Release ASUS ZenWiFi XT8 Firmware version 3.0.0.4.388_24753 (2025/08/04)

[fruitcornbread]

Version 3.0.0.4.388_24753
V1 - 49.66 MB
V2 - 50.27 MB
2025/08/04

Important: After installing this firmware, we strongly recommend performing a factory-default reset to activate every new security adjustment.

Security Enhancements
- Password Policy Upgrade – Minimum 10 characters with at least 1 letter, 1 digit and 1 special symbol, and no consecutive identical characters; hardens defence against brute-force attacks.
- HTTPS on 8443 – Management interface now served over TLS by default.
- UPnP Disabled – Universal Plug and Play starts in the off state for reduced surface exposure.
- AiCloud Authentication Hardening (CWE-287) – Added layered verification.
- Authentication Logic Refactor – Removed redundant code paths for a lean sign-in flow.
- Memory Safety Guard (CWE-476) – Introduced null-reference protections across critical services.
- Enhanced IPsec Parameter Validation – The existing input checks have been hardened.
- Data Exposure Mitigation (CWE-200) – Reinforced controls on sensitive pathways.
- Detailed Audit Trails – Expanded logging within the authentication module.

System Improvements
- Connection Stability – Core algorithms refined for steadier links.
- Scheduling Accuracy – Timed tasks execute reliably under PPPoE, PPTP and L2TP WAN modes.
- Client List Maintenance – Resolved an issue that prevented offline devices from being removed from the client list.

XT8 V1 ZIP SHA-256 : CD0BE671974A134DC7EE32DBBF20C51826B43ED615385AC34EB758639BFFF2DD
XT8 V1 FW SHA-256 : 58cb419c174d85da8833bba4510aebad6f571bd3ab12f012636899627649af93
Download XT8 V1: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/..._300438824753.zip?model=ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8)

XT8 V2 ZIP SHA-256 : ED1226560D142B4F39506CC2E259711A022E0823A88D82BADA5109B271576711
XT8 V2 FW SHA-256 : 837a00a173289cb9ad4692d125e10cce64483ceae1e91b6f0a527d493e18b42f
Download XT8 V2: https://dlcnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/w..._300438824753.zip?model=ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8)

ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8)｜Whole Home Mesh WiFi System｜ASUS Global

Mesh wifi 6 system for whole home signal coverage, network security, parental controls, easy setup and manage. PS5 compatible, supports QoS and app control.

www.asus.com

 

[crawfish]

Important: After installing this firmware, we strongly recommend performing a factory-default reset to activate every new security adjustment.

I've never ever done that after updating firmware. I have like 20+ DHCP assignments I make, and I assume they would be lost. Is it permissible to load a saved configuration file to restore them, or would that defeat the purpose of the factory reset?

 

[Jim_OS]

Is it permissible to load a saved configuration file to restore them

I don't think anyone here can answer that with certainty, and probably no one will be able to understand exactly which changes might be undone by restoring a configuration backup. I personally would be very reluctant to perform a factory reset on all my XT8 Mesh devices, but given the various security changes, it seems necessary in this case. Otherwise, Asus probably wouldn't have pointed this out so explicitly.

Since I don't use my Asus XT8 as a router but only as an access point in the LAN, I don't really see any urgency in doing the update.

 

[jmpr]

I've never ever done that after updating firmware. I have like 20+ DHCP assignments I make, and I assume they would be lost. Is it permissible to load a saved configuration file to restore them, or would that defeat the purpose of the factory reset?

I have never ever reset my router (any of them in 25 years), after an update, and I'm not going to do it (too much time setting all again).

And... suppose yo have "auto update" set. If I do not read Asus support page, I would no know there is an update nor the advice to reset.

 

[bluhat99]

I upgraded and it slowed my internet connection down to 1Mbps, I generally have 300+Mbps. I called Asus and they escalated the ticket, so I'm just waiting now. I tried downgrading to the previous firmware and it did NOT fix the issue so who the heck knows. Maybe a factory reset would help but I'm not in a hurry to do that right now as I'm headed out of town for two weeks. I've definitely disabled auto-updates after this though.

