RT-AC68U new firmware 3.0.0.4.384_20624-g14d2f02

[vegas_pete]

lets not compare my real AC68U to your 'fake' one.

Under what circumstances do you think the same FW yields the same features? If you think the well known conversion routine doesn't produce a real RT-AC68U then point out why. Don't just blather.

 

[RMerlin]

After many years of explicitly allowing 3rd party mods of their routers Asus suddenly reverses direction? Certainly not based on what they told me

Then the information you were given by Asus was outdated. The latest RT-AC68U firmware from Asus (starting around 384_206xx) will revert any TM-AC1900 back to the original TM-AC1900 firmware if you had forced it to accept an RT-AC68U firmware in the past, in addition to reverting the bootloader back to an original TM-AC1900.

The TM-AC1900 is a model specifically developed for T-Mobile. T-Mobile is probably paying Asus for a certain level of support, and they must have a contract in place dictating the terms.

If you have a problem with that, you will have to take it with Asus. It's nothing that was done by me, or the community.

 

[Squall Leonhart]

Under what circumstances do you think the same FW yields the same features? If you think the well known conversion routine doesn't produce a real RT-AC68U then point out why. Don't just blather.

dismantle a AC68U and your TM-AC1900 and you'll see.

 

[CG87]

dismantle a AC68U and your TM-AC1900 and you'll see.

The only noticeable difference is the TM-AC1900 is missing a small heatsink in the back. Everything else is the same. It's does everything the "real" RT-AC68U can. One you clear out the MTD5 partition, Asus has no way to tell the diffrence between your "real" router and my "fake" one.

http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Networking/Asus_AC68/68U/board.jpg

 

[Squall Leonhart]

TAsus has no way to tell the diffrence between your "real" router and my "fake" one.

Clearly asus does.

 

[monaro-ds]

Clearly asus does.

Clearly ? last time they did it based on MTD5 partition
with out MTD5 partition likely option left (for asus ) is to brick TM router permanently ...

 

[Tony C.]

A router isn't just a piece of hardware--it's that and a vendor's support. Without that support, whether it's from ASUS, T-Mobile, Asuswrt-Merlin (thank you sir!) or elsewhere, it's just a device that I might or might not be able to make useful, until it isn't anymore. Unless I bought it from a vendor who promised that support, nobody owes me anything.

ASUS gives that support for every device I ever bought from them, but not for the TM's that I didn't buy from them. No big surprise there. If I can keep them working, great--but if I can't, it's certainly not the fault of ASUS.

There's a line of dialogue by screenwriter David Rayfiel that Sydney Pollack loved so much that he used it in four films:

"You think not getting caught in a lie is the same thing as telling the truth?"​

In the same vein, not getting caught with a TM--and using 68U firmware to upgrade and maintain it--isn't the same thing as having a 68U, and the ASUS support that comes with it.

On the gripping hand, though, aren't we just beating a dead horse? This is Tim's board after all, and he's stated elsewhere that he doesn't see any further point in this brouhaha. As for me, I plan to leave my two unsupported TM's as-is until I get a couple of 86U's (with ASUS support) to replace them.

 

[CG87]

A router isn't just a piece of hardware--it's that and a vendor's support. Without that support, whether it's from ASUS, T-Mobile, Asuswrt-Merlin (thank you sir!) or elsewhere, it's just a device that I might or might not be able to make useful, until it isn't anymore. Unless I bought it from a vendor who promised that support, nobody owes me anything.

ASUS gives that support for every device I ever bought from them, but not for the TM's that I didn't buy from them. No big surprise there. If I can keep them working, great--but if I can't, it's certainly not the fault of ASUS.

There's a line of dialogue by screenwriter David Rayfiel that Sydney Pollack loved so much that he used it in four films:

"You think not getting caught in a lie is the same thing as telling the truth?"​

In the same vein, not getting caught with a TM--and using 68U firmware to upgrade and maintain it--isn't the same thing as having a 68U, and the ASUS support that comes with it.

On the gripping hand, though, aren't we just beating a dead horse? This is Tim's board after all, and he's stated elsewhere that he doesn't see any further point in this brouhaha. As for me, I plan to leave my two unsupported TM's as-is until I get a couple of 86U's (with ASUS support) to replace them.

Nobody is and should be expecting any support for the TM router from ASUS directly. It just so happens that ASUS used the same exact hardware as the 68U and some very clever people found out that modding the CFE can turn it into a full 68U router. And it has been working fine for the past couple of years. But someone at ASUS decides recently decided that it's not fine anymore. They intentionally disable aimesh on the recent firmware and downgrade the router back to the original firmware. Then when someone found out how to completely and permanently convert the TM to to 68U by wiping the MTD5 partition, the people at ASUS got real upset. They had SNB remove the entire thread (even though they denied it) and even removed all the old firmware from the ASUS download page.

If, in the future, ASUS decides that third party firmware like Merlin are not allowed or supported, they can have SNB remove all Merlin threads and/or even intentional brick the router when flashing third party firmware. Would you be ok with that too? Because it's an ASUS router, then it should only have the official ASUS firmware.

 

[indark]

Nobody is and should be expecting any support for the TM router from ASUS directly. It just so happens that ASUS used the same exact hardware as the 68U and some very clever people found out that modding the CFE can turn it into a full 68U router. And it has been working fine for the past couple of years. But someone at ASUS decides recently decided that it's not fine anymore. They intentionally disable aimesh on the recent firmware and downgrade the router back to the original firmware. Then when someone found out how to completely and permanently convert the TM to to 68U by wiping the MTD5 partition, the people at ASUS got real upset. They had SNB remove the entire thread (even though they denied it) and even removed all the old firmware from the ASUS download page.

