Asus-Merlin-KoolShare for R8000

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zambalik
zambalik's picture
Asus-Merlin-KoolShare for R8000

Hello guys,

I have been impressed by the Asus-Merlin FW and was looking for something like it for the R8000. I have found only one FW for the R7000 by Merlin.

I continue searching till I found the below by KoolShare:

http://firmware.koolshare.cn/merlin_8wan_firmware/R8000/

I tried it and it is working fine on the R8000. Capabilities and performance outstands the official Gennie FW.

However, I am not sure if I can trust KoolShare or not.

Do you have any info about?

 

Best Regards

vagelis
vagelis's picture
I try to install it on

I try to install it on firmware: V1.0.3.46_1.1.32 but it failed to restore.Any info?Should I install it on a previous version of Netgear stock firmware?

vagelis
vagelis's picture
I flashed it and this asus

I flashed it and this asus-merlin is great for my R8000.Better interface by all means.

In case Netgear creates a better UI in the future I will go back

PikkonMG
PikkonMG's picture
After tons of Wifi troubles

After tons of Wifi troubles with Kong and Shibby I decited to give this a shot. Been running now for 4 days and Zero Wifi issues. My Wifi is working as good if not better then defualt firmware for R8000. Seems rock solid.

Only thing im worried about is not know anything about KoolShare or not finding much for information about this version of merlins asus firmware. Does appear to work great tho.

lmanlo
lmanlo's picture
I tried DD-WRT but had

I tried DD-WRT but had connection issues with random devices disconnecting so went back to stock and then installed the Merlin from koolshare and has been working great so far. 

The other place I saw about this firmware for the R8000 was HERE. Seems that other's have used it but as many here posted there's not much information for the KoolShare. 

Can confirm like others that this has been stable and running good or better than Kong. Haven't tried Shibby. 

 

zambalik
zambalik's picture
Dears,

Dears,

I have used this version for over 4 months now and it is rock solid but I know nothing about Koolshare... As I am a security freak, I decided to go back to the netgear official firmware.

 

Best Regards

Mohammad

scifigeek
scifigeek's picture
Everyone,

Everyone,

My son is constantly complaining about the wi-fi on his xBox One. I've been running DD-Wrt but have been noticing a lot of wif-fi issues in general. I would like to give Koolshare a try. Where can I find install and config instructions? A manual of some sort wold be nice as well.

 

Thanks,

Mike

laprius
laprius's picture
No manual to speak of - but

No manual to speak of - but it is pretty much the Asus Merlin fw once it is installed so you could use a manual from Asus to configure.

To install go to the site and look for the initial fw files, flash router with that then upgrade to latest version. to go back grab the OFW (original firmware) file - grab all files at the same time so you aren't stuck if something happens.

PikkonMG
PikkonMG's picture
My last post was blank for

My last post was blank for some reason, but im still using the merlin for the R8000 by koolshare group and everything has been fine.

I keep an eye on their forums from time to time also but you will have to use google translator or something to view it unless you understand chinese.

Forums are at http://koolshare.cn/forum.php

muadeep
muadeep's picture
Dear Sir,

Dear Sir,

I would like to test this firmware but I would like to know if there's a Repeater Mode option in this firmware?, thanks.

Loooking Forward To

s.a.o.
s.a.o.'s picture
Koolshare firmware is a fork

Koolshare firmware is a fork based on Vortex Merlin firmware. It's developed by a group of Chinese users for both ASUS and Netgear routers which based on ARM. It's added functionalities are open source so the security shouldn't be your concern. (https://github.com/koolshare)

The difference between Koolshare and Vortex is that koolshare added a software centre with a lot of very useful plugins for Chinese users, such as proxy plugin to bypass Chinese GFW, DDNS proxy to bypass NAT, adblock for Chinese video sites, Aria2 for downloading torrents etc...

These plugins may not be as useful for non-Chinese users. Most of their releases are very stable with a few slightly more buggy versions.

s.a.o.
s.a.o.'s picture
By the way, there are briging

By the way, there are briging firmwares for a few routers. I would recommend not to install any of koolshare firmware without reading Chinese instruction on their forum.

Since both installation and software plugins are very English speakers unfriendly, I don't think it's a good idea to install if you don't know Chinese at all.

Tengujin
Tengujin's picture
Hello All,

Hello All,

I've recently switched from Genie to Shibby's advanced tomato, and although the GUI is indeed more user-friendly than the original tomato, the futures, options and settings are to complex and not always to be found on a logical place.

Besides, not every setting is explained in detail and not everything is working as expected (wifi for example)

So i want to try the Asus-Merlin-Koolshare firmware.

But what i need to know is the interface language settings: Is it Chinese by default?
And if so, is there a quick way to change the language to English?

Thanks

prox
prox's picture
95% of it is english.  In the

95% of it is english.  In the overview page there are a couple sections with a small amount of chinese writing...definitely nothing to worry about.  From what I'm finding...its WAY better than Advanced tomato.  ...about to flash back to it.

Tengujin
Tengujin's picture
Thanks for the answer.

Thanks for the answer.
I do like advanced tomato, but the firmware is still buggy, and i realy need DHCP that i cannot get to work whatever i try (or i don't know how to set it)

And I've read somewhere that i need to go back to Genie/ Official first to avoid bricking my R8000, but cant find a clear instruction which firmwares to flash, and in what order.

