Anyone Using an Asus DSL-AC68U

bitsNbobs · 22 Jan 2015 at 04:02

Ixel said:
My daily CRC count is similar if I'm on fastpath under the similar conditions.

EDIT: Thought I read 1,000, not 100 CRC every 24 hours, Nevermind.

Still, mind if I ask what your settings are, as your upstream attentuation would indicate to me that you're reducing the transmit power offset?

It would probably be best for any user with issues (virus2k obviously does not, nice connection the lucky swine :lol: ) to post connection stats and details in a similar way to what you do Ixel with Telnet and/or TC Console (whichever they prefer) as that can give a far fully picture of what is going on in many cases. I also agree based on the uprate and up attenuation it looks like Virus2k has UPBO (Upsteam power Back Off) disabled, when i think by default in the UK on FTTC that should be on. Then again his line does look very good so possible he is just extra lucky so and so lol

simoncraddock said:
I'm at 11hrs 40mins on the new 2160 firmware with just 1 CRC error on the US which is remarkable.

Maybe its time for everyone that has since killed spectrum and seen massive improvements to stability to hassle that paul bloke from Asus for an 'optional' firmware for us in the UK with the spectrum graphing/monitoring/whatever its spose to do removed. It would be so easy to do with the source right there in front of you and a few mins work to compile, im not sure why they would refuse. If they do not do it when i get my device i most certainly will as that seems to have made the biggest difference for most people.

ViRuS2k · 22 Jan 2015 at 07:12

Ixel said:
My daily CRC count is similar if I'm on fastpath under the similar conditions.

EDIT: Thought I read 1,000, not 100 CRC every 24 hours, Nevermind.

Still, mind if I ask what your settings are, as your upstream attentuation would indicate to me that you're reducing the transmit power offset?

Hi mate, everything is bog standard.
never messed with any DSL setting

---

UPBO is auto ??? not sure if its on or off lol

Evil Shubunkin · 22 Jan 2015 at 07:18

ViRuS2k said:
Hi mate, everything is bog standard.
never messed with any DSL setting.

Administration - DSL Setting

30a everything else is bog standard in fact im sure 30a was the default anyway.

Yeah 30a is the default setting, changing it to 17a doesn't seem to do much (for me at least) in improving stability.

It's definitely weird that some people have success yet others are suffering problems. I know from various posts Ixel and I are connected to ECI cabinets, and he's having to artificially apply small levels of interleaving to keep stability, I wonder if those who are having no problems are connected to Huawei cabs?

ViRuS2k · 22 Jan 2015 at 07:21

Evil Shubunkin said:
Yeah 30a is the default setting, changing it to 17a doesn't seem to do much (for me at least) in improving stability.

It's definitely weird that some people have success yet others are suffering problems. I know from various posts Ixel and I are connected to ECI cabinets, and he's having to artificially apply small levels of interleaving to keep stability, I wonder if those who are having no problems are connected to Huawei cabs?

I will try and find out what cab im connected to.
does there or is there any identification on the green cab to identify ?

one other thing i also have a MK2 socket attached to my main socket previously it had a adsl socket on and bt open reach added the socket my connection was so good when my MKIII socket arrived i didnt use it.
also i pre wired an extention cable from my main socket to my bedroom wich is 20 meters of extra cable and it also does not seem to have done anything to my line when it comes to stability.

Evil Shubunkin · 22 Jan 2015 at 07:45

ViRuS2k said:
I will try and find out what cab im connected to.
does there or is there any identification on the green cab to identify ?

one other thing i also have a MK2 socket attached to my main socket previously it had a adsl socket on and bt open reach added the socket my connection was so good when my MKIII socket arrived i didnt use it.
also i pre wired an extention cable from my main socket to my bedroom wich is 20 meters of extra cable and it also does not seem to have done anything to my line when it comes to stability.

Photos of the various different cabinets in use - http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/fttc-cabinets.htm#fttc_street_cabinet - should be one of those

My line is perfect with the ECI modem attached, no drop outs although I can't see my error rates which is the main area of concern for me when I try the DSL-AC68U. Sync at maximum rate as per the BT Wholesale checker (it stated 64.4Mbps, my current IP profile is 65.3Mbps which means a sync of around 67.5Mbps).

simoncraddock · 22 Jan 2015 at 08:36

Overnight mine has recorded just 50 CRC on the DS and 3 US for a 24hr period, which is probably the best I've seen on any router I've used in the past 8 months.
I'm connected to a ECI cabinet about 300 metres away.

As for settings...

Evil Shubunkin · 22 Jan 2015 at 08:52

That may rule out my cabinet theory.

