AC87U 5Ghz guest network

[Lucky-Strike]

Hi,

On AC87U routers, 5Ghz guest networks have not been working since 384.5 due to, as I understood, bad Quantenna firmare.
Would it be possible to build a 384.x version of Merlin's firmware with embed 380.x (working) Quantenna firmware ?
Would it work ?

5Ghz guest networks work in last stock firmware (3.0.0.4.382.50702) released on 2018/07/18, AFTER (oddly) 384.5 version of Merlin's firmware (2018/05/13). I have trouble figuring out why it is not working on later Merlin's build given that fact ?

Thanks.

 

[ColinTaylor]

On AC87U routers, 5Ghz guest networks have not been working since 384.5 due to, as I understood, bad Quantenna firmare.

Where did you read that?

 

[RMerlin]

The Quantenna firmware hasn't changed in years, it was last updated in 2017.

 

[Lucky-Strike]

Thanks for these quick answers.
ColinTaylor, I read that somewhere on this forum first.

RMerlin (first, thanks for your impressive work !), maybe you can explain me why the 5Ghz guest is working up to 380.70 and stop working above (from 384.5 to today). What changed ? Can it be fixed ?

 

[L&LD]

Thanks for these quick answers.
ColinTaylor, I read that somewhere on this forum first.

RMerlin (first, thanks for your impressive work !), maybe you can explain me why the 5Ghz guest is working up to 380.70 and stop working above (from 384.5 to today). What changed ? Can it be fixed ?

As you are about the only one that seems to have this issue, I would guess that you upgraded to the latest firmware without a full and proper reset to factory defaults?

 

[RMerlin]

Thanks for these quick answers.
ColinTaylor, I read that somewhere on this forum first.

RMerlin (first, thanks for your impressive work !), maybe you can explain me why the 5Ghz guest is working up to 380.70 and stop working above (from 384.5 to today). What changed ? Can it be fixed ?

It depends at what level it's "broken". While the wifi code is within the Quantenna firmware, management of interfaces and clients are in part within the main firmware code. Keep in mind that Asus's original firmware for that model is based on a different code base (382_xxxx) than what I use (384_xxxx), so if they fix something specific to the RT-AC87U in the 382 code base but they don't import that fix in the more up-to-date 384 code base, then that fix will be missing from my firmware.

The RT-AC87U and RT-AC3200 in my firmware are more or less considered to be under "extended support" as they are not officially supported by Asus with the 384 code base that I use, and also they don't release frequent updates for these two models anymore. I have to rely on an Asus engineer to provide me with updated closed source components if/when he actually has the time to generate them for me (which he didn't for the 384.11 release). Therefore support might not be as up-to-date in my firmware for these models as they are on stock firmware. And I don't have the time nor resources to maintain two separate firmware code bases on my own.

 

[Lucky-Strike]

As you are about the only one that seems to have this issue, I would guess that you upgraded to the latest firmware without a full and proper reset to factory defaults?

Not the only one : https://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac87u-running-384-5-5ghz-guest-network-doesnt-work.48222/
Already tried to fully reset : still not working. Working on last stock firmware 3.0.0.4.382.50702) released on 2018/07/18, working on Merlin's 380.70 build, broken since 384.5.

It depends at what level it's "broken". While the wifi code is within the Quantenna firmware, management of interfaces and clients are in part within the main firmware code. Keep in mind that Asus's original firmware for that model is based on a different code base (382_xxxx) than what I use (384_xxxx), so if they fix something specific to the RT-AC87U in the 382 code base but they don't import that fix in the more up-to-date 384 code base, then that fix will be missing from my firmware.

The RT-AC87U and RT-AC3200 in my firmware are more or less considered to be under "extended support" as they are not officially supported by Asus with the 384 code base that I use, and also they don't release frequent updates for these two models anymore. I have to rely on an Asus engineer to provide me with updated closed source components if/when he actually has the time to generate them for me (which he didn't for the 384.11 release). Therefore support might not be as up-to-date in my firmware for these models as they are on stock firmware. And I don't have the time nor resources to maintain two separate firmware code bases on my own.

Thanks for the detailed answer. Then it's probably broken in the main firmware code. Let's hope that Asus moves AC87U to 384 branch, but unlikely since it's EOL...

