Aztech FG7008GR(AC)
Trying out this new router. Well, not that new, I think it came out in 2015. Specs wise it looks great. Broadcom dual-core 1GHz SoC, 4 chain 5GHz + 3 chain 2.4GHz wifi. AC2400. MU-MIMO some more, not bad right? Price on Shopee ranges from RM400-RM700.

It's got a pretty good processor. According to wikidevi, the same SoC as Asus DSL-AC88U.

Tech Specs

CPU	BCM63138 ARM Cortex A9 1GHz Dual Core
RAM	256MB, 136MB Free
Flash	128MB
OS	Linux 3.4.11-rt19
Ethernet	WAN x 1 GBe, LAN x 4 GBe
USB	USB3 x 2
Power	12V DC 3A

WiFi

Bands	2.4Ghz (BCM43602) and 5Ghz (Quantenna)
Antenna	3 chain 2.4GHz + 4 chain 5GHz MU-MIMO AC2400 (600+1800)
Antenna Gain	Unknown
Max TX Power	30dBm (1000mW)

Features

SNMP	No
Print Server	Yes
FTP Server	No
DLNA Server	No
Bittorrent Client	Yes
Samba	Yes
WebDAV	No
Telnet	Yes
SSH	Yes
DDNS	dyndns & TZO
VPN	PPTP Server & Client

Issues

Firmware from here: ftp://ftp.aztech.com/support/SINGAPORE/ADSL/
Don't expect too much of firmware updates from Aztech. The last one was v322.6s.3-007 from 2016.

Firmware Again
The latest firmware v322.6s.3-007 does not work with UniFi. PPPoE tries to connect but fails. The latest working firmware for UniFi is v322.6s.3-003.

1.0.0.0/8 Route
There's a 1.0.0.0/8 route to the local bridge. Anything going to those addresses will disappear. This route cannot be deleted. A few years ago, this would have been ok as 1.0.0.0/8, while not defined as a private address, has always been reserved and publicly unroutable. Even Cisco uses 1.1.1.1 for their WLCs. However, it has since been assigned to APNIC and is now in active use. I'm sure you've seen 1.9.1.9 before. It's one of TM DNS. Firmware v322.6s.3-007 fixes this but is not compatible with UniFi.

The solution to this is to create the same route 1.0.0.0/8 to ppp0. I don't know why but it takes precedence over the pre-existing route.

Dynamic DNS
Only dyndns.org & TZO supported. Both of which are no longer free.

Tips & Tricks

Default IP Address
Default router IP address is 192.168.1.254 not your usual .0 or .1.

Passwords
Default user password is {blank}. Default admin password is admin. Highly recommended that you change it.

Dynamic DNS
Only dyndns.org & TZO supported. Both of which are no longer free. So don't throw away your old DIR-615 or any DLink device. Use it to register a free dlinkddns.com address and use it here with dyndns.org.

Speedtests

iPhone 6s N 2.4Ghz 20MHz


iPhone 6s AC 5Ghz


MacBook Pro Retina 15" Late 2013 N 2.4Ghz 20MHz MCS23 217Mbps Link


MacBook Pro Retina 15" Late 2013 AC 5Ghz 80MHz MCS7 975Mbps Link

This post has been edited by soonwai: Sep 9 2018, 06:13 PM

More Speedtests: iPerf3

800Mbps+ iPerf3 from MacBook Pro Retina 2013 (USB3 GBe Ethernet) to MacBook Pro Retina 2013 (5Ghz AC 80MHz)

This post has been edited by soonwai: Mar 15 2018, 12:39 AM

This thread like so quiet only.. Recently, I bought the Singtel version of this router for dirt cheap while down in Singapore to play around and hopefully replace the stock TP-Link AC1200 router.. and see how hard it is to use with UniFI. First thing I realized is dem, this router is way heavier than the TP-Link! Also got 2 USB 3.0 ports and a lot more lights.

So this version is the FG7009GR(AC), one number up from the Aztech one (FG7008GR(AC)), and the differences are only:
- Casing has no trace of Aztech, all brands replaced by Singtel
- Firmware changes (USB port disabled, SSID set to Singtel one, additional routes)
- ‘Advanced’ mode by going to http://192.168.1.254/singtel, and login with

In this advanced mode you have access to more advanced settings compared to the normal settings page. Probably only for Singtel staff to configure the router. Btw, the current Singtel firmware version on mine is 339.6.2-011. I have tried using UniFi with the stock firmware doesn’t seem to work, but might have missed something out.

So now, how do we get UniFi compatible firmware on this router? Quite simple, but we have to flash two different versions of firmware, first one is to allow us to flash any version of the Aztech firmware replacing the Singtel one and second, the UniFi compatible one. In order, the first firmware can be either Version 322.6s.2-009 or Version 322.6s.2-011, but second firmware will be the last one working for UniFi, Version 322.6s.3-003.

If you choose to follow this guide, please note you’re doing this at your own risk, will void any warranty on the device, and I’m not accountable if your router becomes bricked or turns into a killer robot that has laser beams.

