I hear you. But this is current Amazon stock.
I sent the first one back (a mistake it now seems, as at least it auto-updated itself). The 2nd unit, also from current Amazon stock had the same version number as yours, but didnt work, wouldnt connect, did not offer up a firmware update, wouldnt respond after resets, so I've now sent back two of these.
I give up.
But, as far as the bug I'l describing, it may only be related to the newer 4.6.x firmware I mentioned in my OP.
I regret not noticing the default version on the first router which worked better.
Long story short, the bug I'm reporting is real. There are 3 or 4 other older reports about this pop-up ghost connection that appears for a minute or two on a power-up restart in the latest version.
It's likely not a malware issue but rather a "sloppy coding" issue.
I used to do software QC, and have a sharp pen, but am not a router expert. I just hate sloppy coding and software bugs. Because these kind of issues are a hacker's delight.
Anyway, I wont be posting going forward, but with 4 reports of this issue, it's real.