Anyone Using an Asus DSL-AC68U

This related to the RT AC68U, but I will post it here as well if ASUS are monitoring this thread, just in case.

Currently wanting to see if people are experiencing the same problem I have on the latest firmware on the RT. Currently in talks with support but haven't got more than 'make sure latest firmware, make sure you factory reset after latest firmware' so I sent them a more detailed idea of what was going on:

Hi,

Yes, I reset the device after a firmware reset.

I received a replacement AC68U from Amazon UK yesterday, I can confirm this happens on the new one as well - so I think this is a bug introduced by the latest firmware perhaps.

This is what I did with the new one:

- Updated it to latest firmware, reset to factory defaults.
- Set it all up again
- Begin connecting devices, initially, so far so good.

(List of devices connected:

My desktop PC through LAN
My laptop
My Note III phone

Parent Laptop
Parent Phone (S3 Mini)

Netgear Wifi Extender)

After this, it began to play up again. I tried to connect it to my mothers Tablet (Tab 10.1) and it would connect, but refuse to get an IP, timing out with "Network disabled due to bad connection" which was false as I was right next to the router.
The only thing that would get it to connect is changing the setting from DHCP in the phone to static, and then it would connect.

Tried again on my father's phone, same deal. Except, once I had rebooted the router his phone was able to connect through DHCP again, as what happened on the older router.

So, it seems for some reason I can't exactly pin down, the router stops being able to assign IPs for devices asking for them through DHCP (I gave it a range of 192.168.1.1-10, as I set static ones outside this range immediately after). A reboot seemingly fixes this, but is annoying and a bad sign if I need to do this.
Click to expand...

If anyone else has been encountering these issues I'd love to hear it so I can see what's going on. Two routers and the same issue in both says firmware side to me.
 
I have experienced one device, my tv, losing its wireless connection and being unable to reconnect, now it is wired and seems to be stable. All other wired and wireless connections, including this Sony xperia z2 tablet I am typing on and my partner's samsung tablet also, have been stable.

I see asus have now formally release a 2072 firmware http://support.asus.com/Download.aspx?SLanguage=en&m=DSL-AC68U&p=11&s=2

Changelog:
1.Fixed ADSL Annex M mode related issues(specifically with some ISP in Australia).
2.DSL firmware updated - v1.0.1.7.
3.Fixed various UI related issues.
4.Fixed QIS VDSL WAN (PTM) Quick Manual Setting, Static IP & Automatic IP setup issue.
5.Add PPP username & password field for QIS VDSL WAN (PTM) Quick Manual Setting specifically for UK ISP, Sky - Fibre Broadband DHCP option 61 requirement.
6.Add predefined QIS ADSL WAN (ATM) Quick Manual Setting DNS server address for France ISP, Free Degroupe.
7.Fixed Disk Utility displays invalid “Errors have been detected on your hard drive” warning issue.
8.Fixed live notification related issues.
9.Fixed Dual WAN related issues.
10.Fixed Ethernet WAN mode Multicast Route failed to work issue.
11.Fine tune Feedback feature.
12.Fixed disk format Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) compatibility issue.

EDIT: Not sure why it's dated 1.10.2014 or did I miss one?
 
Last edited:
My bad, seems like I looked at the wrong dsl-ac68u on the Asus support site. Kinda weird how there is two..
 
Last edited:
Mine has just updated to _2158 which I think is the latest one out there. I noticed some SNR figures have changed from what they were before. But these are all things I had changing from the emails from Asus. looks like they have found some common traits and put them all together in an update.
 
I haven't tried the official 2158 yet, but so far I've observed that both 2158 test firmwares are producing an instability on similar settings to current settings (error seconds build up and get worse after 14-16 hours of uptime, until eventually losing sync). I'm currently on the official 2155 and it's still stable with spectrum killed manually.

80,000Kbps max sync rate, INP 4, delay 8ms, target SNRM 9.0dB:
Code: 
near-end path0 fec:     275364182(275364105)
near-end path0 crc:     134(134)
near-end fec sec:       147939(147939)
near-end err sec:       46(46)
near-end ses sec:       0(0)
near-end los sec:       0(0)
near-end ua  sec:       0(0)
far-end path0 fec:      234(552033)
far-end path0 crc:      33(2185)
far-end fec sec:        78(9538)
far-end err sec:        33(1616)
far-end ses sec:        0(0)
far-end los sec:        0(764)
far-end ua  sec:        0(36081)
outDiscards=3027
inDiscards=72
outBytes=3926834178
inBytes=3662298181
outPkts=33433935
inPkts=31495968
fwVer= FwVer:5.5.1.126_B_A60901 HwVer:T14.F7_0.1

