weaker wifi signal since upgrade to Asus Merlin 384.5

[goatdog]

RT-AC5300_384.5_0

Not too sure if it is me, I am getting weaker wifi signal upgrade from 380.70 since Tuesday (3 days ago)
I normally get 80% signal in one particular room now gets 0% to 30%-ish and the even more weird issue, it's not recognizing my saved wifi password for that ap (2.4ghz one) now sometimes.... If I go 10ft closer everything is fine. Is it interference of firmware problem , issue seems happens after then upgrade... I did 30/30 reset etc after the upgrade as well...

Is there any way for me to downgrade and confirm the issue ?

 

[Deleted member 22229]

30/30 reset does absolutely nothing with Asus routers. That said i to have noticed Merlin builds have a slight weaker signal then stock this started for me around the time Asus released Aimesh in there code. So i don't think Merlins code has anything wrong i just think Asus may have bumped it up a hair for Aimesh. Just my observation.

 

[goatdog]

a factory reset actually does, I have had so much issue with UN-explainned reboots, drop connections on the N66U (my first thread here) going from previous major release to the 374.xx release.. that was then.... doing a reset just ensure there is no other external factors affecting this that is all... my situation is a little different that, I am upgrading from Asus Merlin 380.70 to 384.5 both are an Asus Merlin build. Router stays at the same spot, but my connection between that 10 feet is huge... where before when I was on 380.70 I have no issue on that room....

 

[goatdog]

Actually now I remember there was a side issue, my ssh session kept getting timeout... when Idle Timeout set to anything other than 0 (0=disable) , when upgrading the default was set to 20.... but I am getting idle time out every 2 minutes or so... but It's been fine since I set it to 0 disabled it.
but that is a less minor issue, so can I downgrade to check?

 

[ColinTaylor]

a factory reset actually does,

He wasn't saying a factory reset does nothing, he was pointing out that a 30/30/30 reset is a DD-WRT thing and doesn't apply to Asus.

As per the Installation Instructions:

No need to do the 30/30/30 dance as required by DD-WRT - just do a plain Factory Default reset, or turn the device on while keeping the WPS button pressed. (The procedure can be different from one model to another.)

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/faq-nvram-and-factory-default-reset.22822/

 

[goatdog]

ok... yea might be a terminology differences.. but yes I did a reset.... any one else have this same problems?

and can I still down grade back to 380.70 ?

 

[joe scian]

ok... yea might be a terminology differences.. but yes I did a reset.... any one else have this same problems?

and can I still down grade back to 380.70 ?

Having done a factory default restore AND power cycle you need to MANUALLY enter all configuration settings especially wireless settings. Do NOT restore from a previous backup. I have an AC5300 on 384.5 and everything is working perfectly. I had numerous issues with WIFI 2.4Ghz half an wifi icon appearing on home page - 2.4Ghz SSID dissapearing etc - once i reentered all config settings again and powercycled after factory default restore everything is stable with over 30 2.4ghz clients -

 

[goatdog]

yes I did that.... always re-entering the configs manually after a reset. it's weird... few feet differences I get 80% to 100%, right beyond that I get between 0% to 80%-ish in the next room over. I just fired up the old N66U now running the 380.70 as AP for now...

 

[ianya]

I have similar issue with RT-AC68U going from build 370_X to build 384_5.

Speedtest (testmy.net, fast.com) via WIFI
370_X: 120-150Mbps
384_5: random speed from 50Kbps - 100Mbps. On a fresh router reboot, speed is close to 100Mbps but as the day goes on, similar test would yield lower upper bound.

Speedtest using Wired
370_X: ~150Mbps
384_5: ~150Mbps

I did factory reset 2-3 times already. And always filled in configuration values by hand instead of restoring.

Is there anyway to downgrade from 384_X to 370_X?

 

[ColinTaylor]

Is there anyway to downgrade from 384_X to 370_X?

