RT-AX88U 5 ghz WiFi problems

[Bdan629]

Just bought a brand new RT-AX88U. Got through the initial setup and immediately upgraded to Merlin 384.9_0. Didn’t change any of the settings but was trying to find the 5 ghz WiFi on several devices that definitely support 5 ghz. Although the router indicated it was broadcasting, no device could see it. I factory reset the router and tried again, still no 5 ghz. I switched over to the Asus firmware 3.0.0.4.384.5640. 5 ghz immediately started working. Must be some sort of bug in Merlin. Thought posting here would help bring it to the attention of Eric. Should be easy to replicate considering it was factory setup without any changes to the settings on the Merlin firmware.

 

[L&LD]

Take the Wireless out of 'auto channel' and use a non-DFS channel.

 

[Bdan629]

Thanks. I will try it.

 

[Bdan629]

Weird. So that worked. But the strange thing is I never had the checkbox that says auto and include DFS channels. It was always unchecked. Somehow it still must have selected a DFS channel.

 

[EmeraldDeer]

For me, a manually selected, 80 MHz wide, DFS WiFi Channel 52 on my RT-AX88U has been rock solid. There are no other WiFi devices using DFS. Throughput tops out at above 480 Mbps (which is my ISP download speed). For my situation, I see DFS as a must have feature.

When is DFS not good:
- Your devices do not support it
- In your area, military or weather equipment are using DFS channels. Your router must detect this and move.
- Your local jurisdiction does not have DFS channels
- You buy a router intended for another jurisdiction
- In Auto channel mode, sometimes it would start DFS but end up sharing non-DFS channels with several other AP's. Were those really the quietest channels at the time? I don't think so.

When is DFS good:
- Your devices support it (and devices which do not are fine on 2.4 GHz)
- DFS channels are not in use by local military or weather equipment
- Non-DFS channels are all in use. In my apartment building, even if no one setup their own WiFi, Comcast WiFi alone clutters every channel

 

[AdrianSz]

I have been using the ASAS firmware with 5G without problems (related to 5G) for 10 days.
Yesterday when I tried merlin firmware none of my devices could see the 5G access point, only 2.4 access point.
I rebooted twice, but with same outcome, no 5G wifi were visible on the network by my devices.

After one hour I switched back to stock firmware and 5G wifi was working.
Then I tried later with the 9.0.0.4_384_5787 beta firmware and 5G wifi was working.

So I also believe something with merlin firmware is not right.
I can provide logs if needed.

I will try non DFS tonight.

 

[RMerlin]

So I also believe something with merlin firmware is not right.

I work with what I'm given. You are comparing my firmware (based on the last driver available through GPL, 384_5329) with a much newer beta release from Asus (384_5787). Until Asus releases newer drivers, there's nothing I can do.

In the mean time, disabling DFS works. I use an RT-AX88U as my primary router myself, and wifi has been rock stable here.

 

[Bdan629]

I work with what I'm given. You are comparing my firmware (based on the last driver available through GPL, 384_5329) with a much newer beta release from Asus (384_5787). Until Asus releases newer drivers, there's nothing I can do.

In the mean time, disabling DFS works. I use an RT-AX88U as my primary router myself, and wifi has been rock stable here.

Eric, L&LD hit the nail on the head with his reply. It seems that the Asus firmware has a check box when you set it to auto channel selection to allow it to include or exclude DFS channels. The latest firmware you are incorporating into Merlin seems to have removed this checkbox for whatever reason. Therefore, you have a high chance when you switch to the latest Merlin for the router to auto switch to a DFS channel and a lot of devices still don't support DFS channels. Users believe the 5 ghz network isn't working, when in fact its that the device doesn't support DFS channels (iphones being a good example). I am running stable on the Merlin firmware now by turning off auto channel selection. Currently using channel 44 and everything is working great. Definitely not a Merlin bug.

 

[RMerlin]

The latest firmware you are incorporating into Merlin seems to have removed this checkbox for whatever reason.

No, the option is still there:

 

[Bdan629]

No, the option is still there:

View attachment 16306

I will investigate further. Perhaps in the latest firmware the checkbox is being ignored then. I have never had the checkbox checked yet my brand new rt-ax88u chose to use a DFS channel.

 

[AdrianSz]

I work with what I'm given. You are comparing my firmware (based on the last driver available through GPL, 384_5329) with a much newer beta release from Asus (384_5787). Until Asus releases newer drivers, there's nothing I can do.

In the mean time, disabling DFS works. I use an RT-AX88U as my primary router myself, and wifi has been rock stable here.

