Newbie to SNBForums here. Question about RT-AC86U Factory Reset after flashing to Merlin

[Tom M]

Hello, please forgive my ignorance if this has been asked before. I have an ASUS RT-AC86U that I just flashed to Merlin for the first time tonight (386.3_2). I was reading in the forums here that it's good practice to restore the router to factory settings after flashing to Merlin from stock and visa versa. My question is, after restoring to factory settings, is it better to manually reconfigure all the settings, or just use a previously saved .cfg file to quickly restore settings, or does it really matter?

Thank you

 

[AndreiV]

Hi Tom , better to use new settings , old configs can contain incorrect settings making the reset pointless.

 

[L&LD]

Welcome to the forums @Tom M.

Like @AndreiV points out, using old backup config files effectively negates the reset you may have done.

The links below may be of use. The first one is necessary only if you have issues that aren't readily solved. Start with the second link, but keep the 'nuclear reset' in mind if random gremlins invade your network.

Also, if your network is running as you expect it (after flashing RMerlin firmware), there may not be a need to do a full reset to factory defaults right now. Simply keep the following links in mind if anything crops up in the next few days or weeks.

Fully Reset Router and Network

Best Practice Update/Setup Router/AiMesh Node(s) 2021

 

[inakaya]

FYI with later versions of FF you can just right click on the page and it gives you the option to "Take Screenshot" and is also scrollable (just)

 

[bbunge]

Hard Factory Reset is different for Asus routers based on model. See https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1039074/
Then manually configure.