My current bugbear with this device is that you can't see the ES and SES values from the GUI or in the text file. From what I've seen over on kitz forums, DLM doesn't use the CRC error count but does use ES and SES counts. So whilst I had 7000 CRC, it may only have been 300 ES and a few SES which may be OK, or maybe 7000 ES - but without seeing the stats there's no way of knowing.

babis3g · 22 Jan 2015 at 08:56

bitsNbobs said:
Also an UPDATE
I have now managed to extract a version of the firmware for this device, i am not confident it is properly and fully extracted at the moment though or anywhere near ready to be recompiled and tested. I still have to play about getting it to recompile in a manner which will work for installation. Still aiming to try and get one to play with towards the end of the month, at that time ill dump things via TTL/serial and compare what ive done thus far. Id also if successful like to bring back the Mediatek config pages and also build the firmware with TC Console as well as regular Telnet options include for fuller functionality and easier tweaking.

Ill let you all know my progress, gonna be slow what with post xmas bills, family and other things.

Been busy - good to know you have done some process

I don't know if you get reply from a similar programmer of previous dsl n55u but you may get some help (don't know why the project stopped-maybe busy)
possible links if you can get in touch
https://github.com/matteocrippa/dsl-n55u-bender
http://matteocrippa.it/
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx...18&board_id=11&model=DSL-N55U&page=1&count=20

andy66 · 22 Jan 2015 at 11:55

ViRuS2k said:
Hi mate, everything is bog standard.
never messed with any DSL setting

---

UPBO is auto ??? not sure if its on or off lol

Subtle things might be making a difference. If yours works well with "wrong" settings they might be the way to go.

Isn't the out of the box setting for DSL Modulation Auto Sync-Up ?
This would make some subtle changes to the initial negotiation.

The "correct" Annex Mode for UK FTTC is A.
Openreach uses an ANNEX B bandplan from the VDSL2 spec (G.993.2) over an Annex A (xDSL over POTS as per G.992.5) physical infrastructure.
The bandplan annex is implied by you VDSL profile setting. The Annex Mode setting is for the physical being over POTS or ISDN.
I bet the DSL log page says it has ignored that setting and says the Annex Mode in use is Annex A.

bitsNbobs · 22 Jan 2015 at 17:19

andy66 said:
Subtle things might be making a difference. If yours works well with "wrong" settings they might be the way to go.

Isn't the out of the box setting for DSL Modulation Auto Sync-Up ?
This would make some subtle changes to the initial negotiation.

The "correct" Annex Mode for UK FTTC is A.
Openreach uses an ANNEX B bandplan from the VDSL2 spec (G.993.2) over an Annex A (xDSL over POTS as per G.992.1) physical infrastructure.
The bandplan annex is implied by you VDSL profile setting. The Annex Mode setting is for the physical being over POTS or ISDN.
I bet the DSL log page says it has ignored that setting and says the Annex Mode in use is Annex A.

I think already earlier in the thread (somewhere from mid point on, unless it was elsewhere i read it) there was a very brief discussion about the Annex Mode setting being named poorly in the web interface, with one lot of information reporting Annex A and another Annex B. Not sure if they addressed that little quirk in later firmwares though. Can not find the exact page in the thread it was on, im either going blind or am tired.

babis3g said:
Been busy - good to know you have done some process

I don't know if you get reply from a similar programmer of previous dsl n55u but you may get some help (don't know why the project stopped-maybe busy)
possible links if you can get in touch
https://github.com/matteocrippa/dsl-n55u-bender
http://matteocrippa.it/
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx...18&board_id=11&model=DSL-N55U&page=1&count=20

Thanks babis3g, yep some past projects i have considered contacting, i have not yet though as i do not have the physical device in my hands just yet, which i think is going to be needed.

I have bookmarked all those links though, thankyou for that info, it saves me hunting around for other prior Asus projects. I think the author of the Merlin firmware would also be a good person to contact as a device that works on is so similar to this one just minus the DSL part of the chipset. In this regard that probably will not matter much, im more interested in how the various other projects extracted and compiled changes, hopefully when i contact those you mention and any others i find the will respond. I imagine they have got the procedure down to a stage they can do it with their eyes closed lol

ViRuS2k · 22 Jan 2015 at 18:02

andy66 said:
Subtle things might be making a difference. If yours works well with "wrong" settings they might be the way to go.

Isn't the out of the box setting for DSL Modulation Auto Sync-Up ?
This would make some subtle changes to the initial negotiation.

The "correct" Annex Mode for UK FTTC is A.
Openreach uses an ANNEX B bandplan from the VDSL2 spec (G.993.2) over an Annex A (xDSL over POTS as per G.992.1) physical infrastructure.
The bandplan annex is implied by you VDSL profile setting. The Annex Mode setting is for the physical being over POTS or ISDN.
I bet the DSL log page says it has ignored that setting and says the Annex Mode in use is Annex A.