I was comparing with latest _5640. But, yes I know they have not published yet source for it.
I understand you work with what is published.

Now, I have switched back to merlin firmware and manually selected control channel (60) and the 5G appears on the network.

What I don't understand is that the "Auto select channel including DFS channels" was unchecked and control channel presented was 60 (prior manual selection), but still 5G was not visible.

 

[L&LD]

I was comparing with latest _5640. But, yes I know they have not published yet source for it.
I understand you work with what is published.

Now, I have switched back to merlin firmware and manually selected control channel (60) and the 5G appears on the network.

What I don't understand is that the "Auto select channel including DFS channels" was unchecked and control channel presented was 60 (prior manual selection), but still 5G was not visible.

I don't see Channel 60 as an option here (NA)...

 

[AdrianSz]

Now I bit puzzled.

I changed setting to this: (autoselect including check the "to use DFS channels").

I can see the 5G wifi as before when manually selecting channel.
But!

For the very first time (after trouble shooting intel wifi ac-7260 firmware bitrate issue for 1 week only reporting 177 Mb/s), seeing my wifi config reporting following now:
$ iwconfig (On Linux Mint 19.2 with 4.18.0-15-generic kernel)
wlp3s0 IEEE 802.11 ESSID:"ASSA_NETv2_5G"
Mode:Managed Frequency:5.5 GHz Access Point: 0C:9D:92:02:39:5C
Bit Rate=866.7 Mb/s Tx-Power=22 dBm
Retry short limit:7 RTS thrff Fragment thrff
Power Managementn
Link Quality=62/70 Signal level=-48 dBm
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:97 Missed beacon:0


Now, I am not sure this is due to merlin firmware, or just discovered this by chance.

 

[RMerlin]

I was comparing with latest _5640. But, yes I know they have not published yet source for it.
I understand you work with what is published.

Now, I have switched back to merlin firmware and manually selected control channel (60) and the 5G appears on the network.

What I don't understand is that the "Auto select channel including DFS channels" was unchecked and control channel presented was 60 (prior manual selection), but still 5G was not visible.

Could be a bug in Asus's 53xx code that they only fixed in 56xx.

 

[RMerlin]

I don't see Channel 60 as an option here (NA)...

It's only available on models that support US DFS channel - so far only the RT-AX88U and GT-AX11000 AFAIK (unless they also added it to the RT-AC86U, I didn't check).

 

[AdrianSz]

Could be a bug in Asus's 53xx code that they only fixed in 56xx.

Perhaps.
Their changelog don't reveal that much:
ASUS RT-AX88U Firmware version 3.0.0.4.384.5640
- Improved WiFi stability.
- Fixed feedback mail system.

 

[EmeraldDeer]

Makes you wonder whether Asus 5 GHz WiFi changes between 53xx and 56xx necessitate loading firmware and immediately resetting factory default settings each time you switch.

 

[L&LD]

Makes you wonder whether Asus 5 GHz WiFi changes between 53xx and 56xx necessitate loading firmware and immediately resetting factory default settings each time you switch.

I find that any glitch that I can't find a good answer and solution to here on the forum (in a reasonably short time) requires a reset to factory defaults.

 

[AdrianSz]

I find that any glitch that I can't find a good answer and solution to here on the forum (in a reasonably short time) requires a reset to factory defaults.

I don't understand the procedure of factory reset, especially when working with software management for many years and the requirements on in service upgrade. One simple never require reset of configuration which could be accumulated over many years. Unless clearly identifying severe issue motivating this, of course with compensating for the service disruption.
Requirements on backward compatibility, change mgmt. governance and code review prohibiting changes that require this type of procedures.

 

[L&LD]

I don't understand the procedure of factory reset, especially when working with software management for many years and the requirements on in service upgrade. One simple never require reset of configuration which could be accumulated over many years. Unless clearly identifying severe issue motivating this, of course with compensating for the service disruption.
Requirements on backward compatibility, change mgmt. governance and code review prohibiting changes that require this type of procedures.

This is no different than having to reinstall your os (any os) on a computer when it begins to act insane. Same potential type of non-fixable bugs and glitches. Doesn't matter how many people are using their router (or computer) without ever having had a full reset/fresh install done, to troubleshoot in a logical manner requires that it be done.

When variables get changed, renamed, used differently, or with different switches, or different expected behaviors than how the firmware that was originally on the router used them, it is easy to see how things become buggy by not doing a complete reset to factory defaults and reconfiguring by not using a backup config file and also minimally and manually configuring the router so that it is secured and connected to the ISP.