citizengris
New Around Here
Hi there,
I had been posting my troubles on Reddit and someone suggested that I join this forum because you guys are the best at solving those type of issues
I have a lot to say, sorry if I sound frustrated, but I will try to keep it concise - somewhat !
Exec summary: I tried everything possible for months (latest firmware installed) to get to setup 4x BT10s with a 10Gbps ethernet backhaul and 2 Wifi Networks (Main + IoT), but unfortunately to this day the IoT Network is very unstable on the 2.4Ghz and to a lesser extent on the 5Ghz band wrecking havoc on my IoTs devices (HomeKit).
For the last few years I had been running Google mesh wifi (the old 2016 version), and progressively, by adding a ton of IoTs (smart switch, outlets, etc.) I had about reached the threshold of stability on the mesh (IoTs randomly dropping, bandwidth congestion, etc.).
So I embarked on a project to upgrade things around the house. I had almost cabled everything room with Cat 6 and I have a "central closet" where everything was interconnected with a 1Gbps switch, which also allowed me to backhaul the mesh network over ethernet.
So when I upgraded I looked for the latest standards (Wifi 7), the ability to have a separate network for my IoTs and my main devices and finally I decided to upgrade the ethernet network to 10 Gbps. This obviously lead me directly to the Asus BT10, which I pre-ordered on Amazon back in July 2024. I bought for Access Points (probably a bit overkill now that I see how much more powerful it is that my old Google Wifi APs) to cover the entire house as I had it before (Mountain Home - multiple floors, granite obstacles, etc.).
I am not going to go over all the issues that we've all experienced back in August/September due to poorly finished firmware (10G backhaul issues, etc.). I had diligently updated all the APs until the latest version - now running: 3.0.0.6.102_36808 - and to be honest it did fix a lot of issues (UI stuff, Backhaul, etc.).
But this is where I got mostly frustrated, because folks on Reddit started to say that it solved all their issues and became dismissive of my problems. Some pointed (apparently from conversations in this forum) that the very early adopters (pre-orders like me) may have received "beta hardware" and that could possibly explain the issues I am still experiencing. So I bite the bullet and order another 4 BT10s (exchanged the old ones with Amazon, etc.) just to make sure that this was not the issues that I was experiencing. My "old" BT10 all had the H/W: A1 and so did the 4 new ones... and all my issues continued... so that was a wasted attempt. Also, in parallel of this I have been trying to contact the AsusTek support, and basically after running their preliminary diagnosis, the only thing that they are suggesting that I do is to send the hardware for repair
So unless I miraculously bought 8 APs that are defective... I don't think it's going to help.
So now, I am turning to this forum for help... because I am exhausted, I have been tinkering with the setups for months and I am getting absolutely nowhere My house's wifi is still vastly unstable, my IoTs home automation (HomeKit) are barely working, my security cameras are worthless right now and my Smart Vents for the HVAC are disconnected resulting in heat being very uneven in the house.
My setup:
- 4 BT10s all connected via a 10Gbps ethernet backhaul (single switch)
- Main AP connected (via 10Gbps Wan) to Hitron CODA56 Modem (Xfinity 2.4 Gbps down & 340 Mbps up)
- Some devices connected directly to the APs via 10 Gbps Lan (like a MacStudio)
- 2 Wifi network setup (target setup):
- Main (2.4Ghz, 5Ghz & 6Ghz band enabled), Wifi 7 mode, WPA2/WPA3-Personal Auth, MLO disabled, Mac Filter - Reject enable (to prevent some too-smart-for-their-own-good IoTs to connecting to the Main)
- IoT (2.4Ghz, 5Ghz band enabled), Wifi 7 Disabled, WPA2-Personal Auth, No Mac filtering
However currently - because of the instabilities, I have a single Wifi network unabled (Main with 2.4, 5 & 6Ghz band, Wifi-7 mode, WPA2/WPA3-Personal Auth and no mac filtering), which is what yield the most stable situation (even though it is far from perfect).
