RT-AX89X

[ddarko]

I received the AX89x last week, replacing a Linksys EA8500. So far, I am pleased with the increased stability of the wireless connection versus the Linksys. Some of the iOS devices in the house had a frustrating habit of dropping off in the middle of a wireless backup session. I always blamed iOS but the dropoffs have completely stopped since the AX89x was swapped in. Also not seen so far is a device waking up from sleep having no internet access despite being connected to the wifi [revised, see below].

One missing feature that should be there but isn't is WPA3 support. There is a FAQ in the Asus AX89x support site with instructions to enable WPA3 and the AX89x is listed in that FAQ as supporting WPA3 - see image below - but it's absent from the most current firmware 3.0.0.4.384.81377 (the router came installed with that version).



Edited to add - Unfortunately, two devices - both iPhones, different models and on different iOS versions - have now woken from sleep connected to wifi without any internet access. Toggling the wifi off and on fixes it but it's disappointing to see this on the AX89x. Consistency is probably my top priority for wifi - I have to be able to trust the connection with devices that are often working in the background so seeing this on the new router is a big issue for me. I kept my Linksys EA8500 on ancient firmware because devices would lose access with newer releases but I'm not comfortable anymore having critical equipment without the latest security patches.

 

[rodexo]

Can’t wait for mine. Two more days. [emoji3]


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[ak719]

Has anyone tried running a setup with two RT-AX89X with a wired 10G backhaul and AIMesh? Doesn't work for me. But it works if I connect to the WAN port on the AIMesh node instead of the 10GBaseT or the 10G SFP+ port.

 

[dangatz]

Can’t wait for mine. Two more days. [emoji3]


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Where did you buy it and when? Been searching for it and watching Newegg for most few days and they haven’t been showing stock. Are you observing stock anywhere?


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[Marin]

Where did you buy it and when? Been searching for it and watching Newegg for most few days and they haven’t been showing stock. Are you observing stock anywhere?


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Sign up for their “auto notify” service and you should get an email from them when it is back in stock.


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[dangatz]

Sign up for their “auto notify” service and you should get an email from them when it is back in stock.


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Is that pretty much options then for ordering? Newegg, either via their website or eBay, or amazon?


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[sanke1]

All online shopping sites are just delivering groceries here in India. That includes amazon.

 

[Marin]

Is that pretty much options then for ordering? Newegg, either via their website or eBay, or amazon?


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Yes, those are the only places I would look but it may become available elsewhere too. Amazon has a notify service too. With eBay you could set up/save a personalized search and notifications that let you know (via text/email) when new results become available -these are not always very reliable as it may include other AX routers but it is worth having.


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[rodexo]

Where did you buy it and when? Been searching for it and watching Newegg for most few days and they haven’t been showing stock. Are you observing stock anywhere?


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Amazon. It took 3 long weeks to ship.


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[Frederic_L]

Has anyone tried running a setup with two RT-AX89X with a wired 10G backhaul and AIMesh? Doesn't work for me. But it works if I connect to the WAN port on the AIMesh node instead of the 10GBaseT or the 10G SFP+ port.

Hello

The ax89x is barely available but you have two pieces and an 10G switch : I envy you !
It seems you are the only one to have this configuration so far... Have you contacted Asus support for your problem ?

Except that point are you satisfied with your routers ? What was your previous configuration ?

 

[ddarko]

Where did you buy it and when? Been searching for it and watching Newegg for most few days and they haven’t been showing stock. Are you observing stock anywhere?


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Newegg will sometimes show the router with a BACKORDER button instead of AUTO NOTIFY. Backorder lets you place an order that is fulfilled once it comes back into stock. You aren't charged until the item ships. It saved me from rechecking the site over and over. For me, it took four days after I placed a backorder for the AX89x to ship.

 

[sanke1]

Has anyone tried running a setup with two RT-AX89X with a wired 10G backhaul and AIMesh? Doesn't work for me. But it works if I connect to the WAN port on the AIMesh node instead of the 10GBaseT or the 10G SFP+ port.

You may be running an unsupported configuration. Hopefully Asus's slow as molasses support catches up and enables the support officially. I reiterate, this RT-AX89X is an alpha product with ridiculous price tag. The firmware has gotten so complex that it is practically out of hand to keep it stable with drip feed of new features.

 

[matthew johnson]

What brand out of the links I provided would you guys say is better?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M5LIUK5/?tag=snbforums-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KFBFL16/?tag=snbforums-20

 

[ak719]

Hello

The ax89x is barely available but you have two pieces and an 10G switch : I envy you !
It seems you are the only one to have this configuration so far... Have you contacted Asus support for your problem ?

Except that point are you satisfied with your routers ? What was your previous configuration ?

