ASUS Hidden Smart Connect Settings Decoded

[joe012594]

I'm not sure if anyone here is still interested in or uses ASUS' Smart Connect feature on their newer dual and tri band routers. If so, I've found all of the hidden settings for this feature (settings not accessible in the GUI) and, for the most part, have figured out how to 100% customize it however you like. The only things that I haven't figured out are a few settings that have absolutely no indication of what exactly they do. Hopefully someone out there can fill in the missing pieces.

Attached below is a text document of my findings. Inside, it contains all of the details and basic diagrams of how each setting is laid out and operates. My apologies ahead of time if the layout and charts don't make complete sense at first. I whipped it together quick so I could upload it. If anyone has any questions, let me know and I'll be happy to answer.

EDIT: I've updated the text file with far more detailed info and corrected a few errors I made in the first version of the file.

 

[sfx2000]

nice work...

It's dependent on 5G devices being VHT or not, which is losing some utility these days.

Forcing VHT on 5GHz doesn't have much utility, as all STA's must support HT/VHT/Legacy there, as opposed to 2.4GHz, and there things can get tripped up, as the default is to try and do VHT in 2.4 (which is not allowed).

That's the trouble with clever-connect - when it works, it's nice to see...

BTW - most of the stuff there is Broadcom...

 

[joe012594]

nice work...

Thanks!

It's dependent on 5G devices being VHT or not, which is losing some utility these days.

Forcing VHT on 5GHz doesn't have much utility, as all STA's must support HT/VHT/Legacy there, as opposed to 2.4GHz, and there things can get tripped up, as the default is to try and do VHT in 2.4 (which is not allowed).

That's the trouble with clever-connect - when it works, it's nice to see...

Default on 5GHz-2 forces VHT only on steering trigger, selection policy, and qualification policy procedures. Wonder if that could lead to any issues...

I'm wanting to setup my RT-AC5300 where 2.4GHz hosts single band only and far away STAs, 5GHz-1 hosts a mix of A/N/AC STAs then hands off to 2.4GHz or 5GHz-2 when congested, and 5GHz-2 being completely dedicated to active high speed AC clients only. It should do that by default, from what I understand, but some of my dual band N STAs connect to 2.4GHz and don't get handed off to 5GHz-1 or attempt to get handed off but then fail to connect and then won't reconnect automatically. Doesn't want to work with me.

BTW - most of the stuff there is Broadcom...

Oh snap! So this likely wouldn't work for the GT-AC5300 or the upcoming GT-AC9600 then. That's a shame.

 

[sfx2000]

Oh snap! So this likely wouldn't work for the GT-AC5300 or the upcoming GT-AC9600 then. That's a shame.

Actually - it probably still applies - folks don't mess with CNR/RSSI much with rescan for better service - and grey zone stuff like this, once an implementation works, leave it alone, because it does work...

(I have a fair amount of experience back in the 2G cellular field with things like this - Bell Canada was a great example where they had 2G in both cellular and pcs bands - and we had to make the right choice there - got a patent out of our research there)

All good, and like I said - nice work.

 

[joe012594]

Actually - it probably still applies - folks don't mess with CNR/RSSI much with rescan for better service - and grey zone stuff like this, once an implementation works, leave it alone, because it does work...

(I have a fair amount of experience back in the 2G cellular field with things like this - Bell Canada was a great example where they had 2G in both cellular and pcs bands - and we had to make the right choice there - got a patent out of our research there)

All good, and like I said - nice work.

Nice! Very impressive. So you think ASUS' defaults are the best to use? This is what I've got so far after modifying the defaults:

2.4GHz, 5GHz-1, 5GHz-2 Mode:

Steering Trigger Condition
nvram set wl0_bsd_steering_policy="0 5 3 -52 0 110 0x22"
nvram set wl1_bsd_steering_policy="80 5 3 -82 0 600 0x20"
nvram set wl2_bsd_steering_policy="0 5 3 -82 700 0 0x28"

STA Selection Policy
nvram set wl0_bsd_sta_select_policy="10 -52 0 110 0 1 1 0 0 0 0x122"
nvram set wl1_bsd_sta_select_policy="10 -82 0 500 0 1 1 0 0 0 0x20"
nvram set wl2_bsd_sta_select_policy="10 -82 900 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0x28"