EDIT : strange, if I set the 5Ghz guest networks in 384.x I don't even see them when scanning SSIDs. If I set them in 380.x THEN update the router to 384.x, I can still see them and connect to them, but there is no internet access on it.

 

[L&LD]

Not the only one : https://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac87u-running-384-5-5ghz-guest-network-doesnt-work.48222/
Already tried to fully reset : still not working. Working on last stock firmware 3.0.0.4.382.50702) released on 2018/07/18, working on Merlin's 380.70 build, broken since 384.5.



Thanks for the detailed answer. Then it's probably broken in the main firmware code. Let's hope that Asus moves AC87U to 384 branch, but unlikely since it's EOL...

EDIT : strange, if I set the 5Ghz guest networks in 384.x I don't even see them when scanning SSIDs. If I set them in 380.x THEN update the router to 384.x, I can still see them and connect to them, but there is no internet access on it.

A thread from August 2018 isn't really proof that the issue is still around. Others would have surely spoken up by now, correct?

If you're upgrading from 380.x to 384.x without a full (M&M Config) reset, then you are unquestionably not doing it correctly.

 

[Lucky-Strike]

A thread from August 2018 isn't really proof that the issue is still around. Others would have surely spoken up by now, correct?

If you're upgrading from 380.x to 384.x without a full (M&M Config) reset, then you are unquestionably not doing it correctly.

Again, tried with full reset before, tried again this morning. Unfortunately, not working.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I wonder whether @Jack Yaz or @Zastoff can confirm that it's still broken for them?

 

[Jack Yaz]

I wonder whether @Jack Yaz or @Zastoff can confirm that it's still broken for them?

If my 87U hadn't have kicked the 5ghz bucket altogether I'd love to! It was an issue though until it died, which made for great fun when developing YazFi

 

[toast]

I wonder whether @Jack Yaz or @Zastoff can confirm that it's still broken for them?

I have 87u and enabled Guest on 5ghz a few days ago after a full reset. (never had it enabled before and used the same ssid as for 2.4). The client (Samsung Android) lost Internet access. So I went back to only use Guest on 2.4 where i have no issue. At the same time i got a lot of client ip conflicts in the log. Maybe a sidefect of the phone jumping between 5 and 2.4 as both were enabled.

 

[Lucky-Strike]

The client (Samsung Android) lost Internet access. So I went back to only use Guest on 2.4 where i have no issue. At the same time i got a lot of client ip conflicts in the log. Maybe a sidefect of the phone jumping between 5 and 2.4 as both were enabled.

I use different SSID to avoid that kind of behavior. So it can't be it...

 

[Zastoff]

Tested it here now and 5Ghz guest seem to work here on beta2
Only used 2.4 guest before..

 

[Jack Yaz]

Tested it here now and 5Ghz guest seem to work here
Only used 2.4 guest before..

Access intranet was broken as well iirc

 

[Zastoff]

Access intranet was broken as well iirc

Will test it out a bit here and see (Going to upgrade to 384.11)

May  9 08:39:48 mbss: prefix_bss_enabled:[wl1.2_bss_enabled][1]
May  9 08:39:48 mbss: prefix_lanaccess:[wl1.2_lanaccess][off]

Got that in syslog btw

 

[Zastoff]

5Ghz guest works with Access intranet (off) for me with good speed and so on
Tried with Access intranet (on) and like @Jack Yaz wrote it completely broke my 5Ghz wireless not just the guest

 

[Lucky-Strike]

What firmware version are you using ? 384.11 then ?
I always work with intranet access off.

 

[Zastoff]

What firmware version are you using ? 384.11 then ?
I always work with intranet access off.

When i tried first it was on 384.11_beta2 and now i`am on 384.11 final
Worked good here,But after some reboots i had some problems to access web ui(restart httpd did not help) dont know if 5Ghz guest was related but removed 5Ghz guest again(dont need/want it), But as i wrote before it seemed to work with intranet access off here

The 87u`s 5Ghz is sensitive..
are you using fixed channel (try 36-48)
Multi-User MIMO: off
Universal Beamforming: off

 

[ColinTaylor]

Tried with Access intranet (on) and like @Jack Yaz wrote it completely broke my 5Ghz wireless not just the guest

Just curious - Can you define "broke"? Were the 5GHz SSIDs not broadcasting at all? If they were could you connect to them? Any messages in the syslog?