[Official Release] AiMesh Firmware v3.0.0.4.384.20308 for All Supported Products

[visortgw]

Silly question, is it ok to run both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz on the same SSID?

I am doing that now on multiple networks without any problems.

 

[maxbraketorque]

Silly question, is it ok to run both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz on the same SSID?

It is possible to do it, and many people do it, but its not always the best way to set up a home wifi network. Devices that come and go from the network (phones, laptops, etc) will mostly end up on the 2.4 GHz band because that's what will come into range first. IMHO, its better to set up separate SSIDs for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and then use the network preferences on your computer to preferentially connect to the 5 GHz network. Unfortunately, Android does not allow setting preferred wifi networks, so I just exclude the 2.4 GHz network from my phones.

 

[Ken Atkinson]

For Smart Connect to work surely both id's need to be the same. I've not switched smart connect on yet was waiting until i'm happy mesh is stable before throwing something else into the mix.

 

[RandomName23]

It is possible to do it, and many people do it, but its not always the best way to set up a home wifi network. Devices that come and go from the network (phones, laptops, etc) will mostly end up on the 2.4 GHz band because that's what will come into range first. IMHO, its better to set up separate SSIDs for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and then use the network preferences on your computer to preferentially connect to the 5 GHz network. Unfortunately, Android does not allow setting preferred wifi networks, so I just exclude the 2.4 GHz network from my phones.

It is absolutely okay to use the same SSID for both bands, in fact some mesh systems like Orbi won't even let you specify a different SSID. Aimesh does let you, one of the reasons I much prefer it over other systems. If you're router supports Smart Connect I recommend giving it a try. I've been using it with the default settings and have not once ended up on the 2.4 Ghz band in my home for devices that support 5 Ghz. With my old router that didn't support Smart Connect I would frequently end up on the 2.4 band even when I was in range to receive a 5 Ghz signal and my speeds were crap so I did what others indicated and setup separate SSIDs so I could force my devices to the band I wanted. So in the end I think it depends on your needs and capabilities of your router.

 

[maxbraketorque]

It is absolutely okay to use the same SSID for both bands, in fact some mesh systems like Orbi won't even let you specify a different SSID. Aimesh does let you, one of the reasons I much prefer it over other systems. If you're router supports Smart Connect I recommend giving it a try. I've been using it with the default settings and have not once ended up on the 2.4 Ghz band in my home for devices that support 5 Ghz. With my old router that didn't support Smart Connect I would frequently end up on the 2.4 band even when I was in range to receive a 5 Ghz signal and my speeds were crap so I did what others indicated and setup separate SSIDs so I could force my devices to the band I wanted. So in the end I think it depends on your needs and capabilities of your router.

I think your last sentence captures the key points. With my dual router setup, there is no place in my home or yard where 2.4 GHz provides faster wireless speeds than 5 GHz (2.4 GHz RSSI can be and often is better but not speed), so I only use 2.4 GHz now for my wireless cameras.

 

[Adam]

Is anyone getting weird issues, where it looks like the stronger AP just dropped you (almost as if its radio is going through a reboot) and you are in dead air for a minute or so? My cell phone data usage went way up, since these drops kept happening.
My 3 x RT-AC68U got almost unusable, and I had to reboot the main router and the nodes after a couple of days of use. I'm not sure if that might have been due to extensive use of IPTV or what, but it was running into issues with the DHCP server (My android phone telling me that the network was full). Even after a total wipe/factory restore it was doing that. Finally, I've plugged in a different router, and changed the whole AUS setup to AP AiMesh. Now it's finally stable.
This was on the same SSID for 2.4 and 5 GHz, and pretty much on default setup.

 

[Volfi]

Silly question, is it ok to run both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz on the same SSID?

Depends.. Around my appartment are 20+ active networks on 2.4GHz, but only two on 5GHz (108 and 161 channels). Having seperate SSIDs means I can "force" my devices to stay on 5GHz (channel 36, 80MHz width), and only few legacy ones are given passwords for 2.4GHz band.

This gives me better network stability.

 

[Ken Atkinson]

My GUI showing firmware update available for AC88U running 384_20308 , not in a position to update at the moment , product webpages not updated for new version yet either.... wonder whats fixed/added ?

 

[Flying Dutchman]

Most likely KRACK vulnerabilities are solved.

In another thread I read that the servers are being synchronized at the moment, so new firmware will become available within 24 hours.

 

[Ken Atkinson]

Most likely KRACK vulnerabilities are solved.