1) Connect computer to router via ethernet cable, do not use WiFi. Go to 192.168.1.254, login and under Device administration, select Firmware Upgrade
2) Select the first firmware to flash, Version 322.6s.2-009 or Version 322.6s.2-011, and press upload. Do not power down the router, laptop, or disconnect the ethernet cable until loading bar shows 100%
3) Flash second firmware, Version 322.6s.3-003
4) Enter in your PPPoE username and password, set 802.1P Priority to 0
5) Set 802.1Q VLAN ID to 500
6) Enable IGMP Multicast Proxy under Advanced>Advanced Setup>WAN>(for current interface)Edit> IGMP Multicast Proxy

Also attached some images if you need reference. For Internet setup:


For enabling IGMP Multicast Proxy



And you should be done! For some reason, I couldn’t find the strange routing problem that @soonwai encountered, but I created a static route to 1.0.0.0/8 just in case. Will still play around with this router and see if I discover anything new. So far, IPTV is untested yet but there is option for it, might have to create a new interface and everything. IPv6 needs more testing too.

As for my own setup, I repurposed my stock TP-Link router as a wired AP for my second floor. It works well enough to extend the range and cover the house in WiFi, ready for speed upgrade. Seller also gave me another older Singtel router DSL7002GRV(S) seems like this is only AC750 but still gigabit, might turn this into spare AP or switch. I'll try to get pics of both soon.

Helpful Links : https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/next-gen...-5275458-2.html

Good router

Any link to get?

This post has been edited by enduser: Aug 6 2018, 08:02 AM

I bought when visiting sg, can buy on sg best second hand site: carousell

Do u have the 7002 fw working for unifi? I hv spare unit but stuck to singtel fw..

If you want to get the Aztech FG7008GR(AC), it's actually on sale on Lazada.my right now, RM199, which is a pretty good deal, some more from official store.



https://www.lazada.com.my/products/aztech-f...9-s1419846.html?

If you want to get the Singtel one and flash a compatible firmware for cheap, sg.carosell.com as miloaisdino and soonwai has mentioned in the past, that's where I got mine too

People seem to be complaining about firmware in another thread, good test though but the CPU is actually outdated, and by that i mean its ability to do hardware NAT for gigabit speeds is questionable, for example you can see with the asus AC68U and AC88U, broadcom's accelerated NAT solution wasnt very good but i suppose as an AP it might work . For 300Mb/s the CPU will work fine.

Your iperf test shows that it does up to 800Mb/s, try a full bidirectional test, as for 300Mb/s you actually need 600Mb/s of forwarding capacity assuming the new packages are fully symmetrical. I hope they will be.

This post has been edited by System Error Message: Aug 6 2018, 10:25 PM

Hardware nat should be at 900+mbps (disable qos) as it was provided for singtel 1gbps plan.

iperf test clearly shows below 900Mb/s, and broadcom's "hardware" NAT at that time wasnt really hardware NAT but a hack to bypass the linux kernel for reduced overhead.

This is for wifi speed bro, not switching speed

Ya, Carousell is good place to start if you want to look for these. I'm surprised so many people know about this router now! I must also say thanks to Soonwai for documenting this router and it's capability well enough, else I wouldn't have bought it. I was looking for new AP, and was just checking Carousell when I come across these routers, did some research, and found this forum post.

Though, are you still on the Singtel firmware? If so, does the router work with UniFi? Else, my guide might be redundant..


Sadly no, still doing some research on this router, but seems like this model was custom made for Singtel themselves, so only Singapore firmware.. it has been documented on OpenWRT though. https://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/aztech/aztech_...2grv_s#hardware

Maybe I'll just try key in my PPPoE username and password, plug it in and see if it works on the stock firmware, or not just use as a AP or switch.

thanks for clarifying, still i'd really like to see WAN-LAN speeds for full bidrectional but if its the same CPU as the one in the AC88U i can simply check a site i know that already has reviewed and tested it.

Yep, no routing or NAT here. Of course, no way for me to test routing speed yet. So have to wait for Turbo 10x to come in first.

I plan to use as an AP so I was more interested in its wifi performance.

This post has been edited by soonwai: Aug 6 2018, 10:45 PM

U delete the interface named 'INTERNET', and create another interface with exactly the same name. Note: you can only set dns on interface creation, which is annoying!
For iptv, u may want to setup 'bridge type' interface and name it 'IPTV-ETH', then add the appropriate vlan. Then go to 'port binding' and bind that interface to lan4. Then play around abit with the igmp settings until it works.

Note: aztech is quite particular about the names of interface, it is good to keep it exactly as I have suggested

you can test LAN-WAN speeds using iperf, though you'd have to set up 2 PCs and connect WAN to one, LAN to other, and do some network setup on the PC on the WAN side, its not difficult.
Heres the AC88U review
https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wi...howall=&start=2
Total simultaneous, this is the very interesting bit, also note the poor single directional speeds. While this SoC will scrape 800Mb/s, it wont hold if the new packages are symmetrical.

edit: considering broadcom's "hardware NAT" method, the slower CPU speed of 1Ghz vs 1.4Ghz, this will not achieve the same speeds, so this will scrape by a 500Mb/s symmetrical connection.

This post has been edited by System Error Message: Aug 6 2018, 10:50 PM

Haha but wifi speed will usually be slower than nat throughput

This post has been edited by miloaisdino: Aug 6 2018, 10:46 PM

This is the config for UniFi. IIRC, it has vlans 400, 500, 600 all configured. Should be used with firmware v322.6s.3-003. Earlier also can I think.

 unifisettings.conf.zip ( 5.14k ) Number of downloads: 47


This post has been edited by soonwai: Aug 6 2018, 11:06 PM

Lol it was clearly based on singtel config, some singtel specific settings such as iptv vlan priority 4 are still there haha

Anyway for those who want to do by manual, can follow https://www.tp-link.com/au/faq-346.html (Most of the oems dont actually bother to make their own ui, they all base on broadcom original ui, just change the layout and colour abit)

the most important question we need to ask is, will it route? If its not fast enough the answer is no.