I cant run in Annex A every time i select it and relog back into the router it shows as Annex B no matter what i do. and the only thing changed is dsl modulation selected from auto to vdsl.

andy66 · 22 Jan 2015 at 18:26

ViRuS2k said:
I cant run in Annex A every time i select it and relog back into the router it shows as Annex B no matter what i do.

Curious. What does the DSL Log page say is being used?

simoncraddock · 22 Jan 2015 at 18:56

The ASUS has always reported some what sketchy info regarding Annex mode.
During the initial set up of the box selecting a UK ISP automatically sets it to Annex Mode B which is what is reported in DSL Logs. The Annex Mode in DSL Settings should really be listed as Bandplan, which in the UK is required to be A. However this is not shown in the DSL Log screen in a obvious manner.

If you look at the Firmware version in my case FwVer:5.5.1.126_A_A60901 HwVer:T14.F7_0.1 you will see it indicates A.

I asked Asus numerous times last year to correct this but obviously they must think it's not important.

I also asked ASUS many months ago if a stats page along these lines was possible but got no answer...

Ixel · 22 Jan 2015 at 19:23

simoncraddock said:
The ASUS has always reported some what sketchy info regarding Annex mode.
During the initial set up of the box selecting a UK ISP automatically sets it to Annex Mode B which is what is reported in DSL Logs. The Annex Mode in DSL Settings should really be listed as Bandplan, which in the UK is required to be A. However this is not shown in the DSL Log screen in a obvious manner.

If you look at the Firmware version in my case FwVer:5.5.1.126_A_A60901 HwVer:T14.F7_0.1 you will see it indicates A.

I asked Asus numerous times last year to correct this but obviously they must think it's not important.

I also asked ASUS many months ago if a stats page along these lines was possible but got no answer...

In the FwVer, switching something called 'hwboard' between a setting of A or B (both connect, not sure on the difference though) causes the FwVer letter to change between A and B too. Changing 'hwboard' also causes a re-sync.

I believe...

Code:

wan tcif hwboard [a|b]

simoncraddock · 22 Jan 2015 at 19:31

Maybe its relating to something else, it was just something I noticed months ago when trying settings.

andy66 · 22 Jan 2015 at 19:39

simoncraddock said:
The ASUS has always reported some what sketchy info regarding Annex mode.
During the initial set up of the box selecting a UK ISP automatically sets it to Annex Mode B which is what is reported in DSL Logs. The Annex Mode in DSL Settings should really be listed as Bandplan, which in the UK is required to be A. However this is not shown in the DSL Log screen in a obvious manner.

If you look at the Firmware version in my case FwVer:5.5.1.126_A_A60901 HwVer:T14.F7_0.1 you will see it indicates A.

I asked Asus numerous times last year to correct this but obviously they must think it's not important.

I agree the ASUS is very confusing on this (though I did not think your suggested rename was any better - To my mind you are calling the wrong one bandplan). I hope they do something.
Edit: I do really like the rest of your suggested display though.

Interestingly it appears this DSL-AC68U behaviour is different to their DSL-N66U (which I have). Newer N66U f/w auto selects annex A setting for UK ISP (older f/w made you guess). Annex mode is also clearly reported on the N66U's DSL Log, and had always reported ANNEX_A for me regardless of what the annex mode setting is set to. ASUS's explanation to me was that their driver was automatically selecting (and reporting) the right one regardless of what I set the setting to.

simoncraddock · 22 Jan 2015 at 19:49

Is anyone still in regular contact with Asus or have they ceased replying these days?

cuke2u · 22 Jan 2015 at 19:49

bitsNbobs said:
Maybe its time for everyone that has since killed spectrum and seen massive improvements to stability to hassle that paul bloke from Asus for an 'optional' firmware for us in the UK with the spectrum graphing/monitoring/whatever its spose to do removed. It would be so easy to do with the source right there in front of you and a few mins work to compile, im not sure why they would refuse. If they do not do it when i get my device i most certainly will as that seems to have made the biggest difference for most people.

Agreed, anyone want to get a petition together or has his email address so we can contact him?

simoncraddock · 22 Jan 2015 at 19:50

andy66 said:
I agree the ASUS is very confusing on this (though I did not think your suggested rename was any better - To my mind you are calling the wrong one bandplan). I hope they do something.

It's always been something of a confusing grey area.

If I try to set up a manual WAN connection rather than select a pre-defined ISP selecting Annex A fails to connect, only B works here. I suggested long ago Asus issue a UK only firmware with everything that wasn't compatible be stripped out and added back in on a needs only basis, such as G.INP which is being rolled out.

RedBull2k · 22 Jan 2015 at 20:27

Anyone got that email address, so we can all mass send an email to him with our requests.

@Ixel
After i did a reboot the other day my sync came in at about 72, then after turning TCM off with the code you provided. My router gui was stating still 72, but when i run code in tcm to pull up the stats my sync was changed to 58,
Do you think with TCM disabled that it can effect sync? or do you think its dlm?