In another thread I read that the servers are being synchronized at the moment, so new firmware will become available within 24 hours.

Cool thanks , can't update for a day or so anyway, but think will switch on smart connect when i update as mesh seems pretty stable

 

[mlippold]

Updated to 20379 from 20308 and all is well on my RT-AC5300 (non-mesh setup).

 

[Mike Gates]

Is there anyone experiencing issue while trying to reach AiMesh fireware downloading page? Each time I clicked the firmware downloading link, e.g. https://www.asus.com/Networking/RTAC68U/HelpDesk_BIOS/
it always be redirected to
https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RTAC68U/
no matter what kind of browsers I was using. This started to happen after I upgraded my two AC68U routers to AiMesh.

 

[mlippold]

Is there anyone experiencing issue while trying to reach AiMesh fireware downloading page? Each time I clicked the firmware downloading link, e.g. https://www.asus.com/Networking/RTAC68U/HelpDesk_BIOS/
it always be redirected to
https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RTAC68U/
no matter what kind of browsers I was using. This started to happen after I upgraded my two AC68U routers to AiMesh.

Looks like you left off the /us in that URL.

Try this:
https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RTAC68U/HelpDesk_BIOS/

 

[RandomName23]

Has anyone been able to get email notifications to work from the Aiprotection section? I have hits in the 2 way intrusion detection but never receive any emails.

 

[Junkbot]

Just wanted to post on this thread as it is most current:

Is it possible to disable 2.4Ghz?

2.4Ghz is way too congested in my area, and I want to be courteous to my neighbors and use 5Ghz only. When I set up AiMesh, I can turn off 2.4Ghz antenna on the ROUTER (the 2.4Ghz LED on the ROUTER turns off), but the 2.4Ghz light does not turn off on the NODE. I can also connect to the 2.4GHz SSID on my phone.

Currently, the main can't disabled wifi in Node.

I guess this is a similar problem where you cannot configure some things in the node directly.

 

[RandomName23]

Is there a way to reboot the aimesh nodes from any UI, either web or iOS? Also, does anyone else have this problem where when they reboot only the main aimesh router they get slow speeds on the aimesh node until the aimesh node has been rebooted at which point full speeds are reestablished?

 

[OzarkEdge]

My ASUSWRT 5.0 AiMesh extends LAN/WLANs/VLANs (same channels, all nodes); improves roaming (802.11k,v support); maintains backhauls and a backup router; simplifies admin; and can be incrementally built/upgraded. No account, app, controller, subscription, or fee required.

cable ISP, 574/22Mbps
2.4/5.0 WiFi6 router RT-AX88U_Pro_3.0.0.6.102.33340
2.4/5.0 Smart Connect band steering/failover (same SSIDs)
2.4 fixed: 20MHz bw, ch 11, -100dBm noise, 15-35% util
5.0 fixed-1,3: 80MHz bw, ch 36, -92dBm noise, 3% util
2.4/5.0 Roaming Assistant node steering, -72/-70dBm RSSI
Custom VLANs w/DHCP for 2.4/5.0 Guest, 2.4 IoT
Cloudflare Security encrypted DNS w/malsite blocking
AiProtection Pro
2.4/5.0 WiFi6 node at 77' RT-AX86U_Pro_3.0.0.6.102.34336
MoCA 2.5 wired backhaul, 2.5GbE
5.0 wireless backhaul failover, -74dBm RSSI, ax, x4, 816Mbps

Install
*Security-related
o 2.4/5.0/6.0 = 2.4/5/6GHz bands
o AiMesh = router/AP root node + nodes (4 max; 2 daisy-chain max)
Mixing models (fw 3.0.0.6.*)/topologies/backhauls is permitted
A root node in AP Mode is wired to LAN
EoL
o FW Reset FAQ
Reset button/webUI Restore/node removal clears settings in NVRAM; reboot restores fw defaults from CFE
Hard Reset via WPS button/webUI Restore+Initialize also clears data logged in /jffs partition
o Confirm ISP cable shield is bonded to building Earth Ground at demarc*
o Use a UPS to protect data/hardware*

o Power OFF router, modem, wait (cycle power)
o Wire router WAN to modem, LAN to PC
o Power ON modem, wait
o Power ON router, wait
Monitor LEDs; Power LED flashes ~3 times when ready
o Hold Reset button until Power LED flashing to Reset fw, wait
o Browse router LAN IP (default 192.168.50.1) to access webUI
o Perform Quick Internet Setup (QIS) to check/upload fw, WAIT
See new fw link to review release notes
o Browse webUI page /ajax_coretmp.asp to confirm CPU temp <86C (85% Tj max)
o Set Restore+Initialize to Hard Reset fw, wait
o Power OFF router/open WiFi*, modem

o Repeat for node
o Disconnect node WAN, LAN; place in range of router 5.0 WLAN

o Wire router WAN to modem, LAN to PC
o Power ON modem, wait; then router
o Perform QIS and configuration

