ASUS ZenWifi AX XT8 Setup

[karma]

Spoke too soon. When my NVIDIA Shield connects to the node, my live TV stream is constantly interrupted.

only your live tv? I also have a couple of shield TVs. no issues with the one connected to the node. try pinning it to the node? it might be trying to roam, check the asus logs. also on the shield set the preferred band to 5GHz and try turning ipv6 support off, they're somewhere in the network settings, can't remember where.

 

[Deihmos]

The router loses connection to my hdhomerun every single time. I switched to the orbi and had no issues so the issue is the router.

It looks like the issue is related to the Nvidia SHield. I playback fine from my PC so there is something not compatible with nvidia shield 2020.

 

[gz2021]

The router loses connection to my hdhomerun every single time. I switched to the orbi and had no issues so the issue is the router.

It looks like the issue is related to the Nvidia SHield. I playback fine from my PC so there is something not compatible with nvidia shield 2020.

What wireless settings do you have set?

 

[Deihmos]

What wireless settings do you have set?

I fiddled with every setting possible even used some settings I saw posted in one of the threads. Changed settings on the Nvidia Shield but got the same results. It also disconnects when connected to the main router.

I also notice the upload speed is about half what it is on my orbi when I test on my iPhone 12. The orbi is a superior product but I wish the software wasn't so gimped. I am returning the XT8 to the store.

 

[gz2021]

@vjarena3 I moved from router mode to access point mode and had some issues with some IOT clients connecting (I didnt do a factory reset of the ASUS devices and the devices in question were connecting fine when it was in router mode).

For the backhaul network I notice moving to access point mode it took the same SSID as the regular user SSID. Is this normal behavior? (im assuming not).

Im gonna factory reset these access points and start fresh and make the access point modes but I just wanted to double check that the back haul SSID should be different still even if the 3 nodes are in access point mode

 

[Thirteen]

The router loses connection to my hdhomerun every single time. I switched to the orbi and had no issues so the issue is the router.

It looks like the issue is related to the Nvidia SHield. I playback fine from my PC so there is something not compatible with nvidia shield 2020.

Is everything on your Shield up to date? I've never had any problems with mine.

 

[Deihmos]

Is everything on your Shield up to date? I've never had any problems with mine.

Do you use the HDhomrun with cable card? Everything else works but it doesn't seem capable of streaming live tv without dropping out. It is very weird that I have this issue. No issues with the orbi so I returned it. Tried everything including resetting the nvidia shield. Even tried different players. They all lose connection with the HDhomrun stream.

 

[gz2021]

What wireless settings do you have set?

@vjarena3 I moved from router mode to access point mode and had some issues with some IOT clients connecting (I didnt do a factory reset of the ASUS devices and the devices in question were connecting fine when it was in router mode).

For the backhaul network I notice moving to access point mode it took the same SSID as the regular user SSID. Is this normal behavior? (im assuming not).

Im gonna factory reset these access points and start fresh and make the access point modes but I just wanted to double check that the back haul SSID should be different still even if the 3 nodes are in access point mode

Went ahead and factory reset and setup everything in access point and can confirm I was running into an issue where the backhaul radio took the same SSID as my client SSID. I now have a SSID dedicated to the backhaul radio, so we will see if those IOT devices start working again.

This time around adding the nodes to the AIMESH was a lot less painful than before.

 

[Thirteen]

Do you use the HDhomrun with cable card? Everything else works but it doesn't seem capable of streaming live tv without dropping out. It is very weird that I have this issue. No issues with the orbi so I returned it. Tried everything including resetting the nvidia shield. Even tried different players. They all lose connection with the HDhomrun stream.

I do not. That does seem strange.

 

[neilybealy]

Is there a way to export the client names so that a new firmware update and then reset won't delete everything as I've changed mine to friendly names so i know what they are

 

[Dodgydrains]

Is it possible to find out what is the fastest real world speed possible on the 5GHz-1 band on the XT8

 

[srkbear]

I just installed the Asus XT8 this evening replacing my 4 year old Orbi AC 3000 which constantly was having the DNS issue. I have to say I’m not impressed - at all. I ran a battery of speed tests prior to installation with the Orbi at various points and once the Asus was online ran the exact same tests. The speeds are roughly 100 MB slower with the Asus at almost all points. Tech details I have ATT gig fiber running with the BGW 210 in router mode and the Asus in AP mode. Was planning on bypassing the 210 and allowing the Asus to act as the router but wanted an apples to apples test. However now I’m tempted to return the Asus and get the Orbi AX 6000. As an aside I’m a network engineer with many certs to my name so I’m not a newbie.(Nor am I trying to brag just for reference) Any tips or tricks on what I’m missing or can do would be appreciated!

I had similar issues with the exact same setup as yours and the same ISP. I ended up buying an ASUS GT-AX11000 as my main router and reconfigured my XT8’s as nodes, made sure to switch my WAN connection from the WAN port to the 2.5 GHz port (and changed the router GUI settings in the Dual WAN menu to recognize this), installed the most recent firmware, and now I get WAN-side speeds through the router’s speed test in excess of the gigaspeed limits quoted by AT&T.

My first recommendation (which given your credentials is perhaps unnecessary) is to make sure to perform the IP Passthrough setup on the BGW with a laptop or desktop connected directly to the router with no other clients attached anywhere in the chain during the process.

Other than that, I would at least suggest trying the 2.5 GHz WAN connection (under the web GUI go to WAN settings, then “Dual WAN”, and change “primary WAN” to the 2.5 GHz port). I use a CAT 8 cable for the WAN connection which I fully acknowledge is overkill. ASUS also just released a firmware upgrade, which is working great for me—I would install that.

I have made a few tweaks on my wireless settings as well, but they shouldn’t affect WAN-side speeds. I did find that choice of servers in the Ookla test greatly varied my results, but as I said I am getting speeds above 1000 mbps on at least two servers.

I also have noted the following—enabling multicast in the IPTV settings, which is required for me to run my Roon audio software, completely confounds my WAN-side speed test results, and I’ve proveably demonstrated that this is an artifact. When it’s on, my WAN speed results drop by about 300 mbps, but this has no effect on the speeds I obtain in my network clients, which remain intact. You could probably explain why this occurs better than me!

Lastly, I must say that despite the extra expense involved, my current setup with the AX11000 (NOT the AXE11000) as my main router, with two XT8s as nodes, is the fastest and most stable network configuration I’ve ever had, and I’m running 55+ clients. I was previously running a Linksys Wi-Fi 6 Velop mesh with four nodes, and this ASUS setup is unequivocally superior. Best of luck!

 

[slrt]

If anyone is interested, the XT8 is at and all-time low on Amazon, $377 for the 2-pack.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083Q45V1V/?tag=snbforums-20