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Brand new AC88u 2.4Ghz not working

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I recently bought an AC88u router as an upgrade. It worked great out of the box (though I must say that the boot times are atrocious). On the second day, I saw that the 2.4 Ghz band LED was off and on scanning wifi networks on multiple devices, the 2.4Ghz band was no where to be seen. In addition, trying to access the WebGUI would lead to a broken webpage, even after reboot.

I reset the router, and though the WebGUI was back, the 2.4Ghz band was still not working. I have tried upgrading the firmware and flashing the original firmware back but nothing has worked.

The box says the router is revision A5 and manufactured in 2017.

I have never had the displeasure of owning such a flaky piece of hardware before. Is the issue related to heat (as the router did get quite warm to the touch) or is it shoddy software?
 
Hardware failures exist, regardless of it's it's a 20$ or a 20,000$ product.

If after a factory default reset it still doesn't work, then you will have to RMA it.
 
Exact same issue here but with both 2.4 and 5Ghz.
Router ordered June 6th, delivered June 13th, worked June 14th till middle of the afternoon. Ever since, no wifi, only wired connections are working.
Hardware failure or QA issue at the factory.

How responsive is the ASUS support to such problem? Any experience to share?
 
Hardware failures exist, regardless of it's it's a 20$ or a 20,000$ product.

If after a factory default reset it still doesn't work, then you will have to RMA it.

If it's dead out of the box - contact the seller and arrange for a return/exchange. Most will accept exchange/returns for a reasonable amount of time.
 
Hardware failures exist, regardless of it's it's a 20$ or a 20,000$ product.

If after a factory default reset it still doesn't work, then you will have to RMA it.

Well, I did an RMA and got a replacement.

Day1: Everything was working great. Decided not to upgrade FW as I didn't want to jinx anything.

Day2: Notice that 2.4ghz clients would have frequent internet drop-outs. 5Ghz working perfectly. Delete the 2.4Ghz profile on iPad and try connecting again - incorrect password error. Update firmware to 3941, reset the router - the same error remains:

I can see the 2.4ghz network, but cannot connect.
 
Look for interference sources, as the 2.4 GHz band is very overcrowded. Microwave ovens for instance emit EM within that same frequency range. A few weeks ago, I saw my tablet disconnect from a friend's wifi as he started using his microwave oven :)
 
Look for interference sources, as the 2.4 GHz band is very overcrowded. Microwave ovens for instance emit EM within that same frequency range. A few weeks ago, I saw my tablet disconnect from a friend's wifi as he started using his microwave oven :)

Haven't used a microwave during this time. It can't be interference. My old dual band router works perfectly on both bands. This one was fine out of the box, but a day later, the 2.4ghz band craps out. If it was interference, the issue would've cropped out right out of the box, no?
 
If it was interference, the issue would've cropped out right out of the box, no?

Not if it's something that isn't running 24/7, like a Bluetooth device. Doesn't mean it's definitely the cause, however it's the first thing I would consider before considering the possibility that both routers died so quickly.
 
I have the same issue with my RT-AC3100. Spent the last night and the whole day today trying to fix the issue.
I'm using the latest Merlin FW, it seems that the 2.4ghz is disabled for some reason but when I check the radio its "on".
I hope there's someone out there has a fix for this.
 
Not if it's something that isn't running 24/7, like a Bluetooth device. Doesn't mean it's definitely the cause, however it's the first thing I would consider before considering the possibility that both routers died so quickly.

I wouldn't worry too much about bluetooth- heck, I've got an old Anycom BT 2.0+EDR Class 1 dongle - it's hot at 20 dBm - in any event, Bluetooth is not a significant interferer with WiFi - it's narrow band, and jumps across the enter band very quickly...

I suspect he has a bum unit, if the regular reset issues don't work - take it back to the store, or contact Asus for an RMA...
 
I've had my AC3100 for a couple month already and it's working fantastically and all of a sudden the 5Ghz stopped working so I checked on it and there was a Firmware update.
I did the Firmware upgrade and then the 2.4ghz stopped working, I tried to install the latest Merlin firmware but still, the 2.4ghz is still not working all I see is that the 2.4ghz is disabled but when I checked the radio it's on.

upload_2017-7-24_21-50-41.png


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upload_2017-7-24_21-51-41.png
 
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I have a brand new ac88u with the same problem as the OP. Symptoms match the screenshots that Prince posted.

It ran for about a day then the 2.4Ghz band went away. Trying to access the WebGUI would lead to a broken webpage, even after reboot. Tried restoring original fw, wiping nvram, switching settings around, loading older versions of the fw, etc, but nothing restored the 2.4Ghz.

I found a few other threads reporting similar issues. Could anything in recent patches to the official fw or any changes to Merlin fw be causing this?

I am in a downtown, high-density, wifi area - but I've never had trouble before (and my old router still works fine). I also wonder if it could have anything to do with the "smart connect" feature. I don't use it, just curious if it could be related.

---

BTW thank you, RMerlin, for writing/maintaining this project. I wouldn't even consider buying Asus hw if it wasn't for this project and Shibby's tomato fw.
 
I've had my AC3100 for a couple month already and it's working fantastically and all of a sudden the 5Ghz stopped working so I checked on it and there was a Firmware update.
I did the Firmware upgrade and then the 2.4ghz stopped working, I tried to install the latest Merlin firmware but still, the 2.4ghz is still not working all I see is that the 2.4ghz is disabled but when I checked the radio it's on.

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I am having the EXACT same issue! Mine is brand new out of the box . I am using the same firmware (Merlin) I tried downgrading to the manufacturers and same result. I did a factory reset too and no luck yet. I am about to send it back! I have spent several hours on this to no avail. I should add I am a senior network admin and have set up many firewalls and networks both large scale enterprise and small business.
 

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Just out of curiosity, how do you find out which chipset you have? My 88U is hardware version A2. Tempting fate here, but it's been rock solid since day one. Running Merlin of course [emoji3]
 
Just out of curiosity, how do you find out which chipset you have? My 88U is hardware version A2. Tempting fate here, but it's been rock solid since day one. Running Merlin of course [emoji3]

A2's have the BCM4366 which are Non working MU-MIMO chips. Nothing wrong with the router just no MU-MIMO. False advertisement on the box and website. Broadcom's fault not Asus.
 
Thanks. I don't use MU-MIMO and don't intend to anyway. But thanks again for the info.
 
Hello everyone!

I got the AC88u just a few days ago - everything worked fine for a while. Merlin/openvpn running smoothly then all of sudden 2,4Ghz radio died. I´ve tried all the normal things like, OEM-firmware, reset etc but to no avail.. HW-version A5, maybe something fishy in this chipset? Do you all have the same HW as me?
 
Hello everyone!

I got the AC88u just a few days ago - everything worked fine for a while. Merlin/openvpn running smoothly then all of sudden 2,4Ghz radio died. I´ve tried all the normal things like, OEM-firmware, reset etc but to no avail.. HW-version A5, maybe something fishy in this chipset? Do you all have the same HW as me?

A5 is the latest I have seen reported. Thanks. You may have a bad router. If you just bought it RMA it ASAP.
 

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