Yes, boot the router in recovery mode and flash the older firmware though the CFE miniWeb Server.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-n66u-stuck-in-recovery-mode-firmware-fails.35838/#post-292039

 

[ianya]

I was able to bring up the CFE miniWeb and uploaded 370 firmware. It didn't take the downgrade even though it said it did and attempted to reboot. I also cleared NVRAM and reboot 2nd time.

when it came back up, i went through the setting manually again and noticed that the firmware is still 384_5... ?? But something cleared up bc now my WIFI is back to 150Mbps again .

I am scratching my head here but totally happy that it is zippy fast again just the way Merlin magic works

 

[Jon555]

I've experienced wifi issues on my AC-3100 with every branch of 384. I never had any issues with the 380 branch either, which is the strangest part. On the 384 branch, Wifi would constantly drop out after 5 or so hours. But even logging on to the device itself was difficult (it would be very sluggish, but CPU utilization was always reporting low). I did all the usual factory reset, unplug and wait 60 seconds, etc. - but no manner of restarts or factor resets would entirely fix the issue. Going back to the last 380 branch (or any 380 branch really) always solved it.

 

[ianya]

I've experienced wifi issues on my AC-3100 with every branch of 384. I never had any issues with the 380 branch either, which is the strangest part. On the 384 branch, Wifi would constantly drop out after 5 or so hours. But even logging on to the device itself was difficult (it would be very sluggish, but CPU utilization was always reporting low). I did all the usual factory reset, unplug and wait 60 seconds, etc. - but no manner of restarts or factor resets would entirely fix the issue. Going back to the last 380 branch (or any 380 branch really) always solved it.

YES! exactly the same issue. The web console on 384_X sometimes would just hang, log in is slow, clicking around is terribly slow. I am keeping my fingers crossed now after rebooting and rset NVRAM. It definitely feels faster last 24 hours than compared to last 7 days. However, there are definitely differences between 384_5 and 370_X. I'd rather to back to 370_X but can't seem to be able to do that.

 

[MokaPot]

Has anyone tested the 384_6 beta to see if it's fixed? I have the T-Mobile router and after I flashed it with asuswrt-merlin, my wifi has become a lot more spotty. Although the router is more reliable overall than before.

 

[RMerlin]

Has anyone tested the 384_6 beta to see if it's fixed? I have the T-Mobile router and after I flashed it with asuswrt-merlin, my wifi has become a lot more spotty. Although the router is more reliable overall than before.

My firmware does not support the TM-AC1900.

 

[MokaPot]

My firmware does not support the TM-AC1900.

I think the TM-AC1900 has the exact same hardware as the RT-AC68U, just a different firmware that is extremely out of date and has a custom QoS for TMO.

EDIT: I actually just read the release thread for 384.6 and damn. It was good while it lasted.

 

[Grisu]

I think the TM-AC1900 has the exact same hardware as the RT-AC68U, just a different firmware that is extremely out of date and has a custom QoS for TMO.

EDIT: I actually just read the release thread for 384.6 and damn. It was good while it lasted.

You will have to look anywhere else to get it working again (there are solutions but not allowed here to talk about).

 

[Marin]

I was able to bring up the CFE miniWeb and uploaded 370 firmware. It didn't take the downgrade even though it said it did and attempted to reboot. I also cleared NVRAM and reboot 2nd time.

when it came back up, i went through the setting manually again and noticed that the firmware is still 384_5... ?? But something cleared up bc now my WIFI is back to 150Mbps again .

I am scratching my head here but totally happy that it is zippy fast again just the way Merlin magic works

This does happen-it has happened to me quite a few times. You need simply try again. However, it may be easier for this happen if you:

1. Turn your WiFi off
2. Clear your browser's cache
3. Connect to your router via Ethernet cable
3. Assign your device a static IP
4. Reset your router
5. Type the main router IP on the browser's address
6. Once your CFE window pops up upload your manually downloaded FW and.....patiently wait.
7. If this doesn't happen, clear your browser's cache and go at it again. You will eventually be able to get there.

Hope this helps.