Asus Router Management#

Manage Asus routers via the asusrouter Python library. Works with any router running stock AsusWRT, AsusWRT-Merlin, or Merlin/GNUton firmware that exposes the local AsusWRT web API.

Setup#

1. Install dependencies#

bash

pip install asusrouter aiohttp

2. Create config file#

Copy config.example.yaml to config.yaml and fill in your router details:

bash

cp skills/asus-router/config.example.yaml skills/asus-router/config.yaml

Edit config.yaml with your router's IP, username, and password.

3. Verify connection#

bash

python3 skills/asus-router/router.py status

Supported Routers#

Any Asus router with the AsusWRT web interface:

• ZenWiFi (XT8, XT12, XD6, etc.) — full AiMesh support
• RT-AX series (RT-AX86U, RT-AX88U, etc.)
• GT-AX gaming series
• ExpertWiFi / Wi-Fi 7 models that expose AsusWRT 5 / 3.0.0.6 APIs
• Merlin firmware variants
• AiMesh nodes (RP-AX56, RP-AX58, etc.)

Commands#

All commands use router.py. Activate your venv first if using one.

Quick Status#

bash

python3 router.py status          # WAN, CPU, RAM, mesh nodes, client count
python3 router.py status --json   # Machine-readable output

List Connected Devices#

bash

python3 router.py clients              # All devices
python3 router.py clients --online     # Online only
python3 router.py clients --filter "iphone"   # Search by name/IP/MAC
python3 router.py clients --sort speed --limit 10  # Current top talkers
python3 router.py clients --sort signal            # Weak/strong Wi-Fi clients
python3 router.py clients --json       # JSON output

Who's Home (Presence Detection)#

bash

python3 router.py who

Checks for known devices defined in config.yaml to determine who's home.

WAN Details#

bash

python3 router.py wan          # IP, gateway, DNS, lease, dual-WAN
python3 router.py wan --json

AiMesh Topology#

bash

python3 router.py mesh         # Which clients connect to which node
python3 router.py mesh --json

Find a Device#

bash

python3 router.py find "samsung"
python3 router.py find "192.168.1.100"
python3 router.py find "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF"

Network Latency Check#

bash

python3 router.py ping

Firmware / Ports / VPN / Health#

bash

python3 router.py firmware          # Firmware, system info, release-note data when exposed
python3 router.py ports             # Ethernet port/link status
python3 router.py vpn               # OpenVPN, WireGuard, VPN client status as JSON
python3 router.py health            # Alert-friendly WAN/CPU/RAM/firmware/ports/VPN bundle
python3 router.py raw firmware      # Dump any AsusData dataset by name

raw is intentionally included so the skill keeps working as AsusWRT 5 / ExpertWiFi / Guest Network Pro / VLAN-era firmware exposes new datasets through asusrouter before this wrapper has a pretty command for them. Pings targets defined in config.yaml (default: gateway + Cloudflare + Google).

Reboot Router#

bash

python3 router.py reboot --confirm

⚠️ Requires --confirm flag. Causes 2-3 min downtime.

Common Tasks#

"Is the internet down?"#

1. status — check WAN link state
2. ping — check latency to external IPs
3. wan — check DHCP lease and DNS

"What's using bandwidth?"#

clients --online --json — check rx_speed/ tx_speed fields

"Who's home?"#

who — checks for devices listed in config.yaml under known_devices

"Why is WiFi slow?"#

1. mesh — check client distribution across nodes
2. status — check CPU/RAM (high CPU = overloaded)
3. find <device> — check signal strength (rssi)

Configuration#

All settings live in config.yaml. See config.example.yaml for the full template.

Key settings:

• router.host — Router IP address
• router.username — Admin username
• router.password — Admin password
• router.ssl — Use HTTPS (default: false)
• router.port — Optional web UI/API port, commonly 8443 for HTTPS local access
• known_devices — Devices for presence detection
• ping_targets — Custom ping targets for latency checks

For modern routers, prefer HTTPS local access when stable: enable it in AsusWRT under Administration → System → Local Access Config → Authentication Method, then set ssl: true and the configured port.

JSON Output#

Add --json to any command for machine-readable output. Useful for cron jobs, heartbeat checks, and alerting.

Integration with Home Assistant#

For persistent monitoring, also install ha-asusrouter via HACS: https://github.com/Vaskivskyi/ha-asusrouter