Adding XT8 to the mesh with ethernet connection - blinking blue led

[OzarkEdge]

thank you for all the tips. It is a wall-plate ethernet jack in the upstairs rooms. However, I use the exact same patch cord that I test the laptop's direct connection, so the patch cord cannot be a factor. I'll play a bit more with the other suggestions.

Yeah but... you're not trying to fix the laptop... maybe its typically more capable/robust/different networking components push through where finicky AiMesh just gives up at the slightest signaling trouble and complains... beware overlooking what you don't know about.

OE

 

[pvanosta]

Interesting phenomenon I witnessed during the late evening and throughout the night. The blinking blue led seems to migrate / rotate through the other nodes (the ones which were always wired and stable). I got periodic interruptions in the living room as I was streaming content from the NAS. The NAS is wired in the kitchen closet, along with the ISP modem and the wired kitchen node. I saw that kitchen node blink blue on occasion as well , while the upstairs troubled node was white for most of the night and then turned blue again this morning. It's like the system is trying to stabilize itself but some conflict is pushing it into an unstable state. I have removed the ethernet from the upstairs node and the system is once again stable (need it for work). Will rebuild the mesh from scratch, one node at a time when I have time and see what happens.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Will rebuild the mesh from scratch, one node at a time when I have time and see what happens.

Good idea... evaluate the smaller network for stability before adding to it.

I'm hitting the road for few days and will be offline.

Tip: 99.9999% of networking issues is cabling... not necessarily true but it helps to remember to not overlook the basics.

OE

 

[pvanosta]

Update (in case this is useful for anyone in a similar situation): I took down the entire mesh and started from scratch:
1. reset node 0 to factory settings and connected it to the 2.5GB switch next to the fiber modem
2. I changed the operating mode from 'Router' to 'access point', thereby removing the second DHCP source which I suspected was gumming up the works
3. One by one, I reset and then re-added nodes via ethernet connection to the same switch, then moved each node to its final location (office, bedroom, ...), ensuring each node retained connectivity via ethernet as I did so
4. added one final node via wifi
Result: stable network with full speed across the house.
Thanks to all who helped troubleshoot the issue

 

[Gustour]

I am not sure to understand your installation but you can't put a switches between modem and xt8 (as router) and plug the nodes on the switch. The nodes have to be after the router, else they receive they don't understand where the wan come from, modem or router or both, and that don't work.

 

[pvanosta]

No worries. The issue was resolved. My original config was Fiber Modem - ethernet- 2.5GB Switch - ethernet - XT8 router (node 0) - XT8 nodes 1-4 via wifi. The issue was I did not turn off DHCP on node 0.
Once I did that (turned node 0 from router to access point), I was then able to add nodes 104 via ethernet. Before, with two competing DHCPs, I could not connect nodes 1-4 via ethernet without the whole mesh crashing (blue flashing LED). So now everything works as it should.

 

[Tech9]

So now everything works as it should.

You effectively removed all routing features from your AiMesh system and it provides Wi-Fi only. All Asuswrt firewall and security features gone as well. What is acting as Internet Gateway?

 

[Gustour]

Yes it s because the extra nodes have to be linked by ethernet thru the node0 ethernet port.
Having 2 dhcp wasn't the problem (it s double NAT but it s working), you could do with (i was) but the config have to be :
modem - ethernet - wan port XT8 (node0) - ethernet port xt8 (node0) - ethernet - switch - wan port XT8 (nodeX)

 

[pvanosta]

Thanks Guys. @Tech9 : the internet gateway (insofar as I understand), is provided by the ISP fiber modem/router. @Gustour: if I set up the config like you described, do I re-activate the router function in Node0? Or, put another way, how to I prevent double NAT and not turn off the router function (and DHCP) in Node0? Apologies for the N00b questions, but my networking skills are very very basic.

 

[Tech9]

the internet gateway (insofar as I understand), is provided by the ISP fiber modem/router

You have lost all Asus features in this case. All AiProtection, Adaptive QoS, Traffic Statistic, Parental Controls, etc. routing related... all gone. Not sure if this is what you wanted to happen.

 

[pvanosta]

What I want to happen, is for Asus XT8's across the house to give me full speed wifi thanks to an ethernet connection to the fiber modem downstairs. If there is another config to achieve that AND give me the protections you referenced above, I'm all ears. All I know is: with node0 as router, no other nodes could connect via ethernet. With node0 as AP, everything works.... By all means, I am very willing to learn a better way to set this up. As I admitted, I am fairly novice at networking config and not sure about the interactions between dual NAT, dual DHCP, etc...

 

[Tech9]

Read AiMesh setup documents again, you perhaps had wrong cable connections at the main router/node. Double NAT is not an issue in most cases, you may want to check if your ISP gateway has bridge mode. There is no dual DHCP situation if your connections and settings are done right.

 

[Gustour]

If you want ASUS features you have to use node0 as router.
So you need to put modem in bridge mode if it can, else you configure a double NAT (not that hard, just config your node0 well). In this case you have to connect them all well, not like you did, but like i told you.
If you dont care ASUS features (you bought the wrong devices, you could have bought cheaper one), then use all node as AP... it will work as good as the other options, but you wasted options/money


this could help :

[AiMesh] Can I set up wired connection between AiMesh routers (Ethernet backhaul)? | Official Support | ASUS Global

other sample :

 

[pvanosta]

I appreciate you taking the time to send this info. However: the wiring diagram is how I had tried to set it up at first and nothing worked as soon as I put node 1 in the chain. All I got was blinking blue leds on all the asus nodes. So I'm guessing there is a config setting about double NAT that I am not familiar with or not aware of. Also: would I put the first switch between the fiber router and node0 or after node0?

 

[kildare]

You probably can't daisy chain the nodes.
I use a switch in between and for me this solution works perfectly.

 

[pvanosta]

You probably can't daisy chain the nodes.
I use a switch in between and for me this solution works perfectly.

View attachment 61459


View attachment 61460

Thank you, I’ll send my diagram tomorrow morning when I’m at the computer. I’m not daisy chained either (all nodes are connected to a switch with wires across the house . However: node 0 is connected to the main switch as is the fiber modem.

 

[Tech9]

However: node 0 is connected to the main switch as is the fiber modem.

Not a Modem, but a Gateway (Modem/Router) in Router mode.

What else is connected to this main switch (on the Gateway's network)? Once you turn your Asus into Router - all devices connected to this main switch will lose access to Asus created network. You may have no choice but continue using your AiMesh in AP Mode.

 

[pvanosta]

This is how I have it set up. The whole house (meaning the other ethernet ports, which each have switches hanging off them, with the nodes and with wired devices (NAS, Media player, TVs, etc) connected to those secondary switches. In this diagram, wherever you see a wired node, there is in most cases a switch between the wall/ethernet and the node. If I turn the Asus Node0 back into router (and the fiber modem into bridge mode), I should put the Asus Node) between the Fiber modem and the switch, rather than downstream from it?

 

[Tech9]

This diagram doesn't match the description provided earlier.

I’m not daisy chained either (all nodes are connected to a switch with wires across the house . However: node 0 is connected to the main switch as is the fiber modem.

The above assumes "node 0" is the only one connected to the "main switch". The diagram shows all nodes connected to the "main switch" and this won't work in any AiMesh configuration.

 

[pvanosta]

And yet it works. The main switch has Ethernet connections to the rooms upstairs where nodes 3 and 4 are connected and all show up in the mesh diagram with wired connection, as I wanted. Now I have to decide whether to change the fiber router to bridge and reactivate node 0 as router (in which case I think I need to move the main switch downstream from Node0) or leave as is.