Interface Select and Qualify Procedures
nvram set wl0_bsd_if_select_policy="eth2 eth3"
nvram set wl1_bsd_if_select_policy="eth1 eth3"
nvram set wl2_bsd_if_select_policy="eth1 eth2"
nvram set wl0_bsd_if_qualify_policy="0 0x0"
nvram set wl1_bsd_if_qualify_policy="60 0x0"
nvram set wl2_bsd_if_qualify_policy="0 0x4"

Bounce Detect
nvram set bsd_bounce_detect="180 2 1800"


5GHz-1 + 5GHz-2 Only Mode:

Steering Trigger Condition
nvram set wl1_bsd_steering_policy="80 5 3 0 0 600 0x20"
nvram set wl2_bsd_steering_policy="0 5 3 0 700 0 0x28

STA Selection Policy
nvram set wl1_bsd_sta_select_policy="10 0 0 500 0 1 1 0 0 0 0x60"
nvram set wl2_bsd_sta_select_policy="10 0 900 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0x68"

Interface Select and Qualify Procedures
nvram set wl1_bsd_if_select_policy_x="eth3"
nvram set wl2_bsd_if_select_policy_x="eth2"
nvram set wl1_bsd_if_qualify_policy_x="60 0x0"
nvram set wl2_bsd_if_qualify_policy_x="0 0x4"

Bounce Detect
nvram set bsd_bounce_detect_x="180 2 1800"




Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[Nigel Jones]

I have a 3200 so I'll be reading through... Out of interest which lower end dual band routers have this feature?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[joe012594]

I have a 3200 so I'll be reading through... Out of interest which lower end dual band routers have this feature?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The only ASUS routers I'm aware of that officially advertise as having Smart Connect are:

RT-AC3200
RT-AC88U
RT-AC3100
RT-AC5300
GT-AC5300
RT-AC86U
GT-AC9600 (not yet released)

There could be newer DSL and cable modem versions of the routers listed above that have the feature and ASUS simply forgot to add it into the specifications page. Not quite sure though.

P.S. I've updated the text document above. You might want to grab that one instead.

 

[sfx2000]

Keep in mind - search the forums, and you'll find that SmartConnect tuning is an art, and due to the physics of RF, what works for one, might not work for another...

When working with RSSI and thresholds - keep in mind that it's a log function, not linear, and the curves/slopes are power sensitive.

 

[joe012594]

Keep in mind - search the forums, and you'll find that SmartConnect tuning is an art, and due to the physics of RF, what works for one, might not work for another...

When working with RSSI and thresholds - keep in mind that it's a log function, not linear, and the curves/slopes are power sensitive.

Noted. I've actually been playing around with it for awhile now, hence the reason I documented my findings to share.

In fact, I found some more info and updated the above text document to reflect that. I also provided my current band steering settings in my reply above.

The settings solved a lot of issues I was having with certain dual band N clients failing to connect to 5GHz-1, remaining stuck on 2.4GHz, and constantly experiencing disconnects each rotation on 2.4GHz after failed handoff attempts. It also solved the issue where slower, hibernating AC clients on 5GHz-2 would remain connected and not handoff to 5GHz-1. Working great thus far with 0 issues or drops.

 

[sfx2000]

Part of the challenge is that clients may use a "Most Recently Used" table, and rank candidate BSSID's accordingly - so when getting a 802.11 disassociate frame, they do, and they come right back to the BSSID, as it was the best before it was kicked.

Clients are a challenge - as we have a wide range of antenna gain, sensitivity, and rescan thresholds - good example here is iOS, where the antenna gain is negative (-2dB typically)*, max TX is 16dBm, and sensitivity is around -90 - with a rescan threshold of idle at -65dB RSSI, in traffic is -75 dB RSSI - and 10dB is huge in radio speak..

Compare that to a laptop, and the values for antenna gain and the game is afoot...

* Reason why the antenna gain is negative - lower gain, wider pattern, and it's a shared antenna with BT, so it's a compromise - BT with the phone in your pocket vs. WiFi to an AP, and since it's a patch - WiFi flat on the table vs. in the hand.

And this goes to the "sticky client" problem that some have observed - which looking at thresholds above, makes sense...

With a smart connect router device - you have two BSSID's in close proximity, actually directly on top of one another in the 5GHz range.

I always felt this was unwise, and added complexity where it wasn't needed.

 

[joe012594]

Part of the challenge is that clients may use a "Most Recently Used" table, and rank candidate BSSID's accordingly - so when getting a 802.11 disassociate frame, they do, and they come right back to the BSSID, as it was the best before it was kicked.

