ASUS AX68U 5GHz Band Dropping / Disappearing

[DannyZR]

Anyone have an idea if the fixes will be mainlined into the stock firmware from Asus? I think I've been running into this issue for months now and I finally had the right combination of keywords on Google + SEO to have this thread show up. I had some mixed results installing Merlin in the past (likely defect hardware though) and want to minimize the chances of running into issues again, especially if I will have to recreate my current configuration from scratch. I switched to the highest frequency band with 20/40/80MHz kind of in the vain hope that this reduces the chances of reproducing the issue but I don't see why that would be the case.

I dirty flashed my AX68Us to merlin from stock Asus firmware and didn't have to change a thing. It kept my configuration exactly the way I had it.

 

[AlFreid]

Not sure if this will help anyone else, but I accidentally stumbled into keeping 5Ghz running on my RT-AX68U AIMesh node - I used to have the main router on weekly reboot schedule and finally realized that 5 GHz would stop working on the AIMesh router after each reboot. Disabled automatic reboot and have had a stable 5Ghz signal for more than 2 weeks now - a record! As AIMesh is 100% Asus, can't expect Merlin to address this until Asus does.

 

[bignoid]

I guess this thread died when everyone updated to Merlin 386.7? Haha. I too updated, and have had no issues for over 20 days.

 

[bignoid]

after updating to 386.7, i couldn't see the 5ghz ssid on my asus pce-ax58bt until i found this thread.

changed it from auto to 161 and disabled 160ghz. (well, it smells like a channel availability check )

Like mentioned above, this thread is for a different router than you have, but I had tons of trouble with the asus pce-ax58bt, so your issue may not be router related. Ended up replacing it. PM me for more info if you like.

 

[L&LD]

PMs are not helpful to anyone else searching for this info. Please share here what your solution is.

 

[bignoid]

PMs are not helpful to anyone else searching for this info. Please share here what your solution is.

Didn't want to derail the original topic of the thread, and his issue seemed a little different, but immediately seemed familiar, since I was dealing with a similar issue.

I replaced it with a TP Link Archer TXE75E, which is based on the AX210 chipset from Intel. From what I could find, the issue I was having only affected the AX200 chipset. Basically, my pce-ax58bt would randomly disappear from my system upon startup. Windows 10. I could see it in the device manager if I showed hidden devices, but the only way to get it back was to restart my computer a few times. This was almost daily, again only when turning my computer on from being completely shut down.

Have had the TP Link Archer TXE75E for over two weeks and have not had the issue.

​

 

[AsusUser181]

Has anyone upgraded to 386.7_2 yet? Everything has been working so great for me since upgrading to 386.7 that I'm hesitant to.

 

[DannyZR]

I guess this thread died when everyone updated to Merlin 386.7? Haha. I too updated, and have had no issues for over 20 days.

Ever since upgrading to Merlin 386.7 I haven't had any issues in regards to my AX68Us dropping the 5GHz band. In terms of stability, the network has been performing as expected.

However I have noticed that overall throughput on all my APs has a gone down a tad bit. Before when I was close to the router I could see around 850-900+mpbs download. Now the best I can get is around 600-700mpbs. While its not too problematic because its more than I need for my wireless devices, that's still a bit concerning, and I'm hoping its fixed/improved in a future update.

This is something many AX86U owners have noticed, as I'm using an AX86U for my main router, and I can confirm the experience has been the same with my AX68Us as well.

Router Performance of RT-AX86U - 386.7 vs latest stock

tldr; Is anyone able to see router speedtests on the AX86U (386.7) >1gbps? And if so, any tips/suggestions? Hey everyone, I know I’ve seen some posts with questions about speed tests/router performance. But haven’t seen one that seems to get at the behavior I am seeing. I have a 1.4 gbps...

www.snbforums.com

Release - ASUS RT-AX86U Firmware version 3.0.0.4.386_49599 (2022/07/12)

OK, the above went to this after Apply: I'd say they don't have the UI working properly. Edit: Router clears 36/160, but allows 36/80. Client connects at 36/80. Same as before, so far... no magically bump up to 36/160 when the client connects. OE 36/160 will never work. 40/160 will...

www.snbforums.com

 

[L&LD]

Have you tried 386.7_2 release firmware instead?

 

[DannyZR]

Have you tried 386.7_2 release firmware instead?

Not yet, I've been hearing mixed things about that update so am a bit hesitant on upgrading to it. But I think I will eventually take the plunge but have to wait for a time when I don't have anyone doing anything crucial on the network. Have some people who WFH.

 

[L&LD]

Mixed? You're listening to the wrong people.

 

[Bazingaa]

Not yet, I've been hearing mixed things about that update so am a bit hesitant on upgrading to it. But I think I will eventually take the plunge but have to wait for a time when I don't have anyone doing anything crucial on the network. Have some people who WFH.

