Help wanted: mapping LAN / ETH ports for MerVLAN device support

r80xcore · 2026-01-29T06:40:10-0500

Help wanted: mapping LAN / ETH ports for MerVLAN device support

I’m looking for help from users willing to map the physical LAN ports on their router so proper MerVLAN device support can be added upstream.

I’ve created a fully standalone helper script that:

Detects the WAN/uplink interface
Walks you through mapping each physical LAN port (LAN1, LAN2, …)
Generates a ready-to-use hw_probe.sh case snippet
Saves a full report under /tmp
Provides a pre-filled GitHub issue link for submitting the results
Optionally patches a local MerVLAN install with temporary support (until official support is added)

Run it with this one-liner

Code:

mkdir -p /tmp/mervlan_tmp && /usr/sbin/curl -fsL --retry 3 "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/r80xcore/mervlan/dev/functions/device_support_mapper.sh" -o "/tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh" && chmod 0755 /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh && sh /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh

How to use the script

Start with only the WAN cable connected
Unplug all LAN cables before running the script.
WAN detection (Step 1/2)
The script will attempt to detect which interface is used as WAN/uplink.
LAN port mapping (Step 2/2)
- You’ll be asked how many physical LAN ports your router has (excluding WAN)
- For each LAN port (LAN1 → LANX):
  - Unplug the LAN cable
  - When prompted, plug the cable into the requested LAN port
  - Press Enter and confirm the detected interface
- You can retry, skip, or quit at any step
Report generation
- A detailed report is printed and saved under /tmp/mervlan_tmp/results
- The script outputs a direct GitHub link with a pre-filled device support request
- Copy/paste any extra notes if needed and submit the issue
Optional local patch
- If MerVLAN is already installed, the script can patch hw_probe.sh
- This enables temporary local support for your device
- This does not replace official upstream support

Important notes

You do NOT need to have MerVLAN installed to be able to run this.
/tmp is cleared on reboot, nothing persistent is left on the unit — save the report or submit the GitHub issue.
Local patching is only meant as a stopgap; please submit the report so official support can be added.
This is for AP mode testing, but if we can verify if it works in router mode too it would be great for debugging.

Community added model support
This is the currently added profiles. Special Thanks & High-fives to the users that provided the data to broaden support and help me develop MerVLAN!

MODEL	CONTRIBUTOR	FROM	Added in version
RT-AC86U RT-AX86U GT-AX6000 RT-AX86S RT-AX58U RT-AX88U** RT-AX88U_PRO	mistermoonlight1 mistermoonlight1 kstamand /SNB bieniu commodoro amplatfus jksmurf	SNB SNB SNB Github SNB SNB SNB	v0.52.3 TBR v0.52.4 TBR v0.52.4 v0.52.3 TBR v0.52.4 TBR v0.52.4 TBR v0.52.4

** RT-AX88U can map VLAN ID on port 1-4 individually. Port 5-8 (seen as LAN 5) can only be tagged as a group.

If you know the mapping already you can just fill in a template, examples below (text in brackets [ ] is only informational):

Code:

[nvramname]       [model]                   [interface]                          [LAN ports]                   [max lan ports]       [wan port]
RT-AX86U) MODEL="RT-AX86U"; ETH_PORTS="eth4 eth3 eth2 eth1 eth5"; LAN_PORT_LABELS="LAN1 LAN2 LAN3 LAN4 LAN5"; MAX_ETH_PORTS=5; WAN_IF="eth0" ;;

In this example we start by naming the template [nvramname], this is important as this is compared to the nvram to select the right template. The model can have the same name and is only informational.
Then we map eth4->LAN1, eth3->LAN2, eth2->LAN3, eth1->LAN4 and the eth5 (2.5gb port) to LAN5. We map WAN to eth0 and set the map LAN ports to 5.

Code:

[nvramname] [model] RT-AX95Q) MODEL="XT8"; ETH_PORTS="eth1 eth2 eth3"; LAN_PORT_LABELS="LAN1 LAN2 LAN3"; MAX_ETH_PORTS=3; WAN_IF="eth0" ;;

Here we can see another example, the Asus XT8. Here we can see a clear difference on a model that has a [nvramname] that differs a lot from the common name the model is know as. We also see that in this mode the eth ports are mapped to the LAN ports in order.

