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TM-AC1900 (Rebranded RT-AC68U) Wireless-AC1900 Dual-Band Gigabit Router by ASUS - US $93.57 (~ AU $117.50) Shipped from Amazon

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TM-AC1900 (Rebranded RT-AC68U) Wireless-AC1900 Dual-Band Gigabit Router by ASUS - US $93.57 (~ AU $117.50) Shipped from AmazonAffiliate
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Puk3000 on 05/09/2017 - 14:40 amazon.com (4021 clicks)
Last edited 13/08/2018 - 12:01 by 1 other user
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A good price for a great router, might be interesting for those who don't care about the local warranty and are able/willing to re-flash it into the original ASUS RT-AC68U product (here's how). I personally use it with a well-respected Merlin firmware.

Might not be technically a deal, but IMO it is, considering the lowest available prices for the original RT-AC68U router.

UPDATED, to make it clear, this is just a router, it does not have a modem. I have not tried it with the original T-Mobile firmware as I re-flashed it right away. I myself use it on an NBN FTTN connection together with a dedicated VDSL2 modem in bridged mode, particualrly this Zhone 6712-W1, also from Amazon, configured like this. When I first got connected to NBN (via TPG), I tried a few different modems and Zhone had worked the best. Since then, I've switched away from TPG to a small telco, but this modem still works reliably. Your mileage may vary, but you certainly can buy these two things together and save on combined shipping. Especially, if you like tinkering with networking hardware :)

HOWTO Guide: Upgrading Merlin Firmware on RT-AC68U Router Converted from TM-AC1900 without Losing Settings.

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.
Computing ASUS Wireless Router

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closed Comments

    • uk3000 on 20/09/2017 - 06:16

      Guess no deposits are safe these days.

  • Perumal on 19/09/2017 - 19:30

    Hi @uk3000,
    I am soon going to be connected to FTTN and as per your suggestion, i purchased this router + Zhone 6712-W1 modem.
    Would you mind sharing the WAN service configuration or steps you followed for me for a smoother sail?
    Peru.

    • uk3000 on 20/09/2017 - 06:12

      Sorry I overlooked your post. Sure thing, enabling the bridge mode on Zhone is fairly strightforward, I'll post screenshosts for both the modem and the router when I'm back home, feel free to ping me here if I don't follow up. I suggest you update the Zhone's firmware, too (http://dasanzhone.com/support/).

      • Perumal on 21/09/2017 - 09:43

        Two things uk3000

        1. I couldnt ping you as i try to send you a message it says the following… "User uk3000 does not accept new conversations."
        2. I am trying to see where is their firmware? Do you have it with you? where you can upload somewhere and this community can flash it? Also, think you need to login before download (free though)
      • uk3000 on 21/09/2017 - 12:15

        Here you go. I only configured these three pages in Zhone:

        WAN
        LAN
        DSL

        Then, WAN as PPPoE in Asus:

        Asus WAN

        The cable goes from WAN port on Asus to LAN1 on Zhone.

        • Perumal on 22/09/2017 - 08:40
          +1

          Thank you so much. I havent done the changes yet.

  • aerondir on 20/09/2017 - 02:49
    +2

    Got Mine as well, though it didn't connect to tpg adsl2 with original firmware, couldn't even login with default admin/password to 192.168.29.1
    Following same 27+ steps guide http://www.bayareatechpros.com/ac1900-to-ac68u/ got to FW_RT_AC68U_30043763626.trx(don't know if actually needed) and then jumped to latest Merlin http://www.mediafire.com/file/0w0106g0k0p09wg/RT-AC68U_380.6…

    Pros - Awesome logs, Traffic Analyzer and different apps/features
    Cons - Cpu is indeed 800Mhz, and 6Tb Seagate doesn't work with usb 3.0 :(

    Also rookie mistake - do not share all your terrabytes of data with NLPA media server, it will load cpu up to 100% for a very long time.

