Intermittently unable to access the router after installing latest stable build

[Dan Dascalescu]

I've flashed RT-AC68U_380.65_4.trx onto my AC-68U (in repeater mode) and now I can't connect to either of the 2.4Ghz and 5GHz APs (failed to get an IP), and when I connect to the parent AP (my phone's hotspot), half the time I can't access the router's admin UI. I get this error:

Settings have been updated. Web page will now refresh.
Changes have been made to the IP address or port number. You will now be disconnected from RT-AC68U.
To access the settings of RT-AC68U, reconnect to the wireless network and use the updated IP address and port number.

But the other half of the time, I can access that web UI over while connected to the parent AP.

Factory resetting by keeping the WPS button pressed while powering off and on didn't help - I still can't can't connect to the wireless APs. I've also forgotten those networks, changed their passwords - nothing.

Can someone please update the installation instructions with what to do in this case?
The "changes have been made" message isn't that useful if it doesn't tell what the new IP and port number are.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Have to tried using the Device Discovery Utility to verify the IP address of the repeater.

In Repeater mode, the DHCP-assigned IP address changes. Install and use the Device Discovery Utility to get the wireless router's new IP address.

 

[Dan Dascalescu]

Have to tried using the Device Discovery Utility to verify the IP address of the repeater.

No. I know the IP already, it's 192.68.43.2. If I open an incognito browser window, I can access the web UI (sometimes; other times the router won't even respond to pings). I've also connected the router directly via an Ethernet cable to my laptop and I accessed the UI at 192.168.1.1.

After I power cycle the router, I can access the web UI.

Also, that utility is for Windows only and I'm on Ubuntu. And it's probably just a sort of nmap.

The critical problem is that I can't connect to any of the APs. This is super frustrating, as I've already wasted all my afternoon today trying to get this router to work decently in repeater mode.

The initial problem I was trying to solve by installing the Merlin firmware was that the router was stalling traffic on its WLAN - I have a web server at 196.168.43.229 and wget-ing from it would take a minute for the first request. iperf3 would also fail to connect to the server on that .229 machine etc. But if I connected directly through my hotspot, bypassing the router, both these operations performed as expected, with sub-second latency.

 

[Dan Dascalescu]

I've reverted to the ASUS firmware RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_380_7378-g7a25649 and I can connect to both wireless APs, without having changed any settings in the router.

Has this Merlin build been tested on routers in repeater mode?

 

[NomadTech]

I've reverted to the ASUS firmware RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_380_7378-g7a25649 and I can connect to both wireless APs, without having changed any settings in the router.

Has this Merlin build been tested on routers in repeater mode?

I have one router and 2 repeaters all on Merlin's firmware and no issues at all. I would look somewhere else.

I know the IP already, it's 192.68.43.2. If I open an incognito browser window, I can access the web UI (sometimes; other times the router won't even respond to pings). I've also connected the router directly via an Ethernet cable to my laptop and I accessed the UI at 192.168.1.1

Once reset, RT-AC68U reverts to routing and is not an AP anymore and internal IP pool is always in the 192.168.1.x.
You have to connect to it and change to AP again.

 

[Dan Dascalescu]

I have one router and 2 repeaters all on Merlin's firmware and no issues at all. I would look somewhere else.

What model are the repeaters?

Is your router an AC68U set to repeater mode?

Once reset, RT-AC68U reverts to routing and is not an AP anymore and internal IP pool is always in the 192.168.1.x.
You have to connect to it and change to AP again.

I've done that over an Ethernet cable. Anyway, that's not the problem. The APs exist, it's just that no devices can connect to them. My Android says it failed to get an IP, so maybe in repeater mode, with Merlin on it, the router no longer proxies the DHCP replies from the hotspot?