Wireless
- enable 2.4/5.0 Smart Connect; set 2.4/5.0 WLANs OE/OE (same SSIDs)
Or disable SC; set 2.4/5.0 WLANs OE/OE-50 (different SSIDs; user band steers/segregates clients)
- set 2.4/5.0 SSIDs (Aa-Zz 0-9 space,.'&()-), Hide SSID No, Wireless Mode Auto, enable 802.11ax/WiFi6 mode*
- set 2.4/5.0 Authentication Method to WPA2,WPA3-Personal*; same WPA Key (Aa-Zz 0-9); Protected Management Frames to Capable
Beware compatibility
- set 2.4/5.0 max Channel Bandwidth, Control Channel
Wireless Log lists noise, 5.0 DFS status, wireless client/backhaul connection detail
For fixed bw and ch range given (US Region), determine ch with least noise <-84dBm and best connections >-75dBm RSSI
If radio interference persists, switch to unfixed settings to let router vary bw/ch to coexist (Auto ch can disrupt some clients reconnecting)
Clients decide/connect with their best wireless mode, authentication method, bandwidth permitted

2.4 fixed: 20MHz bw, ch 1-6-11
2.4 unfixed: 20MHz bw, ch Auto

US FCC U-NII Device Regulations
5.0 fixed-1,2a: 160MHz bw, ch 36-48,52-64 (exclude DFS/2a)
5.0 fixed-2c: 160MHz bw, ch 100-128 (exclude DFS/2c)
5.0 unfixed-1,2a,2c,3: 20/40/80/160MHz bw, ch Auto, exclude DFS/2a,2c (36-48,52-64,100-144,149-165)

Start with 5.0 fixed-1,2a; if ALL clients/nodes support DFS bands 2a,2c, include respective DFS/2a,2c control channels and 5.0 fixed-2c (DFS delays WLAN startup).

5.0 fixed-1,3: 80MHz bw, disable 160MHz, ch 36-48,149-161
5.0 unfixed-1,3: 20/40/80MHz bw, disable 160MHz, ch Auto, exclude DFS/2a,2c (36-48,52-64,100-144,149-165)

If RADAR/DFS prohibits using bands 2a,2c, switch to 5.0 fixed-1,3 (no DFS, max Tx power/range, no LTE on ch 36-48)

6.0 (WiFi6e, more spectrum, no DFS, less range, not on Win10)

- disable WPS*
- confirm 2.4/5.0 Roaming Assistant enabled, -72/-70dBm
- confirm 2.4/5.0 Airtime Fairness disabled (compatibility)
- disable 2.4/5.0 Universal Beamforming (proprietary)

LAN
- set router LAN IP (192.168.1.1), DHCP server IP Pool of dynamic and manually-assigned/reserved IPs (pool .10-254 leaves .1-9 for static use on clients)

WAN
- disable UPnP*
- set DNS Server1,2, DNS-over-TLS (DoT), Strict, DoT Server1,2*
(1.1.1.2, 1.0.0.2, security.cloudflare-dns.com)
Other DNSPs (9.9.9.9, 149.112.112.112, dns.quad9.net)
DNS Check
- disable SIP Passthrough (VoIP)

Firewall
- confirm firewalls enabled*

Administration
- confirm Login Captcha enabled*
- set USB Mode to USB 2.0 (shield 2.4 WLANs from USB 3.x EMI)
- set Time Zone, DST (Mar, 2nd Sun; Nov, 1st Sun)
- confirm Telnet, SSH, Web Access from WAN disabled*
- confirm Auto Firmware Upgrade disabled*
- confirm Security Upgrade enabled*

AiMesh
o Power ON reset node, wait
o Confirm all WLANs are broadcasting/stable
- if wireless backhaul only, confirm WPS enabled before and disabled after adding node*
- confirm Ethernet Backhaul Mode disabled to permit wireless backhaul failover (wireless backhaul OFF until wired backhaul fails)
- search/add node, wait
- set node LEDs OFF
- confirm node Backhaul Connection Priority Auto/2.5G first (wired backhaul)
- disable node USB Application media servers, Network Place Share
- confirm node AiMesh Mode for existing SDN VLANs