    • uk3000 on 20/09/2017 - 06:25

      Apparently, it can be overclocked (disclaimer: I haven't tried this and not gonna to):

      nvram set clkfreq=1200,800
      nvram commit
      reboot

      • rdallen on 20/09/2017 - 13:05
        +1

        I'd be reluctant to do so without adding active cooling.
        My router's CPU is already running at 81C, and this is when it isn't doing much. Overclock it and really make it work hard would most likely push up the temperature quite considerably which could result in a shortened life, or instability.

        • uk3000 on 20/09/2017 - 16:39

          I totally agree. Just wondering if T-Mobile has underclocked their units on purpose, while the original hardware is still capable of running at 1GHz. Or is it still a slightly different hardware base.

  • ilsan0 on 20/09/2017 - 17:36

    Received mine and tried to flash it using the guide but was unsuccessful.
    anyone else had any luck?

    • LuckyType on 20/09/2017 - 20:24

      Received mine yesterday and got it flashed to Merlin using the guide.

      • jjsnacks on 21/09/2017 - 12:18
        +1

        How long did it take to arrive?

        • LuckyType on 21/09/2017 - 19:38

          Ordered on 5th, delivered on 19th

      • ilsan0 on 22/09/2017 - 19:00

        i am stuck at step 6. I cannot access router login.
        it dosent connect

        • uk3000 on 23/09/2017 - 08:14

          Try NVRAM Reset (step 22), then check if you can connect to the router in the normal mode when it's steady. Then start from the beginning.

    • uk3000 on 21/09/2017 - 12:19

      What particular step doesn't work for you?

      • trufflesthepenguin on 21/09/2017 - 21:24

        Which one is the Asus Restore?

        • uk3000 on 21/09/2017 - 22:48
          +1

          I myself didn't use Asus Restore for either of flashes. Rather, I just used TFTP, e.g.:

          tftp -i 192.168.29.1 put TM-AC1900_3.0.0.4_376_1703-g0ffdbba.trx

        • suudo on 22/09/2017 - 09:55

          ASUS Firmware Restoration version 2.0.0.0, if it doesnt connect then you're not in Recovery/Restore mode.

  • Myrz on 23/09/2017 - 13:31

    Anyone getting stuck at step 8/9?
    After flashing the TM trx file the router says upload completed going to reboot. But then nothing, I can't access any login page. going back to 192.168.29.1 just times out

    • uk3000 on 23/09/2017 - 15:43

      Try flashing it with Asus Recovery tool (as the guide suggests), or with a plain TFTP client as I posted a few comments above. Note TFTP won't show any progress, so wait patiently for at least 5 mins.

      • Myrz on 23/09/2017 - 17:46

        No luck unfortunately. restore utility comes back with a router not in rescue mode, and tftp shows connect request failed. Pretty sure I'm in recovery mode as the CFE upload page is coming up.

        • uk3000 on 23/09/2017 - 21:39

          While seeing the Mini-CFE page, can you at least ping 192.168.29.1?

        • Myrz on 24/09/2017 - 06:37

          Yep can ping the router when the page is visible. disappears after i upload through cfe, or after it fails when I try to upload via tftp or restore utility. Very strange

        • ilsan0 on 24/09/2017 - 12:02

          @pinoyjay:

          I have the same issue.

        • suudo on 24/09/2017 - 12:29

          Are you using Ethernet cable? If you see the mini cfe page then you are in the recovery mode.

        • Myrz on 24/09/2017 - 13:14

          Yep using Ethernet. @eletrikrevamp maybe it's a bad batch we got.

        • ammark19xx on 24/09/2017 - 13:57

          @pinoyjay:

          For me it worked when I kept one finger still pressed down on the reset button while the miniCFE page was showing. I was able to upload the initial downgrade file and then again later with the Asus specific file.