Clients are a challenge - as we have a wide range of antenna gain, sensitivity, and rescan thresholds - good example here is iOS, where the antenna gain is negative (-2dB typically)*, max TX is 16dBm, and sensitivity is around -90 - with a rescan threshold of idle at -65dB RSSI, in traffic is -75 dB RSSI - and 10dB is huge in radio speak..

Compare that to a laptop, and the values for antenna gain and the game is afoot...

* Reason why the antenna gain is negative - lower gain, wider pattern, and it's a shared antenna with BT, so it's a compromise - BT with the phone in your pocket vs. WiFi to an AP, and since it's a patch - WiFi flat on the table vs. in the hand.

Interesting. That explains a lot. Always wondered why my iPhone 7 Plus (802.11ac 2x2) got slower speed test results than my Apple TV 4 (also 802.11ac 2x2). I always figured it because of the fact that mobile devices have to keep RF as low powered as possible (no-brainer). Never even considered that Bluetooth and low gain values could be playing a role.

Side Note: You can actually modify the RF parameters/settings for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular of iOS by going to /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/WirelessCOEXManager in the RFS.

 

[sfx2000]

Side Note: You can actually modify the RF parameters/settings for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular of iOS by going to /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/WirelessCOEXManager in the RFS.

Yes, one can, but probably shouldn't - depends on what other services are being used on that iDevice...

 

[sfx2000]

Apple TV 4

The ATV's actually have very good RF performance - from gen1 thru gen4 - they're akin to a router - which makes sense as they're non-mobile and fixed orientation like an AP.

so when you look at devices, antennas can matter...

See below - Beelink X2 (common Android STB) - see the problem?

It's a PIFA - but it's pointed in the wrong direction for a flat laying box - best practice would be to bend it 90 degrees, and there it would be awesome - they make it work by juicing the hell out of the front end (PA/LNA) - cheap though... engineered and made in shenzen, and good enough works...

One of the more interesting ones I've seen recently is the resonant cavity antenna used by the Pi Zero W - it's low gain, but has an interesting pattern... the antenna is that little triangle thingy...

There's no external PA/LNA, but it outperforms the design above - engineering here is actually very good, considering this is a $10 device.

My point here is that you have to look at all the clients - laptops can be good or not so good - the MacBook Air 2013/2014 was excellent in RF - in the 11" version, the 13" version, it was ok...

 

[joe012594]

Yes, one can, but probably shouldn't - depends on what other services are being used on that iDevice...

In my case, I rarely use Bluetooth and always have it off when not using it. When I do use it, I'm on the go, not near any APs, and Wi-Fi is turned off. Shouldn't be an issue for me. I'll take a look into modifying it later tonight and see if it helps at all.

The ATV's actually have very good RF performance - from gen1 thru gen4 - they're akin to a router - which makes sense as they're non-mobile and fixed orientation like an AP.

I noticed the "router-like" RF behavior you speak of. I've owned gens 2, 3, and now 4. All work(ed) fantastically over wireless. I'm thoroughly impressed with the 4th gen's wireless performance, in particular.

I live in a VERY noisy environment (apartment) with about 14 to 16 dual band APs within 50 meters radius of me. (you can probably imagine the awful performance of the 2.4GHz band). 5GHz is surprisingly not too bad and the ATV4 maxes out both the download and upload speeds I get here, which is 350Mbps down/24Mbps up.

You can definitely tell that there's a bit of interference every so often when all of the surrounding APs are more active, but they're all those cheap DOCSIS modem + router combos the cable co gives out (verified through wireless scanning). They're not as effective with RF as ASUS routers are, so I'm probably causing my neighbors some frustration. Not to mention running triband in an apartment building.

 

[sfx2000]

I live in a VERY noisy environment (apartment) with about 14 to 16 dual band APs within 50 meters radius of me. (you can probably imagine the awful performance of the 2.4GHz band). 5GHz is surprisingly not too bad and the ATV4 maxes out both the download and upload speeds I get here, which is 350Mbps down/24Mbps up.

that's part of the problem - high density Multiple Dwelling Units vs. Single family homes... so the noise floors are very different...

This is the challenge with smart connect...

 

[joe012594]

The ATV's actually have very good RF performance - from gen1 thru gen4 - they're akin to a router - which makes sense as they're non-mobile and fixed orientation like an AP.

so when you look at devices, antennas can matter...

See below - Beelink X2 (common Android STB) - see the problem?

View attachment 9607

It's a PIFA - but it's pointed in the wrong direction for a flat laying box - best practice would be to bend it 90 degrees, and there it would be awesome - they make it work by juicing the hell out of the front end (PA/LNA) - cheap though... made in shenzen, and good enough works...