Code:

[nvramname] [model] [wan port] RT-AX58U) MODEL="RT-AX58U"; ETH_PORTS="eth3 eth2 eth1 eth0"; LAN_PORT_LABELS="LAN1 LAN2 LAN3 LAN4"; MAX_ETH_PORTS=4; WAN_IF="eth4" ;;

Here we have a model that doesn't map WAN to eth0, but instead to eth4

You do need to specify the name [nvramname] of the unit as it is printen in nvram. Run this command if you are unsure of it (only needed when manually editing):

Code:

nvram get productid

MerVLAN: Models Requiring Testing
Or manual mapping from already known info.

WiFi 7 / BE Series

RT-BE58 Go
RT-BE86U
RT-BE88U
RT-BE92U
RT-BE96U
GT-BE98 Pro
GT-BE19000AI

ROG & High-Performance Series

GT-AX11000
GT-AX11000 Pro
GT-AXE11000
GT-AXE16000
RT-AX86U Pro

TUF Gaming Series

TUF-AX3000 v1
TUF-AX3000 v2
TUF-AX5400 v1

Standard RT-AX Series

RT-AX5400
RT-AX58U v2
RT-AX68U
RT-AX82U v1
RT-AX82U v2
RT-AX92U
DSL-AX82U
DSL-AX5400

ZenWiFi (Mesh) Series

ZenWiFi ET8
ZenWiFi Pro XT12

All models that gets a profile gets exluded from this list.

Any help testing different router models is hugely appreciated. Thanks for helping make MerVLAN better!

jacklul · 2026-01-29T07:27:03-0500

I'm not sure but for some devices (like my AX58U v2) it might be like this or similar:
eth0 = wan
eth1 = internal 4-port switch as one interface (?)
eth2-3 - wifi

Unless I'm mistaken but have not seen extra interfaces being created for more wired clients on my device...

r80xcore · 2026-01-29T07:42:23-0500

jacklul said:
Unless I'm mistaken but have not seen extra interfaces being created for more wired clients...

My XT8 maps:
LAN1-LAN3 --> eth1-eth3
WAN --> eth0
WiFi --> eth4-eth6

This have been verified on other devices too.
Thought it might differ if you are in router or AP-mode. MerVLAN is AP-mode only. Would be interesting to see if that makes a difference when testing.

kstamand · 2026-01-29T07:59:37-0500

Here you go
GT-AX6000) MODEL="GT-AX6000"; ETH_PORTS="eth4 eth3 eth2 eth1 eth5"; LAN_PORT_LABELS="LAN1 LAN2 LAN3 LAN4 LAN5"; MAX_ETH_PORTS=5; WAN_IF="eth0" ;;

r80xcore · 2026-01-29T08:30:34-0500

kstamand said:
Here you go
GT-AX6000) MODEL="GT-AX6000"; ETH_PORTS="eth4 eth3 eth2 eth1 eth5"; LAN_PORT_LABELS="LAN1 LAN2 LAN3 LAN4 LAN5"; MAX_ETH_PORTS=5; WAN_IF="eth0" ;;

Thank you!

commodoro · 2026-01-29T08:40:57-0500

Small contribution,

for RT-AX58U_V1

RT-AX58U) MODEL="RT-AX58U"; ETH_PORTS="eth3 eth2 eth1 eth0"; LAN_PORT_LABELS="LAN1 LAN2 LAN3 LAN4"; MAX_ETH_PORTS=4; WAN_IF="eth4" ;;

Regards

amplatfus · 2026-01-29T15:42:28-0500

Hi,

For AX88U:

# Credits: https://wu.renjie.im/blog/network/ax88u-vlan/
# Physical port to interface map:
# eth0 WAN
# eth1 LAN 4
# eth2 LAN 3
# eth3 LAN 2
# eth4 LAN 1
# eth5 Bridge of LAN 5, LAN 6, LAN 7, LAN 8
# eth6 2.4 GHz Radio
# eth7 5 GHz Radio

BR,
amplatfus

jksmurf · 2026-01-29T23:07:39-0500

r80xcore said:
Run it with this one-liner
mkdir -p /tmp/mervlan_tmp && /usr/sbin/curl -fsL --retry 3 "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/r80xcore/mervlan/dev/functions/device_support_mapper.sh" -o "/tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh" && chmod 0755 /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh && sh /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh

How to use the script

Pulled all the LAN plugs out, ran it from my Wifi Connected device (as PC was on on one of the Ethernet Ports), ran it twice, got the same error.

