ASUS RT-AC68P AsusWrt-Merlin Firmware 386.9 Beta 1

The AsusWrt-Merlin firmware was developed with the primary goal of boosting the original ASUS firmware, fix bugs and also add new improvements. This package includes a customized firmware targeted at ASUS routers that brings various changes without modifying the interface of the original firmware.

System:

- NOTE: 386_xx release are only for Wifi 5 (802.11ac) models.
- NEW: Merged with GPL 386_50757.
- UPDATED: getdns/stubby to 1.7.2/0.4.2.
- UPDATED: zlib to 1.2.12 + backports.
- UPDATED: openssl to 1.1.1s.
- UPDATED: inadyn to 2.10.0.
- UPDATED: nettle to 3.8.1.
- UPDATED: openvpn to 2.5.8.
- UPDATED: dropbear to 2022.83.
- UPDATED: dnsmasq to 2.88.
- CHANGED: Rebranded DNSFilter as DNS Director. This will prevent confusion with the company sharing the same name, and also better describes what the feature does.
- CHANGED: Setting an OpenVPN client to redirect all traffic while in "Exclusive" DNS mode will now force redirect ALL DNS traffic just like in VPN Director mode. While this will allow redirecting clients with hardcoded DNS servers, it also means that your whole LAN will lose the ability of doing local name resolution. It might be best to use VPN Director in that case to control which client should be involved in the DNS redirection, or use DNSFilter instead of Exclusive DNS mode. editing VPNDirector rules.
- CHANGED: Switched generated self-signed certificate to an EC certificate.
- CHANGED: Disabled DSS key support in Dropbear SSH.
- FIXED: Wrong temperatures used by the temperature graphs (386.8 regression)
- FIXED: Guest Network clients couldn't route through VPN (regression in 386.4 following a GPL merge).
- FIXED: Clients connected to Guest Network 1 aren't redirected to the router's NTP if NTP interception is enabled.
- FIXED: Name was truncated to 31 chars when enabling OpenVPN client's Server Certificate Name Validation.
- FIXED: CVE-2022-37434 in zlib.
- REMOVED: Interface selector on Speedtest page (no longer working, possibly due to an ookla client update)

Installation

- Simply flash it like any regular update. You should not need to reset to factory defaults (see note below for exceptions). You can revert back to an original Asus firmware at any time just by flashing a firmware downloaded from Asus's website.
- If the firmware upgrade fails, try rebooting your router to free up sufficient memory, without any USB disk plugged in, then try flashing it again.
- If you run into any issue after an upgrade and you haven't done so,try doing a factory default reset as well.
- Always read the changelog, as mandatory resets will be mentionned there when they are necessary.
- In all of these cases, do NOT load a saved copy of your settings! This would be the same thing as NOT resetting at all, as you will simply re-enter any invalid setting you wanted to get rid of. Make sure to create a new backup of your settings after reconfiguring.

NOTE:

- Resetting to factory default after flashing is strongly recommended for the following cases: Updating from a firmware version that is more than 3 releases older or Switching from a Tomato/DD-WRT/OpenWRT firmware

Installation Notes:

- This custom firmware can be applied like any regular update.
- You should not need to reset to factory defaults.
- You can revert back to an original ASUS firmware at any time.
- Do not load a saved copy of your settings.  

About Router Firmware:

Before you consider downloading this firmware, go to the system information page of the router and make sure that the currently installed version isn't either newer or matching this release.

Due to the large variety of router models and different methods for upgrading the device, it is highly recommended that you read and, above all, understand the installation steps before you apply the new firmware, even if you are a power user.

In theory, these steps shouldn't be much of a hassle for anyone, because manufacturers try to make them as easy as possible, even if they don't always succeed. Basically, you must upload the new firmware to the router through its administration page and allow it to upgrade.

If you install a new version, you can expect increased security levels, different vulnerability issues to be resolved, improved overall performance and transfer speeds, enhanced compatibility with other devices, added support for newly developed technologies, as well as several other changes.

If you're looking for certain safety measures, remember that it would be best if you perform the upload using an Ethernet cable rather than a wireless connection, which can be interrupted easily. Also, make sure you don't power off the router or use its buttons during the installation, if you wish avoid any malfunctions.

If this firmware meets your current needs, get the desired version and apply it to your router unit; if not, check with our website as often as possible so that you don't miss the update that will improve your device.