Release RT-AX86U Firmware version 3.0.0.4.386_45898 (2021-10-07)

[renegadeavenger]

Me too. Though whether its only 2.4Ghz is not clear to me. Going back to the June firmware seems to have solved the issues I was having with random disconnects for now.

And I did try setting different channels to no effect. Mine is currently set to auto with the older firmware.

From setting a static channel, it seemed to have got my wifi 2.4 without disconnect for last 3 days.

But I am not entirely sure yet if auto channel is the one causing issues.

But for sure auto channeling in June firmware was working.

I reached out to Asus support and opened a support case and sent them my config and logs. It would be nice if you could file a report with them too as I am very sure there must be more that is experiencing wifi disconnect which ran perfectly rock solid on June firmware, but since August firmware, this wifi disconnect issue happens.

It's not wise to keep running on June firmware though, the number of security fixes since then has grown to quote a lot.

I feel the issue maybe some leak somewhere, I noticed when setting things on auto channel, I got some weird errors about txop check failed for chanspec failed

 

[bbunge]

As a test I did a Hard Factory Reset (https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1039078) and configured the router manually. This time I did not change any WIFI settings following the initial setup. I entered the usual SSID and passphrase and did not choose separate SSID's. I manually set up the LAN, WAN and Admin areas. I wanted to see just what happened with the WIFI channels and bandwidth as this is what is working for thousands of Asus customers who use the app to set up their router.
Oh, I did set a Guest 1 on 2.4 GHz with WPA2-Personal for my IOT clients.
The 2.4 GHz started out with 40 MHz bandwidth on channel 1 and the 5 GHz choose 160 MHz on channel 44. OK, so far so good. Over the next day the 2.4 GHz went to 20 MHz bandwidth and was on a total of three channels finally settling on channel 8.
The 5 GHz went to 80 MHz bandwidth, switched to channel 149 once then back to channel 44.
I have no indication that any of my clients ever dropped connection.
No family member complained that the internet didn't work.

This leads me to believe that my insistance to use fixed channels is a bunch of hooey and others who are having disconnect issues have something else going on..

I added my AC86U as a WIFI AiMesh node for the second day of testing. Some of my clients did switch over to the node and worked quite well. I did not keep track of the channel jumps as I did on day one but once again I had rock solid connections!

But I am a creature of habbit and am now back to fixed channels and bandwidth. My closest neighbor WIFI is 75 FT away and there are a dozen or more WIFI's that show up on my WIFI app. Will I go back to Auto channel? Who knows (The Shadow Knows..). Maybe someday for another test but use a fixed bandwidth....

 

[Tech9]

2.4 GHz went to 20 MHz bandwidth and was on a total of three channels finally settling on channel 8.
The 5 GHz went to 80 MHz bandwidth, switched to channel 149 once then back to channel 44.

What happened to your usual channel 1-6-11 only on 2.4GHz and 160MHz wide on 5GHz recommendations? Your own router proved you wrong. You didn't trust me for a long time. Do you trust Broadcom now? What you see is coming from Broadcom SoC/drivers looking for best available throughput channels and scanning for radar transmissions. Obsolete knowledge is like bad habits.

 

[bbunge]

What happened to your usual channel 1-6-11 only on 2.4GHz and 160MHz wide on 5GHz recommendations? Your own router proved you wrong. You didn't trust me for a long time. Do you trust Broadcom now? What you see is coming from Broadcom SoC/drivers looking for best available throughput channels and scanning for radar transmissions. Obsolete knowledge is like bad habits.

We are all creatures of habit and stepping out of our zone can be very uncomfortable (and I failed to mention I had gone to just WPA2-Personal). Especially for old guys.. I can still hang my hat on the settings I have used for years especially if you have old clients that are still working. But it has been cloudy and dull here for almost a week and I was getting really bored. So I went for it. Now I am back to Auto channel with fixed bandwidth. So far so good! And it is OK to be picked on.

 

[Tech9]

Especially for old guys...

My previous post comes from my own bad habits and mistakes. We learn all the time.

 

[Maghook]

Updated to 386_45898 with nvram reset.

good: finally there is an option to disable 802.11b (legacy) data rates on 2,4G
questionable #1: why does ASUS now enable roaming assistent on both bands per default?
questionable #2: although not enabled, every minute a query towards dns.msftncsi.com.

 

[bbunge]

Updated to 386_45898 with nvram reset.

good: finally there is an option to disable 802.11b (legacy) data rates on 2,4G
questionable #1: why does ASUS now enable roaming assistent on both bands per default?
questionable #2: although not enabled, every minute a query towards dns.msftncsi.com.