lineState=up
Opmode=ITU G.993.2(VDSL2)
SNRMarginDown=8.9 dB
AttenDown=10.4 dB
SNRMarginUp=15.6 dB
AttenUp=0.1 dB
DataRateDown=61552 kbps
DataRateUp=20000 kbps
WanListMode=1
FECDown=275364112
FECUp=234
CRCDown=134
CRCUp=33
HECDown=0
HECUp=0
ADSLUpTime=1 day, 18:26, 31 secs
ADSLActiveTime=0 min, 19 secs
PowerDown=12.8 dbm
PowerUp=6.4 dbm
AttainUp=33678
AttainDown=97600
ShowtimeStart=19
TotalStart=19

I'll reduce the INP and delay once DLM has intervened and restored most (or all) of my original downstream profile.
 
after 3 days i had adsl disconnection too but had spectrum on and firmware 2158 with new spectrum
will put back 2155 with the spectrum enabled and will kill it off manually
 
I see. Does 2158 official have a new spectrum?

So far 2155 still seems to work the best here, with spectrum killed.
 
Ixel said:
I see. Does 2158 official have a new spectrum?

So far 2155 still seems to work the best here, with spectrum killed.
Click to expand...

no i don't think so ... asus said will fine tune the spectrum perhaps next firmware

it seems and for me 2155 with spectrum killed works best but for my line adsl bit swap off is better as well
 
I think I will wait before updating my firmware until you guys have passed it fit to fix the issues. Seems like mine resets every 10 days so perhaps it is more dlm related than the actual router itself.
 
Last edited:
I have been up and running with the latest firmware now for almost two days not and not had any dropouts. Seem to be getting the same sort of speeds as always. Will run a speedtest when home and compare it to other firmware speeds.
 
An update to say that, on 2155 official, after more than 36 hours the interval of CRC errors seems to gradually increase and become worse. For the sake of trying to keep my ILQ green I've just re-synced after over 3 days of uptime. I might try updating to 2158 official tonight. If that doesn't help then I'll begin re-syncing my connection automatically every 24 hours (e.g. at 3am). Other than that, no serious error spikes like before - so stability has significantly improved with spectrum being killed on 2155.
 
I signed up specifically after spotting this thread and having the DSL-AC68U on my list of about 3 FTTC modem/routers to replace my locked B-Focus modem and horrid Homehub 3.

Having read through the thread ENTIRELY it seems Ixel and babis3g have made considerable strides in making the device a lot more reliable than it was. Though not entirely problem free yet. So im here to offer some help :)

Ive noticed over at...
http://www.asus.com/support/Download/11/2/0/120/a1hV6dbr0aJWiWD9/8/
There is a the source code available for this router, yes its for an older version of the firmware however this could be a good starting block to iron out the issues such as bitswap perhaps not performing as it should and the issues with spectrum enabled.

If i can and if i buy one of these routers i would be more than willing to modify and at the least attempt to compile that source code into various versions with various suggested changes. Looking at it quickly already it would seem it would be easy to add an option to the interface to enable/disable spectrum, modify it and possibly (at least as much as can be done) almost removing it entirely (well see its at a bare minimum). Ill be looking to buy a new device within the next month, unless something better comes along the DSL-AC68U is probably no.2 on my list at the moment.

The only issue i would have at the moment is my FTTC is currently interleaved, easily seen on speedtestnet and pingtest by the doubled ping time :( (happened over Xmas probably due to a house opposite me that had hundreds of Xmas lights adorning the outside of their house, which is right next to the phone pole to make it even worse lol) so monitoring how any changes i make with regards to stability when on fastpath, or running at full attainable/actual rates would be difficult.

However if Ixel has the time and would like to PM/Trust message me a rough guide to how to alter the max sync rates, interleaving depths etc with TC-Console and or the Mediatek interface before i go and buy one of the things or attempting messing with the firmware i would be more than willing to give it a go and join in on the challenge of making this device a solid workhorse.

Im no expert with regards to what every setting in a feature packed device like this may do, though id like to think i have half a clue and could help out, i understand most of it and am no stranger to SNR tweaking etc. Most coding things especially when there is a source code i am however more than good with and reckon i could compile it with all types of alterations.

