RT-AX88U stuck on 386.2_6

[Wintermute1987]

Hey everyone,

I inherited an RT‑AX88U from a friend that’s currently running 386.2_6. When I log into the GUI, I see a yellow exclamation mark in the top‑right corner telling me there’s an update available.

But when I go to the firmware update page and click Check, nothing happens.

If I try to manually update using RT‑AX88U_3004_388.11_0_ubi from the ASUS website, it appears to install — the progress bar completes — but after that, nothing changes. The router stays on the old firmware and never actually updates.

Am I doing something wrong, or is there something special I need to do when upgrading from such an old version?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jksmurf]

Hmm… a few things going on here.

Just wanted to check first that it’s not a Pro version?

So first off the FW you’re referencing appears to be Asus Merlin FW and not ASUS. I.e. it cannot be from the Asus website as you mentioned.

This is the link to the Merlin FW for that model, date sorted. You can see the format of the FW you’re referring to in those lists. eg RT‑AX88U_3004_388.11_0

For that model, the ASUS FW is here. Their FW naming format is 3.0.0.4.388_24346 for example, very different.

So you appear to be running older 386 codebase Merlin FW.

The current 388 codebase Merlin FW is quite a bit different and you must read the readme that comes with the FW.

e.g.

NOTE: resetting to factory default after flashing is
strongly recommended for the following cases:

- Updating from a firmware version that is more than 3 releases older
- Switching from a Tomato/DD-WRT/OpenWRT firmware

If you run into any issue after an upgrade and you haven't done so,
try doing a factory default reset as well.

Always read the changelog, as mandatory resets will be mentionned
there when they are necessary.

In all of these cases, do NOT load a saved copy of your settings!
This would be the same thing as NOT resetting at all, as you will
simply re-enter any invalid setting you wanted to get rid of. Make
sure to create a new backup of your settings after reconfiguring.

So, on to your question, which is commonly asked.

If rebooting your router and doing an INTERIM 386 updates (to the last one, say), before perhaps an interim 388 one, then the final 388 one does not work, then I strongly suggest you HARD RESET (search on this procedure) your router first and then try again. Save all your settings as screenshots BEFOREHAND. As above:

1. Hard reset your router AGAIN after each of the major FW updates. Just configure it enough to be able to update it again. Suggest you download all your FW first.
2. Do NOT import an old config.

Let us know how you get on !