Dsl-AC68u cfw merlin issues

[Ahmed]

Hello,
I have recently flashed a dsl-ac68u with merlin Firmware, and now it's acting exactly as a RT-AC68u.
Before I did that I updated it to the latest version And i couldn't detect 5ghz wifi anymore although the led is on, on the router.
Now same thing even with Merlin i can't detect 5ghz wifi.
My 2nd issue is that the router is configured as a repeater from my main fiber optic router, thing is I can't access to the Asus gateway anymore, and to connect any device to it, I need to force input the ip address, if I leave dhcp on, no device can get it on it's own.
I have changed asus ip adress to 192.168.0.1 so that it doesn't conflict with the main router that has 192.168.1.1 by default.
However I cant access the gateway now unless I reset the router, once it's configured as a repeater there is no way i can access it.
I don't think I did anything wrong! I have done it several times!
Ps: even the bandwidth is between 18 and 35mbps, never more than that, but the router works tho.
Any suggestions?

 

[L&LD]

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/dsl-ac68u-asuswrt-merlin-builds-for-dsl-routers.55985/

 

[Ahmed]

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/dsl-ac68u-asuswrt-merlin-builds-for-dsl-routers.55985/

Thank you for your answer but it doesn't solve my issue, there is no mention about the issues I'm experiencing.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Before I did that I updated it to the latest version And i couldn't detect 5ghz wifi anymore although the led is on, on the router.

Are you saying that your clients couldn't detect to Asus' 5GHz SSID? If so manually set the channel to 36 and try again.

My 2nd issue is that the router is configured as a repeater from my main fiber optic router, thing is I can't access to the Asus gateway anymore, and to connect any device to it, I need to force input the ip address, if I leave dhcp on, no device can get it on it's own.
I have changed asus ip adress to 192.168.0.1 so that it doesn't conflict with the main router that has 192.168.1.1 by default.

This is wrong. If the Asus is a repeater then it needs to be assigned an IP address in the same range as the router it is connecting to, e.g. 192.168.1.2.

 

[Ahmed]

Are you saying that your clients couldn't detect to Asus' 5GHz SSID? If so manually set the channel to 36 and try again.

This is wrong. If the Asus is a repeater then it needs to be assigned an IP address in the same range as the router it is connecting to, e.g. 192.168.1.2.

Hello,
Well i can't access the router gateway to change the channel, but I'll do it when I'll perform a reset .
So you're saying that i shouldn't change the router's ip to 192.168.0.1, cause i figured if my main router is set to .1.1 that will create a conflict of ip addresses..
So what are you suggesting I should do for after the reset concerning the ip adress thing?
Thank you

 

[ColinTaylor]

I don't know whether the DSL- models are different from the RT- models, but normally when you switch to "Repeater mode" the repeater becomes just another DHCP client of the primary router. You can of course override the repeater's DHCP setting and manually configure its IP address, but it still needs to be within the same subnet of the router it is connecting to.

 

[Ahmed]

You bet!
I just reconfigured the router again, did what you told me changed the router's ip address to 192.168.1.2 and the gateway is exactly the main router's one..
I still have to force ip addresses on my client's devices and the 5G wifi is not beong detected even after changing the channel to 36 and few more..

 

[ColinTaylor]

Is the 5GHz detected when the Asus is in router mode, or does it only disappear in repeater mode? What about 2.4GHZ, can you see that?

 

[Ahmed]

Wait something is different somehow i can access to the router now even if it's in repeater mode, via 192.168.1.7 that's a first change!
I am able to connect to 2.4 ghz on tablets Samsung 4k tvs iPad's note 9 all high end devices, but 5ghz is simply invisible..
Also the repeater is saying currently connected on a 2.4ghz, probbaly my main router is just 2.4ghz capable is this why?
Still have to force ip addresses tho but have access to the router now so I can modify stuff.
EDIT: EVEN IN ROUTER MODE THE 5GHZ CHANNEL IS NOT DETECTED.
Here are some shots

 

[ColinTaylor]

Sounds like your 5GHz radio is broken given that you had this problem with stock Asus firmware.

EDIT: What do you see for 5GHz at System Log - Wireless Log?

