Merlin 386.1 Beta 4 - AiMesh 2x AX86U, Node constantly disconnecting clients

[GK59]

...
With the second router in AP mode, I also have more control over the second router. I was able to enable jumbo frames, and check the temperature (it is running a bit high >70 degrees

Try these fans, they're super low speed and very effective...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y5ZDZGZ/?tag=snbforums-20


best I've found and very effective at the lowest speed, no noise whatsoever. I have a pair on my AX86U and my temps are around 40C. I used double sided tape, easy to put on. Easy to clean also.

 

[Sky1111]

Try these fans, they're super low speed and very effective...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y5ZDZGZ/?tag=snbforums-20


best I've found and very effective at the lowest speed, no noise whatsoever. I have a pair on my AX86U and my temps are around 40C. I used double sided tape, easy to put on. Easy to clean also.

thanks but that fan is ~$45 Canadian on Amazon.ca (while only $12 USD on Amazon.com!!!), that's way too much for a fan with USB cable... Need to find something a bit more reasonable (in CAD)
For my main router, I used old Arctic Cooling 120mm case fan, and made an USB to 2pin adapter from old USB cable I had around. That's not a high CFM fan, but at 5 volt from USB it is absolutely noiseless, although not super efficient - CPU temperature is ~64C. Not the lowest, but I can live with that, and it is definitely more stable (although the most significant contributor to network stability was ditching AIMesh - )

Now for the second router upstairs I am thinking about similar to that Amazon fan - will have to attach it directly to the router.

P.S. I am wondering how power inefficient is power management of Broadcom CPU on these routers.... I am looking at CPU usage and checking the temperature (without the fan), and it shows that powerful quadcore CPU is pretty much idle, yet temperature is >70C. Why? I would understand such temperatures under load, but common - on idle CPU? Maybe I am comparing these Broadcoms to CPUs and GPUs I am much more familiar with (and their very sophisticated power/performance management mechanisms)...

anyway, thanks for the suggestion!

 

[L&LD]

Darn...and both are on beta 4?

Yes, both on RMerlin 386.1 Beta 4.

I can't remember now if we've properly accounted/verified the cable(s) you're using? Did you try an Ethernet cable by a different brand/company? Cat5e works fine for me (at 100') here and shows connected at 2.5GbE too. Maybe your issue is a poor/mismatched quality cable with the new equipment you're using today? Cat5e, Cat6, or Cat6a quality cable ('STP' is better than 'UTP') and quality end connectors may be the issue here for you?

 

[octopus]

Connected at 2.5GbE too.

Have you tested to use wifi as your backhaul ?
I'm using it and I have faster speed and 2,5Gbps. 5Ghz 4,8 Gbit/s link 4(ax) 160Mhz (I know its link speed)
Wort to compare between each other.

 

[L&LD]

I did, but when I saw that linking the 2.5GbE Ports worked, I saw a doubling of the true throughput speeds on my network.

Two AX86U Aimesh @2.5G Ethernet backhaul possible? | SmallNetBuilder Forums

Indicated connection rates do not (automatically) give better throughput rates.

 

[octopus]

I did, but when I saw that linking the 2.5GbE Ports worked, I saw a doubling of the true throughput speeds on my network.

Two AX86U Aimesh @2.5G Ethernet backhaul possible? | SmallNetBuilder Forums

Indicated connection rates do not (automatically) give better throughput rates.

I know link rate is what it is. Have you done any measurements?

Speed over WIFI 180.8 Mbit

Speed over LAN: 286.4 Mbit

 

[L&LD]

I saw a doubling of the true throughput speeds on my network

 

[OlaP]

Does anyone have a working AiMesh with two AX86Us working properly with 2.5GBE backhaul? I don't feel like resetting everything again!

My set up still working great @2.5G.
Uptime now 45 days without a glitch!
Best ever on any Asus routers I've owned (ac87u, ac86u).
Still on beta 1 can't see any reason update..
Most settings left auto.

 

[octopus]

Doubling zero is still zero any measurements result to show?

 

[L&LD]

No, I don't keep those. What I keep are the 'ideas'. Best practices and all.

Yours seem to be transferring from a USB attached drive to the router? I wouldn't call those measurements as 'proof' of anything except for your specific use.

 

[octopus]

No, I don't keep those. What I keep are the 'ideas'. Best practices and all.

Yours seem to be transferring from a USB attached drive to the router? I wouldn't call those measurements as 'proof' of anything except for your specific use.

Yes it is from computer to USB attached SSD-storage, I can't use any cable now. I test later with a loose cable to 2,5Gb port to computer 2,5Gb port.
We do not know what can cause various speed drops in between the units.

 

[L&LD]

The 'USB attached' is the limiting factor here. It can't show the potential improvements possible.