Guest Network Pro (SDN VLANs)
o Custom VLANs w/DHCP, 5 max
- set 2.4/5.0 WLANs OE Guest/OE Guest; WPA2,WPA3-Personal; Access Intranet disabled*; DHCP Server enabled (192.168.52.*); VID 52; default DNS; AP Isolated enabled; all nodes
- set 2.4 WLANs OE IoT; WPA2,WPA3-Personal; Access Intranet disabled*; DHCP Server enabled (192.168.53.*); VID 53; DNS Server 1.1.1.2, 1.0.0.2 (DoT blocks Wyze cam setup); AP Isolated enabled; all nodes

AiProtection
- enable AiProtection*

USB Application
- disable media servers, Network Place Share
SMB 2.0 support

o Logout, wait
o Power OFF-pause-ON router, wait
o Shields UP! to test WAN ports*
o Speed Test

o Deploy node high, in the clear, in range of router 5.0 WLAN; not too far <-75dBm RSSI, too near >-55dBm RSSI, too many; not low/behind/obstructed
Do not co-locate with other 2.4/5/6GHz EMI
Disable unused WiFi Direct APs in printers, etc.
o Tilt/tighten antennas (~2dBi gain) \ | | / for multi-orientation coverage

o Vary node location/orientation to adjust 5.0 WLAN coverage to affect roaming/node steering (a small change can matter)
o Connect wired backhaul from router LAN to node WAN
Other scenarios
Beware managed switches
o Adjust SC rules to affect band steering (not likely)
o Increment RA RSSI threshold from -74dBm until stationary clients reboot to near node

o Reboot AiMesh\System, wait; reboot unhealthy nodes, wait; then reboot/reconnect clients to affect change/clear lingering conditions
o Confirm integrity of cables/connectors (RG-59/Cat5e min; respect min bend radius of cable; clean dirty contacts)
o Wire stationary clients
o Upgrade client network adapter driver
o Configure client WLAN adapter properties to affect band steering, roaming aggressiveness; forget connections to clear conditions and only make connection needed
o Let new network settle and use it before adding to it, one change at a time; make notes
o Avoid using app/voice admin and remote access/cloud features*
o Save configuration to .cfg file for recovery (Hard Reset same hw same fw; restore .cfg file)

Upgrade
o Browse notes
o Save configuration to .cfg file
o Download/extract fw to PC
Verify ASUSWRT file checksum value
Review release notes
o Eject/disconnect USB storage (free RAM; secure data)*
o Reboot AiMesh\System, wait (free RAM)
o Upload fw to node(s), WAIT; then root node, WAIT
o Reconfigure before too much troubleshooting

Reconfigure
o Remove node(s) from AiMesh to auto Reset fw, wait
- set root node Restore+Initialize to Hard Reset fw, wait
o Configure AiMesh from scratch (do not restore .cfg file)

OE

 

[Quad80]

I just noticed the other day that the mesh seems to be showing up as individual clients on my client list, one for each wifi band, but under the same IP address. It didn't do this before, I haven't updated to the new firmware that was just updated, and I didn't change any settings. It didn't do this when I first set up the mesh, but for some reason it just started doing it. Is anyone else seeing this? Screenshots are attached, one from desktop, one from app, since both are showing this behavior.

 

[RandomName23]

I now have two RT-AC68Us configured for AiMesh with WiFi backhaul. They are about 95' apart on one level spanning 3 interior walls/kitchen and 2 exterior brick walls. This is to upgrade an RT-AC68U and RT-N66U in extender/repeater mode. The old setup worked but the roaming, multiple SSIDs, and management were not very elegant. Plus I need to push the RT-N66U over the hills and through the woods to Grandma's house.
o Set DNS servers (OpenDNS 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220)

Just curious why the decision to use OpenDNS vs the built in trend micro? I have been using software at the client level but have been thinking about doing it at the router level.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Just curious why the decision to use OpenDNS vs the built in trend micro? I have been using software at the client level but have been thinking about doing it at the router level.

My use of OpenDNS precedes my use of ASUS routers. I did not realize there was a Trend Micro option... but even so, I like to spread the love around. OpenDNS is reputable and it's not Google.

I only mentioned OpenDNS here to provide context... it's currently in my router and in my notes!

OE