Must have gotten a lemon of a RT-BE96U

[GunSmoke]

Bought a new RT-BE96U thinking now is a good time to update my old existing Asus unit. I have AT&T Fiber so I use passthrough for the WAN IP from their BGW320 router, but I only got the 96U to work with it once. Then I (foolishly?) updated the firmware to the latest and it stopped working. Multiple restarts, factory resets and reconfigurations, and a Merlin install of 3006.102.1 changed nothing. Saying there was an issue with DHCP. There wasn't a configuration issue, I've done this many times and it's not complex. I noticed the BE96U would restart randomly when changing settings like the internet on/off when trying to do a release/renew. My unit says hardware revision 1.0 and manufactured in 2023.

Plugged in my old router, redid the passthrough configuration and it picked up and worked immediately. It was past 5AM at this point and we needed our internet for work today so I gave up on this thing.

In my limited time with the 96U, it wasn't clear if MLO and AFC were enabled yet, there's a wifi7 option for all 3 bands so perhaps that's MLO. But I don't think I saw anything relevant to AFC. The list of firmware updates this year are sparse (1 release). I'm going to wait until both MLO and AFC are in place (edit- never getting AFC, requires a barometer), and sometime next year buy this model again and see where it's at. Seems like the perfect router for someone needing to update. I'm looking forward to a single unified MLO wifi network. Just needs to work!

That's my story with this thing. I waited a while to allow the firmware to bake, but I either got unlucky or something in my setup just didn't play well together. We'll see how they work for me in 2025. And maybe Asus will release a newer model by then too.

 

[RogerSC]

MLO is implemented and ready to use, it's the rightmost tab under "Wireless" in the web admin interface. From what you're describing, yours doesn't work at all like the one I'm using right now. Don't have MLO turned on at the moment, but I could do that *smile*. I have experienced none of the issues that you've listing. So if a full factory reset doesn't fix it, I'd say that it sounds broken. I've had very little to no trouble with mine, has worked well with both the Asus and RMerlin firmware. Was up to about 7 weeks of uptime with the Asus firmware, and about 14 days with RMerlin when I decided to try the latest GT-AX6000 firmware. Using RMerlin firmware on this thing at the moment, since it has later fixes and all than the latest Asus firmware does. If you can return yours, sounds like you can, I would do so, and re-buy it if and when you're ready.

Best performing router I've had, including the GT-AX6000. And it has been very reliable. Sorry that yours didn't work out for you.

 

[GunSmoke]

I was hoping to hear someone else either confirm or deny issues with this router. I've seen different experiences and hard to tell if this is closer to normal or abnormal. I am returning it today and decided I'm going to check the hardware revision on the units at Best Buy and Microcenter to see if there was a newer revision or not. I'm wondering if I got an older one as I was surprised to see it was manufactured in 2023.

I've been determined to get this unit since it launched. The only thing that has changed for me since I posted that is I learned AFC is only going to be possible on the 98 Pro. Unsure if I should wait for the price on that one to go a bit lower, or just forgo AFC.

What I was really after with this upgrade was MLO for a single access point on 2.4, 5 and 6Ghz. My cameras, laptops, phones, all using the same regardless of distance from the router would be nice.

 

[RMerlin]

What I was really after with this upgrade was MLO for a single access point on 2.4, 5 and 6Ghz. My cameras, laptops, phones, all using the same regardless of distance from the router would be nice.

MLO is a Wifi 7 features, something your cameras are unlikely to support.

What you are looking for here is Smart Connect.

 

[GunSmoke]

MLO is a Wifi 7 features, something your cameras are unlikely to support.

What you are looking for here is Smart Connect.

I did see Smart Connect in the software. Thanks, I was not aware of this feature. It would be interesting to see how that handles 5/6 and 2.4Ghz handoffs if you walk out of range.

What I assumed was that wifi 7 was backwards compatible with all prior standards, so a single tri-band wifi7 AP would do the same thing.
Not sure on my cameras, I know they're 2.4Ghz only but can't find if they're 802.11N or AX. I would put my money on N.

