Laptops not AUTO connecting to wifi network

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Yeah there were refurbs even on amazon for less, but i skipped those.
This was listed as new/open box, not refurb, and a smaller than quarter inch cosmetic imperfection on the BACK. who cares?
And it's Prime eligible so I can always return it for free if something's amiss...
 
Nice! Welcome to the Dark Knight family.
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Did the OP reinstall his wifi drivers?

I had to reinstall my bluetooth drivers after a recent windows update.

Dark Knight is great btw. I got it despite there being alternatives that support the ac band. I needed the range.
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Do you have one?

Yup. Have had one for over 2 years.

Now you'll have to take a picture of your Dark Knight next to your Apothic Dark.
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Originally Posted By: aa1986
Did the OP reinstall his wifi drivers?

I had to reinstall my bluetooth drivers after a recent windows update.


I did - at least tried to:
Win 7 tells me driver is upto date.
But Lenovo told me there's a new one. (or at least new software available) - i tried DLing an installing it - then Intel Centrino tells me I should first uninstall old driver. I was scared to do that and tried re-installing with Windows and POINTED to the DL'd driver from Lenovo.

NOW, the version number hasn't changed BUT the ROLL BACK DRIVER button is active (it was grayed out earlier), so I guess SOMETHING got updated, huh?
And now when I run system update Lenovo does NOT list a new software/driver for the WLAN adapter anymore...so I guess, something did get updated.(??)
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Ordered an Asus N-66. (Amazon Warehaouse deals had a mint one just repackaged; will update when I get it and set it up.)



Excellent choice. Arguably the best N router on the market.
 
UPDATE: got the N66 set up and so far working fine.
iphones and one laptop (my T520) connect to the 5 Ghz fine and works fast...

Don't know if the N66 is the reason but I have never seen our WireLESS speed test go over the promised speed:
(This is on my T520 on the 5.4 Ghz band)



It has so many functions I haven't played with any yet.
Curious to check out the itunes media streaming function (although I have a TV that can do DLNA) and the Ai-Disk function where you can connect an ext HD to the router, and access it from anywhere in the world, etc.
(any of you who have tried this function?)
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
and the Ai-Disk function where you can connect an ext HD to the router, and access it from anywhere in the world, etc.
(any of you who have tried this function?)

I have, but under Tomato, not under the factory Asus firmware. You can basically run an FTP server on the router and specify network paths/locations which should be visible. These shared locations don't necessarily have to be on an external HD connected to the router. They can be on any PCs on your home network, as long as you share them.

The problem with connecting ext HD directly to N66U is that it's not the fastest. First, the ports are only USB2.0, and second, the router's CPU gets saturated with large data transfers over this USB port. But for smaller amounts of data, it's fine.
 
Thanks QP - I might have to contact you for more info on that FTTP stuff. I am quite the novice at more advanced networking stuff
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Can this router, when set up as you describe WAKE UP a sleeping laptop?

Also: what about all the Asus Ai-cloud stuff? played with them any?
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird

Can this router, when set up as you describe WAKE UP a sleeping laptop?

WOL (wake-on-LAN) is tricky as there are many variables to deal with... network adapters, drivers, operating systems, motherboards, etc, and all the stars have to line up just right for it to actually work. Tomato UI allows you to execute a WOL command towards any of the clients that are connected to it, but again, it's not guaranteed that a given client will respond to it. I don't recall what the factory firmware has in that department.

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Also: what about all the Asus Ai-cloud stuff? played with them any?

Not me. I flashed it with Tomato the first day I got it.
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I might have to contact you for more info on that FTTP stuff.

For FTP, I actually installed FileZilla FTP Server on one of my PCs that was on 24x7. But I know the FTP Server option is also built in there in some Tomato versions and Asus AiCloud kind of does the same thing, plus they have associated apps for your smartphone that work with it, so it might be the easiest to configure and use.
 
Thanks, QP!
- for now I think I will stay with Asus FW and try their own AiDisk stuff and perhaps the Ai-cloud also...
but I WILL explore Tomato FW for this router a bit later...

BTW, Does your also serve as a space heater or is it just mine? It feels pretty warm, but no dangerously hot...
seems to be common - lots of hits for "N66 hot" ...
 
