Interrupted connections on ZenWiFi AX (XT8)

[Deleted member 22630]

So, after following the information posted by @sowen

So after doing the same configuration, I have not had issues with my IoT devices disconnecting. I have had very stable and reliable internet on all devices. This seems to be a good fix and I am on the most recent firmware.

Glad to read it's worked for you. Four weeks later, and my configuration is still extremely stable.

 

[Deleted member 22630]

Update to my previous post above: I did not downgrade but I disabled the Roaming Assistant feature from both nodes of my Asus ZenWiFi mesh system (on both the 2.4 and 5 Ghz channels) and uninstalled the Synology Drive Client from both my desktop and laptop machines. With fingers crossed, I launched Macrium Reflect and was able to image both disks successfully. So I either had a firmware problem with the Asus nodes, and/or Synology Drive Client was attempting to take over the network to scan and back up files. I suspect the issue is with the Asus firmware, since everything else seems pretty stable right now. However, since I'm a glutton for punishment, I'll take the post-Christmas break to re-install the Drive Client software and see if things still remain stable. As a non-STEM guy, I'm amazed at the complexity of these systems and consider it wonderous they even work at all!! I hope you all had a Happy Christmas, and wish for you a safe, happy, healthy and prosperous 2022. I'll be looking forward to your comments on this forum in 2022 as well.

I am a STEM-guy, andI am amazed any non-STEM person ever gets most modern tech working .

My configuration sounds almost identical to yours, with a Synology NAS (DS720+ with up-to-date DSM7) connected to a remote ZenWifi node connected via wireless backhaul. I have no problems with backing up using the Synology Drive Clients on my laptop and desktop. So I don't think your problem is with the ZenWifi/firmware or the Synology Drive Clients.

Have you checked your NAS network config (control panel / network) for issues with, for example, IPv6 and/or DHCP? (I have IPv6 and IPv4 set to Auto, but I always assign fixed IPv4-addresses to my NAS-units using the DHCP in the routers). Also check how your Synology Drive Client is connecting to the NAS, for example, is it using Synology QuickConnect, or a local name? (For security reasons, I disabled QuickConnect and only use local or DDNS names.)

Also, have you looked into using 'Synology Active Backup for Business' to backup your clients - that also works flawlessly for me (but you need a NAS model that supports ABB of course).

 

[fairmarketvalue]

@sowen,

Thanks for your insight and words of encouragement - these issues can be a bit daunting, but learning is mostly fun! I have one question: are you backing up your drive as well as syncing folders with Synology Drive Client? if you are, I am doing things slightly differently - I backup disk images and differentials to my NAS on a regular basis with Macrium Reflect 8 Home, and use Drive Client to sync files and selected folders to my NAS on a more immediate daily basis. I know backup tasks can be configured in Drive Client, and I'm wondering whether it would make more sense to image my drive there instead of Reflect. Any thoughts?

 

[Deleted member 22630]

@sowen,

Thanks for your insight and words of encouragement - these issues can be a bit daunting, but learning is mostly fun! I have one question: are you backing up your drive as well as syncing folders with Synology Drive Client? if you are, I am doing things slightly differently - I backup disk images and differentials to my NAS on a regular basis with Macrium Reflect 8 Home, and use Drive Client to sync files and selected folders to my NAS on a more immediate daily basis. I know backup tasks can be configured in Drive Client, and I'm wondering whether it would make more sense to image my drive there instead of Reflect. Any thoughts?

I am using Synology Drive Client:
a) to back up a couple of folders that, in the event of a major problem, I want to be able to restore 'to the minute'; and
b) to sync folders I want on other devices.

I use Synology Active Backup for Business (ABB) the way you use Macrium - to backup my clients daily (images+incrementals), and from the NAS I backup those ABB backups to Synology C2 storage using Synology Hyper Backup. ABB is really good, and really fast, and Hyper Backup to Synology C2 interacts well with it, providing efficient C2 usage.

If your Synology NAS supports ABB (it has to be one of their Intel-based NASs), then I suggest you look at that. It's free and, in my opinion, very good and straightforward to use.