          This is what I did:

          1. a)Pressed down with one finger on reset
            b) Pressed down with another finger on WPS button
            c) turned on the router power button

          2. Blue power light after a wait started blinking
            a) kept finger pressed throughout on reset button
            b) Released finger from WPS button

          3. With right hand on keyboard kept refreshing 192.168.29.1 page - mini CFE page loaded at some point
            simultaneously kept finger pressed throughout on reset button

          4. With right hand browsed file and uploaded file.
            simultaneously kept finger pressed throughout on reset button

          5. MiniCFE progress bar completed upload and loading the file
            simultaneously kept finger pressed throughout on reset button

          6. Released finger from reset button, the unit then rebooted by itself

          p.s: using tftp simply did not work for me until I completed step 7. Only after step 7 finished, I could then enable ssh in the firmware settings page.

        • Myrz on 24/09/2017 - 15:52

          @ammark19xx: Gave this a go but still have the same problem after the upload has completed via miniCFE. after the router has rebooted when i try to connect still get a timeout / cant be reached error.

        • ammark19xx on 24/09/2017 - 17:10

          @pinoyjay: hmm… that must be frustrating. When I was doing it through the mini cfe I had 3 browsers open. The first time when I downgraded it worked through chrome. The second time when I uploaded the asus file, it worked through microsoft edge. You could give this a try as as a last resort.

          I have read in dd-wrt that apparently the new t-mobile units have locked CFE/bootloaders that do not allow downgrades. I was afraid my one was like this… but the minicfe did work for me.

        • Myrz on 24/09/2017 - 18:29

          @ammark19xx: no dice even in edge and IE. think that that may be a possibility

        • uk3000 on 24/09/2017 - 20:10

          @pinoyjay: I presume the NVRAM reset procedure as a "step zero" didn't help either? That was the first thing I did when I unboxed the router.

        • Myrz on 24/09/2017 - 20:59

          @uk3000: Yeh that wasn't a help either. I didn't do it straight away but did try to start over with the NVRAM reset, still unlucky

        • uk3000 on 24/09/2017 - 21:12

          @pinoyjay: Sorry mate. I did some more googling. It might still be possible to enable Telnet via browser F12 tools, I'd give it a try: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/t-mobile-cellspot.19435/pa…

        • Myrz on 24/09/2017 - 21:32

          @uk3000: I’m starting to think this thing is bricked. I can’t even access the default GUI after doing a hard reset

        • suudo on 24/09/2017 - 22:02

          @pinoyjay: So after hard reset is there any lights or wifi? Check if the flash file is not corrupted also,browser and Ethernet settings.

        • Myrz on 25/09/2017 - 05:13

          @suudo: No wifi, only power light and ethernet light. Pretty sure file isn't corrupted as I tried using the file downloaded from different sources to see if that'd fix it

        • suudo on 26/09/2017 - 21:02

          @pinoyjay: try http://router.asus.com/ also or 192.168.1.1 like the poster below

  • bowjjj on 26/09/2017 - 20:42
    +1

    Gday guys, I got mine last Thursday and had a go at it last Friday.
    All pretty much clear sailing until after step 24.
    In short STEP 24 CHANGED THE ROUTER LOGIN TO 192.168.1.1 (was originally 192.168.29.1)

    Longer version- As a few others have mentioned I just couldn't access the router!
    I gave up and came back the next day and did some reading. I then did ipconfig /all (enter CMD, then after prompt "ipconfig /all" check ip for default gateway)and realised that the new firmware changed the router ip …
    I had lots of trouble flashing newer firmware (step 28). It just kept not finishing at ~40%
    Do some more reading if you get stuck.
    I think what worked for me was using chrome browser (so you can see the progress) and doing it as quick as you can.
    Others suggested keep another window open and f5. Also holding the reset as mentioned above.

    I upgrader to latest Asus firmware.
    All works good now :)

  • jaylee88 on 29/09/2017 - 00:56

    I’m at step 9, can log in to router after first flash. Admin:admin and admin:password doesn’t seem to work???

    • uk3000 on 29/09/2017 - 05:50

      I remember having this issue, don't remeber at what step though. Do the NVRAM reset as described in the guide, that did help me. Then it's either admin/admin or admin/password.

    • jaylee88 on 30/09/2017 - 01:30
      +1

      all good i had to go back to 192.168.1.1 to go into router GUI and enable ssh. works now!

