RT-BE86U guest network not shared on AiMesh nodes - no free slot

[matthew_eli]

Hi,

I've a RT-BE86U and with both 102.2 and 102.3 alpha 2, if I set an IoT network only on 2,4GHz channel, shared on all AiMesh nodes and a 5 GHz Guest network, this one cannot be shared on AiMesh nodes because I run out of the free slots on them.

It's strange because only IoT netwotk (2,4GHz) is shared on nodes, so a 5 GHz slot supposedly should be free on them.

It's perhaps a bug of my nodes? They are TUF-AX4200 and RT-AX86S, both on 388 official FW

 

[bbunge]

Hi,

I've a RT-BE86U and with both 102.2 and 102.3 alpha 2, if I set an IoT network only on 2,4GHz channel, shared on all AiMesh nodes and a 5 GHz Guest network, this one cannot be shared on AiMesh nodes because I run out of the free slots on them.

It's strange because only IoT netwotk (2,4GHz) is shared on nodes, so a 5 GHz slot supposedly should be free on them.

It's perhaps a bug of my nodes? They are TUF-AX4200 and RT-AX86S, both on 388 official FW

Do not understand what you mean by free slots.
Without a Pro version of an Asus router your guest network options are limited. Using older routers as AiMesh nodes further limits your guest WIFI options. Looks like you have discovered your limits. You may not be able to do anything else.

 

[matthew_eli]

But previously I had a GT-BE98 with Gnuton build (102.1beta2) and I were able to assign to all my mesh nodes both a 2,4GHz network (IoT) and a 5GHz one (Guest). The nodes were the same.

What changed is the release of the fw and ASUS that grouped all the WiFi networks (both the main and the "virtual" ones) under the same tab.

 

[Tech9]

What changed is the release of the fw and ASUS that grouped all the WiFi networks (both the main and the "virtual" ones) under the same tab.

After this update the "nodes" have to be fully VLAN aware and I don't know how Asus is going to solve this problem in order to keep AiMesh compatibility on older model routers, including End-of-Life. We'll start seeing more reports of broken AiMesh going further.

 

[bbunge]

I don't know how Asus is going to solve this problem

Asus will solve this by selling more routers...called marketing...

 

[Tech9]

After this update the "nodes" have to be fully VLAN aware and I don't know how Asus is going to solve this problem in order to keep AiMesh compatibility on older model routers, including End-of-Life. We'll start seeing more reports of broken AiMesh going further.

@RMerlin, do you have any information how this thing is going to work after 37xxx firmware changes? Perhaps Asus has to update all the firmware on at least routers running 388 branch to make them compatible with the new Network configuration. In theory they have to make remote node VLAN configuration and attach corresponding VLANs to different hardware specific interfaces. Sound like a lot of work with the large mix of currently available AiMesh Compatible devices.

 

[RMerlin]

@RMerlin, do you have any information how this thing is going to work after 37xxx firmware changes? Perhaps Asus has to update all the firmware on at least routers running 388 branch to make them compatible with the new Network configuration. In theory they have to make remote node VLAN configuration and attach corresponding VLANs to different hardware specific interfaces. Sound like a lot of work with the large mix of currently available AiMesh Compatible devices.

I don't, beyond what they said in their firmware changelog (that users might need to reset and reconnect their nodes after updating their main router firmware).

I know that AiMesh nodes expose capability flags to the main router to determine what they can and what they cannot support, so they should still work together. They just won't support any of the newer features.

What level of interoperability testing Asus QA is doing between different combinations, I don't know either. I'm fairly sure they're not just leaving it to chance however.

 

[KevTech]

Without a Pro version of an Asus router your guest network options are limited.

RT-BE86U has guest network pro.

 

[matthew_eli]

Ok, probably I sorted this out: I deleted and then re-configured an IoT network (2,4GHz only, as before), but not assigning it to all AiMesh nodes by default, but selecting them one by one...now I can share also the Guest Network (5GHz only) to all AiMesh nodes, by selecting them one by one. I guess this is a bug of the network configuration.

Probably if I select to assign IoT network to all AiMesh nodes by default, it includes both the 2,4GHz and the 5GHz channel, not leaving any free slots on all AiMesh nodes (388 based, obviously)