 

[Embattle]

Reply to my email:

The issue is very intermittent by the reports of other users, it is being looked at and will be rectified in newer firmware version.

For now temporary solution would be the rollback.


Our apologies for any inconveniences caused to you.

I always dislike the idea of rolling back as you ultimately strip away security updates.

 

[berryd07]

During the installation of my new ZenWifi AX set a couple of days ago, I upgraded to 45934. After configuring everything, I started running into this problem of frequent dropouts of my 2.4GHz webcams, plus a 2.4GHz P1-reader (smart energy meter reader). After trying numerous settings without success, I found something that so far seems to have resolved the issue... On the ASUS router web config, go to "Wireless", then select the "Roaming Block List" tab... there I added the devices which were having problems and after several hours have not had them drop.

UPDATE 1:
A day later, and the cams have remained connected. However... The ESP8266-based P1-reader however, became unreachable after about 8 hours, so it doesn't appear to be a roaming issue. It's located about 30 cm from the main ZenWifi unit, so weak signal strength can't be an issue. That said, the maker of the unit said there had been anecdotal reports of the reader having problems if the signal strength is too strong. The P1 is connected according to the ZenWifi unit, but I'm unable to access it via its internal web-server or telnet server. All other 2.4Ghz devices seem to be working fine, and if I switch the 2.4GHz radio on the ZenWifi off and on, then I am able to reach the P1 again, and I know it hasn't roamed (because it's on the Roaming Block List), so it seems there's some issue in the wifi chip of the P1-reader... perhaps compatibility in modulation mode (turbo) or universal beamforming? Hmmm... I'll try setting those to standard settings to see if that helps, and report back later.

UPDATE 2:
Good news: a day later, and the ESP8266-based P1-reader has remained reachable. I'll continue testing for another day, then post my settings if everything is still working.

UPDATE 3:
Another day later, and all my webcams remained connected and the ESP8266-based P1-reader has remained reachable. (I forgot to mention: the solar panel converter also remains connected.)

Here are the settings I used:
Firstly, I cleared the "Roaming Block List" which I mentioned above - turns out I had no need for it after all. Then, for the 2.4GHz band only, I have the following settings on the "Professional" tab. In particular, note that I disabled Roaming Assistant, set the modulation to max MCS 7, and disabled Beamforming. On the "General" tab, I set the 2.4GHz band to a fixed channel (in my case, 6), and 20Mhz.

View attachment 37643
View attachment 37644

Complete neophyte here, but having dropped issues with my security cams and baby monitors as well and trying to implement your same changes.
however, when I try to change the 2.4 bandwidth to 20 MHz, it says “my fronthaul SSID is the same as the backhaul SSID”. What should I do? I also have the Smart Connect on, is that right?

 

[Deleted member 22630]

Complete neophyte here, but having dropped issues with my security cams and baby monitors as well and trying to implement your same changes.
however, when I try to change the 2.4 bandwidth to 20 MHz, it says “my fronthaul SSID is the same as the backhaul SSID”. What should I do? I also have the Smart Connect on, is that right?

Sounds like you've either chosen not to have a dedicated wireless backhaul, or you've explicitly given the wireless backhaul (the 5GHz-2 band) the same SSID as the other bands, both result in the fronthaul and backhaul having the same SSID and the backhaul being shared. That's not a problem per se, unless that's not what you want. First off, are you sure you are changing the settings for the 2.4GHz band?

Also, are you aware a newer version (3.0.0.4.386.46061) of the firmware became available within the past few days? I'd suggest you try that first.

 

[glarue]

I've tried the newest firmware release 3.0.0.4.386.46061 (without doing a factory reset) to no avail—same issues of random disconnects exist, so it's back to 42095 for the time being.

If anyone has been having intermittent connection issues which were fixed by reverting to 3.0.0.4.386.42095 (which mine have been) and has successfully upgraded to a newer firmware version without reintroducing connection issues, I'd love to hear about it.

The fact that I can fix the issues reliably by reverting to the older firmware without a settings reset suggests to me that a settings reset is unlikely to make a newer firmware version work correctly, but I'm happy to be corrected on this if someone's managed it.

