Webui issue with Safari running on Mac

[Rumboogy]

Issue occurs when connecting to the router's webui from a Mac using the Safari browser. The symptom is the "spinning beach ball" (e.g. non responsive browser) and high CPU load for the Safari process. The issue only occurs when connecting to the webui using HTTPS.

Conditions
Hardware: RT-AC1900P
Firmware: RT-AC68U_380.68_0
Mac OS: 10.12.6
Safari: 10.1.2
Connection type: WiFi

Any ideas?

As a workaround I am using Firefox to connect to the webui securely. No issues with high CPU or freezing of the app (other than Firefox's normal slowness).

 

[martinr]

Looks like you're not alone: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/r...-380-68-is-available.40761/page-9#post-344466

Just use another browser and try again each time Safari gets updated. Or don't use https. You are only connecting over the LAN and never over the WAN?

 

[Rumboogy]

Looks like you're not alone: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/r...-380-68-is-available.40761/page-9#post-344466

Just use another browser and try again each time Safari gets updated. Or don't use https. You are only connecting over the LAN and never over the WAN?

At the moment I am only connecting over the LAN so I guess it is not a huge issue. I was just trying to tighten down my IT by using HPPS to connect to key devices like the router/NAS etc.

 

[RMerlin]

There's something about Asuswrt's https support that doesn't work well with some specific browsers, and I'm unable to figure out what it is. This one will have to be fixed upstream.

 

[Rumboogy]

There's something about Asuswrt's https support that doesn't work well with some specific browsers, and I'm unable to figure out what it is. This one will have to be fixed upstream.

OK, easy enough to just use Firefox. But I have to say that HTTPS seems problematic in general. When using Firefox I am no longer able to connect using the address that the webui tells me that I should be using (https://router.asus.com:8443). At this point I can only successfully connect using the IP address of the router (https://192.168.1.1:8443).

Is there anyway to improve the robustness of using HTTPS? Would it help if I used my own certificate or made some other change?

 

[NewFolk]

Same to me.
iOS 10.3.x
OS X (Safari 10.1.2)

PS I have certificate from lets encrypt. This does not help.

 

[RMerlin]

s there anyway to improve the robustness of using HTTPS?

No, something's wrong with either Asuswrt's httpd server or the webui content. I tried to track down the issue and I couldn't, so this one will have to be fixed upstream by Asus.

 

[sfx2000]

No, something's wrong with either Asuswrt's httpd server or the webui content. I tried to track down the issue and I couldn't, so this one will have to be fixed upstream by Asus.

It's the cert... safari is kinda odd about it - try firefox...

 

[RMerlin]

It's the cert... safari is kinda odd about it - try firefox...

It's not the cert. Firefox and Chrome both suffer random stalls while accessing the webui over https. In Chrome's case, it will even peg the computer's CPU for a few seconds when it happens.

In fact, I'd say that after all the work I've done on it over the years, Asuswrt-Merlin's cert is one of the "best" among embedded devices that I have seen so far. I even provide appropriate SAN records now.

Qualisys Lab was even giving me a higher score than to many public websites out there LOL

I suspect it's something between the SSL socket code used by httpd (that code looks very suspicious to me, it was originally written by a Tomato dev, and makes odd uses of SSL cookies) and the XML synchronous requests. The httpd being single-threaded, I suspect there might be some deadlock case at work.

 

[sfx2000]

It's not the cert. Firefox and Chrome both suffer random stalls while accessing the webui over https. In Chrome's case, it will even peg the computer's CPU for a few seconds when it happens.

I probably phrased it incorrectly - The more recent versions of Safari have their own issues with HTTPS - Chrome and Firefox do better here...

 

[Rumboogy]

Stupid question, what is a "cert"

 

[NewFolk]

Safari 11 and iOS 11 works great!

 

[Rumboogy]

Safari 11 and iOS 11 works great!

Are you saying it works well with Merlin? Are you referring to the HTTPS issue?

 

[NewFolk]

Yes, it was my first impression. But than I notice some lags at logout, and after logout from ui.

But before 11 version safari does not work with https and get 100% CPU. Now it is lags on some UI elements, but 90% time it works good.