AC86U client list and other oddities

[hokiez97]

Long-time user of a rock-solid N66U, just upgraded to an AC86U about a week ago. This morning I noticed that the router rebooted itself twice in about 10 minutes. In a different thread, it was suggested I update to the latest Asus FW which I did.

I just realized my printer now won't print (wireless connection). It has an IP but won't print from a PC on the network. I have rebooted the router, printer, PC and all other wireless devices just to be safe and no change.

Now I am noticing some things in the client list on the AC86U that seem weird to me. Even though I have about 15 devices currently connected, they are disappearing/reappearing from the client list. What i mean is, one minute there are 15 clients showing, then it changes to maybe 5, then back to 15, then to zero at one point!

The other thing is, if I hover over the little laptop icon on the left side of the client list, it says "Loading Manufacturer..." but never actually changes to display any info.

So what gives, do I have a bum AC86U?

 

[OzarkEdge]

The client list is unreliable. I ignore it.

Printer not printing... I've seen that before! Did it have a static IP before the router upgrade that is now different? Can you ping its IP address?

I've seen "Loading manufacturer..." before for one odd device. I ignore it.

Did you factory default reset the router after the firmware upgrade? If not, do this and reconfigure from scratch. You might want to do this any way.

And check cables for damage. Is the router on a UPS... dirty power might cause it to reboot.

OE

 

[hokiez97]

Thanks - comments below.

The client list is unreliable. I ignore it.

Printer not printing... I've seen that before! Did it have a static IP before the router upgrade that is now different? Can you ping its IP address?

Was not static before. Can't ping it, and Google Cloud Print no longer sees it. It does show up on the router client list.

I've seen "Loading manufacturer..." before for one odd device. I ignore it.

This is happening for all of the devices in the client list.

Did you factory default reset the router after the firmware upgrade? If not, do this and reconfigure from scratch. You might want to do this any way.

Did not, will try that shortly.

And check cables for damage. Is the router on a UPS... dirty power might cause it to reboot.

Yes, it is on a UPS.

OE[/QUOTE]

 

[Darcy]

Wonder why Amazon dropped the price of this to $174.99? Is it worth a try at that price? Is this router working/preforming well?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Grisu]

This is happening for all of the devices in the client list.
Yes, it is on a UPS.

[/QUOTE]
common issue that client list is not static or completely lost.
Yes, probably UPS doesnt provide good sinus power, try some days without to sort out.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Wonder why Amazon dropped the price of this to $174.99? Is it worth a try at that price? Is this router working/preforming well?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe because Micro Center keeps selling two for less. I bought two in March for $280; currently two for $300.

OE

 

[OzarkEdge]

I just realized my printer now won't print (wireless connection). It has an IP but won't print from a PC on the network. I have rebooted the router, printer, PC and all other wireless devices just to be safe and no change.

Try disabling Airtime Fairness for each band under Wireless\Professional. You can leave this disabled.

Credit Neil62.

OE

 

[hokiez97]

OK, did a factory reset of both router and printer and all is well for now. Not sure which was the culprit.

The client list is still flaky (as OzarkEdge indicated it is). Annoying but I guess I can live with it. Seems like pretty simple functionality to not have work well; I'm pretty sure my N66U didn't have the issue.

Possibly related to my initial issue of the router rebooting itself, I think something is up with the outlet the router (and other gear) is plugged into. Well, my UPS is plugged into outlet, and router, NAS, etc plugged into the UPS. What I am seeing is lots of alerts from the NAS that it has lost AC power and then seconds later, back on AC power. See attached screenshot. It's possible this outlet has always done this but the NAS is new-ish and that's what's sending me the alerts, not the UPS itself.

 

[OzarkEdge]

OK, did a factory reset of both router and printer and all is well for now. Not sure which was the culprit.

The client list is still flaky (as OzarkEdge indicated it is). Annoying but I guess I can live with it. Seems like pretty simple functionality to not have work well; I'm pretty sure my N66U didn't have the issue.

Possibly related to my initial issue of the router rebooting itself, I think something is up with the outlet the router (and other gear) is plugged into. Well, my UPS is plugged into outlet, and router, NAS, etc plugged into the UPS. What I am seeing is lots of alerts from the NAS that it has lost AC power and then seconds later, back on AC power. See attached screenshot. It's possible this outlet has always done this but the NAS is new-ish and that's what's sending me the alerts, not the UPS itself.

