New Release for .27X branch

[RogerSC]

I wouldn't use a Netgear router if you gave it to me free. I'm just not a Netgear fan.

That's how I ended up with an Asus router...ran through dlink, linksys, and netgear, and got disgusted with the latest (at that time) from each. Bad firmware on not-so-great hardware. Asus hardware seems really good, but again, the firmware directly from Asus hasn't been great. RMerlin's firmware, on the other hand, has helped make this router the best ever for me.

I'd be very reluctant at this point to go back to dlink, netgear, and linksys due to the reviews that I read and past experience, so I'm happy to stay with Asus. Especially since the RT-N66U has been so resilient to the things that I've tried with it *smile*. It's been through a lot and still performs like when I got it.

 

[jim769]

There is no question that Asus makes one of the best home routers on the market.. But all the firmware releases so close to each other and does not work for all seems strange. Do they not understand we need a firmware that works for the masses and quit making a different version every week. We have better things to do then reflash firmware every other day it gets old.

 

[RMerlin]

There is no question that Asus makes one of the best home routers on the market.. But all the firmware releases so close to each other and does not work for all seems strange. Do they not understand we need a firmware that works for the masses and quit making a different version every week. We have better things to do then reflash firmware every other day it gets old.

Two months ago, people were posting on this same forum accusing Asus of having abandoned them since they hadn't released a new FW in two months, and were convinced that Asus had dropped support for the current FW and were strictly focusing on the new RT-AC56U. Funny how everyone seems to have a different perceptions of things

The AiCloud issue forced the release of a new FW, and now the ACSD issue is forcing them to make another early release. I don't know about you, but personally I'm happy to see them quickly react to disclosed security issues and pushing out a fix ASAP.

 

[jim769]

I agree with you Merlin but its confusing for a lot of people. Some versions work for some while others don't and Asus knows this. We all want Asus to continue to support there products but having people have to flash every week is tiresome for most. We just want it to work and be secure. Jim !!

 

[RogerSC]

You also don't have to try every new version of firmware that comes out. Expecially if things are working well for you on your current firmware. Again, for stability, features, and performance, I haven't done better than RMerlin's firmware. I'm very unlikely to stay with Asus stock firmware for very long, maybe test it to see if they've fixed the wireless driver *smile*, but then I'm back to the latest version of RMerlin's firmware, where I've stayed about 95% of the time.

So maybe one solution to the "Asus is putting out too many versions too close together" is just not to immediately jump on the latest. Decide if it has features that you want or need, and see how the stability is from other reports...there are some people here that like to try the latest and report back about how it worked for them. You don't have to be one of those guys *smile*. Just take it easy and upgrade when it makes sense to you, rather than when the latest comes out.

An added thought...I agree about a quick (effective *smile*) release for security problems, this is important for users affected by those security problems to get a fix. Otherwise, we're at risk, and nobody wants to be open to known security exploits.

 

[sm00thpapa]

That's how I ended up with an Asus router...ran through dlink, linksys, and netgear, and got disgusted with the latest (at that time) from each. Bad firmware on not-so-great hardware. Asus hardware seems really good, but again, the firmware directly from Asus hasn't been great. RMerlin's firmware, on the other hand, has helped make this router the best ever for me.

I'd be very reluctant at this point to go back to dlink, netgear, and linksys due to the reviews that I read and past experience, so I'm happy to stay with Asus. Especially since the RT-N66U has been so resilient to the things that I've tried with it *smile*. It's been through a lot and still performs like when I got it.

I had a D-Link DIR-655 and it was horrible. The range was horrible and hated that it did not have a 40 MHz only channel. It always went back to 20 Mhz and 130 Mbps. I love Asus because you can lock it at 40 MHz and get the full 450 Mbps.

 

[RMerlin]

I agree with you Merlin but its confusing for a lot of people. Some versions work for some while others don't and Asus knows this. We all want Asus to continue to support there products but having people have to flash every week is tiresome for most. We just want it to work and be secure. Jim !!

I agree that having these two separate branches is confusing. People who aren't aware of the reason for their existence most likely have no idea which FW is really the newest. Hopefully they'll get through the driver issue soon so they can focus once again on the 3xx branch. I can tell you that they haven't given up on it.

 

[THRIZZLE]

I agree that having these two separate branches is confusing. People who aren't aware of the reason for their existence most likely have no idea which FW is really the newest. Hopefully they'll get through the driver issue soon so they can focus once again on the 3xx branch. I can tell you that they haven't given up on it.

Why is everyone so worried about the 3xx branch when the 2xx branch works great on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands? I know it uses a new driver, but what is the need for the 3xx branch firmware? Go easy on me, I am still learning.

 

[jlake]

Why is everyone so worried about the 3xx branch when the 2xx branch works great on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands? I know it uses a new driver, but what is the need for the 3xx branch firmware? Go easy on me, I am still learning.

The new code added PPPoE hardware acceleration for those on a fiber connection. From what I know (which is not much), the new code would give Asus a competitive advantage since some other router vendors are slow when it comes to high speed PPPoE. SNB doesn't test using PPPoE with their WAN to LAN throughput test, so its sometimes disappointing for consumers when they see a routers high WAN to LAN throughput when testing with DHCP internet connection type and they realize that it is not even close to those speeds with their PPPoE internet connection type.

