Asus AIMESH combo recommandation

[Sébastien GEOFFROY]

The one and only.

Great stuff, congrats. I use Merlin fw since several years.
But...I 'll need AIMesh so maybe I'll be back to stock fw.
AP is good but Aimesh is more user friendly for administration & redundancy (fail over).

 

[L&LD]

Great stuff, congrats. I use Merlin fw since several years.
But...I 'll need AIMesh so maybe I'll be back to stock fw.
AP is good but Aimesh is more user friendly for administration & redundancy (fail over).

This stuff can be as complicated or user-friendly as you want to make it.

AiMesh is great for the ones it works for, for most though, it's an AiMess.

You need a really large home or one with construction material so dense that it makes the wireless act like it's in a large home for mesh type systems to be truly needed.

If you can have wired AP's, those are the most fool-proof setups that I know. RMerlin firmware or not.

 

[Sébastien GEOFFROY]

Thanks L&LD
My home is 1240 sq ft with 1 floor. (I move to my new house next month).

Maybe 1 router will be enough for wifi coverge in 2.4 Ghz. Problem is maybe when using 5 Ghz.

Aimesh able to centralize administration on the main routeur (DHCP, reboot, fw upgrade, settings, ..). This is really user friendly.

I also need the same SSIDs ( 1st floor and ground floor): 1 for 2.4 ghz and 1 for 5 Ghz.

 

[L&LD]

Thanks L&LD
My home is 1240 sq ft with 1 floor. (I move to my new house next month).

Maybe 1 router will be enough for wifi coverge in 2.4 Ghz. Problem is maybe when using 5 Ghz.

Aimesh able to centralize administration on the main routeur (DHCP, reboot, fw upgrade, settings, ..). This is really user friendly.

I also need the same SSIDs ( 1st floor and ground floor): 1 for 2.4 ghz and 1 for 5 Ghz.

Your new home is much too small to use more than a single unit with any current Asus router.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/s...-go-with-the-rt-ac1900p-v3.34748/#post-281391


The RT-AC86U performs better (higher throughput) than the example above which used the much older RT-AC3100, but with slightly less range.

However, either will give you more than adequate performance when optimally set up in your new home.

Using AiMesh in your situation is not just overkill, it may actually degrade the performance you can expect from a single router too, in all aspects including user-friendliness.

 

[Sébastien GEOFFROY]

You're maybe right.

Problem is for 5Ghz. Further than 7 meters, signal is very low (wifi signal bar 1 /5).

Here my settings

 

[L&LD]

You're maybe right.

Problem is for 5Ghz. Further than 7 meters, signal is very low (wifi signal bar 1 /5).

Here my settings

I don't have time to compare to default settings right now, but for sure I would change the Wireless Mode on both bands to Auto.

On the 5GHz band, I would not use Control Channel 52 either. Choosing 36, 40, 44 and 48 should be your best bet for range and throughput.

If changing the above settings as suggested above and putting most of the other settings to their defaults (and then followed by a reboot and waiting 10 minutes afterward) don't help, I would recommend a full reset via the M&M Config guide to be sure there are no unwanted interactions happening in your current settings vs. anything you've done previously.

 

[EmeraldDeer]

I don't have time to compare to default settings right now,

The settings are fine. I have never considered changing the Multicast Rate from Auto for fear of impacting the power usage of my iDevices, but this is speculation on my part.

but for sure I would change the Wireless Mode on both bands to Auto.

Auto can be interesting in that it shows what a router algorithm thinks are the quietest channels. But in the long run, I prefer to set the channel manually.

On the 5GHz band, I would not use Control Channel 52 either. Choosing 36, 40, 44 and 48 should be your best bet for range and throughput.

On the other hand, 52 is very unlikely to be in use. In 80 MHz mode, 36 to 48 are all one and they are very likely to be in use by others. Hopefully you can do better than 1 bar at 7 meters at 5 GHz on a mobile phone, but hard to say.

 

[Sébastien GEOFFROY]

So RT-AC86U or the newer RT-AX88U instead my current AC-88U ?

I'll keep my AC88U for AP or Aimesh if needed (Or I will sell it).

 

[OzarkEdge]

So RT-AC86U or the newer RT-AX88U instead my current AC-88U ?

I'll keep my AC88U for AP or Aimesh if needed (Or I will sell it).

If your current router "works perfectly" and you don't need more WiFi coverage, what problem are you trying to solve?

I would delay buying an AX router for as long as possible to allow time for that new technology and pricing to settle.

OE

 

[L&LD]

The settings are fine. I have never considered changing the Multicast Rate from Auto for fear of impacting the power usage of my iDevices, but this is speculation on my part.

Auto can be interesting in that it shows what a router algorithm thinks are the quietest channels. But in the long run, I prefer to set the channel manually.

