Scammed or not?

[CutePaiLon]

Hi all, new to the forums with a question I hope someone can help answer.

Just received my "new" Asus AX88U from Amazon and set it all up. Checked the logs and there's a reference to Merlin Support and Firmware installs.

I've scoured the internet and found two replies that seem to fit my situation, neither really seem to be definitive. (https://www.snbforums.com/threads/asus-stock-firmware-with-merlin-logs.81240/) (

https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeNetworking/comments/uzmdy5

).

The router was a particularly good price from a third party seller during Prime Day and having seen these references I'm now very suspicious! I wonder if I'm just being paranoid.

 

[CutePaiLon]

May 5 06:05:18 kernel: MerlinSupport::merlin_load_firmware(): end writing firmware to the program ram ...
May 5 06:05:18 kernel: MerlinSupport::merlin16_serdes_init(): Step 6.1 De-assert micro reset
May 5 06:05:18 kernel: MerlinSupport::merlin_wait_uc_active(): wait 50us comclks for micro to be up...
May 5 06:05:18 kernel: MerlinSupport::merlin_wait_uc_active(): Checking uc_active passed ...
May 5 06:05:18 kernel: MerlinSupport::merlin_wait_uc_active(): micro is ready for command ...
May 5 06:05:18 kernel: MerlinSupport::merlin_wait_uc_crc_verify(): micro is ready for command ...
May 5 06:05:18 kernel: MerlinSupport::merlin_wait_uc_crc_verify(): DSC ready for command is not working; SerDes is probably reset!!! reset_state = 7
May 5 06:05:18 kernel: MerlinSupport::merlin_wait_uc_crc_verify(): uCode CRC Verify ...
May 5 06:05:18 kernel: MerlinSupport::merlin_wait_uc_crc_verify(): wait 500us for crc verify to be done ...

Small sample of the log.

I've received so many obviously open box items from Amazon over the years, but this one was shrink wrapped which has thrown me. Given how easy it is to shrink wrap items now though it makes me wonder....

Any help gratefully received!

 

[Calkulin]

What firmware is installed on it?

 

[ColinTaylor]

The answer is the same as I posted in that other thread. These are not Asuswrt-Merlin firmware messages, they are Broadcom messages.

 

[CutePaiLon]

Thanks for the replies!

It is running on firmware3.0.0.6.102_21514

Colin, I appreciate your answer. Do you have any links that show this definitively by any chance please? You stated in that post that looking around the internet it seems to be a standard message for the AX6000, but I can find no such thing. My Googlefu admittedly is not great!

Thanks again.

 

[ColinTaylor]

RMerlin mentioned this again recently. I'll see if I can find that post.

But the point is that these are not messages generated by Merlin's code. For those of us familiar with Merlin's firmware this is obvious. They are nothing like his messages, they are kernel messages. The source code for Merlin's firmware is available to search and you can see that the messages come from Broadcom's Serdes driver.

Build software better, together

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github.com

https://docs.broadcom.com/doc/56980-DG

2.2 Merlin Core (Management Port)
The following figure illustrates the SerDes block in the device. It is composed of a single quad SerDes PMD blocks
(four lanes) and the supporting digital logic.
Figure 3: Merlin SerDes Core Block Diagram

It is running on firmware 3.0.0.6.102_21514

That is an Asus firmware number. In fact it is the current firmware for the RT-AX88U Pro, not the RT-AX88U.

RT-AX88U Pro | WiFi 6 Router | ASUS UK

AX6000 Dual Band WiFi 6 Router, Dual 2.5G Port, 2.0 GHz Quad-core CPU, AiProtection Pro, WPA3, Parental Control, Mesh WiFi support, Adaptive QoS, Port Forwarding, WAN aggregation, free network security and AiMesh support

www.asus.com

Merlin doesn't use that numbering convention. Merlin uses something like 388.2_2.

Download | Asuswrt-Merlin

www.asuswrt-merlin.net

 

[ColinTaylor]

This is the post I was thinking of:

Release - ASUS GT-AX6000 Firmware version 3.0.0.4.388.23285 (2023/05/12)

It's not always simply the frequencies used, the other variable is allowed power level, which can vary from region to region. Correct I wouldn’t want an ACMA van driving past your place with their antenna scanning the local frequency spectrum - and detecting something unauthorised. They can...

www.snbforums.com

 

[CutePaiLon]

That's what I was hoping to see, thanks Colin. I have never used Merlin before having used my stock ISP router for a number of years so am unfamiliar with custom firmware.

Having scanned the broadcom document I see the Merlin Core references and there are actually a number of references in the code to SerDes also, so that's very reassuring.

The firmware is the latest firmware because I instantly flashed it upon receipt, should have clarified that!

Thanks again.

 

[CutePaiLon]

This is the post I was thinking of:

Release - ASUS GT-AX6000 Firmware version 3.0.0.4.388.23285 (2023/05/12)

It's not always simply the frequencies used, the other variable is allowed power level, which can vary from region to region. Correct I wouldn’t want an ACMA van driving past your place with their antenna scanning the local frequency spectrum - and detecting something unauthorised. They can...

www.snbforums.com

Appreciated, thank you so much! Just to be clear, I wasn't out to doubt you, I'm just a very demanding Paranoid Android.

 

[ColinTaylor]

No problem. Better safe than sorry...