Unable to flash Merlin on RT-AX58U

[RMerlin]

What are your thoughts on support given that ASUS has not posted a link for support yet, given they are selling it?

If by support you are asking about my firmware, then I simply don't have anything to announce at this time.

Could the V2 be so different that they will designate different firmware from the Original Release Version?

It will be a different firmware. There is a separate _V2 build profile in the source code.

 

[haryb]

Hello,
Is it anyway, the any solution to loaded firmware Merlin do Asus RT-AX58U V2?
Or maybe this problem is knowing the developers of Merlin and will be fixed in the next beta version of firmware ?
I don't know what I have to do with my new Asus - because I bought them only for Merlin software.

Best
Haryb

 

[RMerlin]

Is it anyway, the any solution to loaded firmware Merlin do Asus RT-AX58U V2?

You cannot load it, that model is simply not supported.

 

[jsz]

Hmm not that I can see, the box says operating frequency is only 2.4GHz and 5GHz (same as in the web GUI):
View attachment 37613

They do mention Broadcom Quad Core 1.7GHz though (the BCM6755 you linked is 1.5GHz):
View attachment 37614

I know this is an old thread, but I believe Broadcom factors 675X SoCs and their radio processor cores together. The only upgrade here seems to be the 200mhz bump from 1.5ghz. (The old 6750 "tri core" + BCM43684 setup could be viewed as having 4 total cores). I don't exactly view the marketing for these as accurate, at least relative to higher end platforms.

There could be throughput improvements on the newer 6756 radio itself, but this model hasn't really been tested from what Ive searched.

Makes me wonder if the higher end 4x4 BCM6715 radio also runs at 1.7ghz. I guess that would make sense.

 

[RMerlin]

I know this is an old thread, but I believe Broadcom factors 675X SoCs and their radio processor cores together. The only upgrade here seems to be the 200mhz bump from 1.5ghz. (The old 6750 "tri core" + BCM43684 setup could be viewed as having 4 total cores). I don't exactly view the marketing for these as accurate, at least relative to higher end platforms.

There could be throughput improvements on the newer 6756 radio itself, but this model hasn't really been tested from what Ive searched.

Makes me wonder if the higher end 4x4 BCM6715 radio also runs at 1.7ghz. I guess that would make sense.

BCM6715 is only a wifi SoC, it does not contain a CPU. It's used for instance on the GT-AX6000, where it's paired with a 2 GHz BCM4912 CPU.

 

[jsz]

BCM6715 is only a wifi SoC, it does not contain a CPU. It's used for instance on the GT-AX6000, where it's paired with a 2 GHz BCM4912 CPU.

Okay. I'm very Confused

BCM675X SoCs show high ramping CPU use when you run a speed test (ASUS/Tomato GUI). 4906/4908 routers seem hardly dented without anything really offloaded.

I assumed this to be the logical conclusion since the 6750 is a "tri core" SoC with 1 radio built in (intended to be paired with dedicated radio/s like 43684), and the 6755 is an AX1800 SoC with 2 radios and an extra core. Just seems obvious to me, but maybe Im reaching..

I cant find it right now but there was marketing information from ARRIS which stated ARM 1.5ghz on Radio's... (4908 1.8ghz platform) So what is it? Falsely quoted marketing information from Broadcom/OEM supplier?


And there's this which you wrote a few years back..

Broadcom BCM4908 64 bit quad-core @ 1.8 GHz

Does this chip have the potential to be the best so far in home consumer routers? I just don't understand the ins and outs of why it's not leading the charts, Thanks

www.snbforums.com

Edit:

Is this not suppose to be public? or just simple error?

The above platform is 3x BCM43684 (It's actually wired for 4x4 on everything, but firmware/SW "locked". It's identical to the AX11000 variant they sell, but thats besides the point.)

Edit 2: Everything I wrote would be meaningless if I didn't take what you wrote at face value either. IE: BCM 4912 platform replacing internal CPUs (if thats how things worked previously).

I would also question how the 2020 release 3x3 6710 functions too? Relative to platforms like the AX86S/U. Thanks !

 

[RMerlin]

In the router, you have the "main" CPU which runs the router's operating system. This CPU can also have embedded wifi (like the bcm6756 does), or only contain the main CPU and require separate wifi SoCs (like the BCM4908 and BCM4912 do).

