Asus RT-AC66U: Is there a version of DD-WRT that works?

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Brett Glass
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 22:17    Post subject: Asus RT-AC66U: Is there a version of DD-WRT that works? Reply with quote
I have here on my desk an Asus RT-AC66U (the original, not a B1) router. I've tried flashing multiple builds of DD-WRT into it, via TFTP and the ROM's Web-based "debricking" page, with no success. Tomato Shibby, on the other hand, flashes every time and works. (I've also tried to go from Tomato to various builds of DD-WRT, but when I do this the results are the same as when I upload directly: the router doesn't boot and I wind up back on the "debricking" page.) Is there a recent version of DD-WRT that works on this router? I know that there used to be a collection of "Kong builds" that were reputed to work well on this and similar routers, but the site that hosted them contains only a note saying that the author isn't publishing them anymore and now uses OpenWRT. Help...?
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kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 22:51    Post subject: Reply with quote
<Kong> never supported the RT-AC66U that I am aware of:

http://ddwrt-kong.clonevince.fr/Supported%20Models

CloneVince's cache of <Kong> builds, for future reference:

http://ddwrt-kong.clonevince.fr/

I am sure you read the wiki: https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Asus_RT-AC66U

Not sure if that crossover build still applies as initial flash or not.

I would have to run a FreshTomato build for that one for you to test. Not sure if there are any gremlins going on with the last release or not, and not sure if pedro has run any betas yet.

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Brett Glass
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 0:37    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes, I read the Wiki. No help. I can't find any recent build of DD-WRT that flashes and runs. And while Tomato Shibby works in simple configurations, it isn't 100% stable. So, I was hoping that DD-WRT would work better. Does anyone out there have an RT-AC66U running DD-WRT and working? Or is the build just broken? (I might have to go to OpenWRT, which I dislike because the GUI is so badly designed and the system of modules is a mess.)
kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 1:12    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'll shoot you a PM when this thing is done compiling an AIO test build for FreshTomato for RT-AC66U, if you want to test it. The only other option I can think of is AsusWRT-Merlin, but the AC66U is considered legacy and he no longer actively supports that one.

https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/download

The latest public FreshTomato (Shibby Fork) is here:

https://freshtomato.org/downloads/freshtomato-mips/2020/2020.2/K26RT-AC/

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Brett Glass
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 1:27    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thank you! I see some "VPN" builds for the RT-AC66U on that page which seem surprisingly small and would therefore leave a lot of room for buffers and for RAM disks if they worked. Would your custom compile be from the current development tree rather than the "2020.2" release I see there?
kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 1:36    Post subject: Reply with quote
Current development tree commits plus my busybox upgrade to the latest stable busybox (1.31.1). Public builds are still using 1.25.1 from the last Shibby version. So, did you want AIO or just VPN? It's only half-way through the AIO build...
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Brett Glass
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 1:48    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'll take your advice as to which would be better. The only capability I must have other than basic Wi-Fi and router functions is the ability to make a PPTP WAN connection, because that is what the ISP uses for authentication (within more secure encryption, of course). If the VPN build would leave RAM free, and that extra RAM could improve performance, it'd be a plus. And simplicity is, of course, always a good thing.
kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 1:53    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think the 2020.2 release had PPTP issues, but the fixes should be included in the build I would compile. I can kill the AIO compile and do a VPN image instead. Just going to take a while. I need a dedicated build machine.

EDIT: I'll just let the AIO finish and then clean my local repo and run the VPN and then upload them to my cloud on mega.nz.

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Brett Glass
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 2:15    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thank you! I could then try both. One thing about PPTP in Shibby is that it didn't always re-establish a broken connection. Hopefully, the fixes you mention will solve that!
jwh7
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 2:17    Post subject: Reply with quote
Brett Glass wrote:
I see some "VPN" builds for the RT-AC66U on that page which seem surprisingly small and would therefore leave a lot of room for buffers and for RAM disks if they worked.
Buffer and RAM disk usage would be from RAM, not from flash which the smaller build saves. That would only benefit jffs usage, e.g.
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# NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD # Repeater issues # DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo #
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
Brett Glass
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 2:30    Post subject: Reply with quote
Does the smaller build not also save RAM by loading in less code? I would think so. (Even if it didn't, a simpler UI and fewer daemons to configure or disable would be beneficial.)
rumbleroast
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 3:00    Post subject: Asus RT-AC66U: Is there a version of DD-WRT that works? Reply with quote
The DD-WRT builds for this model have been terrible over the past few years. I believe some have blamed Broadcom for that.

I had been running a build from 2018 with a lot of changes and a scheduled nightly reboot to keep things running. I decided to try out r42729 giga (03/18/20) and it is much better than older builds and is stable for me.
kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 3:04    Post subject: Reply with quote
Running the VPN image compile now, but the AIO image is in the 2020.3.028-beta folder at the moment: https://tinyurl.com/ft-mips ... you can check later for the VPN image if you're not in a hurry.

rumbleroast wrote:
The DD-WRT builds for this model have been terrible over the past few years. I believe some have blamed Broadcom for that.

I had been running a build from 2018 with a lot of changes and a scheduled nightly reboot to keep things running. I decided to try out r42729 giga (03/18/20) and it is much better than older builds and is stable for me.


Yeah, I forgot to ask which "latest builds" of DD you were referring to, @Brett Glass lol

https://download1.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/betas/

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jwh7
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 3:38    Post subject: Reply with quote
Brett Glass wrote:
Does the smaller build not also save RAM by loading in less code? I would think so. (Even if it didn't, a simpler UI and fewer daemons to configure or disable would be beneficial.)
Only if you enable those additional functions in AIO. Wink One should always review any default-enabled features in any firmware they're running. Cool
_________________
# NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD # Repeater issues # DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo #
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
kernel-panic69
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Posts: 14125
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 3:49    Post subject: Reply with quote
VPN image uploaded. I'm going to have to make some adjustments and get a few things sorted so when I offer or people request... lol
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