Please just wait. I made an account just to let you know: 386.7_0 is absolutely rock solid on the RT-AX68U. 386.7_2 is not. It seems like I run into DNS issues or something. Wifi on my S21 Plus will indicate that the connection is not working. (Wifi logo + "!") However, its just working sometimes, so not completely dead. Maybe the connection check DNS that is acting up sometimes, indicating that the connection to the internet is not working, while it just is working. Not reliably, but still able to load websites for instance.

My laptop will load websites after 2 tries for some reason: I load a website, I get "website not found" almost immediately, then I reload another time and the website will load as normal. On my work laptop Microsoft Teams statuses are even worse then they already where, they will just go to white / nothing out of nowhere. Could be after 5 minutes after restarting Teams, but also after 1 hour.

I can go on and on after past weekend. (installed 386.7_2 on Saturday morning)
This morning I decided to just downgrade after Teams also started being messy, which I need for my job.

So now I'm back on 386.7_0 which is again running smoothly for 2 hours now.

@L&LD To who should we listen regarding these issues? Do you have a RT-AX68U as well?

 

[L&LD]

Welcome to the forums @Bazingaa.

I don't have an RT-AX68U, but many of my customers do. There are no issues reported with 386.7_2 that I have had to respond to (over 35 upgrades from 386.5_2, 386.7, and a few from the beta/alphas). Most of these are 'dirty' upgrades too.

If your network is not stable after flashing 386.7_2, then I would suggest a full reset to factory defaults (using as many methods as possible), with not reusing any amtm USB drives and testing at least with a minimal and manual configuration to secure the router and connect to your ISP. Do not take anything for granted, if in doubt, don't enable/disable that option/feature. Furthermore, note that toggling features and options on/off is different from leaving them as-is after a full reset. This may be one reason your router/network isn't stable anymore past the firmware you're using.

HTH.

 

[Bazingaa]

Welcome to the forums @Bazingaa.

I don't have an RT-AX68U, but many of my customers do. There are no issues reported with 386.7_2 that I have had to respond to (over 35 upgrades from 386.5_2, 386.7, and a few from the beta/alphas). Most of these are 'dirty' upgrades too.

If your network is not stable after flashing 386.7_2, then I would suggest a full reset to factory defaults (using as many methods as possible), with not reusing any amtm USB drives and testing at least with a minimal and manual configuration to secure the router and connect to your ISP. Do not take anything for granted, if in doubt, don't enable/disable that option/feature. Furthermore, note that toggling features and options on/off is different from leaving them as-is after a full reset. This may be one reason your router/network isn't stable anymore past the firmware you're using.

HTH.

Thanks for your response.

I just downgraded without doing anything and everything worked again.
Of course I could go through the whole mess to find the issue, but I really need internet at home and this is my only router. So I can only do that kind of stuff during the weekends.
I will have a look into the various resets when I'm ready to do one, thanks!

 

[holzmann]

I came here to check whether the new Merlin FW 386.7_2 is breaking the "fix" or not. I think I will stick with 386.7. I also notice that speeds, especially on my 5Ghz wireless devices, are not as fast as they originally were.

 

[MotR]

Welcome to the forums @Bazingaa.

I don't have an RT-AX68U, but many of my customers do. There are no issues reported with 386.7_2 that I have had to respond to (over 35 upgrades from 386.5_2, 386.7, and a few from the beta/alphas). Most of these are 'dirty' upgrades too.

If your network is not stable after flashing 386.7_2, then I would suggest a full reset to factory defaults (using as many methods as possible), with not reusing any amtm USB drives and testing at least with a minimal and manual configuration to secure the router and connect to your ISP. Do not take anything for granted, if in doubt, don't enable/disable that option/feature. Furthermore, note that toggling features and options on/off is different from leaving them as-is after a full reset. This may be one reason your router/network isn't stable anymore past the firmware you're using.

HTH.

Did any of those 35 customers with the AX68 have the issue with 5 ghz before 386.7? How do these customers use the AX68, as router, AP or AImesh node? Do these customers all use the same setup, and if so would you mind sharing this setup? Thank you .

 

[L&LD]

No issues on 5GHz that were not resolved by changing the Control Channel. Most routers used in Router mode. A few in AiMesh mode with other RT-AX68U as main router. Even less in Media Bridge mode. None in AP mode.

The same basic setup, yes.

Multiple resets (when router was first set up out of the box, and RMerlin firmware installed), then followed the steps in the links below.

Merlin on ASUS ax86U Question

I have an ASUS AX86U and contemplating the installation of Merlin firmware. The DDNS settings on the AX86U are limited to select dns providers. If I install Merlin, will I have more flexability (choices) with the DDNS Settings? Thanks in advance!

www.snbforums.com

 

[Tech9]

Did any of those 35 customers

You're wasting your time.

 

[MotR]

You're wasting your time.

Why?

 

[hancox]

386.7_2 has held stable on my previously-impacted AX-68U, @MotR . I would give it a shot.