Essentially - as far as I can tell - the issues are centered around the 2.4 Ghz band. When I enable my "target" Wifi Network configuration, basically my ecosystem of IoTs are horribly unstable:
- hard time connecting to the Wifi Network
- dropping in and out all the time
- bandwidth horribly slow (very visible on the camera video feeds)
And to a lesser extent the 5Ghz seems to be impacted as well, I have been installing a wifi monitor (Wifi Signal: Strength Analyzer) that is continuously checking the strength of the connection, and it's showing random drops (bandwidth down to 0 Mbps semi-randomly) - see attachment for details. I have been monitoring for days over many different configurations, some a more stable than others (like for instance turning on Wifi-7 mode on a single network helps a LOT but it has a drawback because for some reason, my Flair Puck for the smart vent system cannot connect to the wifi on Wifi7 mode - I am assuming some Auth issue), nut none are perfect.
I have tried everything under the sun (that I could think of or that was suggested to me):
- Hard reset, restoring settings, re-setting up from scratch
- Deactivated MLO at the router level
- Disabled every other functionalities (QoS, Traffic Analysis, etc.)
- Enabling on the 2.4 Ghz band on the IoT network - it's the worse, I cannot even seem to connect with a Macbook air, iPhone or MacStudio to it)
- Disable some of the APs and running test only on the Main (this was a while ago, I am fuzzy on the details, but I had concluded that it didn't help, but honestly it may have been before the final firmware)
- Disabled the ethernet backhaul and go wireless (haven't tried that in a while - same as above)
- Etc.
Nothing seems to truly get to a stable state. And before on the Google Wifi Mesh (until I had added too many devices) everything was very stables, cameras and IoTs were working just fine, the devices are the same.
Also, there may be a question regarding the stability of the Ethernet backhaul, I can guarantee that it is working fine, I am running a NAS over the 10Gbps to the MacStudio and I experience no issues whatsoever.
Additionally, my main wireless devices (Macbook, iPhone, etc.) seem to be very stable on the 6Ghz band, the issues seem to really be focused mostly on 2.4Ghz and to a lesser extent the 5Ghz band.
Quite frankly the amount of hours that I spent to dig into this - especially on a flag ship commercial product from a reputable brand - feel outrageous to me... I really hope that this forum will be able to help, I have also heard that folks from Asus' team are also around.
Thx for the reading !
Alex
I had been posting my troubles on Reddit and someone suggested that I join this forum because you guys are the best at solving those type of issues
I have a lot to say, sorry if I sound frustrated, but I will try to keep it concise - somewhat !
Exec summary: I tried everything possible for months (latest firmware installed) to get to setup 4x BT10s with a 10Gbps ethernet backhaul and 2 Wifi Networks (Main + IoT), but unfortunately to this day the IoT Network is very unstable on the 2.4Ghz and to a lesser extent on the 5Ghz band wrecking havoc on my IoTs devices (HomeKit).
For the last few years I had been running Google mesh wifi (the old 2016 version), and progressively, by adding a ton of IoTs (smart switch, outlets, etc.) I had about reached the threshold of stability on the mesh (IoTs randomly dropping, bandwidth congestion, etc.).
So I embarked on a project to upgrade things around the house. I had almost cabled everything room with Cat 6 and I have a "central closet" where everything was interconnected with a 1Gbps switch, which also allowed me to backhaul the mesh network over ethernet.
So when I upgraded I looked for the latest standards (Wifi 7), the ability to have a separate network for my IoTs and my main devices and finally I decided to upgrade the ethernet network to 10 Gbps. This obviously lead me directly to the Asus BT10, which I pre-ordered on Amazon back in July 2024. I bought for Access Points (probably a bit overkill now that I see how much more powerful it is that my old Google Wifi APs) to cover the entire house as I had it before (Mountain Home - multiple floors, granite obstacles, etc.).
I am not going to go over all the issues that we've all experienced back in August/September due to poorly finished firmware (10G backhaul issues, etc.). I had diligently updated all the APs until the latest version - now running: 3.0.0.6.102_36808 - and to be honest it did fix a lot of issues (UI stuff, Backhaul, etc.).