Code:

ASUSWRT-Merlin RT-AX88U_PRO 3006.102.7_alpha1-gb21e2fae07 Mon Jan 19 20:49:44 UTC 2026
XXXXXXX@RT-AX88U-Pro:/tmp/home/root# mkdir -p /tmp/mervlan_tmp &amp;&amp; /usr/s
bin/curl -fsL --retry 3 "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/r80xcore/mervlan/dev/
functions/device_support_mapper.sh" -o "/tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.s
h" &amp;&amp; chmod 0755 /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh &amp;&amp; sh
 /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh
-sh: syntax error: unexpected "&"
XXXXXXX@RT-AX88U-Pro:/tmp/home/root#

Went directly to https://raw.githubusercontent.com/r80xcore/mervlan/dev/functions/device_support_mapper.sh, copy and pasted the script to a file (0755) device_support_mapper I made in /jffs/scripts/, ran it manually, works.

No idea what went awry with the original line, so checked syntax and this (below) one seems to work better for me...

Code:

mkdir -p /tmp/mervlan_tmp && /usr/sbin/curl -fsL --retry 3 "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/r80xcore/mervlan/dev/functions/device_support_mapper.sh" -o "/tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh" && chmod 0755 /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh && sh /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh

The RT-AX88U Pro has 5 "LAN" Ports; 4 x 1GB labelled LAN1 to 4 and a 2.5GB LAN/WAN.

Unfortunately, on my Router it seems LAN4 is dead (I did not know this OR it is somehow used by something else AiMesh?), so I never got a result for that and your script does not skip to what I was going to call LAN5 i.e. the 2.5GB port (located between LAN1 and the WAN port). Anyway, sorry but my results... as far as I have them, are below. Sorry you will need to find someone with a working RT-AX88U Pro unit, unless there is a reason for the Dead LAN4.

RT-AX88U_PRO) MODEL="RT-AX88U_PRO"; ETH_PORTS="eth1 eth2 eth3"; LAN_PORT_LABELS="LAN1 LAN2 LAN3"; MAX_ETH_PORTS=3; WAN_IF="eth0" ;;

Then when I went to look at it under LAN, VLAN (to see what was on LAN4) the page was blank, had to reboot the Router to get the screen back (below). The AiMesh Nodes also showed dead before the reboot. Probably due to yanking out the Ethernet cables...

Fun and games.

[EDIT]
So rebooted again, got VLANs back, attached a known working Ethernet device, redid it using PC Wifi Network Adapter. Result:

RT-AX88U_PRO) MODEL="RT-AX88U_PRO"; ETH_PORTS="eth1 eth2 eth3 eth4 eth5"; LAN_PORT_LABELS="LAN1 LAN2 LAN3 LAN4 LAN5"; MAX_ETH_PORTS=5; WAN_IF="eth0" ;;

Note LAN5 is the port labelled 2.5G LAN/1G WAN, as above. HTH.

r80xcore · 2026-01-30T02:05:16-0500

jksmurf said:
Pulled all the LAN plugs out, ran it from my Wifi Connected device (as PC was on on one of the Ethernet Ports), ran it twice, got the same error.

Code:

ASUSWRT-Merlin RT-AX88U_PRO 3006.102.7_alpha1-gb21e2fae07 Mon Jan 19 20:49:44 UTC 2026 XXXXXXX@RT-AX88U-Pro:/tmp/home/root# mkdir -p /tmp/mervlan_tmp && /usr/s bin/curl -fsL --retry 3 "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/r80xcore/mervlan/dev/ functions/device_support_mapper.sh" -o "/tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.s h" && chmod 0755 /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh && sh /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh -sh: syntax error: unexpected "&" XXXXXXX@RT-AX88U-Pro:/tmp/home/root#

Went directly to https://raw.githubusercontent.com/r80xcore/mervlan/dev/functions/device_support_mapper.sh, copy and pasted the script to a file (0755) device_support_mapper I made in /jffs/scripts/, ran it manually, works.

No idea what went awry with the original line, so checked syntax and this (below) one seems to work better for me...