  • mec on 03/10/2017 - 15:45

    if anyone gets stuck as step 24, assuming your router has defs been correctly downgraded the best thing to do is to repeat from step 9. I tried everything and it was something as simple as that. I think my problem may have come from not renaming the cfe bin properly?

  • CoronavirusVaccine on 03/10/2017 - 17:48
    +1

    Success here - took a little bit of trial and error, didn't have much luck with the original instructions but the ASUS restore tool did the trick for the flashing.

  • hawamahal on 04/10/2017 - 21:32
    +1

    Followed the instructions word by word and everything working fine. Running the latest version of Asus firmware now.

  • Chirpy on 16/10/2017 - 18:42

    Anyone know where you can pick up an AU plug?

  • Chirpy on 16/10/2017 - 21:02

    Im unable to get the router to enter recovery mode. I tried the suggested method but got nothing.

    • uk3000 on 16/10/2017 - 21:07

      Did you try NVRAM reset before everything else?

      • Chirpy on 16/10/2017 - 21:15

        not yet. Will try now.

      • Chirpy on 16/10/2017 - 21:22

        Doesn't look like it worked

        • uk3000 on 18/10/2017 - 08:08

          If you're in Adelaide, I might be able to have a look.

        • Chirpy on 19/10/2017 - 10:48
          +2

          @uk3000:

          All good, managed to find a solution.

        • zizoubka on 20/10/2017 - 15:23
          +1

          @Chirpy: Can you share your solution ? I am having the same problem cannot get slow blinking light. Only fast blinking light when NVRAM gets cleared… Thanks heaps

        • tessel on 20/10/2017 - 19:40

          @Chirpy:
          Would love to know as well. Can't get mine in recovery mode.

        • Chirpy on 21/10/2017 - 20:38
          +2

          This is the guide I used. https://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=92917711

          It's current from the February this year, hope it helps others.

          Be careful, apparently updating to the most current firmware using the default firmware updater skips the required version.

          As this warning states!

          STOP. BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE - CHECK THE FIRMWARE ON YOUR TM-AC1900 ROUTER. THERE ARE REPORTS OF AN UPDATED 376.3181 FIRMWARE THAT HAS ONCE AGAIN DISABLED TELNET & SSH. IF YOU DO HAVE 376.3181 ON YOUR ROUTER, THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE RESOLUTIONS THAT ARE NOTED HERE AS STEP 1A AND 1B. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK, AS I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONFIRM IF STEPS 1A OR 1B ACTUALLY WORK WITH THE 3181 FIRMWARE.

  • O O on 17/10/2017 - 14:57
    +1

    The price drops ~$5 USD to $88.56 USD shipped at the moment.

    • PAEz on 21/10/2017 - 01:06

      Must be a sydney thing as I just bought it delivered to Adelaide and it was the same price.

      • O O on 21/10/2017 - 01:11

        It's not because of the location. It's because the price drop lasted about half a day as I spotted it, and it's back to $93.57 again.

        • PAEz on 21/10/2017 - 03:02

          ok, bumma, missed out then.

  • bigcajones on 20/10/2017 - 18:02

    If im connecting to the fttn NBN, will this work by itself or will i need something to pair with it? Sorry im not very tech savy. Any help is welcome

    • PAEz on 21/10/2017 - 01:04

      You'll need a modem to use this with fttn.
      In the original post he mentions what modem he uses with nbn fttn.

  • Bappy on 23/10/2017 - 13:42

    Hi OP, This deal is still active.

    Could you please provide some guide on how to flash to Merlin?
    Do I have to flash Asus firmware first and then Merlin or I can directly flash it from T-Mobile to Merlin?

    The Merlin link you have provided doesn't provide any installation guide.

    • PAEz on 23/10/2017 - 15:44
      +1

      He supplied the link…
      http://www.bayareatechpros.com/ac1900-to-ac68u/

      You need to flash to this before Merlin as it changes the size of the jffs (pretty sure thats it, havent got mine yet ;).

