AsusWrt-Merlin Firmware 380.66 Beta 2 for RT-AC66W

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 since 380.66 Beta 1

- CHANGED: SSL certificate generated for httpds will now contain SANs for hostname, router.asus.com, IP and DDNS hostname.

Previous Changes:

- NEW: Merged with GPL 380_7378 (with many binary blobs from 380_7266.
- NEW: Option to disable Wanduck's constant DNS probing for WAN state (Tools -> Other Settings)
- NEW: Allow disabling use of DH, by entering "none" in the DH field for OpenVPN server config.
- CHANGED: Ovpn importer now recognizes the "port" parameter.
- CHANGED: Ovpn importer now support a third argument for the "remote" parameter, allowing to define the protocol.
- CHANGED: Updated Tor to 0.2.9.10
- CHANGED: Updated nano to 2.8.1
- CHANGED: Updated OpenVPN to 2.4.1
- CHANGED: Policy-based routing tables will now only contain routes related to their specific tunnel. This ensures that global routes cannot override a tunnel's policies.
- CHANGED: SSL certificate generated for httpds will now contain SANs for hostname, router.asus.com, IP and DDNS hostname.
- REMOVED: The Virtual Server page no longer allows users to edit existing port forwards (our existing code is incompatible with Asus's newer webui code and will need to be re-implemented.)
- FIXED: WOL page fails to load if adding a client with a quote in its name.
- FIXED: Couldn't add a DHCP reservation client if its name contained a quote.
- FIXED: New outbound connections weren't logged if firewall logging was enabled.
- FIXED: OpenVPN server didn't always work properly in udp mode when in a dual stack IPv4/IPv6 environment (backport from GPL 382_9736)
- FIXED: When disabling NCP support in OpenVPN, the router could still be trying to use it if the remote end had it enabled.
- FIXED: Potential CVE-2016-10229 security issue in kernel (unsure whether our kernel was vulnerable or not)

Notable changes:

- Port forwards can select a specific source IP
- Improved security against ssh break-in attempts

Known issues:

- Some wifi clients such as wireless printers have connectivity issues. Try disabling Airtime Fairness as a potential workaround.
 

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.