The firmware is GPL which basically means you can to use, study, share (copy), and modify the software so Asus should have no issue, in fact it sounds like they need all the help they can get ;)

PS... congrats to Ixel, babis3g and others that have not given up on the device yet, from what i have seen physically of the DSL-AC68U it has a massive amount of potential.
 
bitsNbobs said:
I signed up specifically after spotting this thread and having the DSL-AC68U on my list of about 3 FTTC modem/routers to replace my locked B-Focus modem and horrid Homehub 3.

Having read through the thread ENTIRELY it seems Ixel and babis3g have made considerable strides in making the device a lot more reliable than it was. Though not entirely problem free yet. So im here to offer some help :)

Ive noticed over at...
http://www.asus.com/support/Download/11/2/0/120/a1hV6dbr0aJWiWD9/8/
There is a the source code available for this router, yes its for an older version of the firmware however this could be a good starting block to iron out the issues such as bitswap perhaps not performing as it should and the issues with spectrum enabled.

If i can and if i buy one of these routers i would be more than willing to modify and at the least attempt to compile that source code into various versions with various suggested changes. Looking at it quickly already it would seem it would be easy to add an option to the interface to enable/disable spectrum, modify it and possibly (at least as much as can be done) almost removing it entirely (well see its at a bare minimum). Ill be looking to buy a new device within the next month, unless something better comes along the DSL-AC68U is probably no.2 on my list at the moment.

The only issue i would have at the moment is my FTTC is currently interleaved, easily seen on speedtestnet and pingtest by the doubled ping time :( (happened over Xmas probably due to a house opposite me that had hundreds of Xmas lights adorning the outside of their house, which is right next to the phone pole to make it even worse lol) so monitoring how any changes i make with regards to stability when on fastpath, or running at full attainable/actual rates would be difficult.

However if Ixel has the time and would like to PM/Trust message me a rough guide to how to alter the max sync rates, interleaving depths etc with TC-Console and or the Mediatek interface before i go and buy one of the things or attempting messing with the firmware i would be more than willing to give it a go and join in on the challenge of making this device a solid workhorse.

Im no expert with regards to what every setting in a feature packed device like this may do, though id like to think i have half a clue and could help out, i understand most of it and am no stranger to SNR tweaking etc. Most coding things especially when there is a source code i am however more than good with and reckon i could compile it with all types of alterations.

The firmware is GPL which basically means you can to use, study, share (copy), and modify the software so Asus should have no issue, in fact it sounds like they need all the help they can get ;)

PS... congrats to Ixel, babis3g and others that have not given up on the device yet, from what i have seen physically of the DSL-AC68U it has a massive amount of potential.
Click to expand...

I see, thanks. Unfortunately the source code I believe is just for the router side, not the modem side. I believe the modem source code is closed source :(. If however I'm wrong, that would be great! I'm fiddling about the bs_params to see if I can improve it further.

EDIT: I'll contact you shortly.
 
Last edited:
In smallnetbuilder.com they have changed the firmware only in asus routers.Not in modem-routers. They changed the firmware in RT-AC68u which is the same hardware except from modem capability.
 
While it would be nice to have the full EcoNet/MediaTek MT7510/7555 driver source i doubt i will need it once i also play with the Serial port on the board ;)
 
Last edited:
Just an update to say that I've bumped the bitswap trigger SNRM diff up to 4.5dB, default is 3.0dB. I've tried much higher numbers (e.g. 8.0dB) and this resulted in a laggy debugging output and eventually serious errors, so clearly setting it too high results in bad consequences.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what purpose it serves, as it doesn't serve the purpose I had originally thought it did. I've also tried much lower numbers, e.g. 1.0dB, and this has resulted in a stable connection although on interleaved the FEC errors go up much quicker and wildly, CRC errors I think are fine though - fastpath I'm unclear how this effects CRC errors for now.

So, I'm now trying 4.5dB which half my target SNRM of 9.0dB. FEC errors remain reasonable after 5 and a half hours of uptime on INP 4, delay 8ms, so far.

Code: 
near-end path0 fec:     100161
near-end path0 crc:     17
near-end fec sec:       601
near-end err sec:       5
near-end ses sec:       0
near-end los sec:       0
near-end ua  sec:       0
far-end path0 fec:      38
far-end path0 crc:      4
far-end fec sec:        15
far-end err sec:        4
far-end ses sec:        0
far-end los sec:        0
far-end ua  sec:        0
outDiscards=331
inDiscards=5015
outBytes=3865591580
inBytes=3805766727
outPkts=113594950
inPkts=106522269
fwVer= FwVer:5.5.1.126_B_A60901 HwVer:T14.F7_0.1

