"Preferred wifi uplink AP" setting doesn't work.

[wsalopek]

I have 3 routers:

Main router: RT-AC86U
Mesh: RT-AC66U B1
Mesh: RT-AX1800S

They are set up in a straight line - so the 66U is BETWEEN then 86U and 1800S. but the 1800S always connects to the 86U (and with a "weak" signal) instead of the 66U, which is 1/2-way in between (and connected to the main router via ethernet).

I have selected the 66U as the "preferred wifi uplink AP" in the 1800S settings - but the 1800S seems to ignore that setting.

I have rebooted a thousand times, in various orders. I have "optimized" another thousand times. I deleted the 1800S from the mesh network, reset it, and re-added it.

Any ideas how I can force the 1800S to connect to the 66U instead of the much farther away 86U?

Thanks...

 

[Tech9]

Any ideas how I can force the 1800S to connect to the 66U instead of the much farther away 86U?

Only with whatever option is available in AiMesh settings page. If it doesn't work - you're out of luck because your AC-class routers are both End-of-Life. No more firmware development not fixes are expected. One possible workaround is to run your RT-AC86U as main router and your wired RT-AC66U B1 as AiMesh router in AP mode with wireless RT-AX1800S node attached to it. You'll lose central management screen (nothing to manage there much anyway), but it may do what you want*. You can have the same SSIDs on all 3x routers just like before and the clients will roam between them just like before.

* - hopefully AiMesh has enough Ai in it to distinguish between 2x APs with the same SSID. Test and see.

 

[wsalopek]

I'll give that a try - thanks.