On the other hand, 52 is very unlikely to be in use. In 80 MHz mode, 36 to 48 are all one and they are very likely to be in use by others. Hopefully you can do better than 1 bar at 7 meters at 5 GHz on a mobile phone, but hard to say.

Wireless Mode should be Auto, not auto for Control Channels, I think you're confusing them here.

I wouldn't be testing WiFi on a handheld device. These vary too much. A laptop is a better testing device. At least to properly set the channels initially.

 

[EmeraldDeer]

Wireless Mode should be Auto, not auto for Control Channels, I think you're confusing them here.

I should have taken Wireless Mode literally.

I emphatically disagree that Auto is a good idea. Why include the possibility of pre-802.11n when you do not have such legacy devices.

 

[EmeraldDeer]

So RT-AC86U or the newer RT-AX88U instead my current AC-88U ?

I'll keep my AC88U for AP or Aimesh if needed (Or I will sell it).

Off the top of my head:

• Both have good CPUs
• No wireless comparison data. SmallNetBuilder preliminary wireless test data for AX88 very good. I see AX88 as top shelf 802.11ac. I did not buy it for future AX capabilities.
• Bottom line: Switching from AC86 to AX88 would be speculative and expensive, hard to recommend

 

[L&LD]

I should have taken Wireless Mode literally.

I emphatically disagree that Auto is a good idea. Why include the possibility of pre-802.11n when you do not have such legacy devices.

Why? Because it has proven to be the most stable and offers the most performance except in very specific cases.

 

[Grisu]

So RT-AC86U or the newer RT-AX88U instead my current AC-88U ?

I'll keep my AC88U for AP or Aimesh if needed (Or I will sell it).

You can consider this new RT-AX92U: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RBBX5ZW/?tag=snbforums-20
2pack, one for each floor connected via LAN backhaul in AiMesh mode.
Dont know if you need Merlins firmware or if he will suport it in future.
For me it seems to be a very good price for 2 AX routers and maybe some kind of 86U successor, but we will need comments from Merlin.

 

[Sébastien GEOFFROY]

Not available yet here in France

 

[Grisu]

Within EU it is available: https://geizhals.eu/asus-rt-ax92u-ax6100-wifi-system-90ig04p0-mo3020-a2028705.html
only they rised the price from 399€ to 499 recently.

Amazon link is working from EU too and you will have to pay 471€ with taxes and shipping.
Or on amazon.co.uk for £389.99 (only shipping no taxes within EU as long as brexit on hold): https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RPN8LCH/?tag=smallncom-21
They wrote: This item will be released on May 31, 2019.

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/ASUS-RT-Ax92U-Tri-Band-Setting-Aiprotection/dp/B07QN892V6/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&keywords=rt-ax92u&qid=1558536875&s=gateway&sr=8-1

AND EVEN FRANCE €499: https://www.amazon.fr/ASUS-RT-Ax92U-Tri-Band-Setting-Aiprotection/dp/B07QN892V6/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&keywords=rt-ax92u&qid=1558536875&s=gateway&sr=8-1

 

[Sébastien GEOFFROY]

Thanks for the info
Expensive but it looks good

 

[Sébastien GEOFFROY]

Just place an order for Asus RT-86U.
I'll set it up as main routeur and my current 88U will be used as AP at 1st floor.

I looked at ASUS RT-AX92U but it looks not as good as 86U.

Is AP can be used with Merlin fw ?
In AP mode can I use LAN ports (on AP node) for devices ?
Best is to use differents SSID (differents channels) for better performances, right ?
In AP mode, can I only use the main router to assign IPs (DHCP) to all my devices ? Even thoses connected to AP node ?

Can you please give restrictions/ keys issue using AP Vs standalone router

thx

 

[Grisu]

Is AP can be used with Merlin fw ? yes
In AP mode can I use LAN ports (on AP node) for devices ? yes
Best is to use differents SSID (differents channels) for better performances, right ? depends on your needs, I would try Aimesh in your case and if all ok it would be the easiest config.
In AP mode, can I only use the main router to assign IPs (DHCP) to all my devices ? AP mode has no DHCP, so all routing will be done on main router, AP-mode is like repeater but connected via ethernet-LAN port
Even thoses connected to AP node ? yes

 

[Sébastien GEOFFROY]

I tried to find speed/bandwitdh benchmark in AP Vs AImesh.
The main problems I see with Aimesh are:
- Not compatible with Merlin fw - i heard that merlin fw is most stable than the stock one (+ much more features)
- Aimesh share the same wifi channels for main router and AP node (so this can make lower performances when using several wireless devices such as mobiles, printers, computers, ...)
- Other ?
I also have 6x TP-Link CPL 2000 Mbps. But result depends of power lines quality... I experience sometimes some issues with them (have to unplug / plug them once a week).