RT-AC86U stock vs merlin

[JS_racer]

hello, replacing my n66 fork firmware router today with a new ac86u. thoughts on the merlin firmware vs the stock firmware ??
am i able to flash back and forth somehow, meaning asus doesn't lock firmware or anything.
any thoughts or feedback would be great. thank you.

 

[joegreat]

hello, replacing my n66 fork firmware router today with a new ac86u. thoughts on the merlin firmware vs the stock firmware ??

This forum is living out of Merlin's greatly enhanced firmware - there is not a single/simple thought which can explain how great his contribution is!
The objective facts can be found here - already clear that this adds great value!

am i able to flash back and forth somehow, meaning asus doesn't lock firmware or anything.
any thoughts or feedback would be great. thank you.

Yep, back and forth at your will!

 

[daviworld]

Yup you can flash between the two as much as you want, however I would recommend a power cycle/factory reset if going from merlin to stock or vice versa.

My personal opinion on the firmware, is that the tweak's on the stock firmware give me the granular control that I want. I am big into open source, enjoy modifying all of my tech to my specific need's, and enjoy the research of learning new technologies. I could spend hour's digging into the open source side of ASUS firmware, or playing around building different script's etc. Point being it give's me a sense of freedom to use my device however I like.

I'm going to use a few playful analogies

Stock firmware = Saiyan
Merlin firmware - Super Saiyan

lol, if you're not an anime fan, here's a comic book reference

Stock firmware = Bruce Banner
Merlin firmware = Hulk

 

[heysoundude]

This forum is living out of Merlin's greatly enhanced firmware - there is not a single/simple thought which can explain how great his contribution is!
The objective facts can be found here - already clear that this adds great value!

Yep, back and forth at your will!

It's not just @RMerlin 's firmware though, it's the scripts like amtm, ab-solution, skynet that take best advantage of what Asus has put together for the masses.
and what really makes it SUPER cool is that the devs/coders/maintainers of this...package do it all for donations outside of their paid day jobs. (right?)

(unless you have multiple Asus routers capable of running their new mesh, stick with Merlin is my advice; he'll probably get there eventually, and help THEM make sense of the issues/problems...if you even need that functionality)

 

[Klueless]

My needs are modest so I take a conservative approach. I'm aware of Merlin but start with stock. (I have this irrational fear Eric will get married, have a dozen kids and disappear : -)

I loaded Merlin on the N66U at work when we were having network issues. His build allowed me to view real time traffic by device so that I could trouble shoot (and fix) some issues.

When I upgraded to an RT-AC1900P at home I ran stock for awhile ... until I configured a file share on my router. The file share was intermittent as heck so I flashed Merlin and it's been rock solid ever since.

In some ways my conservative approach has allowed me to better appreciate Eric's efforts.

Looking forward to hearing how the 86U works out for you and in what ways it improves your life (over the ol' N66).

 

[heysoundude]

(I have this irrational fear Eric will get married, have a dozen kids and disappear : -)

Have you considered the possibility that he is already married with children? And to disappear from that reality, he writes router firmware?

 

[Klueless]

Have you considered the possibility that he is already Married with Children?

Oh great ... I'm using software from "Al Bundy" : -)

 

[JS_racer]

Thanks so far all, glad to hear about flashing. Didn't intend to imply I would flop back and forth often, or ever, but good to know I can and not be locked to stock if I update the stock firmware.
Seems the new mesh is only on stock, sofar, so that's good to know.
Very appreciative to merlin and all his efforts, and Johnny fork for updating all along.
If flashing the new router just run merlin latest, 380.69_2
Not sure the 86 will improve my life any, heh but the usb3 will be nice speed increase from 2 for big files.

Thanks so much for your time

 

[Nixel]

Is there a list of the features missing from Merlin firmware? Like Mesh mentioned above sounds like something I would like to use, at least in a larger house+outside territory.

 

[joegreat]

Is there a list of the features missing from Merlin firmware? Like Mesh mentioned above sounds like something I would like to use, at least in a larger house+outside territory.

The list is very short: Nothing missing!

As Merlin's firmware is always based on Asus - and nothing is removed by him...
For some router models AIMesh is simple NOT available from Asus!

 

[Nixel]

Well, AC86U seems to support AiMesh, but JS_racer said:

Seems the new mesh is only on stock, sofar, so that's good to know.

So what does it mean then?

 

[RMerlin]

AiMesh (incompatible) and telnet server (obsolete and insecure) are the only things I have removed.

 

[heysoundude]

Is there a list of the features missing from Merlin firmware? Like Mesh mentioned above sounds like something I would like to use, at least in a larger house+outside territory.