 

[Ahmed]

Well this is what i was suspecting, when you just unbox your router you update it first especially soldid routers, and that's what i did.. before the update i was able to see both, right after the updtar I couldn't but the led is always on..
I was able to detect it with my friend's iphone 6S plus tho! I'll recheck tonight when he comes again!
There is no way I can change the channels now or anything, and the log is saying 0 devices connected and no traffic and stuff, I can change password, ssid and everything else but I don't have lots of options after the router is in repeater mode anymore..
I suspect that my main router is BS, it's a zte 660 something, and only 2.4 ghz capable..
Maybe my ASUS is just not able to function properly because he's repeating from a weak source..

 

[L&LD]

Thank you for your answer but it doesn't solve my issue, there is no mention about the issues I'm experiencing.

The link I gave is the firmware that you should be running on your DSL-AC68U. Is that what you're running?

 

[Ahmed]

The link I gave is the firmware that you should be running on your DSL-AC68U. Is that what you're running?

No, I flashed Merlin fmw, I never intended to use it as a router..
Now It's operating exactly as a RT-AC68u.

 

[L&LD]

No, I flashed Merlin fmw, I never intended to use it as a router..
Now It's operating exactly as a RT-AC68u.

Did you do a full reset to factory defaults on it afterward? See the M&M Config link in my signature below for the steps to get to a good/known state.

 

[Ahmed]

Did you do a full reset to factory defaults on it afterward? See the M&M Config link in my signature below for the steps to get to a good/known state.

Absolutely, I did a full reset before and after flashing merlin.
I also flashed merlin using recovery mode and not just by regular fwm update via the router's interface, as recommended in the tutorial..
I flashed the latest non beta fmw which is 384.11, I always think that latest is better, or do you think I should roll back to a previous version?
Ps: what's the deal with that aimesh or whatever they call it? Am I currently using it without knowing?

 

[L&LD]

Absolutely, I did a full reset before and after flashing merlin.
I also flashed merlin using recovery mode and not just by regular fwm update via the router's interface, as recommended in the tutorial..
I flashed the latest non beta fmw which is 384.11, I always think that latest is better, or do you think I should roll back to a previous version?
Ps: what's the deal with that aimesh or whatever they call it? Am I currently using it without knowing?

If you have RMerlin firmware installed, AiMesh isn't included.

I have been using the alpha 384.11_1 for a few hours now and there is quite a lot fixed from 384.11.

I don't know if it will help with your issues (not all fixes are documented on the changelogs), but the bleeding edge is what I would try myself, in your position.

I would recommend to fully reset the router again and reflash either the same firmware 384.11 or the new alpha 384.11_1 and then reset again, making sure both times to check the box in the GUI to 'Initialize all settings...' too. After it comes up, do a quick/temporary wizard configuration and then do a proper WPS Erase reset. You'll know you've done it properly because the setup wizard should come up if you do.

At this point, leave the router as is for at least an hour. It is still setting itself up, be patient.

Now, see if manually setting the Control Channels works and make sure to disable Universal beamforming and Smart Connect (if you have those options).

Above all, do not use a saved config file. Just do the minimum required to secure the router and connect to your ISP. If/when the hardware proves itself to be good after doing the above, we can move forward with the actual configuration you need.

My guess at that point? Probably using this router as the main one and your current router as the AP instead.

 

[Ahmed]

First, do you think I can now simply flash the rMerlin 384.11_1 via normal firmware upgrade or should I do it again using recovery?
I don't know about the wps reset thing but I think I've read it before somewhere, is it like a different reset from just pushing the reset button?
About the hour thing to set up the router I don't know why it will take that long tho, do you mean after I properly configure it with as a repeater, like letting it get used to being a repeater or something?
Do you think I will have new settings with that 384.11_1 because for now , I don't have any thing but basic settings for wifi..
I am using fiber optic now I'm not sure how to set it up with Asus, but even if you show me how, I'll have to flash back to the regular dsl-ac68u, and even if I use it as my main router, the other one that I have will not have the option to be set as a repeater and would have to be wired with an ethernet cable to be used as an AP router.

 

[L&LD]

First, do you think I can now simply flash the rMerlin 384.11_1 via normal firmware upgrade or should I do it again using recovery?
I don't know about the wps reset thing but I think I've read it before somewhere, is it like a different reset from just pushing the reset button?
About the hour thing to set up the router I don't know why it will take that long tho, do you mean after I properly configure it with as a repeater, like letting it get used to being a repeater or something?
Do you think I will have new settings with that 384.11_1 because for now , I don't have any thing but basic settings for wifi..
I am using fiber optic now I'm not sure how to set it up with Asus, but even if you show me how, I'll have to flash back to the regular dsl-ac68u, and even if I use it as my main router, the other one that I have will not have the option to be set as a repeater and would have to be wired with an ethernet cable to be used as an AP router.