Sure wish my 96U experience had been smoother. I'll probably buy it again for one more try with another unit, after I check stores to see if there is a newer hardware revision than the one I have here.

 

[RMerlin]

What I assumed was that wifi 7 was backwards compatible with all prior standards, so a single tri-band wifi7 AP would do the same thing.

It's backward compatible, not forward. If a Wifi 6 and a Wifi 7 devices connect together, they will use the lowest common standard. In this case, that's Wifi 6.

The only way to use any Wifi 7 feature like MLO is for both the AP and the client to be Wifi 7.

Sure wish my 96U experience had been smoother. I'll probably buy it again for one more try with another unit, after I check stores to see if there is a newer hardware revision than the one I have here.

I have no problem with my own RT-BE96U, which is probably an early revision. I doubt that a newer hardware revision would change anything if you are having client-specific issues.

 

[GunSmoke]

It's backward compatible, not forward. If a Wifi 6 and a Wifi 7 devices connect together, they will use the lowest common standard. In this case, that's Wifi 6.

The only way to use any Wifi 7 feature like MLO is for both the AP and the client to be Wifi 7.


I have no problem with my own RT-BE96U, which is probably an early revision. I doubt that a newer hardware revision would change anything if you are having client-specific issues.

No client specific issues, but wouldn't get an IP for itself. Restarted itself at times. I'm hoping it was just a bad unit. I may step up to the 98 Pro though for AFC. Tough call, the price is annoyingly high and I don't care about the differences in ports or the 2nd 6Ghz band.

Yes I do not expect a wifi6 node to become wifi7 just because the AP is 7. I just meant a wifi 7 AP with 1 network should have compatibility with older standards so my 802.11N cameras can connect on the 2.4Ghz portion of the tri-band network. Same as an 802.11G node can connect to a 802.11AC network. My hope was that tri-band enabled wifi7 functioned like Smart Connect. I didn't know this problem was solved long ago with SC.

I would be very interested to compare how SC handles walking out of 6Ghz range with that single network. I'm guessing it just drops the connection from the one the handshake agreed to. Not ideal.
Versus how wifi7 is advertised to handle it seamlessly, which sounds great going forward for mobile devices. I would enjoy being able to walk out to my truck in the front of the house and not have to disable my wifi or switch to 2.4 and have my phone work.

 

[GunSmoke]

<snip>

Do you or anyone else here have any opinions or strong feelings on AFC? I do live 0.8 miles from an international airport if that matters. I think I'm willing to get the 98 Pro when I try this again but I've always wondered how the airport affects my wifi and AFC seems like it could potentially be affected.

 

[RMerlin]

Do you or anyone else here have any opinions or strong feelings on AFC? I do live 0.8 miles from an international airport if that matters. I think I'm willing to get the 98 Pro when I try this again but I've always wondered how the airport affects my wifi and AFC seems like it could potentially be affected.

So far it`s largely a concept written on paper. There`s no real life feedback to determine how efficient it is.

 

[jzchen]

@GunSmoke There is an issue sometimes getting a Passthrough WAN IP, just getting assigned a LAN IP. Happened with the BE98 Pro, and also my DECO BE95. I think I solved this by unplugging the power cable to the BGW, plugging it back in, then 15 - 20 seconds later power cycling the router. I set the DHCP Lease time to 1 day just like the BGW and it never actually changed WAN IP even though it is not static...

AFC is for 6 GHz. DFS is for 5 GHz. 5 GHz shares some channels with Air traffic radar, meaning 5 GHz may be affected, not 6 GHz.

Both TP-Link and ASUS have different implementation of MLO. (The original manual of the BE95 said an SSID including all 4 bands 2.4, 5, 6-1, and 6-2 would be combined in a single MLO. When I eventually bought one this year it actually only uses 5 and 6 GHz to create an MLO. 2.4 and 5 are Smart connected as a separate SSID (non-MLO). ASUS BE98 Pro MLO SmartConnects all four bands 2.4, 5, 6-1, and 6-2 the way the DECO was originally supposed to be. It simultaneously asks for a non-MLO SSID to connect "Legacy"/IoT devices.

