be my problem?

Is this a converted TM-AC1900?

 

[DTS]

Is this a converted TM-AC1900?

No, It is an RT-AC68P
I don't think you can convert a TM-AC1900 into a P. But mine isn't converted.
I do own a TM-AC1900 that I have thought about converting, but the conversion process seems like more trouble than it is worth.

 

[DTS]

power off and on again after some seconds, reboot is from GUI or via SSH!
load firmware, factory reset, power off, and all again second time and some prayers between.

Using the restoration tool was the ticket to success for me. I gave the ASUSTek CFE miniWeb Server one last chance and I waited overnight. It did not work. Then I borrowed a Windows laptop today and the restoration tool completed the job in less than 5 minutes. I started with 3.0.0.4_376_3626-g9a8323e.trx. Once that flashed successfully, I flashed 3.0.0.4_384_32799-gfe72567.trx from the web GUI. Next I'll flash Merlin's 384.7.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Mikeyy]

Hello all,

I need some help with flashing Merlin firmware on my AC68P router.
Currently I'm on latest John fork (V39E3) and would like to switch to latest Merlin /v384.11). I tried flashing Merlin with Asus restoration tool and it fails at 94% of upload. After few tries, I tried uploading new firmware via GUI but that just bricked my router. Then I tried to flash original ASUS latest firmware with Restoration tool and that failed at around 80% upload.
I noticed that ASUS firmware is around 40mb while Merlin is at around 34mb and concluded that it's firmware size problem.
After that I tried to flash back John fork which is around 20mb and it flashed it without problems and I restored my old settings.

So, my question is, how to succesfully flash Merlin firmware onto router?

EDIT: I should mention, my router was never flashed with firmware that locked downgrading via GUI. If I remember correctly it was around 2 years ago when ASUS intoduced some kind of protection so you can't flash firmwares which aren't signed or something like that. At that point I switched from Merlin to Tomato and John fork. Maybe problem lies there?

 

[Grisu]

you could try intermediate firmware to update your routers file system first.

 

[Mikeyy]

you could try intermediate firmware to update your routers file system first.

Do you know which one is that?

 

[scjr]

Do you know which one is that?

https://github.com/RMerl/asuswrt-merlin/wiki/Installation

• [*]Starting with Asus's 3.0.0.4.380_3000, a new firmware format is used. To flash Asuswrt-Merlin on one of these newer firmwares, you will need 380.61 or newer. Likewise, downgrading to an older version is not supported. (Try firmware recovery mode if you really need to downgrade.)
  [*]The RT-AC68U and RT-AC56U need to be at least on firmware 378.55 (or the last 378.xxx version from Asus) before you can flash 380.xx, due to the partition size change.

 

[Mikeyy]

Thank you. So since I'm not sure which last Merlin firmware I was running, and i'm comming from Johns fork, I should do this:
1. Reset to factory defaults.
2. Upgrade from Johns fork to 378.55
3. Upgrade from 378.55 to 380.60 (first version with new file format)
4. Upgrade to latest 384.11

Correct?

 

[RMerlin]

You can skip 380.60, that is only needed if you are trying to downgrade.

 

[Mikeyy]

Thank you @scjr and @RMerlin
Everything went ok and all is working now.