Asus RT-N56U Reviewed

[Obs]

I've been searching for a while, but is there a flashing guide anywhere for Padavan's firmware, or it it a pretty straightforward "use the gui to upload the firmware, and reboot" kind of thing?

 

[adainair]

Hi to all
I am new on this forum and i need help.
I am thinks to buy adsl modem/router wireless N with usb ports, but after reading review i cant find anything good (bug free)
After reading many great reviews about N56 U i am thinks this is perfect for me,
but now i am confused
Can you recommend me this router N56 U ( or something other ) to buy for normal use in house with streaming
HD video over me house?
Thanks and sorry for bad English

EDIT:
For now i am buy
TP-Link TD-W300KIT Good price and good reviews, this is for now next upgrade will be something with 802.11ac.
See you next time and thanks to all

 

[Harsh132]

We have a few comments on the work of the firmware, will soon be the new corrected, sorry...

 

[benj]

Not sure if anyone else has been having problems, but both 1.0.1.8e and 1.0.1.8f caused my 5ghz bridge to drop out constantly between 2 N56Us. I tried Padavan's 1.0.1.8f-b7, which improved (didn't seem to completely fix) the 5ghz bridge problem, but came with the added bonus of random reboots on my main router. I went back to 1.0.1.8d and everything has been stable.

 

[Harsh132]

I tried Padavan's 1.0.1.8f-b7, which improved (didn't seem to completely fix) the 5ghz bridge problem, but came with the added bonus of random reboots on my main router.

That's what I wrote just above. The problem is localized and apparently resolved. Update coming soon

 

[benj]

That's what I wrote just above. The problem is localized and apparently resolved. Update coming soon

Which problem? The 5ghz bridge drop or the reboot?

 

[dotmerix]

I hadn't seen it mentioned here but Asus is coming out with a new firmware soon for the N56U including the Asus-WRT UI found on the N66U model.

They have already added the emulator to their website.

OLD: http://service.asus.com/demoui/RT-N56U(OLD)/192.168.1.1/index.html

NEW: http://service.asus.com/demoui/RT-N56U/RT-N56U_Demo_UI(ASUS_WRT)_v3.0.0.4.108/EN/index.html

Looks like IPV6 will be included in the new firmware based on the emulator. I like the appearance of the new UI a lot more than the old.

 

[Harsh132]

New firmware

RT-N56U_1.1.1.8f-b8
Changes log from firmware 1.1.1.8f-b7:
-------------------------------------------------
- Update Linux kernel to wive-rtnl trunc 3.0.5:
1) Fixed random oops and panic reboots on receive oversized (>1514) Ethernet frames.
2) HW_NAT fixes for WiFi offload.
- Fixed out of range bug in WiFi driver rt2860v2_ap (5GHz), disabled unused support 16 beacons with
ShareMem context switch (less CPU overhead).
- Fixed WebGUI page WDS 2.4GHz corruption in Firefox.
- Fixed WebGUI pages reload after change settings.
- Disabled force add gateway IP to resolv.conf for AP mode.
- Changed WiFi enable/disable control logic - use complete up/down net interfaces for enable/disable
radio instead of brute on/off transceiver toggle. The same logic used for WiFi scheduler and remapped
WPS button.
- Kernel param rp_filter (reverse-path filter) moved to custom start script and not more overwrited from rc.
- Updated dnsmasq to v2.62.

After flashing make a reset!!!

 

[Guz]

RT-N56U_1.1.1.8f-b8 --> Error 404: The requested URL /files/RT-N56U_1.1.1.8f-b8.zip was not found on this server.

 

[Harsh132]

RT-N56U_1.1.1.8f-b8 --> Error 404: The requested URL /files/RT-N56U_1.1.1.8f-b8.zip was not found on this server.

Yes, we know about it. Soon everything will be fixed.

 

[Viventis]

Recent Custom Firmware Pulled?

The download page for the custom firmware now has the May 2, 2010 release as the latest. Have the newer firmware versions like 1.1.1.8f-b8 been pulled? Should I roll back if I have the newest installed?