If it were truly backwards compatible I don't think they would need to do this separation of SSIDs. Also WiFi encryption bumps up to GCMP 256, which I don't think any Legacy devices can connect...

I like to SmartConnect 2.4 and 5 GHz channels, then let the 6-1 with WiFi 7 toggled off, and 6-2 WiFi 7 toggled ON. As background there is one 6E enabled MacBook Pro, and my OnePlus Open WiFi 7 phone, so the 6 GHz channels are set up 1 each.....

 

[GunSmoke]

@GunSmoke There is an issue sometimes getting a Passthrough WAN IP, just getting assigned a LAN IP. Happened with the BE98 Pro, and also my DECO BE95. I think I solved this by unplugging the power cable to the BGW, plugging it back in, then 15 - 20 seconds later power cycling the router. I set the DHCP Lease time to 1 day just like the BGW and it never actually changed WAN IP even though it is not static...

AFC is for 6 GHz. DFS is for 5 GHz. 5 GHz shares some channels with Air traffic radar, meaning 5 GHz may be affected, not 6 GHz.

Both TP-Link and ASUS have different implementation of MLO. (The original manual of the BE95 said an SSID including all 4 bands 2.4, 5, 6-1, and 6-2 would be combined in a single MLO. When I eventually bought one this year it actually only uses 5 and 6 GHz to create an MLO. 2.4 and 5 are Smart connected as a separate SSID (non-MLO). ASUS BE98 Pro MLO SmartConnects all four bands 2.4, 5, 6-1, and 6-2 the way the DECO was originally supposed to be. It simultaneously asks for a non-MLO SSID to connect "Legacy"/IoT devices.

If it were truly backwards compatible I don't think they would need to do this separation of SSIDs. Also WiFi encryption bumps up to GCMP 256, which I don't think any Legacy devices can connect...

I like to SmartConnect 2.4 and 5 GHz channels, then let the 6-1 with WiFi 7 toggled off, and 6-2 WiFi 7 toggled ON. As background there is one 6E enabled MacBook Pro, and my OnePlus Open WiFi 7 phone, so the 6 GHz channels are set up 1 each.....

Epic information, very helpful. Exactly what I was hoping to hear and find here when I made my post.

Wifi is kind of getting complex. Managing all these bands and standards in a nice way. I've always insisted on ethernet to my desk which I'll continue to do, but wifi has gotten good enough that I'm running everything else on wifi now and happy.

I'm glad to hear that it's possible or likely that there was nothing wrong with my router and that someone else had WAN IP issues as I did. I tired a *lot* of things including different sequences of powering each on. I didn't try exactly what you described though. Why my very old router has zero problems with this is confusing though. It picks right up. I thought for a while that the 10Gb WAN/LAN ports were possibly even mislabeled in AsusWRT and that's why it wouldn't pickup an IP but I knew that wasn't true because it was working fine until I updated the firmware. Never succeeded again.

This really helped me out, thanks. I was incredibly letdown when I couldn't get that WAN IP. I waited a very long time to update this equipment and the 96U seemed like the perfect router for a "fair" price. At least not a whole lot more than the 6E models. I did send my 96U back yesterday, but will rebuy or get the 98 Pro soon. Just going to check them all out in stores and see what hardware revisions are on shelves, probably not important for me but if I went through all this hassle at this point I may as well check before buying again.

 

[jzchen]

For the WAN IP not getting passed through with AT&T, I believe it is a matter of communication between BGW and 3rd party router. Interestingly with the BE98 Pro this happened when I first installed AT&T, and for a while after I needed to play a timing game to get it to IP Passthrough.

Here's the crux to think about, who's fault do you think it is, the BGW, or the ASUS router? Every time I needed to play the "timing game" when I rebooted the BE98 Pro when I first got fiber mid January. Later on I believe the BGW320-500 updated to 4.27.7***, and ever since that certain point in time whenever the BE98 Pro reboots it gets a WAN IP properly. More recently TP-Link released 6-2 for use, so the DECO BE95 I needed to play the "timing game" to get it a WAN IP...