 

[dmdietz]

I upgraded and it slowed my internet connection down to 1Mbps, I generally have 300+Mbps. I called Asus and they escalated the ticket, so I'm just waiting now. I tried downgrading to the previous firmware and it did NOT fix the issue so who the heck knows. Maybe a factory reset would help but I'm not in a hurry to do that right now as I'm headed out of town for two weeks. I've definitely disabled auto-updates after this though.

That's brutal. I was wondering if anyone had installed it yet to check if this release is stable or not. I have three XT8s in a wireless backhaul mesh: two V1s and one V2. I'm having very good luck on 24710, so I'm hesitant to upgrade, especially considering ASUS recommends a full factory reset to activate all the new security features.

 

[jmpr]

That's brutal. I was wondering if anyone had installed it yet to check if this release is stable or not. I have three XT8s in a wireless backhaul mesh: two V1s and one V2. I'm having very good luck on 24710, so I'm hesitant to upgrade, especially considering ASUS recommends a full factory reset to activate all the new security features.

Installed some minutes ago. My 300 ftth (DIGI Spain) is performing as usual:

 

[dmdietz]

Installed some minutes ago. My 300 ftth (DIGI Spain) is performing as usual:

View attachment 67210

Did you did the factory reset on the settings?

 

[Jim_OS]

I have never ever reset my router (any of them in 25 years), after an update,

I haven't either, yet/never, but that doesn't automatically mean it might not be necessary with this update. I also don't know which of the changes in the update - especially regarding security - will have what effect, and what exactly will be changed, where, and how. But I suspect that restoring a backup (configuration file) - which is what crawfish wanted to know - could undo some of the changes.

As I said, I have absolutely no desire to have to completely reconfigure my three XT8s, but whether or not to do a reset is something everyone has to decide for themselves.

Only Asus itself will probably be able to answer why a reset is necessary, or should be, with this update.

 

[jmpr]

Did you did the factory reset on the settings?

"I have never ever reset my router (any of them in 25 years), after an update, and I'm not going to do it (too much time setting all again). And... suppose yo have "auto update" set. If I do not read Asus support page, I would no know there is an update nor the advice to reset."

No, and it is ok, no problems at all.

 

[jmpr]

I haven't either, yet/never, but that doesn't automatically mean it might not be necessary with this update. I also don't know which of the changes in the update - especially regarding security - will have what effect, and what exactly will be changed, where, and how. But I suspect that restoring a backup (configuration file) - which is what crawfish wanted to know - could undo some of the changes.

As I said, I have absolutely no desire to have to completely reconfigure my three XT8s, but whether or not to do a reset is something everyone has to decide for themselves.

Only Asus itself will probably be able to answer why a reset is necessary, or should be, with this update.

This is not the first update in which Asus says "reset after updating". Never done.

 

[Superunlikely]

If I had to guess, this might be about the uPnP line in the release notes. It now defaults to off going forward. And maybe the password rules too.

But I have no inside information and it could be for any number of reasons.

 

[crawfish]

Well, I bit the bullet yesterday and factory reset after applying the new firmware. I've been keeping my DHCP assignments in Excel, and it took me maybe 15 mintues to enter them into the router and also give them friendly names in Network Map -> View List. Tedious, but certainly doable. And the factory reset appears to have had a beneficial side effect.

Years ago, I abandoned my XT8 for 2.4 GHz and used a Netgear R6700V3 in bridge mode due to IoT devices like my Amazon smart thermostat losing connection several times per day and other devices spamming the system log with Auth/Deauth_ind/Assoc events, as I noted in this message:

Release - ASUS ZenWIFI XT8 Firmware version 3.0.0.4.388_24621

Been running this version since it was released with no problem except the one I've always had with my XT8. I run it as a single router, and devices like Google Nest Hub and Mini, Lenovo smart clocks, and Amazon Smart Thermostat lose connection and reconnect several times a day. The log messages...

www.snbforums.com

I'd re-evaluated several firmware releases for this problem since then, and none fixed it, including the recent one that purported to clear up some unspecified IoT issues.