One of the more interesting ones I've seen recently is the resonant cavity antenna used by the Pi Zero W - it's low gain, but has an interesting pattern... the antenna is that little triangle thingy...

There's no external PA/LNA, but it outperforms the design above - where that WiFI SOM has hella front end power...

View attachment 9609

My point here is that you have to look at all the clients - laptops can be good or not so good - the MacBook Air 2013/2014 was excellent in RF - in the 11" version, the 13" version, it was ok...

Wow. Never seen a triangular shaped antenna before. Quite odd. Wonder if it has any benefits over traditional shapes.

Personally, I've never been a huge fan of on-board antenna systems. The board itself obstructs the line of sight 180 degrees in many cases, components can get in the way a bit, and the materials used for the device's casing can degrade signal quality and/or distance. With laptops, these were major issues. OEMs decided to start putting the wireless cards underneath the keyboards rather than the bottom of the unit, which was a wise move. We have 2 laptops here that have this kind of setup and signal performs quite well as opposed to bottom mounted cards. Only issue would be living in a multi level house, the AP broadcasts downstairs, and the laptop upstairs. Line of sight becomes a problem again.

My carrier gave me a femtocell unit for use in low to no coverage areas. The model is Alcatel/Nokia 9961. Broadcasts HSPA on 1900MHz and LTE on 1700/2100MHz. The unit has male U.FL connectors on the board but they decided not to use external antennas. I popped some high gain externals on and increased the coverage zone from around 5000 sq ft to about 4 times that.

 

[joe012594]

that's part of the problem - high density Multiple Dwelling Units vs. Single family homes... so the noise floors are very different...

This is the challenge with smart connect...

Surprisingly, it's performing quite well right now with the above mentioned custom smart connect settings. 100% perfect? Definitely not. But very impressive, given the circumstances. Don't know why ASUS doesn't build on this feature when it clearly can be perfected a bit more. Very convenient for auto managing clients for the not-so-tech savvy consumer or the consumer who doesn't want the hassle of dealing with band management manually (me).

 

[sfx2000]

Wow. Never seen a triangular shaped antenna before. Quite odd. Wonder if it has any benefits over traditional shapes.

It does better than most ceramic chip antennas - it's low gain at a distance, but near field, it's pretty stout... it's a weird pattern...

Anyways - clients are what they are, and the environment is what it is - two AP's, like smart connect, they don't offer so much... 11ac on a single radio has plenty of BW there.

You've found something that works for high density, and that's a good thing, but is it just picking up nickels in the parking lot compared to a real multiple AP deployment with discrete AP's?

 

[sfx2000]

I noticed the "router-like" RF behavior you speak of. I've owned gens 2, 3, and now 4. All work(ed) fantastically over wireless. I'm thoroughly impressed with the 4th gen's wireless performance, in particular.

Makes sense as their Airport team does the radio work for the ATV's....

 

[joe012594]

It does better than most ceramic chip antennas - it's low gain at a distance, but near field, it's pretty stout... it's a weird pattern...

Anyways - clients are what they are, and the environment is what it is - two AP's, like smart connect, they don't offer so much... 11ac on a single radio has plenty of BW there.

You've found something that works for high density, and that's a good thing, but is it just picking up nickels in the parking lot compared to a real multiple AP deployment with discrete AP's?

Nothing about the AC5300 is discrete. LOL! It definitely doesn't compare to some pro enterprise system like what Cisco has, for sure. I've been able to witness their enterprise version of band steering across a "mesh" system operating on 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 60GHz. Cisco's version operates flawlessly, as far as I could tell. But this kind of setup would be total overkill for an apartment unit.

Back to the AC5300, for a consumer grade router, this has been my favorite router for home use and these new settings have made the experience better at my location. I've field tested it for the past few hours and it's operating well for all of my devices. Other devices in the apartment that belong to my roommates are operating good with the new settings as well, according to my roommates.

Is there room for improvement and could there be better settings to fine tune it for what best suits my environment? Absolutely, and I'll continue to work with it till there's absolutely nothing more I can do to improve it. I tend to do that anyways with all of my projects.

Makes sense as their Airport team does the radio work for the ATV's....

Didn't know that. That explains a lot. Their airport APs are pretty nice and operate quite well. They lack a lot of features though, both in hardware and software, compared to what's released at or around the same time as they're released. But still very good for any basic consumer setup.