What's new
  • SNBForums Code of Conduct

    SNBForums is a community for everyone, no matter what their level of experience.

    Please be tolerant and patient of others, especially newcomers. We are all here to share and learn!

    The rules are simple: Be patient, be nice, be helpful or be gone!

Updating Firmware on my RT-AC68U....Questions?

Jim59

New Around Here
Hi Everyone, I am new to the forum (my first post) and have questions setting up a Asus Router.
I also have a few questions about Asus routers as I am a new Asus router owner.

I am replacing my current Netgear WNR3500 Ver1 N Router with a used Asus RT-AC68U Router I purchased from Ebay. My Asus router that I have is H/W A2 with Firmware 3.0.0.4.374 (On label back of router)
I want to upgrade to the current FW Version 3.0.0.4.384.21045 06/01/2018 that has the VPN Malware fix.
I only have a 950 sq Ft Apt and will only have 2 laptops, 1 Ipad,and 2 phones on my network.
My Netgear router has worked fine but Netgear isn't updating the firmware anymore , no App for my Netgear Router thus my move to Asus.

The router has been reset by the previous owner and has the above older Firmware on it.

1. Do I install the router first with the setup utility CD (That came with my Router) with my Win 7 laptop and then update to the above current firmware or do I have to go into the administration setting to update to the current FW after setting up my wireless Network?

2. Also I understand that my Asus RT-AC68U Router supports the Asus Ai Protection network security powered by Trend Micro. I will only be using my Asus router as a stand alone router (No Mesh system)
Does the Ai Protection come with a firmware update or is it a subscription service I have to pay Asus for?

Thank You.....Jim
 
first connect your router-WAN to your modem.
Then use WiFi to connect PC to the router (admin/admin) and set up IP 192.168.1.1 by default.
Update firmware and have fun, no registration.
 
How does he connect via wifi to the router that has been reset by the previous owner?? There is no wifi setup at this point. Connect via ethernet and run through a minimal setup. Then update the firmware. After updating the firmware do a factory reset and then do a full setup of the router.
 
Thank You both Grisu and doczenith1 for your answers.

doczenith1 another question for you:

Ok so to clarify your information: I connect my laptop via ethernet, do a minimal setup and update my router firmware.

But wouldn't a factory reset as you suggest erase all the firmware that I just updated prior to doing a full set up of my Asus Router??
Please clarify!

Thank You and I appreciate any help I may get.
Jim
 
The factory reset just resets all settings to their defaults. It keeps whatever version of the firmware that is installed. The reason to do the reset after the upgrade is to clear any bad settings that might get migrated to the new firmware version. The new firmware will then use the default settings that were designed to be used with that firmware version by the developers. When doing a firmware upgrade that is only upgrading the firmware a few versions the reset is not needed unless you experience issues after the upgrade. Another tip is after you do the reset and setup the router do a reboot. After the reboot I also pull the power cord for a 20 seconds and then plug it back in. Some have said that this fully clears the router internals. All the reboots and power cord pulls may seem excessive but I can't tell you how many posts I've read on this site where that process has fixed an issue that someone was having.

I will also suggest the following changes from the default settings. These changes have been suggested by many others on the forum when experiencing any wifi issues. I haven't experienced any wifi issues but have made these changes as they have zero negative impact on performance in most cases. Note that 802.11ac Beamforming on the 5 GHz band is the only official beamforming standard.

Wireless 2.4 GHz Professional
Turbo QAM - Disable (Only helps with clients that support it and there are not very many)
Airtime Fairness - Disable (causes connectivity issues for various devices, including wireless printers)
Multi-User MIMO - Disable (not an option on all models)
Explicit Beamforming - Disable
Universal Beamforming - Disable

Wireless 5 GHz Professional
Airtime Fairness - Disable
Multi-User MIMO - Disable (FWIW I got better 5 GHz speeds with MU-MIMO disabled)
Universal Beamforming - Disable (non-standard, might cause compatibility issues with some clients)
 
How does he connect via wifi to the router that has been reset by the previous owner?? There is no wifi setup at this point. Connect via ethernet and run through a minimal setup. Then update the firmware. After updating the firmware do a factory reset and then do a full setup of the router.
got a 68U since they came out, sorry if faulty but what I can remember Wifi has been always on after reset with SSID Asus and Asus_5G and open mode (no keys).
 
Thank You doczenith1 for your very detailed explanation regarding the setup of my RT-68U Router and Grisu for your additional comment.

Do either of you know does the Asus Ai Protection network security powered by Trend Micro come with a firmware update for my RT-68U Router or is it it a subscription from Asus that you pay for or what?? I know my Asus RT-68U router supports it, just wondering how I can get it for my Asus router. Like I mentioned in my initial post, I will be using my new (used) Asus router as a stand alone router not a Mesh system as I live in a small 950 sq ft Apt.

My current Netgear WNR3500v1 N Gigabit router has worked flawlessly for me for the past 8 yrs. Netgear does not support it anymore with firmware updates and no Netgear App for it and the VPN Malware router warning that came out last month worries me.