Is it just as simple as flashing dd-wrt.v24-K3_AC_ARM_R8000.bin first before flashing R8000-V1.0.3.4_1.1.2.chk, or do i need to do more than that?

thanks

prox
prox's picture
No...you have to go back to

No...you have to go back to stock.  I wouldnt try going straight from one FW to another without first flashing stock.  DD-wrt, tomato, and merlin all have stock files that you can flash to return back to stock FW.  Of all..Merlin is the best in terms of features and stability.  ddwrt has the best features though (vlan, vpn, etc) but merlin is the best middle ground (im running 7.6...about to go to 7.7).  Tomato...forget about it.

Tengujin
Tengujin's picture
Yes, i understand what you

Yes, i understand what you say.

As I've wrote before, i found 2 images on the Tomato website to go back to stock:  http://tomato.groov.pl/download/K26ARM7/Netgear%20R-series%20back%20to%2...

A *.bin image and a *.chk image.

because i cannot flash the *.chk image directly from Tomato (guaranteed brick) i need to flash the *.bin first, but my question was actually if there was something i need to do extra.

UltraGiggaBigga
UltraGiggaBigga's picture
Any update on the CFW? i just

Any update on the CFW? i just purchased a R8500 today and planning on flashing it right away. I'd like to know more about the source like previously stated didnt find much. Im coming from a asus rt-5300, POS router had 3 of them all went to shit within a month, flashed asus merlin frickin love the thing, then i came across this topic and Boom!!! hopefully its safe and decent. 

Tengujin
Tengujin's picture
Koolshare has released

Koolshare has released version 7.8 a couple of days ago.

To create an account on their forum is one thing (http://koolshare.cn/forum-96-1.html)

To post a reply, which is a requirement to download the firmware image, is another as they also require you to register your phone#

But registration of international numbers is not working, so not able to post a reply to the tread, and therefore not able to download the new firmware :P

Is someone, who has a working koolshare forum account, willing to share the netgear R8000 v7.8 firmware somewhere in the cloud?

Would be very appreciated!

himmon
himmon's picture
Here you go, 
himmon
himmon's picture
Here's the change log also:
Tengujin
Tengujin's picture
Excellent!

Excellent!

Thank you very much!

Tengujin
Tengujin's picture
Anyone having issues with the

Anyone having issues with the WAN (and LAN settings)?
I like the looks of Asus-Merlin-Koolshare (Coming from Tomato), but my WAN is not working as the router is not detecting the ISP settings, which should be set automatically via DHCP - this works without problems on the Genie and Tomato firmwares.

And i'm not able to change the IP address range on the LAN to something else.

The network range is fixed to 192.168.50.0 and the host addresses are set via DHCP - but i want this changed, so once i disable DHCP, change the network to something else and configure my PC to a fixed IP address, im not able to connect to the router anymore.

And the only way i'm able to get into the router is via a mobile phone (which strangely works, but not my PC) :D

So anyone having some practical tips? Thanks

farenheit
farenheit's picture
Anyone else notice that with

Anyone else notice that with this firmware the internet led/wifi led and wps led are not lit?

@Tengujin i had a similar issue and ended up changing the address manually from router.asus.com (192.168.50.0) to routerlogin.net (192.168.1.1), powered down and back up and i was ok. I do find occassionally this seems to be glitchy.

I was wondering if there is someone who has this working very well if theyre willing to share theyre settings which i can upload and adjust?

farenheit
farenheit's picture
@Tengujin i forgot to add i

@Tengujin i forgot to add i added the modems mac address to the clone field before rebooting. It didnt save the mac address but it got the correct ip address from the ISP

Tengujin
Tengujin's picture
Ok, thanks a lot for the

Ok, thanks a lot for the useful tips. I'll try that.

regards, T

snook123
snook123's picture
Hi is there an Admin password

Hi is there an Admin password after you flash Merlin FW?

Tengujin
Tengujin's picture
Default password is the same

Default password is the same as stock Asus (admin:admin).

If you lost your own password, then you will have to do a factory reset (back to default).
While the device is on, press the reset button for about 5 seconds and release and the router will reset/reboot

Once the router is back up, you will be prompted to access the Quick Internet Setup wizard and set a new login password.

himmon
himmon's picture
WARNING, I do not know much

WARNING, I do not know much about this final version so you'll have to do some research for yourself in the URL below.  You are responsible for any issues that may arise whilst using or attempting to upgrade to this firmware.

I suggest you use google Chrome to read this site as it will auto translate from Chinese to English.

http://koolshare.cn/thread-139324-1-1.html

 

 

 

Here's the new R8000 380.70 X7.9 Firmware for anyone already using the ASUS Merlin interface.

http://firmware.koolshare.cn/Koolshare_Merlin_Legacy_380/Netgear/R8000/X...

Here is the CHK file assumed for reverting back to original stock netgear firmware although not certain yet.

http://firmware.koolshare.cn/Koolshare_Merlin_Legacy_380/Netgear/R8000/X...

Have fun!

 

himmon
himmon's picture
UPDATE:  Have successfully

UPDATE:  Have successfully updated from X7.8 to X7.9 with the TRX firmware above, so far seems to be fine. 

Tengujin
Tengujin's picture
Good to hear it works fine.

Good to hear it works fine.

Last version i tried was v7.7 (380.68_4), and although it looked very nice at first glance, the majority of the sections in the GUI were Chinese only with no English translation available (no difference if the GUI language was set to English as a lot of words are Chinese hardcoded)

Is this still the case with v7.9?

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