Struggling with Asus ZenWiFi BE30000 aka 3 node BQ16 Pro bundle

[kraken206]

Are either of you using wireless backhaul and/or MLO?

I'm using MLO for wireless backhaul and have the BQ16 Pro mesh node on my desk wired to my laptop to test the MLO backhaul in isolation with 1Gb Centurylink fiber.
- Macbook Pro M3 Max -> wired -> BG16 mesh node -> MLO backhaul -> BG16 parent AP (across the house/same floor/through 1 wall) - 5ms ping and 1 Gb up/down

Also good results for the iPhone:
- iPhone 16 Pro (no walls)-> 5G ssid -> BG16 mesh node -> MLO backhaul -> BG16 parent AP (across the house/same floor) - 10ms ping and 1 Gb up/down
- iPhone 16 Pro (through 2 walls/closets)-> 5G ssid -> BG16 mesh node -> MLO backhaul -> BG16 parent AP (across the house/same floor) - 10ms ping and 650 Mb up/1 Gb down

The last number (2 walls) is likely attributed to the iPhone having less power to transmit back up to the mesh node, but I really only need max speed at my desk and the house isn't wired.

 

[A011528]

For those that are on the new BQ16 "pro" FW 3.0.0.6.102_36869, im very interested if the DNS and IOS issue is really finally solved, as @garysteel mentioned have any of you @kraken206 @Stepalex @NovaPrime tested this in AI mesh mode or are you still in AP ?

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[garysteel]

For those that are on the new BQ16 "pro" FW 3.0.0.6.102_36869, im very interested if the DNS and IOS issue is really finally solved, as @garysteel mentioned have any of you @kraken206 @Stepalex @NovaPrime tested this in AI mesh mode or are you still in AP ?

Good question i fear it may take a couple of weeks of usage of the new firmware in aimesh mode to reveal if apple issue resolved as everything was fine (initially) with my setup with ipads, iPhones and macs roaming the house before i started to see delays , no access to internet.

Currently still in AP mode with no issues.

Will be keeping an out for syre here… be great to manage the system as one but still wondering actually ap mode adds more advantage than aimesh?

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[A011528]

but still wondering actually ap mode adds more advantage than aimesh?

Central management for updates / conf, but its supposed to offer seamless switching between devices, if you move from A to B, while selecting the best band. I can achieve that with AP + same SSID but still face drops and reconnections, apart from that i cant think of much TBH. But id just like the bugs to be fixed so i can choose mesh or AP and then run real world tests and settle on best solution that works.

 

[NovaPrime]

For those that are on the new BQ16 "pro" FW 3.0.0.6.102_36869, im very interested if the DNS and IOS issue is really finally solved, as @garysteel mentioned have any of you @kraken206 @Stepalex @NovaPrime tested this in AI mesh mode or are you still in AP ?

​

I am in ai mesh mode with mlo enabled for wireless backhaul. I was also able to turn on dns over tls finally and so far 24 hours later no issues on my apple devices or other devices. One other thing to note the web ui is a lot faster now to use as well. So I think asus might have finally squashed the dns bugs.

 

[A011528]

I am in ai mesh mode with mlo enabled for wireless backhaul. I was also able to turn on dns over tls finally and so far 24 hours later no issues on my apple devices or other devices. One other thing to note the web ui is a lot faster now to use as well. So I think asus might have finally squashed the dns bugs.

Sounds promising, thx you

 

[jzchen]

@kraken206 @NovaPrime Thanks guys.

Based on my own experience and posts above I think 3 main issues have plagued this router so far, whether some of them are symptoms of the same underlying issue I don't know:

1. DNS issues
2. Apple devices disconnects
3. Wireless backhaul and/or MLO issues

1-2 seem to be resolved, this gives me hope for my 4x BQ16s, fingers crossed Asus releases a firmware for the non-Pro version soon.

Are either of you using wireless backhaul and/or MLO?

I hate to add to the confusion...

I have a very mixed network: TP-Link Deco BE95, GT-BE98 Pro, BQ16 Pro, and a few other AX(E) nodes for lack of a better term. Our single WiFi 7 client is my OnePlus Open (on Android 15 November update if that matters).

Using my phone around the house I see it disconnecting from the BE95, GT-BE98 Pro, and just this morning RT-AX5400. (It shows this with a small pop-up in the middle bottom of the screen notifying me that it "switched to mobile network"). I have not 100% concluded that this is what is happening but is what I suspect based on location at the time of a drop, and me making a mental note that very likely I just dropped connection to said node.

