Asus RT-AC88U weird disconnection issue

[mwc]

Hi all,

I have recently purchased the above router and was really happy with the wireless signal strength. I have also enabled the Guest wifi for both the 2.4 and 5 ghz.

However, I have noticed an issue with the WiFi on my android phone(HTC M7). By default, it connects to the 5ghz SSID. Sometimes, while using the phone, the wifi would suddenly drop/disconnect and tries connecting to the Guest WiFi instead. I have ensured that the phone "Forgets" the other SSIDs except for the 5ghz but somehow, it still tries connecting to it.

My phone used to connect to my old Netgear router that only has the 2.4ghz channel and I have never experienced this before.

Any ideas why?

Thanks in advance!

 

[phonos]

Hi all,

I have recently purchased the above router and was really happy with the wireless signal strength. I have also enabled the Guest wifi for both the 2.4 and 5 ghz.

However, I have noticed an issue with the WiFi on my android phone(HTC M7). By default, it connects to the 5ghz SSID. Sometimes, while using the phone, the wifi would suddenly drop/disconnect and tries connecting to the Guest WiFi instead. I have ensured that the phone "Forgets" the other SSIDs except for the 5ghz but somehow, it still tries connecting to it.

My phone used to connect to my old Netgear router that only has the 2.4ghz channel and I have never experienced this before.

Any ideas why?

Thanks in advance!

Hey not sure if you found an answer but I wanted to ask does your phone have a feature called (or similar to) Smart Network Switch in the WiFi option of the phone? I have a Samsung that does and when the feature is enabled it will auto switch WiFi networks based on speed needs, signal, etc to "maintain a stable connection". Generally it will hop between saved connections and open networks. If this is an option on your phone I would do one of three things, turn it off (should resolve the issue if the case), forget the saved Guest network (if it's password protected) or if it's an open Guest Network with no password then add one and don't save it to the phone. If this feature isn't in the phone in one form or another then I would ensure the firmware/software of the phone are up to date and you could also try to delete the connections and reapply them or reset the phone to factory and see if that fixes it.

 

[mwc]

Thanks for your reply. I had to turn off the Guest WIFI on my router for now. Will try finding for the equivalent option on my M7 and see if that helps. Cheers!

 

[Adam Kingsley]

This is currently happening for me on my desktop computer. I thought it was the onboard wifi so I bought and connected a wifi adapter. Same issues. And only on my desktop on both 5ghz and 2.4ghz. It's maddening.

 

[garyd9]

Odd... I have an AC-3100 (same model without the 4 extra LAN ports) and might be having similar issues. In my case, both my wife and I have Galaxy S7 phones (2x2 ac devices) and I've started to notice that sometimes when the phone goes idle, the wifi completely drops from the router's perspective. It doesn't show up in any of the router lists (such as "client status", or the "view list" button.) When this happens, if I turn on the phone's screen, and try to do anything with the network, the phone will (in my case) drop using the wifi and use LTE service instead. On the phone's settings->wifi page, it'll show that it's connected to the router, but with a message saying that it'll use it again when there's better connectivity with it. During that time, it won't appear on the routers status pages at all.

(My wife's phone has that setting disabled, so her's just gets stuck with no connectivity.)

Unlike the OP, I don't have any open networks available in my area and have no other available SSID's set up to be used on the phone. From the phone's perspective, it almost acts as if my cable modem died.

If I turn off wifi and turn it back on, the problem goes away.

The AC3100 is running Asus official firmware version 3.0.0.4.380_3341.

I didn't have this type of issue at all with a netgear R7000 running tomato. I'm not overly concerned right now, however, as this AC3100 will be going back to the store as soon as an AC5300 shows up. If the same issue crops up with the AC5300, Asus will be getting an earful from me.

