Having some issues with Merlin's Firmware (internet going down occasionally, 5G signal not as great)

[Jellybean]

I recently got the T-Mobile branded ASUS router and put Merlin's Firmware on it (380.58) since I changed my ISP from ATT to Cox. While I waited for the router to come in the mail, I got the 'official' ASUS router AC68U and set it up / used that.

Here are some of the issues I've been experiencing with the T-Mobile router w/ Merlin (I've returned the Asus branded router)l; for sake of convenience T-Mobile Router will refer to the T-Mobile AC68U (originally came with T-Mobile firmware, now has Merlin's firmware), while Asus Router will refer to the Asus AC68U:

1) 5G signal on the T-Mobile router isn't as strong compared to the Asus router. With the latter I could easily get full bars from any corner of my house, with the T-Mobile router, I'm getting two-three bars at the far end.

2) I've also noticed that the internet goes down. Sometimes it's my hardwired desktop or more recently, even the wifi. The lights all show up on the router, but I would get a DNS error (like DNS cannot resolve ...). I can't even access the router through the web browser either. But it gets fixed with a reboot. From what I've experienced, this seems to occur every week or every other week.

3) Just a question I'm curious about - does having the same SSID as a previously used SSID make a difference? For example I used the same network name on my T-Mobile router that I used with my Asus router.

Thank you in advance

 

[L&LD]

1) I'd be very surprised if they were the same hardware (T-Mobile won't buy quality, but quantity).

2) Power down your whole network (physically unplug everything from the AC power outlets) and leave it for at least a half hour to an hour. Now, plug in the modem and wait 5 minutes. Plug in the router and wait 5 minutes. Plug in any switches you may have and turn on all your wired devices. This may fix your issue if you were plugging in the two routers quickly back and forth to your ISP's modem without turning it off.

3) It may. But this won't fix the WAN going down. But it might help with your signal strength. Easy enough to create new ssid's for both bands (you can use the same password if you want, both ssid and password being alphanumeric only characters). You should also try pointing the antennae straight up (all three), particularly if you live in a single story home.


Have you ever performed a reset to factory defaults and then a minimal and manual configuration to secure the router and connect it to your ISP?

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/no...l-and-manual-configuration.27115/#post-205573