Regarding my new BE88U and the 10Gb "WAN/LAN" port(s)

[RDaneel]

... and no, I don't think my specific issue has been discussed here already (but I may have missed it).

I just set this up yesterday, and used the 2.5Gb "WAN/LAN" to connect my cable modem - all is good, and the WAN download speed may or may not be up from my trusty AX88U of 6 years.

BUT, I also connected the 10Gb "WAN/LAN" to my Windows 11 box as its connection to the world, and my Gigabyte mobo has a 10Gb Marvell AQtion 10GBASE-T on-board, and the [latest] Windows 11 driver for it has "Auto" link speed negotiation set... unfortunately, I am only seeing this as a 2.5Gb connection when I look at from the Windows 11 side.

Is there some way I haven't found to tell the BE88U that I really want it to use this as a 10Gb LAN link? I don't think that the link speed is being limited by the on-board Marvell chip, but I don't know.

However, it does look like my BE88U (running the latest Merlin version 3006.102.3) is confused about what the status of the "10Gb WAN/LAN" port actually is:

... note the WHITE "unplugged" coloring on this port - which is definitely in use, and talking to my 'puter - but only @ 2.5Gb.

Any ideas, comments, suggestions?

Alternatively, and assuming that the Marvell chip is not what is limiting me, could I possibly use the other10Gb port, what is it, "SFP"(?), with an adapter back to ethernet?

Thanks!

 

[Digilog]

... and no, I don't think my specific issue has been discussed here already (but I may have missed it).

I just set this up yesterday, and used the 2.5Gb "WAN/LAN" to connect my cable modem - all is good, and the WAN download speed may or may not be up from my trusty AX88U of 6 years.

BUT, I also connected the 10Gb "WAN/LAN" to my Windows 11 box as its connection to the world, and my Gigabyte mobo has a 10Gb Marvell AQtion 10GBASE-T on-board, and the [latest] Windows 11 driver for it has "Auto" link speed negotiation set... unfortunately, I am only seeing this as a 2.5Gb connection when I look at from the Windows 11 side.

Is there some way I haven't found to tell the BE88U that I really want it to use this as a 10Gb LAN link? I don't think that the link speed is being limited by the on-board Marvell chip, but I don't know.

However, it does look like my BE88U (running the latest Merlin version 3006.102.3) is confused about what the status of the "10Gb WAN/LAN" port actually is:

View attachment 64181

... note the WHITE "unplugged" coloring on this port - which is definitely in use, and talking to my 'puter - but only @ 2.5Gb.

Any ideas, comments, suggestions?

Alternatively, and assuming that the Marvell chip is not what is limiting me, could I possibly use the other10Gb port, what is it, "SFP"(?), with an adapter back to ethernet?

Thanks!

Look for a screen to configure the combo WAN/LAN ports and double check your connections. The SPF+ port is for a SPF+ module you plug in to get either another ethernet port or a fiber port that other people commonly use to go into a shop or garage in a different building.

 

[RDaneel]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I have now been through every single screen in the Merlin version of the ASUS control software - twice, and I am not seeing it.

The printed "Quick Start" pamphlet that comes with the BE88U seems quite clear that choosing your initial setup with the WAN access on the 2.5 Gb LAN1 should, as they put it, "free up another 10Gb port".

Again, I still think there may be some way to "encourage" this behavior, given that the "Ethernet Ports" area of the System Status still thinks nothing is even plugged in at all on the 10 Gb WAN/LAN port - but that may be a fading hope.

Maybe the incorrect display is not really relevant at all, and it is just that my Marvell "10Gb" chip on my mobo is saying no... I did purchase a "Cat 7" cable for this purpose, and for that matter, it is one of the primary reasons I wanted to replace my AX88U...

Maybe I can ask over on the ASUS forum (here on SNB).

 

[heysoundude]

Auto doesn’t always mean it, and 10Gbps is still pretty specific for use cases so you might need to be explicit about it: Go back into the NIC settings on the windows machine and see if changing it to 10G specifically makes the router see that connection speed.