1. Because it just works.
2. The domain dns.msftncsi.com is used by Microsoft Windows as part of it's Network Connectivity Status Indicator tests. This helps Windows determine if the computer is connected to the internet and display the appropriate error icon if connectivity is unavailable.

 

[Maghook]

1. Because it just works.
2. The domain dns.msftncsi.com is used by Microsoft Windows as part of it's Network Connectivity Status Indicator tests. This helps Windows determine if the computer is connected to the internet and display the appropriate error icon if connectivity is unavailable.

1. Sure, but not everyone wants it activated. Especially when you're on outer receiving edge with your STA and get kicked.
2. I'm talking about the RT-AX86u, which queries the MS-DNS, not just any Windows client. Since this option is disabled on my unit, there should be no related queries at all.

dns_probe=0 dns_probe_content=131.107.255.255 112.4.20.71 fd3e:4f5a:5b81::1 dns_probe_host=dns.msftncsi.com

 

[bbunge]

A

1. Sure, but not everyone wants it activated. Especially when you're on outer receiving edge with your STA and get kicked.
2. I'm talking about the RT-AX86u, which queries the MS-DNS, not just any Windows client. Since this option is disabled on my unit, there should be no related queries at all.

dns_probe=0 dns_probe_content=131.107.255.255 112.4.20.71 fd3e:4f5a:5b81::1 dns_probe_host=dns.msftncsi.com

2. I'm talking about the RT-AX86u, which queries the MS-DNS, not just any Windows client. Since this option is disabled on my unit, there should be no related queries at all.

Not sure how you disabled something that is not in the firmware... Ah, I see. You mean DNS Querry which is disabled by default. Simple to change that to some other site, disable it again and see if it continues to do whatever is bothering you.

 

[Maghook]

Unset related nvram variable and commit did the trick.

 

[BobD]

I have an RT-AX86U at 3.0.0.4.386_45375. I tried to update it last week to 45898 and while it appeared to load OK it wouldn't communicate to the internet citing DNS problems.
I didn't have time to deal with it at the time so a went back to 45375 and it loaded up and worked immediately.
I had another attempt to go to 45898 again today. It failed again and again complained about DNS problems.
My setting was Connect to DNS Server automatically=yes . I then tried both 8.8.8.8 (Google) and then 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) and same complaint about DNS.
I did a hard reset using ASUS method 2 from here https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1039078
I did basic configuration as per the ASUS startup wizard which sets the internet type, wifi, and user name and PW.
It still failed with the same complaint about DNS.
I copied the syslog for this and it is attached.
I am now back on 45375 (with factory reset and loaded a previously saved config) and all is well but I need some help with getting 45898 going.
Bob

edit: It seems that I'm also having trouble attaching the Syslog.txt. Any help would be useful.

 

[L&LD]

Use pastebin.com to attach large txt files.

 

[jpthsd]

Yep, updated to latest firmware both of my AX86U , all good! One of the reasons I purchased 2 x AX86U , because AiMesh network and because if one is being hiccup, that will be sent in for service and the alive one will continue serving the networking need for the home!

 

[bbunge]

I have an RT-AX86U at 3.0.0.4.386_45375. I tried to update it last week to 45898 and while it appeared to load OK it wouldn't communicate to the internet citing DNS problems.
I didn't have time to deal with it at the time so a went back to 45375 and it loaded up and worked immediately.
I had another attempt to go to 45898 again today. It failed again and again complained about DNS problems.
My setting was Connect to DNS Server automatically=yes . I then tried both 8.8.8.8 (Google) and then 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) and same complaint about DNS.
I did a hard reset using ASUS method 2 from here https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1039078
I did basic configuration as per the ASUS startup wizard which sets the internet type, wifi, and user name and PW.
It still failed with the same complaint about DNS.
I copied the syslog for this and it is attached.
I am now back on 45375 (with factory reset and loaded a previously saved config) and all is well but I need some help with getting 45898 going.
Bob

edit: It seems that I'm also having trouble attaching the Syslog.txt. Any help would be useful.

Might be good to have you tell us a bit about your internet service provider. I seem to remember some issues with telco's from down under related to pppoe but am not clairvoyant enough to give you a positive answer. Might also be a good idea to power cycle the ONT or cable modem then run through the router setup again. By power cycle I mean leave the power off to the modem or ONT for up to 10 minutes. Also check with your ISP for specifics they require for "Bring Your Own Router." Also, use the 1 GB WAN port not the 2.5 GB port.