Code:

mkdir -p /tmp/mervlan_tmp && /usr/sbin/curl -fsL --retry 3 "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/r80xcore/mervlan/dev/functions/device_support_mapper.sh" -o "/tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh" && chmod 0755 /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh && sh /tmp/mervlan_tmp/device_support_mapper.sh

The RT-AX88U Pro has 5 "LAN" Ports; 4 x 1GB labelled LAN1 to 4 and a 2.5GB LAN/WAN.

Unfortunately, on my Router it seems LAN4 is dead (I did not know this OR it is somehow used by something else AiMesh?), so I never got a result for that and your script does not skip to what I was going to call LAN5 i.e. the 2.5GB port (located between LAN1 and the WAN port). Anyway, sorry but my results... as far as I have them, are below. Sorry you will need to find someone with a working RT-AX88U Pro unit, unless there is a reason for the Dead LAN4.

RT-AX88U_PRO) MODEL="RT-AX88U_PRO"; ETH_PORTS="eth1 eth2 eth3"; LAN_PORT_LABELS="LAN1 LAN2 LAN3"; MAX_ETH_PORTS=3; WAN_IF="eth0" ;;

Then when I went to look at it under LAN, VLAN (to see what was on LAN4) the page was blank, had to reboot the Router to get the screen back (below). The AiMesh Nodes also showed dead before the reboot. Probably due to yanking out the Ethernet cables...

Fun and games.

View attachment 70116
View attachment 70119

[EDIT]
So rebooted again, got VLANs back, attached a known working Ethernet device, redid it using PC Wifi Network Adapter. Result:

RT-AX88U_PRO) MODEL="RT-AX88U_PRO"; ETH_PORTS="eth1 eth2 eth3 eth4 eth5"; LAN_PORT_LABELS="LAN1 LAN2 LAN3 LAN4 LAN5"; MAX_ETH_PORTS=5; WAN_IF="eth0" ;;

Note LAN5 is the port labelled 2.5G LAN/1G WAN, as above. HTH.

Thank you for testing it out!

Yea sorry for the typo in the script starter. I have fix that now!

That was some strange issues you had. But great that it worked out in the end. Thank you for the profile!

Thread starter	Title	Forum	Replies	Date
R	Help needed on assigning a device connected to media bridge to a guest network pro	Asuswrt-Merlin	8	Dec 15, 2025
F	Help Connecting Node	Asuswrt-Merlin	2	Dec 3, 2025
	Help Mounting USB Drive	Asuswrt-Merlin	3	Dec 2, 2025
A	Solved Please help access my network resources from outside (VPN Cascading and IP Masquarading)	Asuswrt-Merlin	18	Nov 20, 2025
R	Help needed. Switched ISPs and now my internal network is sub par	Asuswrt-Merlin	8	Oct 16, 2025
C	Help needed with DNS settings	Asuswrt-Merlin	12	Oct 1, 2025
L	DDNS Help for Asus AX-RT86u Pro	Asuswrt-Merlin	3	Sep 27, 2025
	"Allow Client <-> Client" Help	Asuswrt-Merlin	2	Sep 22, 2025
	Solved Restore IPv6 Gateway Script Help.	Asuswrt-Merlin	2	Sep 18, 2025
C	Help - updating gnuton firmware on Asus XT 8 (RT-AX95Q), ver 1 hardware	Asuswrt-Merlin	7	Sep 17, 2025

Search

Search

Help wanted: mapping LAN / ETH ports for MerVLAN device support

r80xcore

Regular Contributor

Run it with this one-liner

How to use the script

jacklul

Senior Member

r80xcore

Regular Contributor

kstamand

Regular Contributor

r80xcore

Regular Contributor

commodoro

Occasional Visitor

amplatfus

Senior Member

jksmurf

Very Senior Member

Run it with this one-liner

How to use the script

r80xcore

Regular Contributor

Similar threads

Similar threads

Latest threads

Support SNBForums w/ Amazon

Sign Up For SNBForums Daily Digest

Members online

We value your privacy

Help wanted: mapping LAN / ETH ports for MerVLAN device support

Regular Contributor

Run it with this one-liner​

How to use the script​

Senior Member

Regular Contributor

Regular Contributor

Regular Contributor

Occasional Visitor

Senior Member

Very Senior Member

Run it with this one-liner​

How to use the script​

Regular Contributor

Similar threads

Similar threads

Support SNBForums w/ Amazon

Sign Up For SNBForums Daily Digest

We value your privacy

Run it with this one-liner

How to use the script

Run it with this one-liner

How to use the script