 

[keith_ca]

tl;DR -- don't upgrade, 46061 is still busted.

I upgraded to 46061 this past weekend. Reset both of my XT8s to factory defaults via WPS reset after the upgrade, and my RX92U -- all linked with AI Mesh. Rebuilt my entire config from scratch.

Unfortunately, the dreaded "one way" drop-out on MS Teams, in particular, continues. Predictable failure within the first 5 minutes of any call, and usually a few times throughout. Duration of < 10s, and everyone can still see/hear me, but I stop receiving any audio or video. Have also noted drop-outs for my son's Macbook Air on Discord.

This happens for me on the satellite XT8, so I really think it's the WiFi6 backhaul, which is exceptionally disappointing since I bought these routers because I cannot run a wired backhaul. (Old house) My wife works downstairs, connected to the base station XT8, with no issues.

Network for me is XT8 (office) --> WiFi6 5GHz-2 backhaul -> XT8 (basement/main) -> Firewalla Gold -> Cable Modem.
My Asus network is in AP mode.

I am experimenting now with downgrading ONLY the satellite XT8 back to good ol' 42095, and will report back. But I am getting near my breaking point on this gear, unfortunately.

 

[PaulRWorthing]

tl;DR -- don't upgrade, 46061 is still busted.

I upgraded to 46061 this past weekend. Reset both of my XT8s to factory defaults via WPS reset after the upgrade, and my RX92U -- all linked with AI Mesh. Rebuilt my entire config from scratch.

Unfortunately, the dreaded "one way" drop-out on MS Teams, in particular, continues. Predictable failure within the first 5 minutes of any call, and usually a few times throughout. Duration of < 10s, and everyone can still see/hear me, but I stop receiving any audio or video. Have also noted drop-outs for my son's Macbook Air on Discord.

This happens for me on the satellite XT8, so I really think it's the WiFi6 backhaul, which is exceptionally disappointing since I bought these routers because I cannot run a wired backhaul. (Old house) My wife works downstairs, connected to the base station XT8, with no issues.

Network for me is XT8 (office) --> WiFi6 5GHz-2 backhaul -> XT8 (basement/main) -> Firewalla Gold -> Cable Modem.
My Asus network is in AP mode.

I am experimenting now with downgrading ONLY the satellite XT8 back to good ol' 42095, and will report back. But I am getting near my breaking point on this gear, unfortunately.

There's a specific 46197 beta which is for sorting teams issues here ASUS ZenWiFi AX Whole-Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System Page 18 of 0 -

I've been running it for months now, is great.

 

[keith_ca]

THANK YOU! Heading over there now to check it out. My downgrade of just the satellite to 42095, which made it fail less, but still cut out for 2-3s a few times an hour. Went back to 42095 on the main / base station XT8, and it has been rock solid (again) since. Will try the beta and report back!

 

[Cmax932]

There's a specific 46197 beta which is for sorting teams issues here ASUS ZenWiFi AX Whole-Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System Page 18 of 0 -

I've been running it for months now, is great.

Sounds promising, we experince video call dropout using Webex or Zoom, we don’t use Microsoft Teams that much, Hopefully this Beta can solve video calls drop outs in general.

 

[cgorm]

Hello, I am new and a basic novice on all this but this forum has been very helpful when trying to sort through the dropping issues on my XT8 mesh system that started when I mistakenly upgraded recently to 46061. Nest cameras drop throughout the day and now remoting into my desktop through Citrix is dropping 8-10x daily. Zoom / teams now dropping as well. I don't see the 42095 option to download to go back but will be trying the beta version 46980. I assume I need to completely reboot and re-install the system. Should this work with fixing all of my dropping issues?

Thanks for the help!

 

[keith_ca]

tl;DR -- don't upgrade, 46061 is still busted.

I upgraded to 46061 this past weekend. Reset both of my XT8s to factory defaults via WPS reset after the upgrade, and my RX92U -- all linked with AI Mesh. Rebuilt my entire config from scratch.

Unfortunately, the dreaded "one way" drop-out on MS Teams, in particular, continues. Predictable failure within the first 5 minutes of any call, and usually a few times throughout. Duration of < 10s, and everyone can still see/hear me, but I stop receiving any audio or video. Have also noted drop-outs for my son's Macbook Air on Discord.

This happens for me on the satellite XT8, so I really think it's the WiFi6 backhaul, which is exceptionally disappointing since I bought these routers because I cannot run a wired backhaul. (Old house) My wife works downstairs, connected to the base station XT8, with no issues.

Network for me is XT8 (office) --> WiFi6 5GHz-2 backhaul -> XT8 (basement/main) -> Firewalla Gold -> Cable Modem.
My Asus network is in AP mode.

I am experimenting now with downgrading ONLY the satellite XT8 back to good ol' 42095, and will report back. But I am getting near my breaking point on this gear, unfortunately.

Reporting back on this issue by replying to myself.

I have good news / bad news. I got 46061 to be stable, even with MS Teams. However, I did it by giving up on using the key feature for which I purchased the XT8’s -- the dedicated WiFi6 backhaul (5Ghz-2).

I had been looking into MoCA (Multimedia over Coax, aka use your cable wiring for ethernet) for several years, but had been burned by the terrible performance of Ethernet-over-Power generations in my home.

I decided to give MoCA a try — bought a few pairs of the ScreenBeam 7250’s with 2.5 Gbps ethernet ports from Amazon. Performance over MoCA has been exceptional; I can actually saturate the 1GBps links of my existing computer and upstairs switch.

I changed the overall system settings to use only Ethernet backhaul, and my 2 x XT8 and 1 x RX92U AIMesh finally works .. as a non-WiFi mesh.

I still would not recommend the XT8’s anymore for anyone who actually needs a wireless backhaul. But if you can wire it, they will work. And as a bonus, my laptop can connect at 1300 Mbps to the XT8.

 

[Embattle]

I still find it utterly annoying that the primary reason that people choose such a product doesn't work properly and it is taking ASUS ages to fix it

 

[glarue]

This happens for me on the satellite XT8, so I really think it's the WiFi6 backhaul, which is exceptionally disappointing since I bought these routers because I cannot run a wired backhaul. (Old house) My wife works downstairs, connected to the base station XT8, with no issues.

Network for me is XT8 (office) --> WiFi6 5GHz-2 backhaul -> XT8 (basement/main) -> Firewalla Gold -> Cable Modem.
My Asus network is in AP mode.

I am experimenting now with downgrading ONLY the satellite XT8 back to good ol' 42095, and will report back. But I am getting near my breaking point on this gear, unfortunately.

FWIW, aside from the general stability issues I've had with all firmware versions since v42095, I've been using wireless backhaul exclusively and I see ~900 Mbps+ speeds at the remote node. That being said, I don't have a huge house (1600 sqft) and the routers are only separated by a couple of walls (the main router is in a closet in a bedroom and the remote node is in the living room, ~30 ft away.

 

[Embattle]

It isn't the backhaul speed that is the issue but the fact it drops connections.

 

[glarue]

It isn't the backhaul speed that is the issue but the fact it drops connections.

Totally fair—I'm not sure why I thought there was a speed issue, re-reading the posts. That being said, I also haven't had any dropout issues that seem to be directly related to the wireless backhaul; all of my connection issues seem to be fixed by reversion to v42095.

 

[keith_ca]

It isn't the backhaul speed that is the issue but the fact it drops connections.

Agreed, but it is the wireless backhaul vs. wired that causes the issues. I had a super strong wireless backhaul set up — could get 400-500 Mbps which saturates my Internet connection — and would get MS Teams drop outs even if no other traffic was running in the house.

Since moving to wired backhaul (using MoCA in my case), I have had ZERO drop outs on MS Teams, running on 46061.

Something has become flawed in ASUS’ implementation of the backhaul since 42095 — regardless of backhaul speed/quality. (I would have -68 to -72db on my satellite, and 800-1000 Mbps backhaul speed).

 

[Embattle]

I wouldn't expect a wired backhaul to have any issue to be honest, however I expect that most people who bought this product did so because they can't use a wired backhaul.