Manual WiFi channel assignment AiMesh Node

[Ether]

First time user of Merlin so please bear with me if this is a newb question. I'm running 2 RT-AC86U's in mesh configuration with the mesh node connected via Ethernet cable and I installed 384.19 this morning on both routers. Ran WiFi Radar and noted the 2 instances of my WiFi signal and I assume the 0dBm signal is from my main router since that's where the measurement is taking place and the AiMesh node coming in at -57 is to be expected as it's on the other side of the house. I notice that the channel I'm using (42) is shared by 6 of my neighbors so I decide to move it to some empty space (channel 106). I make that change and see in WiFi Radar my nice strong main router signal all by it's lonesome but curiously my AiMesh node signal is still on channel 42. I assumed it would move along with the main router and don't see an obvious method to change it separately. Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Hawk]

First time user of Merlin so please bear with me if this is a newb question. I'm running 2 RT-AC86U's in mesh configuration with the mesh node connected via Ethernet cable and I installed 384.19 this morning on both routers. Ran WiFi Radar and noted the 2 instances of my WiFi signal and I assume the 0dBm signal is from my main router since that's where the measurement is taking place and the AiMesh node coming in at -57 is to be expected as it's on the other side of the house. I notice that the channel I'm using (42) is shared by 6 of my neighbors so I decide to move it to some empty space (channel 106). I make that change and see in WiFi Radar my nice strong main router signal all by it's lonesome but curiously my AiMesh node signal is still on channel 42. I assumed it would move along with the main router and don't see an obvious method to change it separately. Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks

Correct wifi node will use wifi router channel, if you move main router to 106, other will be on same channel.

 

[Ether]

Correct wifi node will use wifi router channel, if you move main router to 106, other will be on same channel.

That is what I assumed would be the case but I'm still showing the node on channel 42.

 

[K-2SO]

I decide to move it to some empty space (channel 106)

The space is empty because it's a DFS channel territory. Any weather/airport radar around will bump you off the channel. Stay on 42 or 155 better.

 

[BigdogBTS]

Was there ever an answer for this question? I'm having the same issue, and I'm nowhere near weather or airport radar. I'm literally out in the country. My main AX88U is currently sitting on 56 with an 80Mhz width, and my remaining nodes refuse to move off 42. Any ideas?

 

[bbunge]

Was there ever an answer for this question? I'm having the same issue, and I'm nowhere near weather or airport radar. I'm literally out in the country. My main AX88U is currently sitting on 56 with an 80Mhz width, and my remaining nodes refuse to move off 42. Any ideas?

Set to 36 then reboot the system

 

[brummygit]

Was there ever an answer for this question? I'm having the same issue, and I'm nowhere near weather or airport radar. I'm literally out in the country. My main AX88U is currently sitting on 56 with an 80Mhz width, and my remaining nodes refuse to move off 42. Any ideas?

I'm searching around the forums at the moment also in search of some answers - my mesh nodes keep changing their 5Ghz WiFi channels even though I use manual assignment. This causes issues with clients disconnecting and suffering poor performance. I have RT-AX88U main router currently running Merlin 386.1_Beta3 and 2 RT-AX56Us now running Asus 386_41535 as mesh nodes using wired backhaul. The problems I see are not restricted to these firmware versions but have been around for a while.

I have a suspicion that my nodes and RT-AX88U are too close to each other causing the nodes to move channels, but I cannot prove this. I can observe the switching around using inSSIDer, and unfortunately I need to retain all three routers to get the coverage and number of devices I need to connect.. I am not sure if this is an ASUS bug, or just deliberately moving due to the close proximity of other nodes.

Ideally I would use different manual channels for my nodes, but alternatively I need to find a way to stop the nodes changing.

 

[L&LD]

How are the nodes changing channels when they are in wired AiMesh mode?

Are you using Auto Control Channels or fixed?

Are you using DFS Channels?

Are you using 160MHz width?

If I am reading your post correctly, I would be resetting the entire network right now.

Setting Control Channels to manual and outside of DFS channels and less than 160MHz width manually, they should not be changing on you at all.

 

[brummygit]

Monitoring the WiFi signals using inSSIDer shows that the nodes switch channels on occasion away from the configured settings.

I’m using fixed control channels with 80Mhz of bandwidth in the DFS space as my neighbours have strong signals on channels 36-48.

So for example I am set to channel 100 and one of my nodes will randomly switch to channel 52 whilst the others stay on 100. It’s almost as though one node seeing the signals from the others as radar and switching away. This could only happen with wired backhaul for obvious reasons (the node would lose its backhaul). The offending node will often then move around various channels but rarely return to the configured channel without a reboot. It might only happen once or twice a day, but then results in ongoing connectivity issues.

This behaviour has been present across multiple configuration full resets and firmware versions and is irrespective of running stock or Merlin on the nodes. I have been living with it for a while, initially more focused on the well documented 2.4Ghz behaviour of the RT-AX88U which has been resolved in the more recent 386 code. However the various WIFI SDK updates appear to have brought this strange 5Ghz behaviour instead.

I thought I was on to something today as I switched off Smart Connect and ran for a much longer period than normal (>12 hours) before the node moved channel. What was very strange is that without Smart Connect my signals from all routers conform to what I would expect in terms of strength being directly related distance from router and the 2.4Ghz being slightly stronger than the 5Ghz. With Smart Connect enabled I see stronger signals from my 5Ghz radios and the RT-AX56Us typicall out perform the RT-AX88U on signal strength. Smart Connect is definitely affecting the radio performance characteristics.

I have switched out the most common node with a spare RT-AC68U this evening to see whether the issue continues on a different model & generation as I still have doubts about the AX code from Asus.

EDIT: I should add that when running with the AX56's as APs on their own 5Ghz channels rather than as mesh nodes, they stay where they are configured to be.