 

[octopus]

The 'USB attached' is the limiting factor here. It can't show the potential improvements possible.

I know, I just remembered that its on USB2 not USB3. Well it just a ruffly test.

 

[L&LD]

We can have USB 4/Thunderbolt 4 ports and better on our routers, and nothing will change. The hardware is grossly underpowered to do file storage duties today.

If you want to test between wireless and wired AiMesh throughput, you need to transfer from a wired SSD equipped computer to a wireless AX client with equally fast storage. Then you will see how repeater mode (aka wireless AiMesh) is halving your throughput at any reasonable distances).

Repeater mode = wireless AiMesh

I am looking forward to your test results. Myself, I'm heading home to sleep now (I have a few hours' driving first though).

 

[AndrewJacob]

Hi @L&LD , it's really bothering me that I'm the only one who can't get the AiMesh to work properly with 2.5 backhaul. I have Cat 6 wires that were wired by the developer. When I connect directly to the wall, I get 450mbit no problem but I know we are seeking higher speeds here. Question: how do I test that the wire is good enough without having to buy a new 60 foot cat6 to compare? So on the main router end, the wire is male and where the node is, it's female. I plug the black cat5e cable supplied by Asus from there to the node. By the way, both routers came with slightly different cat5e cables and power adapters. I found that weird but it's probably normal...

 

[SomeWhereOverTheRainBow]

One suggestion is to try using it as the regular 1g ethernet connection and see if you experience the same issues.

 

[AndrewJacob]

It's working now going from 1GBE LAN to 1GBE WAN. But I got better speeds with the single AX11000 near the node. Nothing that is major, but I am concerned about what the performance will be once I move to gigabit internet. If only there was a way to test its maximum throughput capability independently of my internet connection (450mbit), that would help. Does anyone know of a method?
But right now my main issue is that mesh doesn't work on 2.5GBE backhaul and keeps disconnecting and asking me for my network key and saying it's the wrong password. It's very frustrating as I'm unable to truly compare wi-fi solutions and each of these solutions is costing me $500 +

 

[GHog]

Andrew,
I see your using the 4 beta. Have you updated to the 4b beta yet. Go to this link to download.

Test builds - OneDrive (live.com)

My suspicions is ASUS might have an issue connecting a node to the master using the 2.5gb port. I am thinking that they added this port only for users that have a device that is designed to connect at that speed. For now I would connect my backhaul using the lan ports and make sure that they are using the same port on each device. This should not make a difference, but when setting up my daughters mesh, it did, so we now use the same lan port on each device. As for AX devices connected to mess, make sure you update the device wireless driver. I have found that this is the ticket for the Intel AX devices.

I know we all have a need for speed, but I think for now, if you are going to use a wired backhaul connection, stick with the 1gb lan ports until ASUS figures this out. Maybe they have no intention of using the 2.5gb port for mesh setups.

 

[FTC]

Hi @L&LD , it's really bothering me that I'm the only one who can't get the AiMesh to work properly with 2.5 backhaul. I have Cat 6 wires that were wired by the developer. When I connect directly to the wall, I get 450mbit no problem but I know we are seeking higher speeds here. Question: how do I test that the wire is good enough without having to buy a new 60 foot cat6 to compare? So on the main router end, the wire is male and where the node is, it's female. I plug the black cat5e cable supplied by Asus from there to the node. By the way, both routers came with slightly different cat5e cables and power adapters. I found that weird but it's probably normal...

Hi, disregard this if I did not understand correctly, but it seems like you are attempting to get your 2.5Mbit backhaul with a connection that is in part a cat5e cable (max speed 1 mbit) and in part a cat6e (max speed 10mbit) one. If this is the case then this most probably can't work right. You need all the cable to be cat6 from the router to the node to work properly. I woud not even recommend intermediate connection between cables, even if both are cat6e. It is very easy to cause interference and noise at such high speeds.

 

[AndrewJacob]

So you are correct. Right now, my main router is connected to the modem via the Asus OEM cat5e cable, to the node via a cat6 in the wall and cat5e oem Asus cable. i know it could be the reason, but then why is the error that the backhaul just isn't working at all from the 2.5 to 2.5 and keeps asking me for the password? i'd expect maybe a performance issue not a functionality one. it just disconnects often and asks for the password and only on the 5ghz band. it's so weird and frustrating. so right now i'll stick to essentials and just see if the current setup would allow me to get gigabit speeds. i need to find a way to test that. is there any way to test max transfer rates between the router and devices without depending on my internet connection? also i dont know whether one of the 2.5 gbe ports on the routers is defective... just annoying that i've reset things so many times, done everything the right way, put the best firmware on there and it feels like i'm trying to orient a TV antenna to catch a channel in 1985.