RT-AX86U intermittent/random drops on merlin fw 388.1

[zero7404]

recently updated my fw to the merlin 388.1 release ... have noticed several times throughout the day i am getting brief intermittent drop-outs on my devices ... appears to be router-side (not internet side), because i have some apps that monitor devices on my private network that change status when this happens (example: a battery monitor app i have on a wifi-connected computer that is checking the UPS directly connected to my NAS that is on wired connection to my router).

not sure why this interruption is happening.

if there's a bug/issue in 388.1 causing it, would try to revert back to 386.7_2 ... is that possible ?

 

[Portalnet]

Do you have these interruptions on 5GHz or also on LAN? On version 3867_2 you didn't have them?

 

[zero7404]

Do you have these interruptions on 5GHz or also on LAN? On version 3867_2 you didn't have them?

so far, the devices i noticed which experience the issue are on 5GHz, but haven't observed in more detail if other 2.4GHz devices I have are affected ... maybe the bands/channels were changed or adjusted by the fw update ?

i did not have the issue with the previous merlin fw.

 

[Portalnet]

I have a similar problem on the Asus 388 FW. The wifi connection is there and there is no internet - it disappears (the ping to the router also disappears) and then returns in a few seconds, and so several times a day at different times.
That's why I'm probably going back to branch 386

 

[capncybo]

@zero7404 & @Portalnet Have either of you tried the following...

The 388.1 consensus regarding the WiFi drops was...
-It's most likely occurring when the router switches channels.
If experiencing WiFi drops...
Manually assign a control channel
OR:
Lately, I tried... Control Channel=Auto (BUT removed the check-mark) from:
__ Auto select channel including DFS channels

Note: I've been trying 160MHz while looking for issues, but on my RT-AX86U (even using 160MHz) has been rather stable

 

[Portalnet]

I'm permanently assigned channel 36, I don't use DFS

 

[zero7404]

@zero7404 & @Portalnet Have either of you tried the following...

The 388.1 consensus regarding the WiFi drops was...
-It's most likely occurring when the router switches channels.
If experiencing WiFi drops...
Manually assign a control channel
OR:
Lately, I tried... Control Channel=Auto (BUT removed the check-mark) from:
__ Auto select channel including DFS channels

Note: I've been trying 160MHz while looking for issues, but on my RT-AX86U (even using 160MHz) has been rather stable

thanks for this advice ...

could you add more detail about what you mean with wifi drops ? i think the wifi device remains connected when this happens .. not 100% about it -- i will check it again next time i experience the issue

" .. consensus" .... is there another thread/topic about this ?

 

[capncybo]

could you add more detail about what you mean with wifi drops ? i think the wifi device remains connected when this happens .. not 100% about it -- i will check it again next time i experience the issue

" .. consensus" .... is there another thread/topic about this ?

You had said... "brief intermittent drop-outs on my devices"... when a router changes channels there can often be a momentary (disconnect/reconnect) of any "connected" client device.
Under Wireless sections in 5G & 2.4G... DO NOT USE Control Channel=Auto... use a manually selected channel.
+

Asus rt-ax86u 5ghz band crashing with new firmware when downloading

So I updated to the new firmware and have been going nuts figuring this out. I can only assume it’s the new firmware at this point. It crashes whenever I torrent/FaceTime/download large files/mega sync, basically anything data intensive. It’s so frustrating. The 2.4ghz band works fine though.

www.snbforums.com

+
It has also been discussed heavily throughout...

Release - Asuswrt-Merlin 388.1 is now available for all supported Wifi 6 models

Asuswrt-Merlin 388.1 is now available for all Wifi 6 (AX) models. This release marks the merge with the new 388 code base from Asus. I don't want to list every 388-specific changes made by Asus, so I recommend checking Asus' own changelogs for more details. I will highlight the most important...

www.snbforums.com

EDIT:
+
And of course... Some actual words from the Wise-one himself...

Asus rt-ax86u 5ghz band crashing with new firmware when downloading

Like everyone else my AX86U and AX86S don't seem to be playing nice with 388. My 5GHZ band drops periodically (though admittedly less since resetting), no 160MHZ, and my connection speeds with my ISP are much lower than previous routers (Verizon Gigabyte). I'm assuming 386.5_2 will help at...

www.snbforums.com

 

[zero7404]

whilst going into router to select a control channel manually, i got this message, doesn't quite make sense ...

 

[Tech9]

would try to revert back to 386.7_2 ... is that possible

Yes, but do factory reset. Hopefully you have saved your 386.7_2 settings. If not - configure manually. In my opinion 386.5_2 is even better.

 

[zero7404]

that message i saw when trying to change the control channel is confusing ... already setup with WPA3 and it's asking if i want to switch to WPA3 (or WPA2 ??) ... anyone else get that ?

 

[Ubimo]

I have similar random Wifi drops with 2.4GHz and Smartphones. The Wifi connection is up, but no traffic is going over. Reconnecting the devices solves the problem.
I have an AX86S with 388.1

 

[zero7404]

this latest fw is definitely buggy

in "Network Map" view, it listed a wifi device that has left the network at least a few hours ago, and the connection type icon next to it was the one used to indicate wired connections ...

several refreshes over the course of the hour and it finally disappeared.

 

[Tech9]

in "Network Map" view, it listed a wifi device that has left the network at least a few hours ago

This bug is present in many Asuswrt releases as well and for years. Nothing new or 388.1 firmware related in particular.

 

[iJorgen]

Try setting "Group Key Rotation Interval" to 0 for a while and see if it makes any difference.

 

[zero7404]

the past day or so i haven't seen the wifi drop, so something seems to have improved while still on 388.1 fw

 

[zero7404]

Try setting "Group Key Rotation Interval" to 0 for a while and see if it makes any difference.

on my end i was waiting for a good moment to go in and change my settings, to choose a channel manually vs. leaving it on auto. should i try your suggestion first ? or try both at the same time ?

 

[iJorgen]

on my end i was waiting for a good moment to go in and change my settings, to choose a channel manually vs. leaving it on auto. should i try your suggestion first ? or try both at the same time ?

Setting a fixed channel is always a good thing, since "Auto" seems broken for many in the latest GPL's.
You can do both if you want, but it's your choice if you wanna know what (hopefully) fixed it.

 

[zero7404]

Setting a fixed channel is always a good thing, since "Auto" seems broken for many in the latest GPL's.
You can do both if you want, but it's your choice if you wanna know what (hopefully) fixed it.

thanks for the suggestion ... i am trying out both changes for each band, will see how that goes ...

fixed channel
group key = 0

for my info ... what is the purpose of the group key interval ?

 

[JSinFCVA]

From my AX86U...