But this is where I got mostly frustrated, because folks on Reddit started to say that it solved all their issues and became dismissive of my problems. Some pointed (apparently from conversations in this forum) that the very early adopters (pre-orders like me) may have received "beta hardware" and that could possibly explain the issues I am still experiencing. So I bite the bullet and order another 4 BT10s (exchanged the old ones with Amazon, etc.) just to make sure that this was not the issues that I was experiencing. My "old" BT10 all had the H/W: A1 and so did the 4 new ones... and all my issues continued... so that was a wasted attempt. Also, in parallel of this I have been trying to contact the AsusTek support, and basically after running their preliminary diagnosis, the only thing that they are suggesting that I do is to send the hardware for repair
So unless I miraculously bought 8 APs that are defective... I don't think it's going to help.So now, I am turning to this forum for help... because I am exhausted, I have been tinkering with the setups for months and I am getting absolutely nowhere
My house's wifi is still vastly unstable, my IoTs home automation (HomeKit) are barely working, my security cameras are worthless right now and my Smart Vents for the HVAC are disconnected resulting in heat being very uneven in the house.My setup:
- 4 BT10s all connected via a 10Gbps ethernet backhaul (single switch)
- Main AP connected (via 10Gbps Wan) to Hitron CODA56 Modem (Xfinity 2.4 Gbps down & 340 Mbps up)
- Some devices connected directly to the APs via 10 Gbps Lan (like a MacStudio)
- 2 Wifi network setup (target setup):
- Main (2.4Ghz, 5Ghz & 6Ghz band enabled), Wifi 7 mode, WPA2/WPA3-Personal Auth, MLO disabled, Mac Filter - Reject enable (to prevent some too-smart-for-their-own-good IoTs to connecting to the Main)
- IoT (2.4Ghz, 5Ghz band enabled), Wifi 7 Disabled, WPA2-Personal Auth, No Mac filtering
However currently - because of the instabilities, I have a single Wifi network unabled (Main with 2.4, 5 & 6Ghz band, Wifi-7 mode, WPA2/WPA3-Personal Auth and no mac filtering), which is what yield the most stable situation (even though it is far from perfect).
Essentially - as far as I can tell - the issues are centered around the 2.4 Ghz band. When I enable my "target" Wifi Network configuration, basically my ecosystem of IoTs are horribly unstable:
- hard time connecting to the Wifi Network
- dropping in and out all the time
- bandwidth horribly slow (very visible on the camera video feeds)
And to a lesser extent the 5Ghz seems to be impacted as well, I have been installing a wifi monitor (Wifi Signal: Strength Analyzer) that is continuously checking the strength of the connection, and it's showing random drops (bandwidth down to 0 Mbps semi-randomly) - see attachment for details. I have been monitoring for days over many different configurations, some a more stable than others (like for instance turning on Wifi-7 mode on a single network helps a LOT but it has a drawback because for some reason, my Flair Puck for the smart vent system cannot connect to the wifi on Wifi7 mode - I am assuming some Auth issue), nut none are perfect.
I have tried everything under the sun (that I could think of or that was suggested to me):
- Hard reset, restoring settings, re-setting up from scratch
- Deactivated MLO at the router level
- Disabled every other functionalities (QoS, Traffic Analysis, etc.)
- Enabling on the 2.4 Ghz band on the IoT network - it's the worse, I cannot even seem to connect with a Macbook air, iPhone or MacStudio to it)
- Disable some of the APs and running test only on the Main (this was a while ago, I am fuzzy on the details, but I had concluded that it didn't help, but honestly it may have been before the final firmware)
- Disabled the ethernet backhaul and go wireless (haven't tried that in a while - same as above)
- Etc.
Nothing seems to truly get to a stable state. And before on the Google Wifi Mesh (until I had added too many devices) everything was very stables, cameras and IoTs were working just fine, the devices are the same.
Also, there may be a question regarding the stability of the Ethernet backhaul, I can guarantee that it is working fine, I am running a NAS over the 10Gbps to the MacStudio and I experience no issues whatsoever.
Additionally, my main wireless devices (Macbook, iPhone, etc.) seem to be very stable on the 6Ghz band, the issues seem to really be focused mostly on 2.4Ghz and to a lesser extent the 5Ghz band.
Quite frankly the amount of hours that I spent to dig into this - especially on a flag ship commercial product from a reputable brand - feel outrageous to me... I really hope that this forum will be able to help, I have also heard that folks from Asus' team are also around.
Thx for the reading !
Alex