I'm starting to think that this AC3100 has some type of functionality that it drops idle wifi connections even if the other side of the connection doesn't initiate the drop... It appears to be some kind of power saving thing (but that's just a wild guess.) While watching the wireless status page for a while, I see devices constantly dropping off the list for no apparent reason - even if they are physically no more than an arms length from the router. I KNOW the devices aren't initiating the drop, and I've never seen this type of behavior from other wifi routers or AP's.

Perhaps something who's more familiar with the asuswrt firmware (@RMerlin?) could chime in and offer an opinion.

 

[garyd9]

The AC5300 seems to have the same issues - with both the stock firmware (which is forcibly loaded on it when it initially is booted) and with @RMerlin's 380 b2 firmware.

As far as I can tell, at least in my case, it might be a compatibility problem with the samsung galaxy S7. I don't SEEM to have an issue with other wifi devices. However, I find it somewhat hard to believe considering that this forum isn't completely spammed with complaints... the galaxy S7 is a fairly popular phone.

Both the AC3100 and AC5300 are going back. I'll have to get something else (even if I have no idea what right now.) Maybe I'll just get another netgear r7000 and put tomato on it again.

For those who might see this issue in the future and want to spend the time troubleshooting it, here's the config I had on each device:

3100: asuswrt 3.0.0.4.380_3341, default config, both radios using the same SSID, WPA2-Enterprise (tied to a windows server for RADIUS.) Pretty much everything else left at stock.

5300: asuswrt 3.0.0.4.380_3341, default config (and merlin's beta2 of the same firmware) again using stock configuration with their "smartconnect", single SSID, WPA2-Enterprise, etc.

At least Asus still makes a good motherboard.

Take care
Gary

 

[sfx2000]

As far as I can tell, at least in my case, it might be a compatibility problem with the samsung galaxy S7. I don't SEEM to have an issue with other wifi devices. However, I find it somewhat hard to believe considering that this forum isn't completely spammed with complaints... the galaxy S7 is a fairly popular phone.

Both the AC3100 and AC5300 are going back. I'll have to get something else (even if I have no idea what right now.) Maybe I'll just get another netgear r7000 and put tomato on it again.

Disable Turbo/NitroQAM, and see what happens - give that a try...

 

[garyd9]

Set to MCS 9 ("802.11ac") for both 5 GHZ radios - and no change. Also changed 2.4 GHZ to MCS 9 with no luck. (The 2.4 radio shouldn't matter - the S7 is connecting at 866Mbps (802.11ac 2x2.)

Just for giggles, I also tried with the 2.4 radio at MCS 7 (the lowest it'll go) and that didn't help either.

 

[L&LD]

Why not disable 'smart connect' and use separate ssid's for each band instead?

 

[garyd9]

Why not disable 'smart connect' and use separate ssid's for each band instead?

ummm.... Did you read through this thread?

For the OP, the RT-AC88U only recently gained "smart connect" (and it only steers between 2.4 and 5) so likely has no relationship to the problem.

For my own issue, the AC3100 firmware doesn't have smart connect at all (in any way.) The AC5300 has it, but it's not related. The device is connected and not bouncing. (The S7 devices almost always connect on 5-2 and stay there.) If the problem ONLY occurred on the AC5300, I'd seriously consider smart connect as a possible culprit, but in this case, I'm starting to suspect the radio (BCM4366) hardware or driver (which is shared between all the above devices.)

Perhaps after amazon processes the return for the AC5300, I'll order the asus AC3200 (uses a BCM43602) to compare. I do know that I do NOT have the problem with a netgear R7000 (BCM4360) that I need to replace.

 

[RMerlin]

Asus should have a new firmware out this week. I would wait to test it, as AC88/3100/5300 stability issues are among the things supposed to be fixed with it.


Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

 

[garyd9]

Asus should have a new firmware out this week. I would wait to test it, as AC88/3100/5300 stability issues are among the things supposed to be fixed with it.

I can hang on to one of the devices until at least Thursday (tomorrow), but I can't wait any longer than that for what Asus should have (but might not... or might fail to get posted to their website, etc.)