Modern wifi SoCs also have an embedded low performance CPU, but it's only used by the wifi radio itself, it won't run the router's operating system, and cannot be accessed by applications. Broadcom doesn't document AFAIK what the CPU is or at what clock it runs on their wifi-only SoC. So, I have no idea if Arris's specs are accurate or not. Ultimately that is meaningless, since that CPU is not used by the operating system.

The BCM675x has a main system CPU in addition to built-in wifi. The BCM6715 only has wifi, with its dedicated CPU.

Basically, ignore any marketing smoke that talks about the wifi chip's CPU, as it's irrelevant. You can blame Broadcom for this when a few years ago they bragged about their "Pentacore wifi system" in their marketing material. Because you had a dual-core CPU running the operating system, and three wifi SoCs that had their dedicated CPU to handle wifi processing.

The only CPU users should be concerned about is the main system CPU that will be running the operating system.

I would assume systems that have a dedicated CPU + separate wifi chips to perform better when dealing with a lot of transfers, but I never saw any benchmark to confirm this theory.

 

[jsz]

Well.. Irrelevant or not, let's assume that Arris has the correct information for the internal clock on BCM43684 radio.

Doesn't it seem too convenient that the older SoCs are also clocked in at 1.5ghz? The 6755 specifically gains an extra radio and extra core over 6750. Am I really reaching here?

I see no reason why there would be a need for an extra core on a lower end/entry platform. This is something that is mainly sold as AX1800 spec (lacks 160mhz bonding) unless designed as triband with a higher end dedicated radio.

I know it doesn't really matter, but it seems like everything lines up that way. Regardless of how much impact it actually has per device.

Edit: If true, the SoCs should really be looked at as dual core A7 designs. Not Tri or Quad core, but I digress. I don't exactly have access to BCM data sheets to confirm such statement.

I would also assume that 1.7ghz bump on BCM6756 also occurs on the BCM6715 as a generational upgrade. I don't know if "wifi" performance uplifts occur because of that.

Edit 2: Was looking into old Broadcom PR since you mentioned Penta core. The original BCM4366 is apparently a 800mhz A7 design.. which certainly makes sense piecing everything together.

I don't think im wrong here

Basically, ignore any marketing smoke that talks about the wifi chip's CPU, as it's irrelevant. You can blame Broadcom for this when a few years ago they bragged about their "Pentacore wifi system" in their marketing material. Because you had a dual-core CPU running the operating system, and three wifi SoCs that had their dedicated CPU to handle wifi processing.

The only CPU users should be concerned about is the main system CPU that will be running the operating system.

I would assume systems that have a dedicated CPU + separate wifi chips to perform better when dealing with a lot of transfers, but I never saw any benchmark to confirm this theory.

Well I certainly agree with that, except BCM marketing and 3rd party manufacturer marketing is quite misleading with the above context.

Wifi chip may be irrelevant, but it's being factored into a selling point for 675X designs... IE: "1.7ghz Quad Core" as the box shows on the previous page.

 

[RMerlin]

Wifi chip may be irrelevant, but it's being factored into a selling point for 675X designs... IE: "1.7ghz Quad Core" as the box shows on the previous page.

That's because the BCM675x contains a main system CPU that will run the operating system and applications, it's not just a wifi SoC.

You need to distinguish a WiFi SoC from a CPU + WiFi SoC. They are two very different beasts.

 

[autourdesam]

Hello everyone
I bought 3 months ago a RT-AX58u to have Merlinwrt on it (like I use on my olds RT-ac68u) but unfortunatly it was a V2 ... and I did not succeed in an upgrade to Marlinwrt. Even the original Asus firmware could not be upgraded ... I wrote to Asus support and they sent me a link to a new firmware. Since now I can upgrade to official firmware from Asus Web interface in router ... but still not upgrade to Merlinwrt :-( . I want to buy a new router to have Merlinwrt on it , but I don't know what to buy because Asus seems to make new version of hardware with the same name ... and I a m quite interested in RT-ax58u because of price/hardware specifications ... not really need wifi , but processor power to have nice throughput and some simultaneous vpn client/server usage ...
Is there any chance to have this model support in all version of hardware ?
Many thanks
P.S. : my actual fw version : 3.0.0.4.386_49674-ge182230