Asus AC68W and Merlin 384.12 Beta 2 not supported now?

[strawdragon]

Hello!

I have been using Merlin on my RT-AC68W now for years. I am currently running the stable release of 384.11.2 without issue. Now when trying to upload the trx file directly to my router, I am getting an error about incorrect firmware.

Has this model been discontinued??

 

[martinr]

From https://github.com/RMerl/asuswrt-merlin/wiki/Supported-Devices

“NOTE: all the "R" versions (for example RT-N66R) are the same as their "U" counterparts, they are just different packages aimed at large retailers. The firmware is 100% compatible with both U and R versions of the routers. Same with the "W" variants that are simply white.”


So as long as you downloaded the firmware for the RT-AC68U, it should work
And welcome to the forum.

Are you uploading over wifi? Prrhaps try an ethernet cable. Did the hash match?

 

[cmkelley]

Hello!

I have been using Merlin on my RT-AC68W now for years. I am currently running the stable release of 384.11.2 without issue. Now when trying to upload the trx file directly to my router, I am getting an error about incorrect firmware.

Has this model been discontinued??

Make sure you are uploading AC68 firmware and not AC86. Almost everyone tries that at least once.

 

[strawdragon]

Thanks! This is not my first rodeo with updating my router. I have done it dozens of time already with Merlin code.

I am positive it was 68U code as I've tried it twice now and downloading from different ISP connections to rule out corrupt data.

 

[martinr]

Sorry: I didn’t mean “Did the hash match?”. I should have said did you check the hash. (If the hash didn’t match you would have dine something about it!)

 

[strawdragon]

Comparing the SHA-256 matches what is listed for BETA and what was downloaded.

 

[RMerlin]

Reboot the router without any USB disk plugged in, then try again. If this is a genuine RT-AC68W, then there is no reason for the firmware to be rejected.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I am currently running the stable release of 384.11.2 without issue.

Your screenshot shows 384.10_2. Maybe try loading 384.11_2 first.

 

[strawdragon]

Reboot the router without any USB disk plugged in, then try again. If this is a genuine RT-AC68W, then there is no reason for the firmware to be rejected.

Thanks! Oddly enough the reboot did resolve the problem before applying the firmware.. Strange but it worked

 

[gattaca]

Thanks! Oddly enough the reboot did resolve the problem before applying the firmware.. Strange but it worked

As a general rule, I've learned over the years to reboot my ASUS routers (which may have been up for many weeks) BEFORE applying any firmware updates. I bascially reboot the router, wait 20-30 mins and only then apply the firmware updates. That solves many issues. I think this is also part of LD&D setup steps. Later.

 

[strawdragon]

As a general rule, I've learned over the years to reboot my ASUS routers (which may have been up for many weeks) BEFORE applying any firmware updates. I bascially reboot the router, wait 20-30 mins and only then apply the firmware updates. That solves many issues. I think this is also part of LD&D setup steps. Later.

Never had to before, Again I have been loading Merlin FW for years.
Also its a Linux box, I never have to restart any of my hundreds of boxes I manage before applying an update

 

[RMerlin]

Thanks! Oddly enough the reboot did resolve the problem before applying the firmware.. Strange but it worked

That's because if the router is running too low on free RAM, it won't be able to accept the 40 MB firmware image for flashing. Rebooting without any plugged USB disk takes care of that.

Also its a Linux box, I never have to restart any of my hundreds of boxes I manage before applying an update

Those servers have more than 256 MB of RAM tho...

 

[martinr]

.. I bascially reboot the router, wait 20-30 mins and only then apply the firmware updates. That solves many issues. I think this is also part of LD&D setup steps. Later.

It is, and L&LD allows 5 mins

• Remove all USB devices from the router.
• Reboot via the gui and let it settle for 5 minutes after it comes up again.

 

[martinr]

Never had to before, Again I have been loading Merlin FW for years.
Also its a Linux box, I never have to restart any of my hundreds of boxes I manage before applying an update

Have a look at The Guide that gattaca refers to.

 

[cmkelley]

Also its a Linux box, I never have to restart any of my hundreds of boxes I manage before applying an update

Those servers have more than 256 MB of RAM tho...

And they also write a substantial portion of the update directly to disk, they never have to store the entire update in RAM like the router does.