Basic: How to Configure Wireless Backhaul

[jwarthman]

Well, this is a basic question, and I imagine the answer is simple.

I have two XT8 routers running firmware version 42095. For months, they WERE using the 5-2 GHz channel for wireless backhaul. I started noticing poor performance on some client nodes, and realized the backhaul is now set to the 2.4 GHz channel.

For the life of me, I cannot figure out how to change the backhaul to the 5-2 band! And for that matter, is there a way to prevent the backhaul from switching bands?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Adooni]

here info https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1044184/

do you have smart connect disabled?

 

[jwarthman]

Thanks, Adooni. I had seen that article, but it appears to focus on using an Ethernet backhaul, and doesn't really address how to select the band when only wifi is available for the backhaul.

Yes, I have Smart Connect disabled.

Here are some screen snapshots that show some of my configuration. I'm fairly sure I have the 5 GHz-2 radio properly configured, and yet you can see the routers have chosen 2.4 GHz for the backhaul.

Please let me know if you have other questions.

Thanks!

Jim

 

[Adooni]

Ok few things you can try
1. control channel - auto change to same specific channel - what I notice sometimes when channel is change AiMesh is loosing connection this could be the reason that switch to 2.4 - you can see in logs if wi-fi 5GHz channel changed.
2. channel bandwidth do not keep it as auto set as 160 or 80 or 40 and test
3. Backhaul connection priority set as not auto.
4. for test purpose turn radio 2.4 off and check if AiMesh Node will be disconnected etc. if this help and you using 2.4 wi-fi just block node MAC from this connection
5. change wi-fi WPA security key as you placed it above here for example generator http://www.firewall.cx/cisco-techni...-wireless/828-cisco-wireless-wlan-keygen.html
you should have 63 character key the best ASCII - you can send it to your e-mail that you will not put it all the time manually to all devices.
6. on picture 3 and 4 you have yellow exclamation mark - if this is soft update info then do it, if something different check what.

you will find infinity no of posts about issues with AiMesh therefore to sleep good at night I start to propose only UniFi systems as not expensive ones
if some1 need 1 router then Asus with RMerlin is very good choice for more ...

 

[Thirteen]

The yellow exclamation point is most likely to update the firmware to 43181, which should probably be avoided.

 

[bitsbytes]

From the pictures you posted it seems like the backhaul signal is very weak even on 2.4 Ghz so I imagine it'll be even worse on 5Ghz. That should explain why your router is using 2.4 only. You need to change the placement of your router/node to get a better connection.

 

[jwarthman]

Following up...

First, thanks everyone for your great suggestions, I got it working as desired!

I followed the suggestions from Adooni, without success - until I *also* reset the AiMesh Node. I brought it close to the main router, did the paper-clip reset for 10 seconds, and when it came up it had the 5 GHz-2 backhaul!' (I also changed the name of the Node from "Home" to "Family Room".)

One thing of interest, Adooni suggested changing the Backhaul Connection Priority to "not Auto" (#3 above). The thing is, with Firmware 42095 the only choices seemed to be Auto and "1G WAN first", which didn't see appropriate, so I left this on Auto. But after the firmware upgrade to 43181, I now see another choice. I'm not sure what 5G WiFi1 first actually means, but it doesn't seem to refer to 5GHz-2. Does anyone know what "5G WiFi1 first" means? Here's what I see on the two firmware versions:

Bitsbutes, I agree, it appeared that the backhaul was very weak, even on 2.4 GHz. But the thing is, This setup has run for nearly a year using the 5 GHz-2 backhaul with great results. I've made no significant changes to placement of either device, and have made no recent changes to the nearby electronics. The 5GHz-2 backhaul has been solid until recently. Honestly, I think the AiMesh Node had gotten into some strange state, which persisted across reboots, that seriously impacted the backhaul, both in terms of quality and the band chosen. In any case, here's what I'm seeing now, after taking the above steps and relocating the AiMesh Node back to where it belongs:

Last but not least, Thirteen correctly noted that the yellow exclamation mark indicated a firmware update was available, which I had done before I saw his message! But he advised against this update, and I wonder why?

Thanks again, everyone!

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