 

[RMerlin]

Why is everyone so worried about the 3xx branch when the 2xx branch works great on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands? I know it uses a new driver, but what is the need for the 3xx branch firmware? Go easy on me, I am still learning.

Some people need the XBox compatibility option that was only added in 3xx.

 

[neil0311]

That's how I ended up with an Asus router...ran through dlink, linksys, and netgear, and got disgusted with the latest (at that time) from each. Bad firmware on not-so-great hardware. Asus hardware seems really good, but again, the firmware directly from Asus hasn't been great. RMerlin's firmware, on the other hand, has helped make this router the best ever for me.

I'd be very reluctant at this point to go back to dlink, netgear, and linksys due to the reviews that I read and past experience, so I'm happy to stay with Asus. Especially since the RT-N66U has been so resilient to the things that I've tried with it *smile*. It's been through a lot and still performs like when I got it.

Count me in this camp as well. Cisco has no firmware support at all, while Netgear seems to be run by incompetents. Not only was the Netgear firmware not working correctly, but the GUI looks like it was designed by a 10 year old. I was incredibly frustrated with simple things not working well.

Since I've had the Asus RT-N66U, things haven't been perfect, but the official firmware seems to address many issues and I've switched to Merlin's builds, and his work has been excellent. The hardware performance has been really good. The router isn't perfect, but in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. Asus is the one eyed man.

 

[THRIZZLE]

Some people need the XBox compatibility option that was only added in 3xx.

Couldn't they avoid the XBOX issue by hard wiring into a EA-N66 like I do for my PS3? Wireless for the current home consoles is horrible. PS3 doesn't even support Wireless-N. That is why I opted for the EA-N66. I can't wait to use the EA-N66 with my PS4! I'm not even going to bother with wireless for console gaming anymore. It is much more stable with the EA-N66 connected to the 40MHz/5GHz band anyway!

 

[Finguz]

I'm happy for them to release as many as they like, as often as they like. I just wait for the next Merlin release and install that!

Currently running 3.0.0.4.372.31 (Merlin build) and couldn't be happier

 

[jim769]

Same here I have used them all from 260 to the Merlin build 3.0.0.4.372.31 and the Merlin build has worked the best.

 

[RMerlin]

Couldn't they avoid the XBOX issue by hard wiring into a EA-N66 like I do for my PS3? Wireless for the current home consoles is horrible. PS3 doesn't even support Wireless-N. That is why I opted for the EA-N66. I can't wait to use the EA-N66 with my PS4! I'm not even going to bother with wireless for console gaming anymore. It is much more stable with the EA-N66 connected to the 40MHz/5GHz band anyway!

That's an expensive workaround when a firmware-based solution is free.

 

[Bad Teddy]

Couldn't they avoid the XBOX issue by hard wiring into a EA-N66 like I do for my PS3? Wireless for the current home consoles is horrible. PS3 doesn't even support Wireless-N. That is why I opted for the EA-N66. I can't wait to use the EA-N66 with my PS4! I'm not even going to bother with wireless for console gaming anymore. It is much more stable with the EA-N66 connected to the 40MHz/5GHz band anyway!

Wireless works fine for most people who know how to setup their network. That is of course if you have a router with fully functional firmware to begin with... something many of us don't really know about here as N66U owners -.-

Provided you have a decent connection, the argument for wired connections at this point is near moot.

 

[THRIZZLE]

Wireless works fine for most people who know how to setup their network. That is of course if you have a router with fully functional firmware to begin with... something many of us don't really know about here as N66U owners -.-

Provided you have a decent connection, the argument for wired connections at this point is near moot.

The reason I opted to hard wire my PS3 into the EA-N66 was to get the best connection to my RT-N66U on the Wireless-N 40MHz/5GHz band. My PS3, TV, sound bar, and DVR are all in (not on) my wall above the fireplace. Since my ps3 is practically hidden behind my TV, the EA-N66 allows me to place the adapter in an open space in order to grab the wireless signal with the least amount of obstructions. The little space I have between the tv and the stand allows me to insert a game/movie into my PS3 or change the channel on my DVR. It is a pretty slick setup!

 

[manub]

picture

The only reason I opted to hard wire my PS3 into the EA-N66 was to get the best connection to my RT-N66U on the Wireless-N 40MHz/5GHz band. My PS3, TV, sound bar, and cable box are all in (not on) my wall above the fireplace. The EA-N66 allows me to place the adapter in an open space to grab the wireless signal with the least amount of obstructions, since my ps3 is practically hidden behind my TV. The little space I have between the tv and the stand allows me to insert a game or blu-ray into my PS3 or change the channel on my cable box. It is a pretty slick setup!

a picture is worth a 1000 words....

 

[THRIZZLE]

a picture is worth a 1000 words....

I will post some pictures after Labor Day on the thread below. Between now and then, I am going to Ocean City, Maryland and Disney World. I need a vacation after setting up my new network!!!

http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=11823

 

[THRIZZLE]

That's an expensive workaround when a firmware-based solution is free.

You got that right! Spending close to half a grand on a full network overhaul would put the look of shock on many faces!