[RT-N66U] Upgrade to John's 374.43 or stick with Merlin's 270.26b?

[binarydad]

I've been running the 270.26b firmware on my N66U for years and haven't had issues. Only recently I've noticed the occasional eth2: received packet with own address as source address but otherwise it's been fine.

I'm curious though, is there are any performance benefits to updating to John's 374.43 (his latest 24E3). I should note I'm only using this as a wireless AP and not as a router, so all I care about is performance and stability. I also don't care about features - just performance (speed and range) and reliability. I have a mix of clients ranging from 2.4N to 5AC.

Thanks!

 

[ColinTaylor]

One of the reasons that John's firmware was created was to freeze the wireless drivers at the 374.43 level. This level, particularly for the N66U, was regarded by many as better than the later versions.

Whether it's any better or worse than the 4 year old 270.26b I couldn't say. Although John has added DFS support which was missing on the EU routers.

As you point out, everything else is irrelevant if you just using it as an AP.

BTW, the "received packet with own address as source address" message is not an error, it's just informational (unless you're seeing masses of them).

 

[binarydad]

BTW, the "received packet with own address as source address" message is not an error, it's just informational (unless you're seeing masses of them).

This is what actually got me questioning whether I should upgrade. I saw about 20+ of these, about several from different days. Not sure what triggered them. I haven't noticed any slow-down issues at all - just weird they were popping up.

 

[john9527]

Those messages can be generated as a result of some of the congestion management included in the newer client wireless drivers. Have you added any new clients or updated existing client drivers recently?

 

[ColinTaylor]

In addition to what John said; I have another access point plugged into my router and every time a wireless client "roams" between the two devices I see that message.

 

[binarydad]

Thanks. Can anyone comment in regard to the wireless performance between the two?

 

[binarydad]

Those messages can be generated as a result of some of the congestion management included in the newer client wireless drivers. Have you added any new clients or updated existing client drivers recently?

Well, I'm not sure exactly when this started, but I've slowly added phones, chromecasts, updated wifi on laptops... can't pinpoint something specific.

 

[sk1887]

I've recently switched to merlin firmware 380.66_4, to test the difference between the sdk 5 vs sdk 6 or whatever that is. I've been using john fork, just because of the over powered wifi range it had.

While it is quite more a stable connection, less ping to the router and shorter signal,
I have difficulties keeping my router credentials. At every reboot, after I've changed the settings, my router keeps losing or forgetting my password and I can't enter the main page. What is going on? Is it my rtn66u telling me it's time to rest?
The oddest part is the telnet sign-in works, so something funny is going on. Anyone?

 

[ColinTaylor]

@sk1887 I don't think your question relates to this topic which is "what are the differences between 374.43 and 270.26b". What firmware were you using before 380.66_4?

 

[sk1887]

@sk1887 I don't think your question relates to this topic which is "what are the differences between 374.43 and 270.26b". What firmware were you using before 380.66_4?

I know, I was using latest john's fork, update 23E3. I did clean wipe all the router. However I found the culprit.

If there is somewhere to report a bug, let me know.
OP: do not use FQDN to login to the router. The new login gui, which is not present in john's fork, doesn't redirect to the proper index.asp if using anything other that the router's IP

 

[ColinTaylor]

If there is somewhere to report a bug, let me know.

You can reports bugs with 380.66_4 here and John's here.

 

[mwnn]

I was a bit curious about this myself recently.
Currently have John's 3.0.0.4.374.43_2-25E7j9527 installed.

It's virtually impossible to kill these ASUS routers at least compared to old ones such as a Linksys WRT54g.
There's really no reason to not at least try Merlin - flash it right from the GUI.

I do find the N66U can be a little awkward when restoring back from Merlin or other firmwares; usually have the most success with tftp2.exe or the MiniCFE page.

Just have to very patient after completing the flashing process - sometimes waiting 10 minutes or more. Certainly longer than what the ASUS restoration tool states.
Leave the power on; it's quite normal for it to appear like nothing is happening.

I don't particularly utilize any of the N66U's features so I don't use USB, QoS, AI Cloud, VPN, etc
I just stick it in Repeater Mode, wanting it to throw out a reliable 2.4GHz signal over a long distance, which it excels at.

The immediately noticeable changes on Merlin's latest were:
Cosmetic improvements in the GUI.
I found a browser page opened automatically when the connection was lost or sometimes at first boot up before the link is made - slightly irritating.
I didn't particularly notice any wireless range/strength (RSSI/dBm) differences in the Wireless Log between myself and the P-AP.
It's hard to say whether the link rate is as stable.
You'll lose the ability to numerically set the Tx Power. (100mW / 200mW)
I'm certain I'm not dreaming when I state that virtually all Wireless settings are absent in Repeater Mode unlike in John's firmware.

I've tried various firmwares on my N66U in the year since I've owned it but I always end up coming back to John's Fork. I don't get any random rebooting or other strangeness. The link rate is always solid. Wireless speeds and coverage are top notch.
I didn't actually realise that a separate SSID could be set from the parent network - I believe the connection is still bridged unlike in certain DD-WRT modes.

 

[dlandiss]

I didn't actually realise that a separate SSID could be set from the parent network

Not only can be, but that is a valuable troubleshooting tool when you are trying to improve the coverage over a large area--nice to see just which radio is serving a particular area.