Yes, it does run quite warm. If you have something plugged into one of its USB ports and then pull it out and touch it, that metal end of the USB connector will burn your hand.

Early Asus firmware versions had a temp display. IIRC, it showed somewhere around 55C at idle. Not sure if the current firmware still shows it...
 
Just discovered that Asus nver really detects if a FW update is available correctly. When I check for new FW via the web GUI, it says I have latest FW but i do not. When I go to Asus support website and look there, there is a newer version...

ANYWAY, my MAIN question is,
Asus has instructions to press and hold the RESET button (not power on/off button, but RESET button) for 5 seconds after the FW update has been completed... This appears on the same page where you find DL link for new FW version.

The steps to update FW on their routers per Asus website includes this instruction:
"Notice: It is recommended to restore to factory default settings by pressing 5 seconds on the bottom of the wireless router after doing a firmware update."

Here's the page where it has that, using a N66W router as an example:
https://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1005484/

Why this? wouldn't that reset the router to FACTORY settings? meaning, I would have to set up the router all over again?
I tried to find info on this, and most people just power cycle the router (with the on/off button, or by just unplugging from power and plugging back in) after FW updates... NOT RESET..

Which way should I go? I wouldn't have thought a FW update requires RESETTING the router to factory defaults. Should I just power cycle on/off, if the FW appears to be successful and not RESET as they instruct ?

Any advice / feedback?

SUB-Question:
Is it advisable to unplug the WAN cable from router while doing a FW update (using already downloaded file)? I have never done that before, but I just came across some people recommending doing that.
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird

Why this? wouldn't that reset the router to FACTORY settings? meaning, I would have to set up the router all over again?

That is the recommended best practice. Sometimes things get changed around in a new firmware, to the point where the earlier settings (still sitting in router's NVRAM) will no longer make sense and may sometimes cause the router to behave strangely. That is why it is recommended to just clear NVRAM, which is what you're doing by holding that reset button for 5 seconds. And yes, that will wipe out your configuration.

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Should I just power cycle on/off, if the FW appears to be successful and not RESET as they instruct ?

Yup. I would just power cycle and observe its behavior for a while. If you don't notice any issues, then you're probably fine.

Quote:

SUB-Question:
Is it advisable to unplug the WAN cable from router while doing a FW update (using already downloaded file)? I have never done that before, but I just came across some people recommending doing that.

Unplugging of WAN cable should not matter.
On the other hand, you want to be connected to the router using a LAN cable as opposed to via wifi when doing a firmware upgrade.
 
Thanks, QP!
(And no, I never do FW updates via wifi; always wired, as you instructed)

Tomato: getting curious, but hate losing guest network..
Are you going to try the adv.tomato on your N66?

BTW:
Did you ever try/consider the asusWRT-Merlin software that is very highly spoken of for Asus routers? It seems that even Asus themselves adopted some of the features that the Merlin FW introduced, into their own FW versions...

http://www.lostrealm.ca/tower/node/80

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A few features that first debuted in Asuswrt-Merlin have since been integrated/enabled in the official firmware:


64K NVRAM (RT-N66U)
HTTPS
Turning WPS button into a radio on/off toggle
Clicking on the MAC address of an unidentified client will do a lookup in the OUI database.
WakeOnLan web interface (with user-entered preset targets)
Display active/tracked network connections
VPN Status page
DualWAN and Repeater mode (while it was still under development by Asus)
Basic OpenVPN (client and server) support
Configurable IPv6 firewall.."
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Tomato: getting curious, but hate losing guest network..

The Tomato I use does have the ability to configure guest network as well as captive portal, although I've never bothered to set it up.

http://somethingk.com/main/?p=323


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Are you going to try the adv.tomato on your N66?

Probably not. I am already running Tomato by Shibby, which the Advanced Tomato is based on, and it has a decent GUI that I've gotten used to over the years.

Quote:

BTW:
Did you ever try/consider the asusWRT-Merlin software that is very highly spoken of for Asus routers? It seems that even Asus themselves adopted some of the features that the Merlin FW introduced, into their own FW versions...

I did run it for a little bit, but somehow migrated over to Tomato shortly after. Can't recall now what it was that made me switch.

BTW, Tomato has all these features that Merlin does, and more. I think the only feature that Tomato currently does not have is dual WAN.

http://tomato.groov.pl/?page_id=81
 
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