Help with ASUS RT-AC68U router

[donchen]

Hello all,

First of all, I just want to share that I am a amateur when it comes to networking and router setup. So please forgive me if I asked questions that are silly or irrelevant.

So let me begin. I got this router, RT-AC68U when I signed up for my internet plan. I read some reviews and it seems like a good router to have. My previous router is a 6 years old Aztech router and it served me well.

So I opened up my new RT-AC68U and set it up. I setup the 2 types of wireless, 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. Setup WPA and everything. If I remember correctly, I think the channels are set on auto. Everything else I did not touch like Firewall, DMZ, port forwarding, Qoos etc. Everything is default.

I place the router in my room and it is on place near the ceiling. My old Aztech router was at the same place too.

However, when we are in the living room, the connection always drop. Let's take my IP Camera in my living room for example. The video will occasionally hang and it needs to reload because the Wifi connection is lost. The living room and the router is separated by a couple of walls and do not have direct line of sight. However, the IP camera and Router distance is only about 6 - 8 meters apart.

I am using the original Asus firmware and it is quite outdated. I have read about Merlin's firmware and many other custom firmwares. I am thinking of trying Merlin's firmware since it is the closest to the original Asus firmware. Will it help?

Is there any other settings I can do to improve this?

 

[pete y testing]

Setup WPA and everything.

hopefully wpa2 with AES

I think the channels are set on auto.

better to set channels manually imho , i use ch 1 for 2.4 gig and ch 153 for 5 gig

I am using the original Asus firmware and it is quite outdated. I have read about Merlin's firmware and many other custom firmwares. I am thinking of trying Merlin's firmware since it is the closest to the original Asus firmware. Will it help?

i would first update the stock firmware to the latest and see if it works better or not before switching to merlins

 

[donchen]

Hello Pete,

Thank you. I will try your suggestion. I read somewhere that I should scan my area for channels that are heavily in used and use those that are not so....

Am i right? Should i try this?

 

[L&LD]

Hello Pete,

Thank you. I will try your suggestion. I read somewhere that I should scan my area for channels that are heavily in used and use those that are not so....

Am i right? Should i try this?

If find doing that a waste of time. Not to mention not being a good indicator of the best channel for your specific environment.

For the 2.4GHz band, try each channel (1, 6 and 11 and, 13 if your country supports it) and test for throughput and lowest latency by using a laptop and a wired computer and seeing how fast a large file (1GB or larger) transfers at multiple locations in your coverage area (make sure you can replicate the location and the orientation of the laptop at each location to ensure a 'fair' test of each channel).

For the 5GHz band, try each available channel (since none overlap like the 2.4GHz band).

After testing for maximum transfer rates (or shortest transfer times), also test for latency by visiting a few new websites (or your favorites, after you have cleared the cache from the browser you're using).

I would also recommend rebooting the router and the laptop after each channel change too.

While the above may seem over the top, it is the only way to know what the best channels are for your router and clients for your specific environment.

Scanning may seem more 'high tech', but it also is just a best guess of whatever utility you'll be using of what a good channel might be. Almost all free ones will not detect interference from a non-WiFi source and that is why those type of utilities should be avoided, imo.

If you do decide to test like the above but with the help of a utility too, make sure you shut it down before doing your transfer or latency testing. Just running on the laptop, they will decimate the performance of your device.

 

[donchen]

Thank you so much for the very comprehensive explanation!

You may find it weird but I don't have a laptop. I only have mobile devices like iPad and mobile phones.
I'll try to borrow a laptop from my neighbor.

So changing channel is the only thing I can do?

 

[L&LD]

Thank you so much for the very comprehensive explanation!

You may find it weird but I don't have a laptop. I only have mobile devices like iPad and mobile phones.
I'll try to borrow a laptop from my neighbor.

So changing channel is the only thing I can do?

You're welcome. Handheld mobile devices are not the benchmarks of WiFi performance (they are more optimized for long life than highest performance) so if you can borrow a laptop to do this testing with, it will be worthwhile. You can still have as a point of reference what performance the handheld gets too at each location.

Changing channels is not the only thing. First is the location of the router itself.

Should be centered in the area(s) you want covered when viewed in 3D (imagine the antennae radiating the signal in a donut fashion).

http://www.antenna-theory.com/basics/radpattern.php

Should be at least 10 feet (3 metres) higher than ground level (not just 'floor' level).

Should have at least 3 feet (1 metre) free space all around the antennae, including from the ceiling too (compromise this 'ideal' as necessary and as needed to give the best balance of height off the earth (ground) and the fixed obstacles around it).

If you're covering one floor, orientate the antennae straight up |||, if you are covering multiple levels, orientate the antennae in a 'W' configuration \|/.

Before doing any of these things though (I just re-read your first post), I would flash to a current firmware (RMerlin highly recommended).

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/no...l-and-manual-configuration.27115/#post-205573

And if you don't want to manually type in all your customizations (which I recommend you do one by one (one or two per day) testing as you go to ensure they all work as expected, then you can try using john9527's NVRAM save/restore utility too.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/user-nvram-save-restore-utility-r22.19521/


But (guessing) with just a few customizations to do to get the router going, I would suggest holding off on using such a utility for the time being.

 

[donchen]

Thank you all for the support.

As I couldn't get hold of a laptop to test what L&LD suggested, i decided to just upgrade the firmware as I was on a very old firmware.

Initially I tried upgrading to Asus's latest original firmware however after uploading and waiting for the process bar to complete, the page just reload and the firmware still shows my old firmware. I don't know why this happened. The upgrading seems to fail but I don't see any error messages.

I tried a few times and was unable to upgrade so I decided to download the latest Merlin's firmware. And boom! It worked. I am now on the latest firmware from Merlin for Asus AC68U.

I proceed to restore the default settings so as to clear the NVRAM and then setup everything all over again.
It seems like the wireless have improved and none of my device are disconnecting already. I will continue to monitor and update here again.

Thank you all for your help.