Mesh system failure asus

[OakleyFreak]

So I started out with a new asus ax86u as primary in the house and old netgear router as an AP in my garage.

Upgraded the netgear to a asus ax86s. Both 86u and 86s running the latest matching firmware.

I installed several iot devices on the guest network 2.4 and decide to try the asus mesh setup. Using ethernet backhaul to the 86u.

With the 86 s as a mesh node.My meross outlets in the garage won't lock to the node 3 feet away.
They always default to the 86u that's 100 feet away. Signal is weaker in the garage on the 86u but available.

If I bind them to the 86s. They all get flagged in the 86u as better network available and want to force over to that.
Guest network setup on ch11 no other strong AP on analyzer.

This afternoon I changed the 86s to an AP. And added the guest network on 2.4

Everything seems better all the IOT devices are now on garage AP guest network.
Meross shows 100% signal in the app. On the 86u it was around 25%
I'm cool with leaving 86s in AP and on channel 1.
Are Mesh systems this fickle?
Cant understand why the 86u prefers to lock these plugs to the further signal?

 

[Tech9]

This afternoon I changed the 86s to an AP. And added the guest network on 2.4

This Guest Network in AP Mode has no separation from your main LAN and WLAN. Just a different SSID.

Similar situation here (and in many other threads):

Asus RT-AX86U node keeps disconnecting connected devices

I was asking for help here before and really love this amazing community, so thanks in advance for everyone who assists users like me here. I have 2x Asus RT-AX86U, one on the 1st floor another on the second (node). Main one is on the first floor which gets 500/50 speed from fiber ISP router...

www.snbforums.com

Current AX86-series are in firmware crisis. Wait for better firmware or experiment with what works for you.

 

[OakleyFreak]

So I started out with a new asus ax86u as primary in the house and old netgear router as an AP in my garage.

Upgraded the netgear to a asus ax86s. Both 86u and 86s running the latest matching firmware.

I installed several iot devices on the guest network 2.4 and decide to try the asus mesh setup. Using ethernet backhaul to the 86u.

With the 86 s as a mesh node.My meross outlets in the garage won't lock to the node 3 feet away.
They always default to the 86u that's 100 feet away. Signal is weaker in the garage on the 86u but available.

If I bind them to the 86s. They all get flagged in the 86u as better network available and want to force over to that.
Guest network setup on ch11 no other strong AP on analyzer.

This afternoon I changed the 86s to an AP. And added the guest network on 2.4

Everything seems better all the IOT devices are now on garage AP guest network.
Meross shows 100% signal in the app. On the 86u it was around 25%
I'm cool with leaving 86s in AP and on channel 1.
Are Mesh systems this fickle?
Cant understand why the 86u prefers to lock these plugs to the further signal?

Odd the devices get an ip address not on my main network.
My main is 10.x.x x
The guest is 192.x.x.x
So it's like a vlan correct?

 

[Tech9]

You're giving me testing ideas. It's VLAN based for GN propagation main to nodes, but I have to test with 10.x.x.x main subnet to give you an answer.

 

[OakleyFreak]

Well I can tell you that my cameras are on 10.x x.x
And if I log on to the guest I can't get to them.
But I connect to the guest of the 86s it gets the 10.x . Frustrating. I need to isolate the plugs.
I'll play with it tomorrow some more .

 

[OakleyFreak]

I factory reset 86s and then setup mesh
Seems to be OK. All IOT devices connect to the 86s
I will bind them tonight and see if they drop
If they do I DL 386_49599 and will try that firmware
Thanks

 

[OakleyFreak]

So I'm running 49599 on both routers. I still have issues with some devices choosing the farthest router. I did unbind all devices and set the roaming disconnect at -70. Got every thing I want connected on the 86s. Then using the web gui under mesh, I bound them to that router. I found it odd that I could not unbind them before in the app. So this made me use the web gui.
Curious if they stay connected now. I also made sure guest network was set to unlimited,.since it seems these switches are only moving around on the guest network. My next move will be to set 2 of the switches to the normal 2.4 channel and bind them. See if maybe it's in the guest network only

 

[OakleyFreak]

5 days straight no drop outs
Everything stable and behaving like it should
Still running the old 386 49599 firmware.

 

[Tech9]

Still running the old 386 49599 firmware.

Still better than any 388 firmware released for AX86U.