Thanks! I got the two routers from Newegg! I contacted ASUS support - they were absolutely horrible in terms of support. They had me flip the configuration where I had the primary AP as the node and the node as the AP - that didn't work. I also tried Router + AIMesh Node - same problem - looks like their current firmware doesn't support the AIMesh Node if it is connected through the 10G port. Kinda defeats the purpose of getting the two AX-89X if I can't do a 10G wired backhaul. They finally asked me to RMA one of the devices. I don't think it's a hardware problem - so I've just switched to running them both as separate APs until they figure out that its a firmware issue.

My config looks like this: -> 1G Ethernet based internet connection -> my custom home built 10G router (just got a cheap i3+z390 ITX board + Intel x710 controller based AIC with 4 10G RJ45 ports and running Untangle) -> (wired Cat6 to 10GBaseT -> AX89X as AP1 in bedroom), (wired Cat6 to 10GBaseT -> AX89X as AP2 in living room), (Desktop with a 10G nic). Haven't quite tweaked the AP wireless strength, channels, etc to optimize - just running them with separate SSIDs so far.

Speeds are great - just running basic speedtests to the internet I now get about 850 down/850 up through my iphone. Streaming from plex on my desktop works great as well. Definitely a great router. (Btw - i followed some of the advice on DongKnows to tweak wifi performance)

Previous config was AmplifiHD with two mesh extenders.

 

[ak719]

What brand out of the links I provided would you guys say is better?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M5LIUK5/?tag=snbforums-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KFBFL16/?tag=snbforums-20

I have the 10GTEK tranceiver - isn't that great - i'm capping out at 300Mbps - not sure if its the tranceiver or something else in the path. Wound be curious to see what speeds you get with yours.

 

[ak719]

You may be running an unsupported configuration. Hopefully Asus's slow as molasses support catches up and enables the support officially. I reiterate, this RT-AX89X is an alpha product with ridiculous price tag. The firmware has gotten so complex that it is practically out of hand to keep it stable with drip feed of new features.

Agreed - AIMesh is def a mess. I think the best path is to do multiple APs and manually configure channels, signal strength, etc. Handoffs won't be as seamless, but at least I'll have a functional setup.

 

[erick_e]

I bought an RT-89AX to see if the 10Gbe switch would increase my wireless speed and transfer rate from my TS-1277 over the 2.5 Gb connection in my AX11000. It didn't, and it was actually was much slower since it doesn't have a second 5GHz radio that I can dedicate to certain devices. I'll be returning mine to Newegg today, so they should have a used one for sale shortly.

 

[avtella]

I’m willing to bet it’s more due to immaturity of the firmware as it’s a pretty new device rather than not having a second radio. Unless you have some really slow/terrible signal devices sapping air time, for the most part you shouldn’t see too much difference in regular use. At least in my own experience comparing various dual and single 5 Ghz radio routers and I have 20-25 WiFi devices.

 

[NSNE]

I’m willing to bet it’s more due to immaturity of the firmware as it’s a pretty new device rather than not having a second radio. Unless you have some really slow/terrible signal devices sapping air time, for the most part you shouldn’t see too much difference in regular use. At least in my own experience comparing various dual and single 5 Ghz radio routers and I have 20-25 WiFi devices.

Don't want to go too far off topic here, but does Asus do any real-world hardware beta testing? And if not, why not? I own an 88U and GT-AC5300, and even though both of these devices eventually settled into stable routers, the first six months with them were plagued by basic issues that would have been caught by capable beta testers within the first 48 hours of getting their hands on them. Using early buyers as guinea pigs doesn't seem to be the smartest or most productive approach. That's not to say that every issue in every use case will be caught before shipping, but it would make the firmware a lot more ripe than it appears to be.

I've been eyeing the AX89X as the centerpiece to my >1Gbps LAN, but it looks like I'm going to have to hold off for a while.

 

[avtella]

Don't want to go too far off topic here, but does Asus do any real-world hardware beta testing? And if not, why not? I own an 88U and GT-AC5300, and even though both of these devices eventually settled into stable routers, the first six months with them were plagued by basic issues that would have been caught by capable beta testers within the first 48 hours of getting their hands on them. Using early buyers as guinea pigs doesn't seem to be the smartest or most productive approach. That's not to say that every issue in every use case will be caught before shipping, but it would make the firmware a lot more ripe than it appears to be.

I've been eyeing the AX89X as the centerpiece to my >1Gbps LAN, but it looks like I'm going to have to hold off for a while.

Brand new consumer routers are pretty much beta on release especially if it’s a new standard involved it’s a bigger risk. It’s pretty much like this with all the consumer oriented brands, some a bit better than others. Usually best to buy after a year of release if you want a stable product. Also do note that some of the fixes also need to come from the actual chipset manufacturer such as Broadcom/Qualcomm/Marvell etc based on feedback and reports from vendors like Asus/Netgear/Linksys etc. Vendors do beta test but issues still fall through the cracks. Also due to the wide array of client devices in use not every scenario may be possible for testing, some people may run into certain compatibility issues, ie Intel 7260ac issues with AX routers till a driver update from Intel fixed it.