Solved Need Clarification

[fotingo]

Duds?? LOL

Depending on the router, there are alternatives to Merlin, such as DD-WRT, FreshTomato, OpenWRT. Heck, these projects are *still* supporting the original Linksys WRT54G! So there's no need to throw them away or sell them. You could even reconfigure them as simple APs, a wireless ethernet bridge, guest network, VPN server, SSH server, etc. Lots of useful life left in these devices beyond just ASUS OEM or Merlin firmware.

haha.. sorry I used the wrong term here when I said duds.. I meant it terms of security patches.

 

[Tech9]

there are alternatives to Merlin

There are no alternatives for RT-AC86U.

I figured since they are both on the same software 3004.388.7 they would last the same.

No, this branch firmware is basically gone for routers moved to Asuswrt 5.0 (3.0.0.6.102) by Asus. If you get RT-AX86U Pro or RT-AX88U Pro in 2025 they will be already 2-years old models. There will be no more 6-10 years of support. Business model is different now especially in transition to Wi-Fi 7. If you want expected longest support the router has to be Wi-Fi 7 model and popular. This means big money for upgrading your RT-AC86U.

 

[fotingo]

No, this branch firmware is basically gone for routers moved to Asuswrt 5.0 (3.0.0.6.102) by Asus. If you get RT-AX86U Pro or RT-AX88U Pro in 2025 they will be already 2-years old models. There will be no more 6-10 years of support. Business model is different now especially in transition to Wi-Fi 7.

wow.. I've seen the new Asus wifi 7 routers... they're like $300-600! - way off my budget... and my internet speeds here are only 50/10 so I won't even benefit of using wifi 7 except for the security lol.

 

[Tech9]

Then continue using your existing routers and continue your happy life as before.

 

[fotingo]

Then continue using your existing routers and continue your happy life as before.

oh I am planning to.. just wanted to prepare and start saving from now. Just wanted to get an idea of what to save up for.

 

[Tech9]

Honestly, not trying to be rude, but if you need to save for a home router better don't worry about the CVEs and use what you have. Better save for something else with more value in it. Newer home routers and consumer devices in general are mostly disposable hardware with few years life cycle.

Right now I would get RT-AX86U Pro - the cheapest Pro series router with good hardware inside and running Asuswrt 5.0 firmware. It's about $200 in the US, I don't know the price at your location. I'm in Canada and this model is often on sale for $175 US equivalent. Good enough for most people.

 

[vaboro]

However if someone is an AiCloud user, they would be better to either stop using that feature already, or planning for a router upgrade.

Does this mean there's no way to use any other server except a dated lighttpd for AiCloud on EOL models?

 

[RMerlin]

Does this mean there's no way to use any other server except a dated lighttpd for AiCloud on EOL models?

AiCloud is a custom service, you cannot use a generic web server with it.

 

[nsbk]

I use a RT-AC86U as a Tailscale exit node at my parents'. Would that be safe once it reaches EOL or should I think about upgrading or using something else as exit node?

 

[eibgrad]

I use a RT-AC86U as a Tailscale exit node at my parents'. Would that be safe once it reaches EOL or should I think about upgrading or using something else as exit node?

It's NOT as if the router falls off a cliff come midnight on Dec 31. It will be just fine for quite a while (maybe even a year or two), unless a serious vulnerability is discovered (and for all we know ASUS might fix it for recent EOL products if it's that bad). It's NOT even clear if the router is the primary router. Secondary routers (esp. those only acting as APs) are usually much less susceptible to these kinds of issues. And AFAIK, it's NOT as if Tailscale is part of the original firmware (OEM or Merlin). So if that is affected, presumably that can be updated independently.

 

[vaboro]

@eibgrad I wonder if there's a third party solution similar to AiCloud that could be maintained and updated independently in a debootstapped environment?
In particular, I like AiCloud's feature of sharing links to media files and would like to continue using it. I've been experimenting with Nexcloud but it seems far exceeding my current needs.