XT8: Need advice regarding hard reset following firmware upgrade

[Mikester]

I'm hoping an expert out there can help. I'm currently running 2 XT8's, one set up as router and the 2nd as a node, via wireless backhaul. The system is running essentially flawlessly for my purposes on firmware 42095. However, because this firmware is now somewhat out of date, I am considering updating to 46980 for security purposes, which most users have reported to be reasonably stable.

I know that a hard reset is recommended by many after updating. I'm aware of how to perform the procedure, but my questions are: 1. Do I hard reset both router and node, and if so in what order? Or do I only need to reset the router? 2. If both router and node are reset, do they "remember" which device is the router and which is the node, or do I have to set them up again as if they just came out of the box?

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I know that a hard reset is recommended by many after updating.

A hard reset is not normally recommended (although some forum members seem obsessed by it) unless you're experiencing issues or there is a significant change in the firmware.

If you factory reset the devices they will not remember their settings (that's the point) therefore you will have to go through the setup process again like you did originally.

 

[L&LD]

Welcome to the forums @Mikester.

Firstly, nobody is obsessed with anything here, except getting a fast, stable, and secure network.

To answer your questions directly, for a proper reset of the router/network:

• You need to reset both the main router and all nodes.
• First, reset the nodes, then after they have rebooted, power them off until you are ready to add them via the main router's AiMesh tab. Leaving them on has caused issues for some (as reported here).
• Second, reset the main router after flashing the firmware you want to use. Do not 'blindly' use old settings, features, and/or options. Do not 'blindly' use scripts/methods that worked 'once upon a time'. Read the changelog changes from your current firmware to the firmware you are flashing to know what to expect or to be prepared for (regarding new features, assumptions, and depreciated code).
• At this point, you are effectively setting up a new network from scratch (the equipment is now considered 'new', from a configuration standpoint).

Jumping from v42095 to v46980 is not insignificant, in a single jump. I would be doing a full reset, myself.

However, you can easily test jumping from your version to the current one and carefully monitoring your network afterward. If things keep working as you expect, there is (possibly) no need for the reset in your case with your client devices in your specific environment.

If things do not go as smooth as you'd like, see if a quick inquiry here on the forums (or a Better Search, top of page) gets you results. If not, then the full reset is recommended for the fastest way back to a stable network.



A few pointers before you start.

• Create a backup of your router config and JFFS partition via the GUI.
• Download the identical copy of the firmware you have running now. Be sure you verify the hashes too.
• If anything goes wrong in the process (firmware upgrade/reset, above), you can now flash the firmware you are currently using, reset the router to factory defaults and then restore the backup config files you created to quickly get back to where you are now.

Some additional links you may find helpful.

[Wireless] ASUS router Hard Factory Reset | Official Support | ASUS Global

Fully Reset / Best Practice Setup / More

Almost all L&LD Links

About L&LD

 

[Mikester]

Thank you for the replies. A couple more questions for L&LD.
1. In the stock firmware, I don't see an option to back up the JFFS partition via the GUI.
2. You stress to reset the main router after flashing the new firmware. I was aware of this. But shouldn't one also reset the node after flashing its firmware, rather than before the flash?

 

[RogerSC]

Not L&LD, but yes, you should reset the node as well as the router after the flash. I've switched my ZenWiFi AX between different versions of firmware quite a bit, currently settled on the latest, which happens to be a Beta. It's worked well, as well or better than 42095 for me.

The way that I do this is to flash the node first, then the router. You don't have to do a manual flash if you're flashing to the latest, you can use the "Check" button in "Check firmware" in the "Administration" -> "FIrmware Upgrade" tab and then "Upgrade", and it will flash both nodes for you. Unless it can't find the server, in which case you can download the firmware to a wired computer, like a desktop, and do the manual firmware upgrade using the "AiMesh Node" and "AiMesh Router" flashes from the downloaded firmware file. Like I said, flash the node first, and then the router. After the flashes are done, I do a WPS button reset of the node first, then the router.

From there, I use the Asus Router app on my smart phone to get the mesh going again...no need to do the search thing for the node, just use the "add network" functionality in the Asus Router app. Easy to do, only takes a few minutes with the smart phone app, and the app does the search and adding of the mesh node, sets up the basic mesh functionality.

Then once the mesh is back up, go to the web admin interface (192.168.50.1, of course *smile*), and put in the rest of your settings.

 

[Thirteen]

Here's the link to download 42095, in case you need it. It's no longer listed, but still works.
https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/wireless/ZenWiFi_XT8/FW_ZENWIFI_XT8_300438642095.zip

 

[bbunge]

As CT stated, a hard factory reset is not necessary unless you experience major problems. Upgrade the node first then the router. If you use the Asus router app you may be able to upgrade both at once. I have used the app to upgrade my AX86U with no problems!

 

[tgl]

If you hard-reset the node, it will immediately try to integrate into the primary's AIMesh. (At least this is true for factory-paired units; maybe not if you bought them separately.) That's fine if that's what you want to happen next --- but IMO, you'd want to reset and set up the primary before you let the node join the mesh.

I concur with the other opinions that you don't necessarily need a hard reset. But it's recommendable if you run into any instability.