Well, after 24 hours on this new 24753 firmware, after turning the Netgear off and factory resetting the XT8 so that it's supplying the 2.4 GHz, I've had none of these IoT issues. I'm not ready to conclude it's fixed, but I would have seen the issues within the first few hours with prior firmwares.

 

[jmpr]

Well, I bit the bullet yesterday and factory reset after applying the new firmware. I've been keeping my DHCP assignments in Excel, and it took me maybe 15 mintues to enter them into the router and also give them friendly names in Network Map -> View List. Tedious, but certainly doable. And the factory reset appears to have had a beneficial side effect.

Years ago, I abandoned my XT8 for 2.4 GHz and used a Netgear R6700V3 in bridge mode due to IoT devices like my Amazon smart thermostat losing connection several times per day and other devices spamming the system log with Auth/Deauth_ind/Assoc events, as I noted in this message:

Release - ASUS ZenWIFI XT8 Firmware version 3.0.0.4.388_24621

Been running this version since it was released with no problem except the one I've always had with my XT8. I run it as a single router, and devices like Google Nest Hub and Mini, Lenovo smart clocks, and Amazon Smart Thermostat lose connection and reconnect several times a day. The log messages...

www.snbforums.com

I'd re-evaluated several firmware releases for this problem since then, and none fixed it, including the recent one that purported to clear up some unspecified IoT issues.

Well, after 24 hours on this new 24753 firmware, after turning the Netgear off and factory resetting the XT8 so that it's supplying the 2.4 GHz, I've had none of these IoT issues. I'm not ready to conclude it's fixed, but I would have seen the issues within the first few hours with prior firmwares.

Some years ago, I had issues like that with some iot or old devices in 2'4. Turning off ampdu, agile multiband... (non vital very new settings), all problems gone.

 

[crawfish]

Some years ago, I had issues like that with some iot or old devices in 2'4. Turning off ampdu, agile multiband... (non vital very new settings), all problems gone.

As I mentioned in the post I linked, "I've found several threads on this but never a solution, and I've tried many things to fix it over the couple of years I've had these smart devices." Nothing helped. In the four years I've had the router, I believe I applied every firmware update, but this was the first time I factory reset it. I really, really didn't want to have to reenter all my DHCP assignments. lol

 

[crawfish]

Well, after 24 hours on this new 24753 firmware, after turning the Netgear off and factory resetting the XT8 so that it's supplying the 2.4 GHz, I've had none of these IoT issues. I'm not ready to conclude it's fixed, but I would have seen the issues within the first few hours with prior firmwares.

Three days now, I'm calling it - fixed! I can't say for sure that the factory reset is what did it, as I only tested this firmware after immediately factory resetting, but the prior firmware that was supposed to address IoT stability didn't help, and this one wasn't advertised to improve IoT, so the safe bet is that it was the factory reset. In all other respects, this new 24573 firmware is running great on my single node XT8. Two thumbs up!

 

[jzchen]

Separate IoT network has been an issue with my IoTs, although very likely few in comparison in my household, and different model routers from this thread. Slapped them onto my main network and never looked back...

 

[Hozz]

Does anyone know if, under the administration tab, you save your settings and then carry out a factory reset and once this is complete you upload your settings again, does this negate the factory reset?

 

[John Fitzgerald]

Does anyone know if, under the administration tab, you save your settings and then carry out a factory reset and once this is complete you upload your settings again, does this negate the factory reset?

Yes.

 

[crawfish]

Separate IoT network has been an issue with my IoTs, although very likely few in comparison in my household, and different model routers from this thread. Slapped them onto my main network and never looked back...

I've never had a separate network for IoT. Everything I've been talking about was with them on my only network.