Asus AC-68U Not reliable? Flaky? Thoughts....

[faunus]

Hi!

Thanks for providing this great forum... it has been very helpful.

I have two of the 68U models configured as main and relay. They ARE the fastest and best routers I have ever used and are very easy to set up. However I have some issues in regard to the reliability of the devices.

At my work/office/farm I have up to 14 devices connected to the router. There are 7 computers (although usually only 4-5 are connected), a couple of Android phones a Roku and audio receiver and five cameras (two wired three wifi).

The problem is that I seem to have random disconnects. The wifi cameras are unusable most of the time. They just "disappear" even though there is plenty of signal. The wired cameras are completely reliable and are are not Foscam units like the 3 wifi units. These are Wireless N cameras.

Also, when logging in to the router it can sometimes take a minute or so to respond. Sometimes it disappears altogether.

I am also trying to set up the dual WAN. We have OTA internet in the sticks here in Canada. Not reliable, though good when it works. I have an Android phone with 4G (Yes, it's available and I have an unlimited plan!) and would like to plug it in to use it full time with the OTA. I could use some advice or a link to a page with instructions. Anyone?

While I am happy mostly with the routers, I am concerned about the "flakiness". Am I expecting too much from these units? Surely they should be more reliable and surely the load is not excessive?

Thanks again everyone for maintaining such a great site!

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
Regarding WiFi camera, are they on fixed IP address?(fix the address at both ends) I have 3 going 24/7 which never goes off. Even when I reboot the router, they just reconnect themselves right away. Also keep in mind,
cameras have two MAC addresses one for LAN, one for WLAN, don't mix
them up when you set them up.

 

[jlake]

What firmware are you using? Your router is probably randomly rebooting due to a bug. Search the forum to find the best firmware to use.

 

[faunus]

Hi,
Regarding WiFi camera, are they on fixed IP address?(fix the address at both ends) I have 3 going 24/7 which never goes off. Even when I reboot the router, they just reconnect themselves right away. Also keep in mind,
cameras have two MAC addresses one for LAN, one for WLAN, don't mix
them up when you set them up.

Yes they are fixed - and the correct ip addresses. Actually the Asus router software is excellent for set up.

Looking at Foscam site right now......

 

[KGB7]

There are 50 pages and over 100 threads, so start reading. PLus there are two separate subsections that you need to start reading as well. All the info is there, just need to read and read some more.
If other people can find answers, then so can you.

 

[faunus]

What firmware are you using? Your router is probably randomly rebooting due to a bug. Search the forum to find the best firmware to use.

I am using the most recent firmware from the Asus website .... 474.4561.

Although I understand there are different firmwarii.....

What about Merlins's versions??

 

[faunus]

There are 50 pages and over 100 threads, so start reading. PLus there are two separate subsections that you need to start reading as well. All the info is there, just need to read and read some more.
If other people can find answers, then so can you.

Actually, I have spent hours reading threads. They have helped me tremendously. I was simply asking a question in an attempt to narrow my search and save a little time.

Your forum does invite questions does it not? Your answer would seem to imply that it was somehow wrong of me to ask. And fortunately, I do not have a serious disability which would make it difficult for me to search or read them all, and so *would* require assistance.

Of course, you would not know that from reading my posts.....

 

[CoolDuckie]

Hi!
...
While I am happy mostly with the routers, I am concerned about the "flakiness". Am I expecting too much from these units? Surely they should be more reliable and surely the load is not excessive?

Thanks again everyone for maintaining such a great site!

The disconnects may be due to intermittent rebooting. It's amazing that ASUS haven't pulled this firmware that you are using. It's completely unreliable.

CD

 

[jim769]

Yes that firmware from Asus that you are using is unstable and has bugs causing random reboots of the router. Use the Merlin build firmware 3.0.0.4_374_40 alpha4 firmware it is stable and works well with the 68U. You can find the firmware here look in the Beta folder for the ac68u.

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/bkfq2a6aebq68//Asuswrt-Merlin#ibrl3waz2zpp6

 

[cdikland]

There are 50 pages and over 100 threads, so start reading. PLus there are two separate subsections that you need to start reading as well. All the info is there, just need to read and read some more.
If other people can find answers, then so can you.

Note to self... "Don't ever ask this dude a question"

 

[faunus]

The disconnects may be due to intermittent rebooting. It's amazing that ASUS haven't pulled this firmware that you are using. It's completely unreliable.

CD

Yes... I was wondering. I have set up the router for no blue lights, yet come back to find that they are on. I did wonder if it was rebooting. Thanks for the input. I will look at other firmware. I hope that I don't have two lemons!

 

[faunus]

Yes that firmware from Asus that you are using is unstable and has bugs causing random reboots of the router. Use the Merlin build firmware 3.0.0.4_374_40 alpha4 firmware it is stable and works well with the 68U. You can find the firmware here look in the Beta folder for the ac68u.

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/bkfq2a6aebq68//Asuswrt-Merlin#ibrl3waz2zpp6

Thank you. I'll check it out. Hopefully this will save me returning the router. This "flaky" thing is driving me crazy

 

[faunus]

Yes that firmware from Asus that you are using is unstable and has bugs causing random reboots of the router. Use the Merlin build firmware 3.0.0.4_374_40 alpha4 firmware it is stable and works well with the 68U. You can find the firmware here look in the Beta folder for the ac68u.

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/bkfq2a6aebq68//Asuswrt-Merlin#ibrl3waz2zpp6

Thank you again. I have installed the Merlin firmware. Even after a couple of hours it's noticeably more solid. Next couple of days should be interesting.

I'm going to try my Android phone (4G) to increase my bandwidth. Is their a list of phones that work?

BTW Why don't Asus just have Mr. Merlin maintain and manage their firmware? Wouldn't it be better for their business?

 

[RMerlin]

Thank you again. I have installed the Merlin firmware. Even after a couple of hours it's noticeably more solid. Next couple of days should be interesting.

I'm going to try my Android phone (4G) to increase my bandwidth. Is their a list of phones that work?

BTW Why don't Asus just have Mr. Merlin maintain and manage their firmware? Wouldn't it be better for their business?

The reason why my alpha4 build is stable is because it didn't have the recent SDK changes from Broadcom yet that introduced the issue, not because I was able to fix it. The same could be said about Asus's 374_583 release.

And as a company, Asus has completely different priorities from mine. Asus needs to ensure they get enough sales to make a profit. Me? I couldn't care less if people decided to go to Tomato or DD-WRT because I refused to implement a specific feature they wanted. I just do my own thing, taking the decisions that I personally want to take (rather than being dictated by a product manager).

Adding Time Machine probably won Asus quite a few additional sales, so it was a right decision for them to take. If it had been me, I would never have added it, because I believe such a functionality does not belong in a router, and also because I refuse to support proprietary technologies when there are open alternatives available.

Different priorities.

 

[faunus]

Well... whatever your motives, I can only thank you for solving my problem. Your stable firmware has turned a flaky, and to all intents and purposes useless product, into a reliable and dependable unit.

I find it quite ironic that a site and forum where experimentation and "non standard" options are actively pursued, offers a more dependable and reliable "operating system" for the real world, than the billion dollar international manufacturer of the product.

I shall be purchasing a third AC-68U to complete my installation, and Asus have you to thank for it. Have a great day!