[AC88U, 384.15] 2.4GHz WiFi channel setting is not respected

[dragon31337]

I had the channel set auto for 2.4GHz on ac88U, 384.15 release.
And it picked 8 as optimal which was no optimal it should be either 1 or 10/11. But whenever I set the channel manually it goes to channel 2, I verified that with wifi analyzer on my phone.

 

[L&LD]

Are you changing both the Control Channel and the Channel Width and then hitting 'Apply'?

 

[dragon31337]

Are you talking about "Channel bandwidth"? It is set to 20/40. I'm changing "Control Channel".

 

[L&LD]

Yes, change both and that should 'stick' the settings you apply.

 

[dragon31337]

This is what is st to and it uses channel 2 instead of 10:

 

[Smokindog]

I think what @L&LD is trying to point out is that you can't put a 40MHz wide channel at 10 in the US and that perhaps is what's causing the issue.

Set your channel width to 20MHz and things should be OK. I'd also stick with 1, 6, or 11. It's rare when you'd want to select other than these non-overlapping 20MHz channels in the 2.4GHz band.

This is what is st to and it uses channel 2 instead of 10:
View attachment 21583

 

[dragon31337]

but why doesn't it pick 20 automatically if I set to 10? It should pick automatically appropriate width to respect the 10/11th channel setting.

 

[Darkje]

i can confirm, the setting does not stick either way. (86u)

 

[ColinTaylor]

I think what @L&LD is trying to point out is that you can't put a 40MHz wide channel at 10 in the US and that perhaps is what's causing the issue.

There's nothing to stop you using channel 10 at 40MHz in the US. The extension channel must be below though (the GUI won't allow you to select an invalid combination). Whether that's a good choice or not would depend on any other nearby devices.

 

[Smokindog]

There's nothing to stop you using channel 10 at 40MHz in the US. The extension channel must be below though. Whether that's a good choice or not would depend on any other nearby devices.

I do see what you're saying but ...

Typically that channel number indicates the center of the overall channel so I guess if you mean "containing 10" then OK but not the way I'd represent it. I personally never use 40MHz channels and have never bothered to "decode" the ASUS GUI concerning them. It's also possible the driver writers and the GUI writers never got on the same page

https://www.electronics-notes.com/a...2-11/channels-frequencies-bands-bandwidth.php

I still would like to know what happens if the channel width is set to a fixed 20MHz (something I'd recommend regardless).

SMB Wi-Fi done right: 7 best practices you likely aren't following

 

[ColinTaylor]

Typically that channel number indicates the center of the overall channel so I guess if you mean "containing 10" then OK but not the way I'd represent it.

Unfortunately that's not the way channels are referred to for 2.4GHz. They are referred to by channel number, not centre frequency. As you can see in the GUI you pick a "primary" 20MHz channel and then specify whether the other 20MHz channel (the extension channel) is above or below it.

And just to add to the confusion, on 5GHz with 40 and 80MHz bandwidth you pick a primary 20MHz channel and the other channels are automatically calculated for you.

 

[Smokindog]

Unfortunately that's not the way channels are referred to for 2.4GHz. They are referred to by channel number, not centre frequency. As you can see in the GUI you pick a "primary" 20MHz channel and then specify whether the other 20MHz channel (the extension channel) is above or below it.

And just to add to the confusion, on 5GHz with 40 and 80MHz bandwidth you pick a primary 20MHz channel and the other channels are automatically calculated for you.

We can agree to disagree. I do understand what you're saying but most people I know discuss these types of allocation issues as center of channel. It just eliminates a lot of misinterpretation as I believe is happening here.

Again, I almost never use 40Mhz channels in the 2.4GHz band. IMO it's bad neighbor policy and too many issues seem to follow its use.

 

[Val D.]

most people I know discuss these types of allocation issues as center of channel.

This is incorrect for 2.4GHz band.

2.4GHz band. IMO it's bad neighbor policy and too many issues seem to follow its use.

This is correct for 2.4GHz band in urban areas.

 

[ColinTaylor]

We can agree to disagree. Most people I know discuss these types of issues as center of channel. It just eliminates misinterpretation as I believe is happening here.

I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just saying that's the way it's represented in the Asus GUI.

This is not really something you can says is Asus' fault because if you look at Broadcom's wireless interface that is the way it is programmed/represented there. So Asus are just reflecting the terminology that Broadcom is using.

 

[Smokindog]

This is incorrect for 2.4GHz band.

Again, we can agree to disagree. In fact the article I linked uses the "center of channel standard". Many articles and best practice guides talk center of channel. It's also how a lot of tools also display spectrum use. BUT I get your point.

Yes, in many ways it's semantics but that's how we had some major space system failures (metric vs imperial)

I think this horse is sufficiently deceased

 

[Val D.]

BUT I get your point.

Most people don't know what channel 42 is on 5GHz band, for instance. Consumer products are different. If you ask an average home user to set the router on channel 42, the reply you'll get is there is no such channel in WebUI. This is why "80MHz wide lower channels" or "36-40-44-48" is more helping description. You read and reference pro users materials, not always applicable to home users.

 

[Smokindog]

Most people don't know what channel 42 is on 5GHz band, for instance. Consumer products are different. If you ask an average home user to set the router on channel 42, the reply you'll get is there is no such channel in WebUI. This is why "80MHz wide lower channels" or "36-40-44-48" is more helping description. You read and reference pro users materials, not always applicable to home users.

And those users are the target of AiMesh

 

[Val D.]

And those users are the target of AiMesh

It's a pretty good target, I would say >90% or users. This is what consumer market looks like. You don't have to be a networking pro to use a router and you don't have to be a mechanic to use a car. If you are, the ability to filter marketing claims from reality is your advantage. If you have noticed, pro market advertisement is a bit different.

 

[RMerlin]

Asuswrt uses the control + extension channel format for the 2.4 GHz band when using 40 MHz. If you set it to channel 1 with 40 MHz width, then it will be shown as 1l, which means 1 + 3, with 1 being the lower channel. Likewise, 6u would indicate 6 as the upper channel, therefore 4+6 are used. This can be seen by using a Wifi scanner.

This is why Asuswrt lets you chose the Extension channel as being either Above or Below, provided there is room with the channel you chose - that's why with channel 1 for instance the extension must be Above.

The 5 GHz band however represents it as a control channel/width. It might not ncessarily be the actual central channel, as it will depend on which channel you picked. To better explain, look at this output from Broadcom's visualizer: