What add ons to install

[Manvadher]

Hi all

Recently obtained a GT-AXE11000 and installed merlin. Household is just me and the wife and your standard devices, connected tvs, cameras, ps4, laptops, phones, work laptops etc.

I am the kinda guy that used to love tinkering but now, can't not be bothered with it anymore. Best example being

I was geared up to run adguard home but then looked through everything and settled on running adguard dns.

Looking through all of the possible add ons, what is recommended? What's best for a set and forget situation.
Vpn not needed
Adblock is done via dns
Security and privacy whilst I care, I don't want to be constantly updating or dealing with issues, hence set and forget and happy to forgo these.

Firewall is the only thing I can think of and using skynet for inbound traffic only.

Even the utilities, all devices seem to be working fine through the WiFi so no need for and usage or channel surveys etc.

Suggestions welcomed but I think I've answered my own question(s)?

Thanks

 

[Tech9]

set and forget and happy

None.

Skynet is not a firewall. It's an IP-blocker. Your router has firewall built-in.

If you use USB stick for add-ons your router becomes as reliable as the USB stick.

 

[kstamand]

Hi all

Recently obtained a GT-AXE11000 and installed merlin. Household is just me and the wife and your standard devices, connected tvs, cameras, ps4, laptops, phones, work laptops etc.

I am the kinda guy that used to love tinkering but now, can't not be bothered with it anymore. Best example being

I was geared up to run adguard home but then looked through everything and settled on running adguard dns.

Looking through all of the possible add ons, what is recommended? What's best for a set and forget situation.
Vpn not needed pen
Adblock is done via dns
Security and privacy whilst I care, I don't want to be constantly updating or dealing with issues, hence set and forget and happy to forgo these.

Firewall is the only thing I can think of and using skynet for inbound traffic only.

Even the utilities, all devices seem to be working fine through the WiFi so no need for and usage or channel surveys etc.

Suggestions welcomed but I think I've answered my own question(s)?

Thanks

Depending on your comfort level with trusting TrendMicro, suggest turning on AIProtection which comes native with Asus routers (Stock firmware and/or RMerlin) at no cost. This might be a reasonable set and forget option for your needs

 

[Tech9]

used to love tinkering but now, can't not be bothered with it anymore

Asuswrt-Merlin firmware is not even needed in this case. Asuswrt is simpler and discourages tinkering. Your wife will be happier.

 

[Manvadher]

Asuswrt-Merlin firmware is not even needed in this case. Asuswrt is simpler and discourages tinkering. Your wife will be happier.

That's true. Always have to think about the wife factor. Maybe I'll just run Merlin with no whistles

 

[ugandy]

That's true. Always have to think about the wife factor. Maybe I'll just run Merlin with no whistles

i use merlin, and installed a few add ons. consider installing amtm and then diversion (blocks ads) and skynet (block bad stuff). i don;t think AI protection is worth it. smooth sailing here. no tinkering or failures or downtime. set and forget.

 

[Manvadher]

Any specific settings within skynet and diversion or was it all default settings.

Thx

 

[ugandy]

you can read about it and customize but the defaults will do. my wife and kids always note that navigating at home is a much cleaner experience with these filters vs out in the world with all the ads/phishing/spam.
diversion itself offers different levels of filtering with different block lists. you can also add other people's lists. for my kids sake i have lists to block porn, fox news, etc.

 

[ugandy]

i also enjoy easily blocking roblox with diversion when homework is getting behind....

 

[thelonelycoder]

Any specific settings within skynet and diversion or was it all default settings.

If you install Diversion, select the Lite Edition. The extra features of the Standard edition will be a thing of the past with the coming next update.

 

[Manvadher]

Thanks all for the inputs. Will give it a whirl in the coming few days. Greet advice so far. Wasn't expecting the lonely coder to reply either

 

[Viktor Jaep]

Thanks all for the inputs. Will give it a whirl in the coming few days. Greet advice so far. Wasn't expecting the lonely coder to reply either

Just in case you hadn't run by this yet (at the top of this forum)... here's an official post that keeps a catalog of all known addons... let us know if we can help!

Asuswrt-Merlin Addon Software Catalog

Asus-Merlin Addon Software Catalog This sticky post functions as a software catalog (with links to threads, scripts, and author names), grouped by functionality, to make it easier for Asus-Merlin users to find and install addons for their Asus routers without having to search through massive...

www.snbforums.com

 

[heysoundude]

Thanks all for the inputs. Will give it a whirl in the coming few days. Greet advice so far. Wasn't expecting the lonely coder to reply either

You'll be pleasantly surprised with who replies to your posts like this around here...

I'm running diversion w/ pixlserv, unbound, scMerlin and ntpMerlin, along with RTRMON just in case I run into service/speed issues with my ISP and they need proof, and occasionally SkyNet.
I also used the LED script to turn the router lights on/off when it was in a bedroom that got use, but now they're just turned off

 

[Manvadher]

Exactly that Viktor. When I decided on a Asus router, I knew that I would rather get used to the Merlin software instead of the Asus one. I also researched what add ons to install but then started reading and researching and then thought I don't need all the extra features.

