One Last Unsupported Update?

[DrkShadow]

What are the odds of getting one last build?

The RT-AC87U's last Merlin release is 2020-06-28, but the Asus firmware goes up through 2021-05-18. Included in things released after the last Merlin build are CVE patches, DDoS patches, "stability updates" and etc. Maybe it would be nice to have.

Is there a chance of one last release?

 

[RMerlin]

Absolutely none. No GPL code, no interest, and no point in it.

If security is your concern, being 3 years behind on security fixes is not any better than being 4 years behind - either way that device will have a large number of known security issues, and should not be used in 2024.

 

[MDM]

Only use as AP, AiMesh.
As Router bad idea...

 

[eibgrad]

If the OP insists on continuing w/ the RT-AC87U, he might want to consider DD-WRT.

Index of /dd-wrtv2/downloads/betas/2024/07-27-2024-r57595/asus-rt-ac87u/

At least it's current.

 

[elbubi]

I have a spare AC87U, might give a try to that updated dd-wrt beta.

Never realized that was a special "beta" section as in the regular one it also shows all betas (but very outdated)

Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[eibgrad]

I have a spare AC87U, might give a try to that updated dd-wrt beta.

Never realized that was a special "beta" section as in the regular one it also shows all betas (but very outdated)

Thanks for pointing it out.

All DD-WRT releases are labeled beta. Has always been that way. It means nothing. You can safely ignore the designation.

 

[Analog-1]

I have a spare AC87U, might give a try to that updated dd-wrt beta.

Just be advised if you decide to go back to stock Asus or Merlin in the future it's not as simple as just flashing back. There is a process involved.

 

[elbubi]

Thank you both for the info.
I could swear I once read about an add-on tool to simplify reverting back to stock from dd-wrt but now can't find it anywhere.
Anyway, its not something I'll be doing in the inmediate future.

 

[Calkulin]

Every AC router supported by Merlin is about to be in this not supported position after this year, so I would say either swap to a non Asus firmware or get an AX or BE router if you want to continue using Merlin's firmware

 

[eibgrad]

Every AC router supported by Merlin is about to be in this not supported position after this year, so I would say either swap to a non Asus firmware or get an AX or BE router if you want to continue using Merlin's firmware

I have the same issue w/ my RT-AC68U. It's been a great run, some 11 years! But the party eventually has to come to an end. I have several of them, all using different firmware, including Merlin, DD-WRT, and FreshTomato. They all work great, w/ each firmware offering advantages and disadvantages (w/ a lack of Merlin support to soon become a major disadvantage). DD-WRT has worked particularly well, giving me access to VLANs and Wireguard. Worst case, you can always move up to a better router for the primary, and use your current AC router(s) w/ these other firmwares (if supported) for other purposes (repeaters, bridges, standalone servers, etc).