Yes, once you are on RMerlin firmware, you should be able to flash the latest firmware via the GUI.

To do the WPS NVRAM Erase, pull the power plug from the router and let it sit there for a couple of minutes (don't pull the AC power adaptor from the wall socket instead). Then, push and hold the WPS button while you plug in the router. It should reboot in 15 to 30 seconds and boot up to the wizard setup if done properly. Be patient after when it is booting up, it is very slow at this point.

No, do not set it up as a repeater. To test, do the steps I described in the previous post and after all are done, with very minimal configuring, let it sit there for an hour or more if you can. Then, test what hardware works or doesn't work before putting it into Repeater mode.

While the 384.11_1 may not have any extra settings, it does fix a few important issues with the released 384.11. Simply repeating a flash of the same firmware will make it 'take' as many have discovered.

I don't think you need to flash back to the regular firmware to test it? If your DSL-RT-AC68U has a WAN port (sorry, I've never seen this router before), then you should be okay to test it for a few hours.

Do you have the option to wire it and then use either of them as an AP instead of a Repeater? This is recommended if you can.

 

[Ahmed]

Yes, once you are on RMerlin firmware, you should be able to flash the latest firmware via the GUI.

To do the WPS NVRAM Erase, pull the power plug from the router and let it sit there for a couple of minutes (don't pull the AC power adaptor from the wall socket instead). Then, push and hold the WPS button while you plug in the router. It should reboot in 15 to 30 seconds and boot up to the wizard setup if done properly. Be patient after when it is booting up, it is very slow at this point.

No, do not set it up as a repeater. To test, do the steps I described in the previous post and after all are done, with very minimal configuring, let it sit there for an hour or more if you can. Then, test what hardware works or doesn't work before putting it into Repeater mode.

While the 384.11_1 may not have any extra settings, it does fix a few important issues with the released 384.11. Simply repeating a flash of the same firmware will make it 'take' as many have discovered.

I don't think you need to flash back to the regular firmware to test it? If your DSL-RT-AC68U has a WAN port (sorry, I've never seen this router before), then you should be okay to test it for a few hours.

Do you have the option to wire it and then use either of them as an AP instead of a Repeater? This is recommended if you can.

A wps nvram reset sounds good, since that thing has a great hardware I should have suspected that, I will do that for sure..
Well I can't do much when it's a wireless router And yeah it has a wan port but it's an RJ-11 port, my fiber optic has a RJ-45 cable or maybe I can use one of the 4 lan ports or something.
My router is initially a DSL-AC68u and when using rmerlin cfw it becomes an RT-AC68u , since it doesn't have repeater or ap mode and this was the whole point of using that router..
I would love if I could use it as AP and wiring it to the main router, but it'll make a huge mess, I love using reperater wirelessly!
Besides is there a notable difference between AP mode and repeater mode?

 

[L&LD]

A wps nvram reset sounds good, since that thing has a great hardware I should have suspected that, I will do that for sure..
Well I can't do much when it's a wireless router And yeah it has a wan port but it's an RJ-11 port, my fiber optic has a RJ-45 cable or maybe I can use one of the 4 lan ports or something.
My router is initially a DSL-AC68u and when using rmerlin cfw it becomes an RT-AC68u , since it doesn't have repeater or ap mode and this was the whole point of using that router..
I would love if I could use it as AP and wiring it to the main router, but it'll make a huge mess, I love using reperater wirelessly!
Besides is there a notable difference between AP mode and repeater mode?

There is a very big difference between AP mode and Repeater mode. Anytime the Repeater is in use, the effective ISP speeds are halved, and affects all WiFi clients connected.

I would be curious to see how the router behaves with the actual GNUton's Merlin builds for DSL devices for it (second post above).

Too bad a proper WAN port is missing on this model. Wonder if anything can be done to convert an RJ-45 connection to an RJ-11?

Wiring an AP doesn't have to be a huge mess. There are flat Ethernet cables available that will make them effectively disappear (behind baseboards or under carpeting).