 

[Maverick009]

A little late, but wanted to chime in. The Asus Mesh actually works very well if setup and configured correctly. For me I have an Asus GT-AX11000 in AP mode with an Asus RT-AC3100 acting as a Mesh node and connected wired to the AX11000 for the backhaul. The SSID's should be the same on both units as the unit acting as the Mesh node is just extending the signal from the source (AX11000 in this case for me). I have not had any issues and running on the lastest firmware for each. I have my AX11000 2.5G port plugged into my Opnsense Firewall. They all just work.

Unless you have something happening with the signal integrity, the 2 Asus devices should work well even with the latest firmware. You could also always try Merlin, as that may be a little better and more stable due to patches, fixes, and optimizations. Under Mesh settings you can also use the Optimization feature as they may assist some, especially if your backhaul is wireless and not wired. The only other issue I could see is the 2.4 Radio Band, as that has longer range but can also be horrible, especially if you have other 2.4Ghz devices interfering with it. You may need to play with the roaming disconnect some, until you find a sweet spot for your home.

 

[Tech9]

the 2 Asus devices should work well even with the latest firmware

You could also always try Merlin, as that may be a little better and more stable

Not always the case for both. And we are talking about RT-AX86U in particular.

 

[Maverick009]

Not always the case for both. And we are talking about RT-AX86U in particular.

The RT-AX86U and AX11000 actually share the same CPU and wireless chipset, with differences between the two really being the AX11000 has 3 wireless bands and geared towards gaming from the ROG family and larger coverage with more directional attentas. The hardware they use internally is similar enough to compare and why I stated a few suggestions. The Mesh overall works well, but can be better if devices use a wired back haul and the settings may need some tweaking based on his household and devices used.

 

[Tech9]

I know the theory, but every device has it's own quirks. AX86U has some issues with firmware working well on other models. It also has strange dependency between WAN QoS and LAN/WLAN transfer speed not reported for other models. AX11000 had common kernel crash issues for some folks. Identical firmware and hardware XT8 units don't work well for some users. There is reported AiMesh issue between AX11000 and AC5300 in particular, etc. Tweaking, moving around and following Asus instructions to the letter doesn't always solve the problem.

 

[Maverick009]

I know the theory, but every device has it's own quirks. AX86U has some issues with firmware working well on other models. It also has strange dependency between WAN QoS and LAN/WLAN transfer speed not reported for other models. AX11000 had common kernel crash issues for some folks. Identical firmware and hardware XT8 units don't work well for some users. There is reported AiMesh issue between AX11000 and AC5300 in particular, etc. Tweaking, moving around and following Asus instructions to the letter doesn't always solve the problem.

Can't say I have experienced any of those issues with my AX11000, but I am also no novice either lol. I also get there can be some differences in the hardware due to design but overall should not be as bad a problem as this person is having. I also recommended Merlin as an alternative to the normal stock firmware due to some fixes and performance improvements that may not be in stock firmware at least immediately.

Overall all we can do is make suggestions as we don't know is layout or complete settings for instance.

 

[Tech9]

I also recommended Merlin as an alternative

It has even more AiMesh issues reported everywhere. For most folks adding a node procedure is not as described by Asus. I never had any Asus router running Asuswrt-Merlin 386 or newer able to find or associate any other Asus router wirelessly as AiMesh node just following Asus AiMesh setup instructions. It needs wired connection and stock Asuswrt on the nodes works better. Stock Asuswrt on main and nodes works even better. I also observed consistently better Wi-Fi performance with stock Asuswrt, valid for AX86U model in particular. With latest supported models expansion and this statement from the developer I don't expect anything Asuswrt fixed in further Asuswrt-Merlin releases. I have no intentions wasting my time testing firmware anymore as well.

 

[OakleyFreak]

Back to square one.
My echo in the garage is back to linking to the 86u
I can bind it to the 86s and setup roaming kicking at -50 on the 86u. The echo is reported at -78 power level.
After reboots in both routers . No love

 

[OakleyFreak]

This saga grows by the day
Decided to do a clean install on firmware on both units. Major pain in the butt.
Wipe everything and start from scratch.

Even after turning off roaming and trying the wireless Mac filter. I still have 2.4 clients bound to the wrong router. Even after 2 clean power cycles the fricking mac filter doesn't even steer them away. Maybe ready to go back to netgear

 

[bbunge]

This saga grows by the day
Decided to do a clean install on firmware on both units. Major pain in the butt.
Wipe everything and start from scratch.

Even after turning off roaming and trying the wireless Mac filter. I still have 2.4 clients bound to the wrong router. Even after 2 clean power cycles the fricking mac filter doesn't even steer them away. Maybe ready to go back to netgear

There is a test firmware for the AX86U and S that should fix your WIFI issues. Merlin posted it on One Drive. Search the forum for the link.