Can't add AC88U as wired AI Mesh to AC5300

[dragon31337]

I'm trying to add AC88U as an AI node to freshly setup AC5300. Both are on 386.14_2. AC5300 just does not see it available. I can see it's plugged and on 1GB speed on LAN stats, but when I look for nodes - nothing.
Cablle is going from LAN1 on AC5300 to WAN port on AC88U. I wonder if that licence agreement is now on the way.
If I plug the AC88U router to my laptop over LAN port, I can see the setup wizard just fine.

 

[Squall Leonhart]

run the wizard up til the point where you select to run it as a node, and then it'll reboot and be visible to the node scans.

 

[dragon31337]

I tried, my process was this
1) Laptop to Mesh node connected over LAN, freshly refreshed
2) Main router was reset, set as Wireless router mode, went through setup and works fine, LAN IPs are on 192.160.0.X network, laptop is ready to connect as soon as I unplug the cable connected to the AI Node
3) on the node I go into wizzard, select "Add as a AI node", see the screen with a progress bar and a notification to go to the main router
4) unlpug LAN from laptop, get WiFi working, login to main router, go to AI Mesh Tab, select Add AI Mesh Node,

5) and then I just get this window forverer

And then I end up here:

 

[Tech9]

No configuration is needed on the Node. Freshly reset, Ethernet connected (in your case), start the process on the Router. Router LAN to Node WAN port.

 

[dragon31337]

I eventually managed to see it but when the progress of adding the node started I endup getting this after 16% of adding node over ethernet:

I do not get what is wrong, both are on the same version

 

[Tech9]

Try stock Asuswrt on the Node. It doesn't need Asuswrt-Merlin. No routing there.

 

[bennor]

I do not get what is wrong, both are on the same version

Some recommend using Asus stock on the AiMesh nodes due to most of the Asus-Merlin features not being available when the router is configured as a node.

 

[dragon31337]

Maybe it's a timeout thing and node goes back to the router mode after it, I do not know. When I connect back to then node over LAN, it gets me to the login page with admin/admin credentials where it says that AC88U runs in wireless router mode.

 

[dragon31337]

I do not even know where to get the matching FW for AC88U, is ASUS RT-AC88U Firmware version 3.0.0.4.386_48313 fine? Do I just flash it back via the UI, no tricks?

 

[dragon31337]

It would be just so easy if I had both merlin ones. And that is how it's setup at my place with AX11000 Pro and AX88U in my place, I'm just trying to duplicate the setup at my inlaws with AC5300 and AC88U

 

[Tech9]

at my inlaws

They perhaps need nothing from Asuswrt-Merlin, just run latest stock Asuswrt on both. There will be no more firmware updates anyway. Both are EoL at Asus and Asuswrt-Merlin support for 386 base ends at the end of 2024. Why complicate things for no reason?

 

[bennor]

I do not even know where to get the matching FW for AC88U, is ASUS RT-AC88U Firmware version 3.0.0.4.386_48313 fine? Do I just flash it back via the UI, no tricks?

Doesn't necessarily need to be "matching". Just use the latest available for both. Quite a few run the latest Merlin on main router and latest stock Asus on the AiMesh nodes.

Flash the AiMesh node back to stock Asus and perform a hard factory reset on it post stock firmware flash. Then try to add it via the main router add AiMesh node option.

 

[dragon31337]

I do not overcomplicate it, I'm the one who will be managing it, and I was thinking runing firewall and ads removing and monitoring scripts, that would make my life easier.
I'll try latest native asus FW on the node.

 

[dragon31337]

I've flashed FW_RT_AC88U_300438648313, reset to factory, and added AC88U as a mesh node without a hiccup... Thank you, everyone.