The options brought to the table as far as the scripts I mentioned in post #4 of this thread more than outweigh what's missing/removed, in my opinion and as far as I'm concerned. Further, you have much better/more direct access to the people who actually write the code here (see how @RMerlin replied directly? same thing happens with the people who take care of the ad-blocker script, the firewall script, the entware repository...look around in the threads here) - with Asus, you're dealing with channels and bureaucracy and procedures.
If AiMesh is the sticking point, make sure you go to the official Asus firmware forum here to see what's happening with people who are using it; being new code/technology, it may not yet be as ideal as it sounds, which might negate its attractiveness to you. @RMerlin is probably wisely choosing to stay away from it for the time being until the people at Asus "get it about as right as it's going to get...until things change all over again."

Hopefully this influences your thinking to some extent.

 

[Nixel]

AiMesh (incompatible) and telnet server (obsolete and insecure) are the only things I have removed.

Thanks, what alternative do we have, or are there any plans on adding this or similar feature? If it's even worth it? To me being able to walk around the house without losing connection sounds useful. But I may be missing something.

The options brought to the table as far as the scripts I mentioned in post #4 of this thread more than outweigh what's missing/removed, in my opinion and as far as I'm concerned. Further, you have much better/more direct access to the people who actually write the code here (see how @RMerlin replied directly? same thing happens with the people who take care of the ad-blocker script, the firewall script, the entware repository...look around in the threads here) - with Asus, you're dealing with channels and bureaucracy and procedures.
If AiMesh is the sticking point, make sure you go to the official Asus firmware forum here to see what's happening with people who are using it; being new code/technology, it may not yet be as ideal as it sounds, which might negate its attractiveness to you. @RMerlin is probably wisely choosing to stay away from it for the time being until the people at Asus "get it about as right as it's going to get...until things change all over again."

Hopefully this influences your thinking to some extent.

I have nothing but respect for RMerlin and other people working and contributing to the project. And I'm already leaning a lot towards Merlin firmware. Mainly because of performance and stability and scripting, which I could take advantage of myself. As I said, it just sounds like an interesting tech, and I wonder why is it not supported, when everything else is?

 

[RMerlin]

Thanks, what alternative do we have, or are there any plans on adding this or similar feature? If it's even worth it? To me being able to walk around the house without losing connection sounds useful. But I may be missing something.

If you want AiMesh, use the stock firmware, there is no alternative.

As for telnetd, nobody should ever need to use that in 2018. Use SSH instead.

 

[Nixel]

If you want AiMesh, use the stock firmware, there is no alternative.

As for telnetd, nobody should ever need to use that in 2018. Use SSH instead.

Oh I was not talking about telnet at all, only mesh. Thanks.

 

[heysoundude]

@Nixel cjdns is included in entware, so you could theoretically (as I understand it) spin up your own mesh if you had multiple merlin-flashed asus devices.

 

[vesalius]

Thanks, what alternative do we have, or are there any plans on adding this or similar feature? If it's even worth it? To me being able to walk around the house without losing connection sounds useful. But I may be missing something.

Keep in mind that if you have more than one ASUS router and can manage a wired connection between them then setting one up as a wired AP does everything that aimesh does in regards to wireless coverage and roaming with your devices. Aimesh wins if you must rely on a wireless backhaul between the devices.

 

[Michael Clifford]

Keep in mind that if you have more than one ASUS router and can manage a wired connection between them then setting one up as a wired AP does everything that aimesh does in regards to wireless coverage and roaming with your devices. Aimesh wins if you must rely on a wireless backhaul between the devices.

Is this really true? This is important for me, for I was one of those evil interlopers that acquired a 1900 and converted it to a 68U. The entire purpose was to get coverage from routers on the 3rd floor and the basement. I have a perfectly good N66 as well and a Cat 5E connection to these two points. Now ASUS is playing games with the update process and Merlin doesn't support AIMesh (yet). Can anybody verify this claim?

By the way, the mid-term strategy was to buy a high end ASUS main router and use AIMesh to connect to the converted 68U. I'm so disgusted by the approach that ASUS has taken that I'm evaluating other brands now.

mjclifford

 

[Lord Lovaduck]

If you want AiMesh, use the stock firmware, there is no alternative.

As for telnetd, nobody should ever need to use that in 2018. Use SSH instead.

Isn't it funny that as soon as anybody says "Feature xyz is not available" everybody asks for it (even though they may not really need it!) Now if you say "it is incompatible and may never be replicated"... welll ... everybody drools for that feature...

Aren't we all a bit like that?