How stable is DD-WRT for an ASUS RT-AC3200

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mvdheijkant
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Joined: 20 Jun 2022
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Mon Jun 20, 2022 18:08    Post subject: How stable is DD-WRT for an ASUS RT-AC3200 Reply with quote
I have an Asus RT-AC3200 with the latest Merlin version installed, but that one is already 2 years old. And the AC3200 is no longer supported.
Because I want to add VLAN I want to install DD-WRT.

I see lot's of older topic up to, from 10 years ago describing some issues. I simply wan't to know how stable are the latest firmware's from last year.
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foreverforgotten
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Joined: 16 Jun 2022
Posts: 16
Location: Dallas, TX

PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2022 0:17    Post subject: Reply with quote
Can't speak for RT-AC3200 but I'm running the latest DD-WRT build on RT-AC5300 successfully and it's very stable. Much more so than Merlin which I also used to run and had to reboot on a recurring basis to restore one or more of the wifi interfaces.

But important thing is to ensure you flash the router properly if you decide to make the switch (via rescue mode after a hard factory reset.) After you have dd-wrt on the router you can use the web GUI to install updated builds on the router.

Also research the forums and wiki for optimal settings with Wifi, otherwise you'll likely see a drop in performance initially after flashing.

I took my time before diving in, and reading the wiki and forum posts can produce conflicting and confusing information. Don't rush and sleep on things when something seems confusing, then come back and read/search again.

My process for RT-AC5300, which is a tri-band router. Your milage and procedures may vary:

- Hard reset before installing DD-WRT - https://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1039074
○ RT-AC5300: https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1046971

- Put router into rescue mode (make sure you have firmware restoration utility installed on your PC beforehand) - https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1000814/

- Use firmware restoration utility for initial install of DD-WRT or Mini Web Server on router itself after placed into recovery mode

- After initial flash, wait 5 - 10 minutes for NVRAM initial writes by dd-wrt. Don't underestimate this step ... impatience combined with hard-reboots of the router at this stage are a great cocktail for trouble.
○ Observation: 2.4 GHz antenna LED light did not turn on after initial flash and waiting period. It did turn on after 2nd hard reset, possibly suggesting and validating why the 2nd hard reset is needed to help flush the NVRAM.

- Access homepage to verify DD-WRT, just to verify it's running and prompts for a new ID/password. Did not set at this point.

- Hard reset again
○ Observation: Now the 2.4 GHz antenna LED light turned on along with 5 GHz, WAN, etc. 2nd reset is essential to ensure proper NVAM init.

- Set new username and PW
○ Observation: As I modified the default username, the page appeared to not load/progress after submitting this change. I waiting 1-2 minutes, then opened a private web browser window to access the homepage again, which prompted for ID/PW after accessing the setup or any other tab.

- At this point, router is up, but WAN is down.

- Powered off router.

- Unplugged modem, waited 60 seconds.

- Reconnected modem, waited for its status to indicate online.

- Powered up router, obtained WAN IP, online.

- Enable logging: https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Logs

- Enable SSH service: https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Telnet/SSH_and_the_command_line
○ SSH login is "root" even if you change the account used for web UI logins

- Set up router name and wireless network names.

- Configured wireless security (note config).
○ Observations:
§ 2nd 5GHz network reported as WEP to clients. Rebooted router which fixed this issue.

§ One 5GHz antenna @ 40 MHz and other at 80 MHz to avoid channel overlap, as doing so prevents one of the SSIDs from being visible to many devices (but not all)
https://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=141576
https://support.flashrouters.com/dd-wrt/wifi-setup/asus-rt-ac5300-dd-wrt-wifi-settings/

- At this stage, clients/devices are back online. Network connectivity is restored, but network perform is not optimal based on speed tests for both LAN and WiFi.
○ Merge between these articles to help set basic and advanced WiFi settings:
§ https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1198757#1198757
§ https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=327595
□ I did not apply all settings recommended by this user. Also applied recommendations from the basic/advanced sections below.
§ https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Basic_Wireless_Settings
§ https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Advanced_wireless_settings

- Backup CFE (bootstraps the router) - https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/CFE_backup

Hope this helps!
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