 

[Apelli]

Return them both, try an AC-88U for the next one ( I have one, can't say anything bad right now)
If it won't change anything, move over to NetGear, problem solved.

 

[garyd9]

Return them both, try an AC-88U for the next one

...another person that hasn't read the thread.

AC5300 was shipped back to amazon, and I'm on my way to bring the AC3100 back to best buy now. I placed an order for the AC3200 which I should get Friday. I'm hoping that, being it's a more mature product, Asus will have already worked all the kinks out. (I considered just getting the 68U/P, but for only $30 more, the 3rd radio in the 3200 might be useful some time.) If the 3200 doesn't work, I'll try a 68U/P, and if THAT doesn't work, I'll just go buy another netgear R7000, put tomato on it, and use that until something better comes along.

Even if Asus had posted updated firmware this morning (they didn't), I'd probably still return the newer routers. I need my wifi to be set up and 99% reliable after that ...and from what I'm reading here on snbforums, Asus routers tend to have a hard first year while firmware kinks get worked out.

Take care
Gary

 

[doczenith1]

Do your Samsung phones have the "Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep" option under the Advanced Wi-Fi settings? On my Moto X Pure Edition on 6.0 I have the options of Always, Only when plugged in and never.

 

[garyd9]

Do your Samsung phones have the "Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep" option under the Advanced Wi-Fi settings?

It's set to "always" on both phones. ("Always" "Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep")

 

[garyd9]

AC3200 : after 6 hours, I haven't yet had a repeat of the issue I had with the 3100 and 5300. I've also not yet had any issues with smart connect. This is rotating through the original firmware (3.0.0.43.78.7838), a newer version (3.0.0.43.78.9529) and finally @RMerlin's excellent 380.60 b2.

In fact, because I don't have any 4x4 stream clients (probably because they don't exist), this AC3200 seems a lot a "working" 5300. (Why is there a $200 US price difference between the 3200 and the Dead Spider? oh, wait.. because people like me are willing to pay it.)

Oh, and I was very careful to state that I haven't YET seen the issue. This is important. I'll never say the problem is gone. I'm a bit superstitious about that kind of thing.

 

[RMerlin]

AC3200 : after 6 hours, I haven't yet had a repeat of the issue I had with the 3100 and 5300. I've also not yet had any issues with smart connect. This is rotating through the original firmware (3.0.0.43.78.7838), a newer version (3.0.0.43.78.9529) and finally @RMerlin's excellent 380.60 b2.

This seems to be environment-specific, because I've seen other people on the forums with the complete opposite experience: they could never get Smart Connect to work satisfactorily with the RT-AC3200, but had better success with the RT-AC5300.

 

[garyd9]

This seems to be environment-specific, because I've seen other people on the forums with the complete opposite experience: they could never get Smart Connect to work satisfactorily with the RT-AC3200, but had better success with the RT-AC5300.

I agree that there's something environmental going on, but I don't think it's the 5300 and/or smartconnect. Being that I had the exact same problem with both the AC5300 and the AC3100 (that doesn't have steering), I believe that it was the radio (hardware or firmware) causing a problem for me. (The 3100/88U and 5300 have the same radio h/w, right?) For some reason, with that newer radio, the S7's (both of them) would be connected, but fall into a spiral of no-data movement.

The other factor that MIGHT be influencing (but shouldn't) is that I use the AP with WPA2-Enterprise via RADIUS on a Windows 2012R2 server. However, usually when I have RADIUS issues (as I did on the R7000 with any newer non-netgear firmware), they spam my windows log with NPS failures and the wifi client never authenticates completely. (In this case, the device was authenticated, but it might have hung up on the re-auth needed when coming out of standby.. not sure about that.)

To be honest, now that I'm working again, I'm not too concerned. The fact that I have band and channel steering working is just an added bonus that I never shopped for (but will happily accept.)