[Preview] 380.57 alpha test builds for all models

[GG7]

I just tried the latest A4 version, and as I feared, it breaks my 2.4G band's internet connections just like the latest ASUS firmware does!

I tried clearing my 2.4 settings, putting in a different set of name/password, save. Still no internet on that side of the 68U B1. Put my original 2.4 settings back in and saved and still broken. Reset the NVRAM, did a quick config of the 2.4 band and STILL broken!

Flashed back to 378.56_2 and presto! 2.4 internet connection is back to normal with full internet access on all devices and no delays in connection times to that band. Everything works perfectly just as before.

So... Looks like this is the end of the road for me and Merlin. I guess I am forever stuck with 378.56_2 and those outstanding log file problems. Sure wish someone in the know could figure out what ASUS added in this latest build that destroys my 2.4 band's internet access. It is quite troubling that such a game breaking bug managed to get in there, and ever more sad is that Merlin now has it too!

Major bummer all around for me and this hardware's future. At least as far as Merlin and ASUS firmwares are concerned. I'm just grateful that the current public release is working as well as it is. To the point that I could conceivably run this 68U with 378.56_2 for the life of the router. But, I hate to be ball and chained like this to any firmware. Especially with a brand new piece of gear!

Might be time to check out Tomato and DD-WRT, and see if they work without taking out half of my WI-FI system! :/

 

[john9527]

So... Looks like this is the end of the road for me and Merlin.

Don't give up yet! This is after all an alpha build (it's just that usually Merlin's alpha's are as good as a stable release )

 

[GG7]

Don't give up yet! This is after all an alpha build (it's just that usually Merlin's alpha's are as good as a stable release )

I hear ya John, but RMerlin commented earlier that he had incorporated all the changes from the latest ASUS firmware release into Merlin. Once I read that, I knew that I was pretty much screwed.

When I first bought the router last week, the first thing I did was flash the latest ASUS firmware onto it, and discovered that my 2.4 band's internet was broken. Not even considering this to be a firmware thing, I returned the router to Amazon and got a replacement. (The one I have now). This time I decided to double check the 2.4G internet before I upgraded to the latest ASUS firmware, and it worked fine. I then flashed in the update, and it broke just like the previous router, which was obviously fine and screwed up by this latest firmware.

At this point I searched for an alternative and discovered Merlin. Flashed in the release version and bam! 2.4 back in business!

So... When RMerlin posted that A4 was now fully incorporating the latest ASUS release I was 99.9% sure my 2.4 band would never work again with either all future Merlin releases or ASUS stock releases. Not unless someone takes my report seriously and goes digging for the bug.

There is obviously a bug somewhere, since you generally don't get an entire radio channel shut down over nothing.

 

[GG7]

Maybe if Merlin is interested, I can email him a copy of my settings file and he can see for himself what is going on. Perhaps that will speed the discovery of the culprit? Although at least with this router I have here, even a virgin settings file after a NVRAM reset comes with a broken 2.4 band.

 

[Rodbender]

I have a 3200 and I get the same numbers 15.50 15.50 15.50
using 380.57_alpha4-gb5eb46f

Thanks for posting guys. Interesting. Both of you are getting 15.50 and I'm getting 18.0 dBm Tx power readings using the same Alpha 4 FW. The 15.50 dBm converts to 35.48 mW and the 18 to 63.09 mW. Again much lower then the 87U i was running with same FW it had 21 dBm = 125 mW

 

[Rodbender]

This is normal. Broadcom doesn't not provide that statistic unless the router is connected as a repeater, in which case it will report the details of the link between the two routers.

Thanks RMerlin !

 

[Authority]

So this has been an "Alpha" for a while and is a long thread... without spending a day reading, is it a good daily driver or should I wait? Thanks.

 

[cocobau]

@Merlin
My ASUS RT-AC68U has the Hardware Revision A2 . What does that mean?

 

[RMerlin]

So this has been an "Alpha" for a while and is a long thread... without spending a day reading, is it a good daily driver or should I wait? Thanks.

We'll need to know what router you are referring to, as the results will vary for each model.

 

[RMerlin]

I hear ya John, but RMerlin commented earlier that he had incorporated all the changes from the latest ASUS firmware release into Merlin. Once I read that, I knew that I was pretty much screwed.

Obviously, if there is really such a major issue with the new driver, Asus will eventually fix it.

 

[RMerlin]

@Merlin
My ASUS RT-AC68U has the Hardware Revision A2 . What does that mean?

It means just that - it's hardware revision A2. Not sure what more I can tell you...

 

[cocobau]

@Merlin
1000MHZ or 800MHZ CPU?

 

[RMerlin]

@Merlin
1000MHZ or 800MHZ CPU?

Check the Tools -> Sysinfo webpage, it will tell you what's your CPU clock.

There's currently no reliable way to determine the clock speed based on HW revision, you have to look at it from the firmware to know.

 

[cocobau]

@Merlin
This is the newest HW revision for the Asus RT-AC68U. I buy the router in Germany.
Sysinfo webpage: 800MHZ

 

[GG7]

Obviously, if there is really such a major issue with the new driver, Asus will eventually fix it.

I did send them a similar report, so we shall see.

Their release notes mentions something about a change to the 2.4 band, but supposedly only effecting EU region routers. Perhaps that provides a clue? Even though my router is a US model.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that one of these days it gets sorted out. Meanwhile, I will just have to continue running with your current public release for the foreseeable future.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[fryedchikin]

380.57_alpha4-gb5eb46f running great on my RT-AC68P with a mix of Wired, 2.4GHz and 5GHz clients.

 

[Marc66]

Looks like we can use FAT-32 for this after all, just have to settle for global permissions, which is fine for my installation.

I also own a Mac and the easiest way I found was to download the NVRAM restore utility to my Mac and then FTP it to the EXT-formatted thumb drive connected to my router.

 

[binggesoft]

December 18 firmware, AC88U write this firmware. Restart TX power every different!

 

[dsring]

Does this version have the same wireless drivers as the Asus 380.858 release for the RT-AC88U?

 

[RMerlin]

Does this version have the same wireless drivers as the Asus 380.858 release for the RT-AC88U?

Yes.