 

[Maximus0636]

This one seems less stable than previous. I have a OnePlus phone and previously had problem with random disconnects when using the 2.4/5 GHz Smart Connect. To get around it, I created a "Guest" wireless with only 5 GHz to use with my phone. Well the random disconnect seemed to go away, but I'm really noticing it again on this firmware.

 

[BobD]

new

Might be good to have you tell us a bit about your internet service provider. I seem to remember some issues with telco's from down under related to pppoe but am not clairvoyant enough to give you a positive answer. Might also be a good idea to power cycle the ONT or cable modem then run through the router setup again. By power cycle I mean leave the power off to the modem or ONT for up to 10 minutes. Also check with your ISP for specifics they require for "Bring Your Own Router." Also, use the 1 GB WAN port not the 2.5 GB port.

The ISP is Aussie Broadband . The connection type is NBN FTTP (Fibre to the Premises). The router is connected to the ONT by ethernet to the 1Gbps WAN port on the router (not the 2.5G port). The router start up wizard has defined the WAN connection Type = Automatic IP.
Checking the support pages of the ISP has revealed some useful stuff.
Bring Your Own Modems
This page FTTP MyAussie Test Guide refers to a test which might solve the problem. See the quoted next.

Test: Kick Connection
Description: This will clear the connection you have with us. It will not reset NBN. Generally, you will not need to do this.
Use this if: You want to change your modem/router; kick your current connection, remove the old modem/router, plug the new one in and allow it to pick up a new connection.

The test Kick Connection may be the fix. I'll look into how to do it and then load up 45898 again. I haven't had these problems when previously updating the firmware but ASUS may be doing something new that upsets the ISP system.
This may take a few days to schedule. I'll talk to the ISP helpdesk also.

 

[BobD]

new

The ISP is Aussie Broadband . The connection type is NBN FTTP (Fibre to the Premises). The router is connected to the ONT by ethernet to the 1Gbps WAN port on the router (not the 2.5G port). The router start up wizard has defined the WAN connection Type = Automatic IP.
Checking the support pages of the ISP has revealed some useful stuff.
Bring Your Own Modems
This page FTTP MyAussie Test Guide refers to a test which might solve the problem. See the quoted next.

The test Kick Connection may be the fix. I'll look into how to do it and then load up 45898 again. I haven't had these problems when previously updating the firmware but ASUS may be doing something new that upsets the ISP system.
This may take a few days to schedule. I'll talk to the ISP helpdesk also.

I talked to the ISP helpdesk. They tried things like resetting ports etc. and we did not succeed in getting firmware 45898 to communicate. The light on the ONT showing data from the router was flashing as was the data light from the internet but no communications. Unless anyone else has good ideas then I will put this to ASUS. IF I get a result I will post it back here.
Thanks for the suggestions, Bob.

 

[bbunge]

I talked to the ISP helpdesk. They tried things like resetting ports etc. and we did not succeed in getting firmware 45898 to communicate. The light on the ONT showing data from the router was flashing as was the data light from the internet but no communications. Unless anyone else has good ideas then I will put this to ASUS. IF I get a result I will post it back here.
Thanks for the suggestions, Bob.

You seem to be doing everything right. Even the hard factory reset. It is possible to be a firmware glitch that Asus will have to fix.

 

[KevTech]

Do you need to change WAN type to PPPoE and/or change things in LAN > IPTV?
You said you were reloading a saved config file so when you reset you would lose those setting and would need to re-enter them.
May want to check those values on the firmware that works.

 

[BobD]

Do you need to change WAN type to PPPoE and/or change things in LAN > IPTV?
You said you were reloading a saved config file so when you reset you would lose those setting and would need to re-enter them.
May want to check those values on the firmware that works.

PPPoE has been obsoleted in much of the Australian internet connections. There is no requirement to login anymore.
I believe that the connections are made with Permanent Virtual Circuits in the backbone network.
IPTV settings are not used.
I did a factory reset when going to the new (45898) level of router firmware. After that when reverting to the older and working firmware (45375) I did another factory reset.
Given that level of firmware has always worked satisfactorily I felt confident in using a saved configuration at that level.
I am careful each time when making changes to the router configuration to save a copy of the configuration. Those files are saved in a folder named by the version level of the firmware.
As a further check to ensure that configuration files are not mixed up I save the configuration files with the last 5 digits of the version level and the date expressed as yyyy mm dd and often with a comment.
Those comments may be a bit cryptic but are meaningful to me.
See my examples from Windows 10 Explorer here.