If, in the future, ASUS decides that third party firmware like Merlin are not allowed or supported, they can have SNB remove all Merlin threads and/or even intentional brick the router when flashing third party firmware. Would you be ok with that too? Because it's an ASUS router, then it should only have the official ASUS firmware.

You are getting it wrong.
Asuswrt has always been released with source code for 3rd party to mod and compile, that includes T-mobile.
Asus is simply enforce the hardware check for their commercial version so they can better support ai-mesh on the correct hardware.
Asus is not "targeting" TM-AC1900 user, they wrote a code to provide "support" to the hardware that they manufactured.
All I see it does is load the correct firmware onto proper hardware.
Based on what I see here, Asus has never stop providing updated version of firmware, it's T-mobile that decided to not to create one for their locked CFE hardware.

And it's different than what you claiming here.

You are never required to run their version of software, you are always free to mod and compile your own.
But due to the nature of Asus compiled version, it's their property.
It's no different than forge a document and make claim on their property.
And the forum has never need to endorse illegal action, nothing wrong with that either.
You are also free to create and maintain a forum that host all the illegal material that you want.

 

[KevTech]

One you clear out the MTD5 partition, Asus has no way to tell the diffrence between your "real" router and my "fake" one.

Yes there is.

 

[CG87]

You are getting it wrong.
Asuswrt has always been released with source code for 3rd party to mod and compile, that includes T-mobile.
Asus is simply enforce the hardware check for their commercial version so they can better support ai-mesh on the correct hardware.
Asus is not "targeting" TM-AC1900 user, they wrote a code to provide "support" to the hardware that they manufactured.
All I see it does is load the correct firmware onto proper hardware.
Based on what I see here, Asus has never stop providing updated version of firmware, it's T-mobile that decided to not to create one for their locked CFE hardware.

And it's different than what you claiming here.

You are never required to run their version of software, you are always free to mod and compile your own.
But due to the nature of Asus compiled version, it's their property.
It's no different than forge a document and make claim on their property.
And the forum has never need to endorse illegal action, nothing wrong with that either.
You are also free to create and maintain a forum that host all the illegal material that you want.

LOL. Asus is clearly targeting the TM router. If removing threads and old firmware ONLY for the TM and 68U isn't targeting, I really don't what is. Fact is, the TM is just a re-branded 68U router with a striped down firmware. The hardware and software are by ASUS and T-Mobile just slapped their logo on it. It's capable to running the full 68U firmware and has been fine for a few years now. Asus just don't want people to mod the TM router because it's probably affecting the sales of the 68U especially the the launch of aimesh. Why would people buy a $150 router when they can get the same router for $50. Which brings the question, why is there a $100 markup?

Yes there is.

There probably is but there are really smart people that will figure out how to get around it. The hardware is physically the same so the difference is probably in the flash memory. Asus tried to stop us with the CFE, failed. Then they blocked SSH and telnet, failed. And recently the MTD5 partition, failed. The only thing ASUS has done is get the TM router closer and closer to the "real" 68U. LOL.

 

[Fnz]

It's been a nice run for several years, but this last firmware reverted my TM-AC1900 back to stock.

I have had ASUS seemingly forever from an AC56, to a 66, to a 1900/68U. So I am abandoning this router and investing in a new "real" Asus. Can't really complain about having gotten a free 68U for several years. AC88U on the way....

 

[Grisu]

It's been a nice run for several years, but this last firmware reverted my TM-AC1900 back to stock.

View attachment 13280

I have had ASUS seemingly forever from an AC56, to a 66, to a 1900/68U. So I am abandoning this router and investing in a new "real" Asus. Can't really complain about having gotten a free 68U for several years. AC88U on the way....

you could still have it, only you will have to look anywhere else how to, forbidden in this forum.

 

[Fnz]

you could still have it, only you will have to look anywhere else how to, forbidden in this forum.

I know, but the process of updating and the danger of it reverting again are just more hassle than I want on my main router.

I may search for it to make the TM-1900 AI-Mesh to test AI Mesh off of the RT-AC88U....

 

[Fnz]

That's a shame. I little research and a few preventative measures would of prevented this. Yours is still not hopeless but you won't find help here.
It's politically incorrect to say more here. Because of that many would get the impression that its game-over for the TM-AC1900. Far for over.

To be clear: It is not hopeless and help is elsewhere. I never said it was hopeless- only more effort than I want on a main router I depend on daily.
To be equally clear: no amount of research would have prevented this. My router was reconfigured long ago and it has updated flawlessly ever since, until this latest update. There was no warning in the release notes.

 

[newnovice]

Is there an official guide and last firmware to update the TM-1900 to keep all the goodness of Asus and AiMesh?

Please can you point me in the right direction.

 

[RMerlin]

Is there an official guide and last firmware to update the TM-1900 to keep all the goodness of Asus and AiMesh?

Please can you point me in the right direction.

You cannot flash the RT-AC68U firmware on a TM-AC1900.

 

[Kingp1n]

Is there an official guide and last firmware to update the TM-1900 to keep all the goodness of Asus and AiMesh?

Please can you point me in the right direction.

Google is your friend.