I plan on setting up my Asus router on Monday so Thank You both again for your much appreciated tech help.

Jim
 
Thank You Grisu for your timely advice and glad to see the Asus Ai Protection Network security is not subscription based.

Have a good Day........Jim
 
Just to let everyone know that I have my Asus AU-68U Router setup and it is working very well. No setup issues at all and my firmware is upgraded to the latest 3.0.0.4.384.21045 for my Asus product.

This is my first Asus wireless router and I am very impressed with all the features of it compared to my old 2007
Netgear WNR 3500 N Router. The Asus 68U router setup interface is SO MUCH easier to work with than my old Netgear router setup software and I really like the Asus Ai Protection Network security feature that comes with it.
The router security scan option is a very nice option to have to ensure the Asus router is secure.

Just one additional question: Does my RT-68U Router have a remote administration setting. I didn't see that setting and I want to make sure it is turned off in my router setup.

doczenith1, Thank You again for your detailed router setup tips for my RT-68U Router. I followed your advice for the firmware update, unplugging, and reboot of my router. I also made sure to follow your tips for the setup of both the Wireless 2.4 and the Wireless 5 Ghz professional router settings. My Asus model doesn't have a Multi-user MIMO setting option as you mentioned in your previous advice post.

We all can hope that Asus will update their older most popular wireless routers with WPA3 sometime in the future.

I am sharing a couple of pictures of my new/used Asus Router along with the old 2007 Netgear Router I replaced.

Thanks Again......Jim

 

Attachments

  • Asus1.jpg
    Asus1.jpg
    61.2 KB · Views: 429
  • Routercomp.jpg
    Routercomp.jpg
    41.6 KB · Views: 648
on admin page turned off by default, access from WAN ...

Also if you have run the SCAN in AIProtection on of the fifteen things it checks for is that web access to the GUI from the WAN is disabled.
 
Thank You everyone for your much appreciated advice and all have a Safe 4th of July.

One more question for my RT-68U Router:

How can I set my Asus Router to use the 5 Ghz band only for additional security. I have separate SSID's set up for both my 2.4Ghz and 5.0 Ghz bands so would all my devices have to log in to my 5.0 Ghz SSID?? or would I change a wireless setting in my router software?? to use my 5.0 Ghz band only??

Currently my network works fine on my 2.4Ghz SSID as far as speed and coverage but I just wanted to test all my devices on my 5.0Ghz band. I understand that my 5.0 Ghz band signal does not travel as far so using it may not work for me.

Thank You and have a blessed day.....Jim
 
How can I set my Asus Router to use the 5 Ghz band only for additional security. I have separate SSID's set up for both my 2.4Ghz and 5.0 Ghz bands so would all my devices have to log in to my 5.0 Ghz SSID?? or would I change a wireless setting in my router software?? to use my 5.0 Ghz band only??
You could turn off the 2.4GHz radio altogether. Go to Wireless > Professional, select the 2.4GHz band, set Enable Radio to No and then Apply. Of course all your clients have to be configured to connect to the 5GHz SSID.
 
Thank You Colin for your tip about how to enable only the 5Ghz band on my Asus RT-68U Router

I will probably test a few of my client devices on my wireless network and see how they perform on my Wireless network's 5 Ghz band. I live in an Apt complex with a lot of
wireless networks and so far all my client devices connect very well on my routers 2.4 Ghz band.

The only reason I would want to switch only to my 5 Ghz band is for additional security for my network as I understand
the 5 Ghz band wireless signal travels less distance outside my home thus hiding my wireless network better.

If I experience any problems with my client devices on my 5 Ghz band, I can always switch back over to my 2.4 Ghz band.

Have a good Day....Jim
 
The only reason I would want to switch only to my 5 Ghz band is for additional security for my network as I understand
the 5 Ghz band wireless signal travels less distance outside my home thus hiding my wireless network better.

It does travel less but what is your threat model? What attack scenario is ‘hiding my wifi SSID going to prevent’?

No thief is driving by cracking everyone’s WPA2 encryption. Not only are you trying to prevent a very far fetched attack, you’re limiting yourself to a very congested and limited band.

Worry about something else if you are after improving your security posture.
 
I keep all my cameras and other IoT devices on my 2.4 GHz band and use my 5 GHz band for my fast wireless ac devices.
 
Thanks for your kfp and doczenith1.
The bad guys out there looking to steal our personal information have millions of possible targets so I probably have worried too much about my router being compromised.
My SSN was stolen about 10 years ago and was used to open fraudulent accounts in my name. That incident spooked me and caused many headaches for me contacting the 3 credit agencies in repairing my good name and good credit rating. My goal has been to improve my wireless router security and I feel I have done that by upgrading to a newer Asus router that provides firmware updates. Thank You to all who have assisted me on this very helpful forum.
 

Latest threads

Support SNBForums w/ Amazon

If you'd like to support SNBForums, just use this link and buy anything on Amazon. Thanks!

Sign Up For SNBForums Daily Digest

Get an update of what's new every day delivered to your mailbox. Sign up here!
Back
Top