 

[jzchen]

***I suspect that the BE98 Pro was not at fault, (the last BE98 Pro Firmware release and the timing of it stop getting a LAN address on reboot do not coincide), no verdict out on DECO BE95...

*** - Suspected, not confirmed.

 

[GunSmoke]

***I suspect that the BE98 Pro was not at fault, (the last BE98 Pro Firmware release and the timing of it stop getting a LAN address on reboot do not coincide), no verdict out on DECO BE95...

*** - Suspected, not confirmed.

No idea but I do think it could be either device and is some sort of handshake issue. I'm not one to blame the new device alone in these situations, a lot of people jump to that conclusion and I think it's a logical fallacy. It could be that the newer Asus units handle this differently (correctly, even) and the A&T box doesn't. Hard to say for sure. Whether it's the AT&T unit or the Asus, all I know is I put in a new router and it didn't work. Panicking till 5:30AM
I usually only buy routers with Merlin support but I think I'm going to buy one of the more recently announced units that advertise both MLO and AFC. As long as they're Broadcom support may be incoming eventually anyway.

I think I'm just going to wait for the GT-BE19000 (https://www.asus.com/news/k3ksb7etlr1rjk8b/). They advertise AFC up front, it's a 4x4 router and price is supposed to be $750. Seems to hit the goldilocks zone for most people. The 98 Pro would probably be what I'd get otherwise. Given the hassle I've already gone through, I think I want AFC.

 

[sfx2000]

They advertise AFC up front, it's a 4x4 router and price is supposed to be $750. Seems to hit the goldilocks zone for most people.

Hmm - $750USD for a home gateway - I think not...

 

[sfx2000]

MLO is a Wifi 7 features, something your cameras are unlikely to support.

MLO shouldn't matter for legacy devices...

 

[GunSmoke]

Ugh, this is why I avoid forums. This really isn't meant to be a personal budget complaint session. If people don't like working, or saving, or just don't like the features that a router offers for the money, then don't buy it. But unfortunately there isn't a cheaper, better option with these features. I'm not wasting my time or money on something that isn't up to date on features for 2024. Makes no sense. People can stick with their old router if they want to, but complaining about prices always struck me as silly. No one is going to convince anyone that something is too much money if they have the money and like the product offered. This is the wifi 7 section where there is no value option.

 

[jzchen]

@GunSmoke I'm sorry to read that the new router to you caused you to stay up pretty much the whole night. If I did that I would be one unhappy camper. Also I'd likely have some answering to do to the wife and son about why it cost so much AND not work as it supposed to. I remember when we had two 6E routers in the house, 1 on the main floor and one on the 2nd floor, we finally got a 6E MacBook Pro and first thing it would not connect to 6 GHz. They literally dialed Apple tech support and handed me the phone. First thing they did was have me hard reset my ASUS AiMesh primary router! Haha there went my 4/5 node network, AND it did not solve the problem....

 

[jzchen]

I typically base my decision simply on maximum throughput. In the past ASUS would come out with the latest routers with the highest throughput, so that would be on my to purchase list. Right now I can say the competition (TP-Link specifically) has caught up and actually surpassed in this regard. All debates about privacy/headquarters/etc aside the BE95 is the only BE33000 router on the market. And subtlely last month they de-crippled it to allow use of the full 33 Gbps, (yes 6 GHz-2 has been open to clients with the latest firmware for about 1 1/2 months, to no significant fanfare to be honest).

Next up would very likely replace my RP-AX56 node, so far NetGear's Orbi 970 series would be it with it's BE27000, unless TP-Link releases Version 2 with different Firmware, or similarly ASUS does something of the sort...

 

[Tech9]

And subtlely last month they de-crippled it to allow use of the full 33 Gbps

What it will start and end being fully used for is BS marketing. Nothing else will reach 33Gbps ever. If you really make purchase decision based on this marketing class number - home router manufacturers love you. In reality you'll get bigger lemons only with lower price/performance ratio.