RT-AC68U in Media Bridge Mode losing connection to main router

[digixmax]

Is Media Bridge mode (on RT-AC68U) stable with FreshTomato-ARM or DD-WRT firmware ?
Any firsthand experience ?

I tried out FreshTomato 2019.1-beta only briefly but it appeared to work fine. I am currently back on Merlin 380.70 but will give FreshTomato another longer try when 2019.1 goes official on 2/27.

See my posts at https://www.linksysinfo.org/index.p...a-wireless-ethernet-bridge.74461/#post-303010 and https://www.linksysinfo.org/index.p...a-wireless-ethernet-bridge.74461/#post-303019 re: flashing FreshTomato coming from Merlin, and back to Merlin.

 

[snbDD]

I've installed FreshTomato 2019.1 on RT-AC68U and configured it as Media Bridge. It seems stable so far.
But, the speed I get with Media Bridge is roughly the same (~ 400/400) as it was with Repeater mode under john9527/merlin firmware (5 GHz, 80 MHz channel).
No noticeable gain at all . Is this expected result ?

 

[barrybulb]

I've been having similar issues between my RT-AC5300 and RP-AC68U.

Downgraded the RP firmware to 3.0.0.4.382_10513
Upgraded RT firmware to Merlin 384.9

I've also got a CCTV camera streaming from the RP, through the RT, then through a Ubiquiti M5 Loco to a server in my shed.
Both the RT and RP are now also dumping syslog information to a PRTG server in the shed.

So far that seems to get the connection a lot more solid.

I do notice every 35 minutes I get AP DeAuth from a LAN port on my RT-AC5300, these logs are from the RP-AC68U

Mar 5 08:38:32 kernel: wl1: Deauthenticated by AP - 34:97:F6<hidden>
Mar 5 08:38:32 kernel: wl1: WPA-none PSK authentication in progress...
Mar 5 08:38:32 kernel: wl1: Open and authenticated
Mar 5 09:38:02 kernel: wl1: Deauthenticated by AP - 34:97:F6<hidden>
Mar 5 09:38:03 kernel: wl1: WPA-none PSK authentication in progress...
Mar 5 09:38:03 kernel: wl1: Open and authenticated
Mar 5 11:37:18 kernel: wl1: Deauthenticated by AP - 34:97:F6<hidden>
Mar 5 11:37:19 kernel: wl1: WPA-none PSK authentication in progress...
Mar 5 11:37:19 kernel: wl1: Open and authenticated

 

[Kacy]

Just wanted to add that bridge mode in AC68 seems to break whenever multicast/upnp/DLNA traffic starts to flow.

It seems a very common problem. However in repeater mode you wont't have any packet lost, dropped connection, .. but you will loose "passthrough" of DLNA/upnp packets from wired to wireless interface.

Hence repeater mode doesn't solve situations in which the home server is wired and clients are wireless, but at least connection is very stable.

If you could expand on this a bit more I would love to learn. So, situations like a plex server connected via LAN and casting to a wireless Chromecast would suffer? Do I understand your statement correctly?

 

[digixmax]

Just wanted to add that bridge mode in AC68 seems to break whenever multicast/upnp/DLNA traffic starts to flow.

It seems a very common problem. However in repeater mode you wont't have any packet lost, dropped connection, .. but you will loose "passthrough" of DLNA/upnp packets from wired to wireless interface.
...

I have not run into any issue with audio streaming from my DLNA server which is attached to my RT-AC68P Media Bridge running Merlin 380.70.

 

[Kacy]

I have not run into any issue with audio streaming from my DLNA server which is attached to my RT-AC68P Media Bridge running Merlin 380.70.

He said that there was a downside in this use case when using repeater mode if I understand correctly. That is to say you wouldn't have any issue in Media bridge mode.
However, I'm a noob so take it for what it's worth.

 

[Torson]

I just stumbled across this thread while looking for some related information. While leaving technology aside think of what you know and can control and what you don't and makes your day less friendly.
I have a couple of Media Bridge implementations that run reliably (I'd define that as 9.99 out of 10.) The technology is solid and so is the software driving it (belief and assumption - I only use Asus devices and Merlin software.) Just take a minute to think about what interferes in your scenario with that proven technology.
Mostly other devices. That's the more complex part of the equation. Try to move your device 1/2 foot to the left or right. Try to plug it in (only according to your state's safety regulations) into another insertion point; like plug-it in into another outlet. Even with all that due diligence you'll see variations as as we all do.
What I use to evaluate the bridge reliability is at least one Cisco phone plugged into the media bridge. No dropped calls, no issues. Good luck!

 

[digixmax]

I tried out 384.8.2, my Media Bridge lost its connection to the main router after about 12 hours, so back to 380.70 again.

 

[digixmax]

Has anyone tried the latest release 384.10?

 

[Dannkke]

Hello everyone,

Actually, it feels like i have been all over internet to find som answers to this question!

I have the same problem and it feels that i have tried everything.

My clients are still visible i the router menu but after 24 hours the lose internet connection.

Its so many people that having problems with the media bridge and that makes it so strange that nobody (asus) have found a solution. What professional people do we have in here that actually understand whats wrong? @RMerlin can you somehow look at this or give some explain to to this? I have an ac88u as router and went buying a ac2900 as bridge instead of my 66u because i didn't have any hair left on my heaf. Went home just to find out that the problem is still left... People that says that they got i working, can you please tell me what secret setting you have found?!