I will try out diversion and skynet. I think that's all I really need

 

[Viktor Jaep]

Exactly that Viktor. When I decided on a Asus router, I knew that I would rather get used to the Merlin software instead of the Asus one. I also researched what add ons to install but then started reading and researching and then thought I don't need all the extra features.

I will try out diversion and skynet. I think that's all I really need

Good idea... Keep it simple... the more complexity you introduce, the more difficult it gets when trying to troubleshoot!

 

[Ripshod]

The one add-on I would highly recommend is BACKUPMON.

BACKUPMON - BACKUPMON v1.30 -Nov 4, 2023- Backup/Restore your Router: JFFS + NVRAM + External USB Drive! (Now available in AMTM!)

BACKUPMON v1.30 Released November 4 2023 First off -- HUGE thanks to @Jeffrey Young for sharing his original backup script. His script is the main engine of BACKUPMON, and all credit goes to him! BACKUPMON is simply a wrapper around Jeff's backup script functionality, adding easy-to-use...

www.snbforums.com

The rest? Only install what you actually need.

 

[thelonelycoder]

Thanks all for the inputs. Will give it a whirl in the coming few days. Greet advice so far. Wasn't expecting the lonely coder to reply either

Me I‘m just a lonely coder, blue collar class with a job and a lifestyle that just happens to satisfy all my interests and needs

 

[BGood]

I think perhaps this thread is far enough along that I can add on to the OP's topic, but if this warrants a new thread, I will delete my post here.

I dipped my toe into the pool this weekend with getting PushBullet notifications when clients connect to or disconnect from my router's VPN server. I'm pretty pleased. So now I am thinking about using KILLMON to make sure several of my client devices get *no* WAN access if anything goes wrong with the VPN.

But I see that needs Entware, which needs a USB drive inserted. Then I've read that USB 3 flash drives can interfere with the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi on the router, and I see also that maybe the router won't work if the USB flash drive fails. And I read it would be good to backup both jffs and the USB drive. Also when I need to flash the Merlin firmware, that should be done with no USB drive attached. Not to mention topics on USB 3 v. USB 2 as well as which file system to use.

So I'm torn on whether I should abandon this idea before it gets off the ground. I have the Wife Acceptance Factor to weigh as well. Having the internet become unreliable will not go over well. So I wonder, can I dabble just a bit in this without turning this into a "project"? Once I plug that USB flash drive in, have I committed to a future of troubleshooting, researching, and the like? (I will add that I don't run any of her devices through the VPN because her stuff just has to work.)

If I use an 8 GB USB2 drive, can I install Entware and KILLMON and try it out, and if decide to go back to "before it was", remove it all pretty easily? Or better to sit it out entirely?

Thanks

 

[Tech9]

You can do whatever you want as long as you can troubleshoot it and support it yourself. Otherwise you'll be hit by WAF soon.

Your wife wants her stuff to work. What do you want? I believe you more want to tinker with settings. Get a second router and play with it.

 

[Viktor Jaep]

But I see that needs Entware, which needs a USB drive inserted. Then I've read that USB 3 flash drives can interfere with the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi on the router, and I see also that maybe the router won't work if the USB flash drive fails. And I read it would be good to backup both jffs and the USB drive. Also when I need to flash the Merlin firmware, that should be done with no USB drive attached. Not to mention topics on USB 3 v. USB 2 as well as which file system to use.

So I'm torn on whether I should abandon this idea before it gets off the ground. I have the Wife Acceptance Factor to weigh as well. Having the internet become unreliable will not go over well. So I wonder, can I dabble just a bit in this without turning this into a "project"? Once I plug that USB flash drive in, have I committed to a future of troubleshooting, researching, and the like? (I will add that I don't run any of her devices through the VPN because her stuff just has to work.)

If I use an 8 GB USB2 drive, can I install Entware and KILLMON and try it out, and if decide to go back to "before it was", remove it all pretty easily? Or better to sit it out entirely?

You could definitely use that 8GB USB2 drive to play with it... and it's easy to uninstall/remove... but so you know, I've had a 256GB Samsung SSD on a USB3 enclosure, and have not had any noticeable issues with 2.4GHz. Not sure how much there is to that truthfully, or perhaps there's other kinds of drives/scenarios that do cause some kind of degradation.

But yes... along with scripts, configuring them, updating them, etc. will come a world where you will commit to knowing how it behaves in your environment so you can troubleshoot. Luckily, there's a whole community here that's probably seen the issues you might run across, and can help you over those hurdles. Look at it as a learning experience, because it can be fun, and along with it, you will be able to extend the actual functions and features that you normally wouldn't be able to appreciate on typically SOHO routers.