      • Bappy on 23/10/2017 - 15:47

        Thanks, Yeah I figured that our after posting the comment.
        I was hoping there was an easier way to flash Merlin rather than to update the Asus Firmware first :)

  • deeeno on 31/10/2017 - 22:05
    +1

    Thanks OP, just ordered one from Amazon for USD 93.30 shipped.

    Excited to go through the firmware flash and retire my D7 (which requires a restart every 5 days otherwise performance drops dramatically).

    • deeeno on 09/11/2017 - 23:29

      Reporting back, received on 9th November, brand new.

      Ran through all the steps uk3000 mentioned, flashed perfectly (remember to flash to latest firmware at the very end!). Using on AussieBB HFC 100/40 connection, no complaints at all.

  • PAEz on 06/11/2017 - 18:07
    +2

    Just want to say a HUGE thanks to uk3000 for sharing this.
    Im REAL poor and was ripping my hair out trying to find/get a router for around 100 that was decent. This exceeds my needs and I absolutely love it.
    Received it today, flashed it and all my speeds have increased….so happy!
    Thank You!

    • uk3000 on 06/11/2017 - 19:12
      +1

      Glad it worked out well for you mate :)

  • oliman on 06/11/2017 - 22:35

    do i need to bridge the pair for my 100/40 FTTP based nbn? or only asus router is enough ?

    • PAEz on 07/11/2017 - 00:14
      +1

      Im using this on 25/5 fttp nbn and its great, no need for a modem.

      • oliman on 07/11/2017 - 01:24
        +1

        ok…ordered 1..

  • PAEz on 11/11/2017 - 14:44
    +1

    Small tip…
    After you do all the flashing stuff you might wanna go into settings and turn of ssh server, people where constantly hammering it (noticed it in the system logs).

    • uk3000 on 11/11/2017 - 15:24
      +1

      I keep it open, but on port 443 and with a private key as the only authentication method.

      • PAEz on 11/11/2017 - 17:17

        Good idea. Still turned off coz I aint gonna be using it but changed the port incase I do use it and forget to turn it off.

        Another idea….
        If your worried about how hot it gets then get one of those xiaomi usb fans when they're on special here for 1.20 and put it in one of the usb ports and bend it to point at the unit. Its to small to bend 180 but I can get close enough over half the unit gets air. My cpu went down from 88 to 70 and its still dropping (but it is cooling down a bit weather wise). I doubt Ill leave it in the there because apparently 88 is fine, but I just tried it out out of curiosity.

        • rdallen on 12/11/2017 - 21:59

          That is what I use my Xiaomi fan for, as I've seen my router hit 90C without it. Don't know how hot it will be in mid summer.
          But I modified my fan slightly:
          https://1drv.ms/i/s!Ahw_Ss2E8kW3j1rVecnjj6MCe0Mv

          Used a body of a cheap eBay fan with the actual Xiaomi fan (with some Blu-Tak as well!). Been running great for weeks now.

        • PAEz on 13/11/2017 - 15:52

          @rdallen:
          hahaha, love it! Been using mine now, its 34 in this room right now. Used another one to cool down my android box, it was burning!

  • No on 28/11/2017 - 15:40

    Does anyone remember if the box was sealed or if the antennas where in bags? I think I may have been sent a returned item :(

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/345722

    • uk3000 on 28/11/2017 - 15:43

      Mine was sealed.

      • No on 28/11/2017 - 15:54

        Thanks, did you try it on the stock firmware at all?

        • uk3000 on 28/11/2017 - 16:50

          Nope I didn't, had flashed it right away. I remeber reading somewhere that if it goes online on a stock firmware, it may get an OTA upgrade that disables the whole custom flashing thing.

  • aka nioh on 22/12/2017 - 17:20
    +2

    Hi

    Wanted to give back to the ozbargain community and because I have no need for the $10 coupon I got for signing up with amazon app. Minimum spend $20 and expires end of the month.

    Enter Code at checkout: A7JE-PB4HRG-VFTTR8

    Cheers

  • uk3000 on 24/12/2017 - 08:39
    +4

    Currently a price drop to USD $69.99 + $13.81 shipping.

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