Are all ASUS routers on the 3.0.0.6.102 codebase guaranteed to support VLAN Management & Guest Network Pro?

[YRTFS]

1. Looking for a simple and 100% reliable way to determine if an Asus router supports VLAN management and Guest Network Pro. Is that the case with any and all models that are on the v3.0.0.6.102 codebase, or are there models that lack such functionality?

Why not just look at the specs? Well, they are lacking. Case in point: the ASUS RT-BE86U page advertises Guest Network Pro, while the ASUS RT-BE92U and RT-BE58U do not. However all three advertise "LAN Link Aggregation". Which brings me to question no. 2:

2. Is "LAN Link Aggregation" a reliable indicator that an Asus router supports VLAN management and Guest Network Pro? Can there be routers that support "LAN Link Aggregation" while lacking explicit VLAN support?

Thank you!

p.s. aside:
Would have been great if they put "Pro" at the end of all models that have this, like they did for the AX models. But, hey!

 

[bennor]

Per the following Asus Support link that explains what Guest Network Pro is.

[Guest Network Pro] What is Guest Network Pro? | Official Support | ASUS USA

Notes:
1. Adding a Guest Network Pro also creates a new VLAN network.
2. Guest Network Pro is supported on WiFi 7 ROG series models and select WiFi 6 models.
3. This feature requires upgrading your ASUS router to firmware version 3.0.0.6.102_34312 or above.

Edit to add: VLAN...

[Wireless Router] What is VLAN and how to setup in ASUS Wireless Router? | Official Support | ASUS USA

Note:
1). By creating a Guest network pro, a VLAN will be created as well in VLAN settings.
2). VLAN supported models:
GT-AX11000 Pro, GT-AX6000, GT-AXE16000, RT-AX86U Pro, RT-AX88U Pro
ZenWiFi Pro ET12, ZenWIFI Pro XT12(only provide beta firmware)
3). The following feature requires router firmware version later than version 3.0.0.6.102_xxxx or above. Some models provide beta firmware (9.0.0.6.102_xxxx) to experience this feature.

 

[YRTFS]

@bennor Thank you, but I am well aware of everything you have posted, Including the fact that 9.0.0.6.102_xxxx is required for VLAN support. However, my question was whether a router having the 9.0.0.6.102_xxxx firmware in and of itself guarantees said functionality.

 

[Tech9]

firmware version 3.0.0.6.102_34312 or above.

The information on Asus website is a mess. Asus ZenWiFi BQ16 doesn't have VLANs and runs firmware >34312 as an example.

9.0.0.6.102_xxxx firmware

This is a beta firmware number. Official releases are 3.0.0.6 and nothing guarantees features. Whatever the marketing decides.

 

[YRTFS]

@Tech9 So there's nasically no way

The information on Asus website is a mess. Asus ZenWiFi BQ16 doesn't have VLANs and runs firmware >34312 as an example.

A mess indeed.

This is a beta firmware number. Official releases are 3.0.0.6 and nothing guarantees features. Whatever the marketing decides.

So there's basically no straightfoward way to determine if a router supports explicit VLAN management? How about "LAN Link Aggregation"(it's advertised on all 3 models I've mentioned)? Does it go hand-in-hand with VLAN functionality so if a router has one, can we assume the other?

 

[bennor]

@bennor Thank you, but I am well aware of everything you have posted, Including the fact that 9.0.0.6.102_xxxx is required for VLAN support. However, my question was whether a router having the 9.0.0.6.102_xxxx firmware in and of itself guarantees said functionality.

As the above information indicates WiFi 7 ROG series models and select WiFi 6 models support the feature provided they are using firmware version 3.0.0.6.102_34312 or above. Asus has been all over the place with their information for ages. There used to be support pages that listed a number of routers that support Guest Network Pro and VLAN. For what ever reason they stopped providing that information and now instead just use the vague information posted above. Asus doesn't seem to provide a way to narrow it down on their global router product site. Its made worse by the fact that certain routers may only be available in certain markets/countries.

I guess one could search the Asus - Official subforum for something like "guest network pro" or "vlan" to see which router firmware indicates support for those features.

PS: It also doesn't help that for many routes Asus removed the older firmware information on their support pages so one cannot search to see if GNP or VLAN's were introduced in the firmware.

PPS: And if one searches here for Guest Network Pro and or the 3006.x firmware they'll find more than a few are having issues with that and other features. It feels half baked at times, and in some cases is not ready for production use.

 

[ColinTaylor]

How about "LAN Link Aggregation"(it's advertised on all 3 models I've mentioned)? Does it go hand-in-hand with VLAN functionality so if a router has one, can we assume the other?

LAN Link Aggregation is a feature that has existed on the old "AC-class" routers for years and is completely unrelated to VLAN support.

 

[YRTFS]

LAN Link Aggregation is a feature that has existed on the old "AC-class" routers for years and is completely unrelated to VLAN support.

Didn't know that, thank you!

As the above information indicates WiFi 7 ROG series models and select WiFi 6 models support the feature provided they are using firmware version 3.0.0.6.102_34312 or above. Asus has been all over the place with their information for ages. There used to be support pages that listed a number of routers that support Guest Network Pro and VLAN. For what ever reason they stopped providing that information and now instead just use the vague information posted above. Asus doesn't seem to provide a way to narrow it down on their global router product site. Its made worse by the fact that certain routers may only be available in certain markets/countries.

I guess one could search the Asus - Official subforum for something like "guest network pro" or "vlan" to see which router firmware indicates support for those features.

PS: It also doesn't help that for many routes Asus removed the older firmware information on their support pages so one cannot search to see if GNP or VLAN's were introduced in the firmware.

So there's no straighforward way of finding that info. Well, at least now I know not to make assumptions and do some digging.

PPS: And if one searches here for Guest Network Pro and or the 3006.x firmware they'll find more than a few are having issues with that and other features. It feels half baked at times, and in some cases is not ready for production use.

Not suprising. From what I gather it's also lacking comapred to even the most basic managed switches that support 802.1Q. For example, the interface doesn't seem to support tagging only some VLANs on one port as one can only set a port's VID in trunk mode, not specify what gets tagged and what gets dropped.

But one can assume that it will get ironed out. And If I'm buying a router today, it makes sense to get something that has that feature and use it as is if it's suffiecent and/or wait for it to get fixed.

 

[YRTFS]

LAN Link Aggregation is a feature that has existed on the old "AC-class" routers for years and is completely unrelated to VLAN support.

How about WAN Aggregation?

 

[ColinTaylor]

How about WAN Aggregation?

Again, unrelated to VLANs. (https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1039053/)

P.S. To be clear about my previous post, not all AC routers supported LAN aggregation but some of them did. My point being that WAN and LAN link aggregation support predates the 3.0.0.6.xxx firmware by a number of years.

 

[YRTFS]

Again, unrelated to VLANs. (https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1039053/)

P.S. To be clear about my previous post, not all AC routers supported LAN aggregation but some of them did. My point being that WAN and LAN link aggregation support predates the 3.0.0.6.xxx firmware by a number of years.

Got it! Thank you!