 

[Harsh132]

The download page for the custom firmware now has the May 2, 2010 release as the latest. Have the newer firmware versions like 1.1.1.8f-b8 been pulled? Should I roll back if I have the newest installed?

If you have it working, does not necessarily return to the previous ones.

 

[Guz]

I'm confused about the custom firmware. Did they put the minidlna back in their builds? Or do you still have to install optware, then minidlna?

Also, where do people discuss issues, configurations of the firmware?

 

[Harsh132]

I'm confused about the custom firmware. Did they put the minidlna back in their builds?

Yes, they have returned.

 

[Guz]

Aaaa.... Explains why I couldn't get it to work.

 

[Guz]

Well, I got 1.1.1.8f-b8-2 up and running. Not bad!

I hooked up a 250GB USB (NTFS) drive with about 6,500 MP3 and MP4/MKV files on it and it's serving them nicely for a change. Previously, with the ASUS firmware the minidlna would choke trying to index everything.

It's doing it's job in other areas well, as I haven't had anything not work, yet. But I haven't really stress tested it. So I like it, for now.

 

[Comp625]

Buyer Beware: "WAN was exceptionally disconnected."

Like many others (on Amazon, Asus' site, etc.), I am experiencing the "WAN was exceptionally disconnected." It is a shame because the router is awesome when it actually works.

My question is: has anyone found a fix?

Background:
The Router loses its DNS lease, causing the Router to disconnect itself from the Cable Modem. Looking at the router's log shows a line that says "WAN was exceptionally disconnected." Based on my known experiences and others' comments, the disconnect occurs when the router is experiencing heavy load (e.g. downloading large files for a period greater than 10 minutes). For me, I lose the DNS lease around the 30-35 minute marker.

The problem dates back to when the Router was first released. Thus far (June 18th, 2012), NO firmware (Asus or Custom) fixes the problem.

Two Potential Workarounds
Here are a few workarounds that I have read about, though I have NOT tried it myself.

1. Connect a junk $20 router between the Cable Modem and the Asus RT-n56u. Disable DHCP on the $20 router and set the rt-n56u into "Access Point Mode."

2. In the firmware page, dumb down the transmission rate to 10mbit. However, this option is not good enough for me since you're paralyzing the router.

Not an Isolated Problem
After paying $130 for this well-regarded, high-end prosumer router, I was expecting my situation to be isolated. I was dead wrong. There are many, many, many user threads out there talking about the same issue. Yet, Asus does not acknowledge that there is a problem.

Amazon Review 1 (Be sure to read the Comments below the Review)

Amazon Review 2 (Again, there are 5 pages of Comments below the Review. Page 5 has a vague response from an Asus tech, but at least the tech somewhat acknowledges the issue.)

Discussion on Google (Discussion is nested under the Custom Firmware maker's Google page)

Asus' Support Community Forum 1

Asus' Support Community Forum 2 (HUGE thread about intermittent disconnects that was started by an Asus Moderator - note that the thread was closed)

Asus Support Community Forum 3

Asus Support Community Forum 4

Asus Support Community Forum 5

 

[Harsh132]

3.0.0.3_135
New beta.

 

[Comp625]

3.0.0.3_135
New beta.

Does the new beta fix the aforementioned issues with WAN Disconnects? I saw the "New Beta Firmware" thread on the Asus VIP Support forums but it didn't say a single thing about WAN Disconnects.

Also, neither the stock Asus firmware or Padavan's custom firmware (which is a mod of the stock) will fix the WAN Disconnects.

 

[GavinAshford]

I happened to stumble across an online demo of the new UI that comes with this v3.x.x.x firmware while I was looking at which dynamic DNS providers the router supports...

The old one can be found here:
http://service.asus.com/demoui/RT-N56U(OLD)/192.168.1.1/index.html
whereas the update one here:
http://service.asus.com/demoui/RT-N56U/RT-N56U_Demo_UI(ASUS_WRT)_v3.0.0.4.108/EN/index.html

No huge changes in functionality that I can tell from a 2minute browse.