lineState=up
Opmode=ITU G.993.2(VDSL2)
SNRMarginDown=8.8 dB
AttenDown=10.3 dB
SNRMarginUp=12.2 dB
AttenUp=0.1 dB
DataRateDown=63581 kbps
DataRateUp=20000 kbps
WanListMode=1
FECDown=100161
FECUp=38
CRCDown=17
CRCUp=4
HECDown=0
HECUp=0
ADSLUpTime= 5:38, 35 secs
ADSLActiveTime=0 min, 19 secs
PowerDown=12.8 dbm
PowerUp=6.4 dbm
AttainUp=28856
AttainDown=99016
ShowtimeStart=19
TotalStart=294
InterleaveDepth=1347
AdslStandard=VDSL2
AdslType=ANNEX_B
mtenStandard=T1.413

I'll post an update in a few hours to see if anything changes much. I'm currently using firmware version 2155 original.
 
Without having the device in my hands its a bit hard to say but im guessing the figure you have set relates to how much the db on any frequency has to change before bitswap interferes (adjusts things).

The higher the figure the more get shifted once bitswap comes into play. Which equates to more work for the device to do, which in turn can make the performance lag.

When its set at something like 1db the changes would be more frequent but more subtle (less noticeable) and thus less work for the device. This is not right but to simplify it more if you think of it like files on a computer, moving a 1kb file is done quicker and with less processing load than moving a 10000kb file.

If i had to guess the higher you set that figure the more even (level) a db chart (like the ones that have been posted earlier in the thread) will look but but the device is having to shift things in bigger lumps to do it.

Out of interest can you connect if you disable bitswap entirely and if so what effect does that have? If you can im guessing it either results in A) lower attainable and thruput rate (IE connection speeds) B) lower connection speeds + more errors or C) just more errors but same speed?

If DISABLING bitswap results in A) then bitswap is likely working properly, if its B) then bitswap works but not correctly. if its C) bitswap is not working properly at all.

Also does the device have a trelis or similar setting? and if so what happens if you enable or disable that?
 
bitsNbobs said:
Out of interest can you connect if you disable bitswap entirely and if so what effect does that have? If you can im guessing it either results in A) lower attainable and thruput rate (IE connection speeds) B) lower connection speeds + more errors or C) just more errors but same speed?

If DISABLING bitswap results in A) then bitswap is likely working properly, if its B) then bitswap works but not correctly. if its C) bitswap is not working properly at all.
Click to expand...

Disabling bitswap causes a loss of sync within minutes due to a high number of errors. No change in speed on showtime that I've noticed. I've disabled bitswap on the HG612 in the past and didn't lose sync on that device, although did get slightly more errors and a small drop in SNRM over time (as I'd expect).

bitsNbobs said:
Also does the device have a trelis or similar setting? and if so what happens if you enable or disable that?
Click to expand...

It does have settings for Trellis Coding Modulation, and as far as I recall disabling TCM resulted in lower sync rates/attainable rates (which I'd expect).

I've also sent you a trust message.
 
Sounds as though Bitswap may also have a slight bug, normally disabling bitswap should result in either...
A) a slightly slower speed at sync time (on VDSL <though this is a guess as ive never been able to measure on VDSL with a locked down Openreach modem> probably talking a max of 2Mb on ADSL you normally lose around 512k give or take).
or
B) No change at all to speed, with errors only SLIGHTLY different or increased (by that i mean nothing which would make significant difference to a connections stability only over very long periods) which is what it sounds like happens with your HG612. Which would indicate on that device bitswap and the connection in general is working as it should.

A line should not lose sync within minutes with Bitswap disabled, well unless the line is very poor, has a fault, significant noise or in general terrible margins (which looking at earlier posts your line does NOT have those issues).

Disabling Trelis should basically reduce sync speeds as you have seen however it should not alter how stable the line is to any degree. I was more curious if by disabling Trelis you notice any difference in how stable things are?

It would not shock me if Trelis and Bitswap are in some form linked and more than they should be. I had an old DLink device years ago (back in the Upto 1Mb days) where you could not disable one of those functions without disabling the other.

Its possible that by altering the value on one it has an affect in some regard on the other more than it should. Also depending on what that Bitswap setting you have altered does it may also alter the modulation trelis is applying to the bits, which in turn affects the error rates... See http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/error_correction.htm#Trellis for more of an idea of what i potentially mean, because i may not have explained that very well. This could also be why the device lags with the bitswap setting you have altered set to a higher value like 8db.

PS:
Got your trust message :) and have responded via email direct to the address mentioned in the message. Thanks for contacting me.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom