ASUS GT-BE96U AsusWrt-Merlin Firmware 3006.102.1 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.

Changes:

- NEW: Added support for GT-BE98_PRO.
- NEW: Added support for RT-BE96U.
- NOTE: Wifi 7 devices don't support NFS (issue with new toolchain), QoS classification page (issue with TrendMicro BWDPI) or Wifi Radar (not updated by Broadcom).
- NEW: Added dnsmasq-INDEX.conf.add and stubby-INDEX.yml.add, which are appended to SDN config files (INDEX = SDN index number)
- NEW: Added dnsmasq-sdn.postconf and stubby-sdn.postconf. They take two arguments: path to the config file for that SDN's instance and the SDN index number (1 for the first SDN instance)
- NEW: Rewrote VPN killswitch implementation. The new method uses an always present routing rule to prohibit access to the main routing table, so it will be active even if the user manually stops a client. Removing the prohibit rule requires disabling the killswitch on the webui. The rules are also created before WAN goes up, to reduce the risks of leaks between WAN going up and VPN connecting.
- NEW: Added killswitch support for WireGuard clients.
- UPDATED: Merged with GPL 3.0.0.6.102_34369.
- UPDATED: Chart.js was upgraded from 2.x to 3.9, to share the same version used by Asus. Any third party addon that used it will need to upgrade their charts to the new version.
- UPDATED: wget to 1.24.5.
- CHANGED: Switched to a different qrcode generation script, to share the same script used by Asus.
- CHANGED: WireGuard and OpenVPN clients use different iproute2 table IDs, to be in line with Asus's own table IDs. The names defined in rt_tables remain unchanged.
- CHANGED: Implemented support for Wifi 7 and SDN on the Wireless Log page.
- CHANGED: Implemented DNSDirector webui for SDN.
- CHANGED: Removed stop/start and "Start with WAN" buttons from OpenVPN clients. There is now just a single "Enable" option, which will immediately start the client when applying changes, and will also start it automatically when WAN comes up. This is to reduce confusion, better integrate into SDN, and match how WireGuard clients already worked.
- CHANGED: ipset is now compiled into the kernel rather than as modules (to match with Asus)
- CHANGED: Removed led_disable nvram, we now share the same AllLED nvram as used by Asus for the LED button (and AiMesh sync)
- FIXED: JS error on Wifi 6e/7 models when toggling DDNS.
- REMOVED: Option dns_local_cache from Tools -> Tweak settings, to avoid issues with SDN that run their own dnsmasq instances.
- REMOVED: Wifi Radar was removed (unsupported by Wifi 7 devices, and security issues cited by Asus in their own recent releases).

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.