Found a way to make AImesh nodes to have different channels!

[akb]

It has always bugged me how the Aimesh nodes had to keep the same channels as the main router. I been playing with it for a while and I have concluded that the nvram methods posted all over the forum are useless. The way that Aimesh nodes work is whenever they are in this mode and the wireless service is restarted it will try to sync with the main router.

I found a way which gets it to work!

First set the Main Router to whatever you want as your main channel. Lets say 1.

SSH into each AImesh one by one.

Run the following command changing the channel to what you want.

service restart_wireless;  wl -i wl0.1 channel 6;  wl -i wl0.1 channel

Quickly after keep pasting the following command into the ssh console

wl -i wl0.1 channel 6;  wl -i wl0.1 channel

Do this until you see your target channel stick. You will see how AImesh is fighting to switch the channel but with enough spams of the previous command it will stick!!

If you were unable to get it to stick with your channel, retry from step one.
Do this for each Aimesh node.

Hope this works for someone else and I have not had any issues so far and what is neat is you can even do it on stock firmware.

 

[Tech9]

This is obviously not possible for shared wireless backhaul AiMesh and you perhaps have to spam SSH on every system reboot for wired AiMesh.

 

[akb]

This is obviously not possible for shared wireless backhaul AiMesh and you perhaps have to spam SSH on every system reboot for wired AiMesh.

Wrong if you use 5g as your backhaul. Also, Very easy to automate you could one liner the spam command into a loop and you just fire a ssh -c command to each mesh node.

Thats what I plan to do. I just did the bare bones info of how i got it to work. POC if you may

 

[Tech9]

Well... this is not AiMesh hack in general, but specific band of AiMesh only and with conditions. In your example it's the 2.4GHz band and it doesn't make much sense because most devices using it today are low bandwidth IoTs. Same channel or different - doesn't matter much. AiMesh is fragile enough, no?

 

[akb]

Well... this is not AiMesh hack in general, but specific band of AiMesh only and with conditions.

I mean dont undersell the accomplishment now. I would argue it’s the first of its kind. 5ghz channels do not suffer from overlap that much because of their short distance. Homes like mine which have over 200 smart devices for bulbs, switches, plugs start to have issues sitting on one single channel. Doing this resolved that issue. I also have a wired backhaul and could switch my 5g channels to be different but I only have a few devices that use it anyways so there is no need to dechannel Aimesh 5ghz. Most of my 2.4ghz are stationary so another benefit over 5g where it would be my mobile devices like phones and laptops can benefit from the single channel.

 

[Ola Malmstrom]

Interesting idea - but isn't this like "going around the barn to get to the house"?

Wouldn't it be much easier to just run the nodes in AP mode instead? Why do you need to use aimesh at all if you need to SSH into the nodes? AP mode would, as far as I understand, work better for you

 

[akb]

Interesting idea - but isn't this like "going around the barn to get to the house"?

Wouldn't it be much easier to just run the nodes in AP mode instead? Why do you need to use aimesh at all if you need to SSH into the nodes? AP mode would, as far as I understand, work better for you

Good question! The answer is single pane view of all clients including wireless info. With ap only mode any wireless clients are wired in the eyes of the main router. Also renaming and ui management tasks only need to be done once instead of per AP.

This is pretty much the sole reason.

 

[Tech9]

Wouldn't it be much easier to just run the nodes in AP mode instead?

Indeed. And for 200+ wireless devices even being IoTs high density business APs are better hardware than AiMesh with consumer routers. With channel and tx power control per AP, VLANs, PoE and everything needed on top. Wires are already present, clear upgrade path. This is not going home around the barn. More like filling your car's flat tires with construction foam so they don't go flat anymore, temporarily.

 

[akb]

Indeed. And for 200+ wireless devices even being IoTs high density business APs are better hardware than AiMesh with consumer routers. With channel and tx power control per AP, VLANs, PoE and everything needed on top. Wires are already present, clear upgrade path. This is not going home around the barn. More like filling your car's flat tires with construction foam so they don't go flat anymore, temporarily.

I explained why one would want AImesh.

I explained why one would want different 2.4ghz channels.

I am offering a solution to someone who may be in the boat.

Thanks for your criticism regardless

 

[Tech9]

Your Asus router with Client List showing 200+ devices correctly is what I'm impressed the most.

 

[akb]

Your Asus router with Client List showing 200+ devices correctly is what I'm impressed the most.

Yep no issues and using pfsense as the DHCP server gives proper client ID names as well which never works properly with the asus dhcp

 

[Tech9]

You are ready to go with better equipment then. What you are waiting for? Add PoE switch, PoE access points.

 

[akb]

You are ready to go with better equipment then. What you are waiting for? Add PoE switch, PoE access points.

Really no need when everything is working great. Why throw money at a solved problem.

 

[Tech9]

Because this is a dead end project with your growing number of wireless devices. Your tires go flat because you overload the car.

 

[akb]

Because this is a dead end project with your growing number of wireless devices. Your tires go flat because you overload the car.

Spend money because something is may go wrong later? Seems moronic. If an issue arrises it would make more sense to purchase the latest tech at the time.

 

[Tech9]

Your network and your decisions. You already hit an issue and this thread is offering band-aid solution for it. Thanks for sharing.

 

[akb]

Your network and your decisions. You already hit an issue and this thread is offering band-aid solution for it. Thanks for sharing.

Ironic when the thread is about how I solved my problem no?

 

[Tech9]

You perhaps realize your fight against the default closed source AiMesh logic is going to continue forever. There are good and not so good solutions to the same problem. Acceptable better solution is routers in AP mode. Acceptable permanent solution is using the right hardware for the needs. You like temporary fixes and this is okay. Your pfSense router with AiMesh behind it is another example of fixing things one at a time in a DIY way. I like fixing things once properly and moving on. We are different, we share opinions and there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[jata]

Good work OP finding a solution to this quite specific use case. I don’t have this issue but I have enough other problems…

My lesson is that I have spent too much money on ASUS kit that is ok but still consumer crap.

I will hang in there with my mesh setup with wired backhaul. one node still to wire under the house and not looking forward to that job.

Then I replace everything with better equipment (not ASUS) when wifi7 is real and value for money

 

[Ola Malmstrom]

I nteresting idea - but isn't this like "going around the barn to get to the house"?

Wouldn't it be much easier to just run the nodes in AP mode instead? Why do you need to use aimesh at all if you need to SSH into the nodes? AP mode would, as far as I understand, be better for you.