If the NAS has a data link to the UPS, then the UPS is alerting the NAS when power fails. Hopefully, the UPS is then switching to battery backup and holding up the connected loads. Make sure the UPS is not overloaded such that battery backup power sags and the router reboots and the NAS complains(?).

And determine why you AC power is bad... is it an external event beyond your control or what? The last NAS log entry with time stamp suggests a momentary power event affecting the line.

OE

 

[hokiez97]

If the NAS has a data link to the UPS, then the UPS is alerting the NAS when power fails. Hopefully, the UPS is then switching to battery backup and holding up the connected loads. Make sure the UPS is not overloaded such that battery backup power sags and the router reboots and the NAS complains(?).

And determine why you AC power is bad... is it an external event beyond your control or what? The last NAS log entry with time stamp suggests a momentary power event affecting the line.

OE

Yes - the NAS senses the momentary loss of AC power, goes to UPS battery backup, but then AC power is almost instantly restored. UPS only has NAS, router, cable modem, a Google Home Mini, and a Sonos speaker plugged into it -- shouldn't be overloaded from that, I don't think?

The real issue as you point out is, what's causing these momentary losses of power to the outlet. I have another outlet nearby, will have to see if it has the same issues. If they are both on the same circuit, I'd expect it would.

And thanks for all of your troubleshooting help!

 

[OzarkEdge]

Yes - the NAS senses the momentary loss of AC power, goes to UPS battery backup, but then AC power is almost instantly restored. UPS only has NAS, router, cable modem, a Google Home Mini, and a Sonos speaker plugged into it -- shouldn't be overloaded from that, I don't think?

The real issue as you point out is, what's causing these momentary losses of power to the outlet. I have another outlet nearby, will have to see if it has the same issues. If they are both on the same circuit, I'd expect it would.

And thanks for all of your troubleshooting help!

The NAS log suggests one event a week, more or less. An outlet or local circuit issue would likely be more persistent. It's more likely some local load or external supply event that momentarily disturbs the line.

Thing is, the UPS is suppose to intervene with battery power, and the connected loads should not see anything happening... no NAS log events. Is the NAS communicating with the UPS over a data link, or is it just experiencing bad power from the UPS on battery backup? Or is some other failing load on the UPS corrupting the load side of the battery backup?

Maybe the UPS/battery is failing or maybe it is overloaded. What's the VA rating of the UPS? How old is the battery? How much power does the speaker amp use... an amp could draw some current. Also, speakers and printers generally don't need to be on a UPS... they increase the UPS power rating requirement unnecessarily, which requires a bigger UPS, which increase the battery size, weight, and replacement cost. The battery usually lasts about 5 years or less.

You don't have to answer all the questions... just consider them. Here's a read on UPS sizing:
https://www.power-solutions.com/watts-va

I would remove the Sonos speaker and see how the UPS behaves i.e. see if the NAS complains when the next event happens... it should crash, not complain, if the battery backup is failing it. I guess I'm still unclear on how the NAS and UPS are inter-operating.

OE

 

[hokiez97]

The NAS log suggests one event a week, more or less. An outlet or local circuit issue would likely be more persistent. It's more likely some local load or external supply event that momentarily disturbs the line.

Thing is, the UPS is suppose to intervene with battery power, and the connected loads should not see anything happening... no NAS log events. Is the NAS communicating with the UPS over a data link, or is it just experiencing bad power from the UPS on battery backup? Or is some other failing load on the UPS corrupting the load side of the battery backup?

Maybe the UPS/battery is failing or maybe it is overloaded. What's the VA rating of the UPS? How old is the battery? How much power does the speaker amp use... an amp could draw some current. Also, speakers and printers generally don't need to be on a UPS... they increase the UPS power rating requirement unnecessarily, which requires a bigger UPS, which increase the battery size, weight, and replacement cost. The battery usually lasts about 5 years or less.

You don't have to answer all the questions... just consider them. Here's a read on UPS sizing:
https://www.power-solutions.com/watts-va

I would remove the Sonos speaker and see how the UPS behaves i.e. see if the NAS complains when the next event happens... it should crash, not complain, if the battery backup is failing it. I guess I'm still unclear on how the NAS and UPS are inter-operating.

OE

I should have clarified in my last post. Yes, the NAS and UPS talk through a USB cable. So when the UPS loses power (and then regains it) it tells the NAS, which sends the alerts I get in email.

As for the Sonos speaker, it's plugged into a non-battery backup outlet on the UPS. It just gets surge protection. The only things powered by the UPS battery side are the router, cable modem, and NAS.