Release Asus RT-AX86 Series Firmware version 3.0.0.4.388_24386 9/1/2025

[OzarkEdge]

This update felt good but the spare router is now back on the shelf.

I noticed a few things, perhaps not all new:

o the admin password must now be 10 characters min... alpha, numeric, and symbol... overkill with the Captcha enabled(?)

o UPnP defaults to OFF;

o Local Access Config defaults to BOTH;

o Auto FW Upgrade defaults to OFF.

OE

 

[iFrogMac]

This update felt good but the spare router is now back on the shelf.

I noticed a few things, perhaps not all new:

o the admin password must now be 10 characters min... alpha, numeric, and symbol... overkill with the Captcha enabled(?)

o UPnP defaults to OFF;

o Local Access Config defaults to BOTH;
View attachment 67750

o Auto FW Upgrade defaults to OFF.

OE

Good catch, I didn't even realize that auto firmware updates had defaulted to off with the update. I'm so used to turning it off when doing my settings.

 

[bbunge]

My remote AX86U upgraded itself last night and is working well after a reboot. It will have to wait for a factory reset as I do not feel like making a 100 mile trip this week or anytime in the future.

 

[iFrogMac]

My remote AX86U upgraded itself last night and is working well after a reboot. It will have to wait for a factory reset as I do not feel like making a 100 mile trip this week or anytime in the future.

I reviewed the list of changes to defaults, and the settings I make personally on a fresh setup, and most of what Asus has set for the new defaults are changes I make manually to my config, so they are the same settings, now simply being the defaults. The other changes to defaults, are settings I don't change, so I did a factory reset after upgrade for those settings, pretty much. Haven't noticed anything different after upgrading, resetting, and setting up fresh. The router was already nice and solid on the previous firmware.

 

[Squall Leonhart]

Assume all of them.

lol no.

the reset is only in order to apply their new defaults, which are hardly needed.

 

[SteverinoLA]

Are there any new settings in the GUI? I don't see any but I am using my 86U as a wired access point, not the router.,

 

[iFrogMac]

Are there any new settings in the GUI? I don't see any but I am using my 86U as a wired access point, not the router.,

Doesn't appear to be, I think it's just a refinement of security policies and bug fixes.

 

[SeriousFamily]

firmware update through GUI over the top of previous - no reset. seems to be fine for now.

 

[Unisoft]

Only person who knows is the developer, @RMerlin. And they can only do so if Asus provides the GPL's containing the updates to them.

Isn't the latest alpha2 test release incorporating the changes, though Merlin may decide not to change user settings? The GPL he has was newer and merged into alpha2.

 

[bennor]

Isn't the latest alpha2 test release incorporating the changes, though Merlin may decide not to change user settings? The GPL he has was newer and merged into alpha2.

You'd have to ask @RMerlin. In the past they have offered up some explanation on the GPL's they receive from Asus.
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/development-news-reworked-connections-log.94962/#post-958902

I get code directly from Asus, it's unrelated to what's released on their website. I have particular requirements that their developers need to meet when preparing the archives, like having the same code base for all models, which is rarely the case with their own firmware releases.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/development-news-reworked-connections-log.94962/#post-959109

It depends. If you ask them for a GPL drop for a particular model, it will be for the same version that was used for that model's released firmware - which is what the GPL licensing requires them to do. The difference in my case is they build the tarballs for all models within a branch but all on the same version, so I don't need to maintain 20 parallel branches to handle 20 devices on 20 different codebase versions. Sometimes, that version will match a released firmware. Sometimes it will be a newer snapshot, depending on the point in time where they prepare those archives. But in terms of content, yes, that is the same code that is available in regular GPL drops. Just it might be from a more recent git point.

Generally a Asus-Merlin firmware release Changelog-NG.txt and README-merlin.txt file will contain any special instructions, including when it's recommended to perform a reset, for the firmware.