I found post all way back to 2013 about this problem. What did people do since then? Trashed the router and moved on?

Looking forward for some kind of answers

 

[digixmax]

...
I have the same problem and it feels that i have tried everything.

My clients are still visible i the router menu but after 24 hours the lose internet connection.
...
People that says that they got i working, can you please tell me what secret setting you have found?!
...

My RT-AC68P Media Bridge does not have this issue when running the stock FW 3004.380.7743, Asus-Merlin 380.70, or FreshTomato 2019.1.015-beta.

 

[Dannkke]

My RT-AC68P Media Bridge does not have this issue when running the stock FW 3004.380.7743, Asus-Merlin 380.70, or FreshTomato 2019.1.015-beta.

Okey, but thats an old firmware?

 

[Grisu]

Hello everyone,

Actually, it feels like i have been all over internet to find som answers to this question!

I have the same problem and it feels that i have tried everything.

My clients are still visible i the router menu but after 24 hours the lose internet connection.

Its so many people that having problems with the media bridge and that makes it so strange that nobody (asus) have found a solution. What professional people do we have in here that actually understand whats wrong? @RMerlin can you somehow look at this or give some explain to to this? I have an ac88u as router and went buying a ac2900 as bridge instead of my 66u because i didn't have any hair left on my heaf. Went home just to find out that the problem is still left... People that says that they got i working, can you please tell me what secret setting you have found?!

I found post all way back to 2013 about this problem. What did people do since then? Trashed the router and moved on?

Looking forward for some kind of answers

you could try repeater mode instead, seem to be more reliable than bridge mode, difference is only that repeater will spread wifi too but you dont need to use it for clients if they all are connected to its LAN.

 

[Dannkke]

you could try repeater mode instead, seem to be more reliable than bridge mode, difference is only that repeater will spread wifi too but you dont need to use it for clients if they all are connected to its LAN.

Yes, that i could do but the speed is slower and i want a function that asus announces to work. I just want it to work

 

[Grisu]

Yes, that i could do but the speed is slower and i want a function that asus announces to work. I just want it to work

there is no difference in speed! Only if you use its Wifi for clients it will be reduced by half (half time transmitting to clients and rest to main router), if you have only LAN-clients wifi will be used only for bridging and so just the same.

 

[digixmax]

Okey, but thats an old firmware?

Asus-Merlin 380.70 is dates ~ 04/2018, I am guessing Asus stock FW 3004.380.7743 is around the same time-frame.

 

[digixmax]

My RT-AC68P Media Bridge does not have this issue when running the stock FW 3004.380.7743, Asus-Merlin 380.70, or FreshTomato 2019.1.015-beta.

Well, I spoke a bit too soon -- I had 3 incidents of lost Internet connectivity this past weekend with 380.70 (https://www.snbforums.com/threads/w...nnection-every-24hrs.28061/page-3#post-485476), so I've decided to give the newly released FreshTomato 2019.2 a try.

 

[Boogieman]

Media bridge Firmware breakdown based on this thread

RT-AC68U (RT-1900 = the same) <----EDIT: mixed up with RT-2900 ..changed to 1900/68u

"Stable" versions reported
3.0.0.4.382_10513 (barrrybulb)
380.70 (digimax)
3.0.0.4.378.4850 or Merlin 378 (neoshi thinks this should work - dont understand if he tested it)

Non stable versions reported
3.0.0.4.384_45149 (me - ON RT-2900 aka 86U) <----- EDIT (added ON RT-2900 aka 86U as its not same as 68u)
384.9_0 (digimax, penguin22)
Later than 3.0.0.4.378.4850 or later than Merlin 378 (neoshi heard of reported cases)

RESULT: Based on above I guess version 3.0.0.4.382_10513 or earlier should give least issues?
RESULT 2: Unless neoshi is correct, then You need 3.0.0.4.378.4850 or earlier

It seems at least obvious that the Media bridge gets more broken with later the firmwares

My setup
RT-2900 FW 3.0.0.4.384_45149 (Asus) as router - VERY broken - disconnects bridge node every 30 min
AC-66U FW 380.70 (Merlin) as bridge node (could also be the cuplrit)

Before had two AC-66U on some pre ?FW380.70? (Merlin) that did not work but at least worked better (disconnects every 2hours or so)

 

[digixmax]

...
"Stable" versions reported
3.0.0.4.382_10513 (barrrybulb)
380.70 (digimax)
3.0.0.4.378.4850 or Merlin 378 (neoshi thinks this should work - dont understand if he tested it)

380.70 had worked well for me for a good stretch of time, then at the end of last month I had a series of lost connectivity incidents (https://www.snbforums.com/threads/r...ction-to-main-router.48581/page-4#post-486237) plus a few nightly "auto" reboots.

I have since switched to FreshTomato (K26ARM USB AIO-64K) and so far so good.

 

[Marin]

still trying to figure out my unstable RTAC86U bridge problems... I have not been able to find a lead.

Manually setting a channel on the main router has solved the bridge disconnections for me. If I left the channel setting (the one the bridge connects to) as “Auto” I would experience these issues. May want to try this to see if it helps.


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