I can say that even though I do not trust the list of routers and linked clients on the App to be accurate, that up until this last firmware the BQ16 Pro did not seem to be connecting to any clients (AiMesh node to GT-BE98 Pro in AP mode with AiMesh), and the RT-AX86U in my parents' room seems to have no clients as well. I took my phone with WiFi scanner to their room and realized it was not broadcasting 5 GHz, rebooted it after which it did, at least for that short time I was there.

Up until yesterday I was seriously looking at a Netgear Orbi 970 (yes they sell single unit as router which is what I was considering). It would replace my RP-AX58. But overall network performance seems improved from the update. I hope the same with all of you too...

 

[skypx]

Sorry guys, but the new firmware does not fix the iPhone disconnecting issues. BQ16 Pro setup as router and 2 nodes, I just had my first disconnection after reverting from APs yesterday.

 

[garysteel]

Sorry guys, but the new firmware does not fix the iPhone disconnecting issues. BQ16 Pro setup as router and 2 nodes, I just had my first disconnection after reverting from APs yesterday.

That’s disappointing, thx for trying and feeding back. Really bugging me (and probably others) what is the issue here ?? Grrrrr

 

[skypx]

That’s disappointing, thx for trying and feeding back. Really bugging me (and probably others) what is the issue here ?? Grrrrr

At this point, I don’t really care. I’m done with asus. Great hardware, pisspoor software. My monitor, motherboard all have issues for months, from this point on, asus is banned just like netgear!

 

[skypx]

It’s not just iPhones, my soundbar was also disconnected

 

[Bandito]

I updated to the latest firmware on Monday and so far it’s been quite promising. Three days in and I have only one minor quibble. When pinging the router (and also Internet IP addresses that I am sure are due to the router) I get five or so responses and then it misses responses every three to four pings. It never did this before. It always responded to all ping requests before unless it wasn’t responding altogether. I haven’t noticed any issues in using devices and having them not respond, so I don’t think it is anything serious, just a bit curious.

Since getting the BQ16 Pro with one mesh node, I haven’t had any issues with Apple devices disconnecting, but did have lots of DNS issues. I haven’t seen any DNS issues so far with this new firmware.

I am also running the system as a mesh node and utilizing MLO for the backhaul and have not experienced any issues that would be related to this configuration.

The only remaining issue I am having is with a Netatmo weather station. I had their original v1 station and it ran quite well, but it started to have occasional issues with communicating with the remote sensors, so I purchased a new v4 station and have had it for about 4-6 weeks now. It is running on the IoT network and will only stay connected for about two days before it loses its WiFi connection. It will usually reconnect once on its own after a few hours, but will only stay connected for a few hours more. Then it will not reconnect to WiFi on its own. I must power cycle it to get it to reconnect and then the whole process starts over again. Netatmo tech support has tried to be helpful, but haven’t had anything real to offer from their side of things. I am hoping that this update’s “improves client connection” is going to fix this issue. As I mentioned, it has been installed for three days now and the weather station hasn’t disconnected yet so I am hopeful, but need more time to be sure.

So far, I am very pleased with the BQ16 Pros and appreciate the regular updates from ASUS that have always shown improvement for each release. I am getting some really great wireless speeds now which far exceed my previous WiFi 6 speeds.

 

[garysteel]

BQ16 (NonPro) asus showing firmware update

ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Firmware version 3.0.0.6.102_36869
Version 3.0.0.6.102_36869
63.66 MB
2025/01/24
SHA-256 ：D2CA354A408BB204F4D5B0F0A72372D1BA7DC31D7EF37873D51DD825C1E2234C
Release Note:
Bug Fixes and Enhancements：
1. Enhanced Client Connection Stability.
2. WPA Encryption Settings Update.
Added new configuration options for WPA encryption, including the option to select AES for improved client compatibility. This setting can be found under "Network > Main Network".
3. Improved AiMesh Backhaul Compatibility.
4. Strengthened certificate protection, providing enhanced data security.

but file return 404 on download attempt

 

[A011528]

BQ16 (NonPro) asus showing firmware update

ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Firmware version 3.0.0.6.102_36869
Version 3.0.0.6.102_36869
63.66 MB
2025/01/24
SHA-256 ：D2CA354A408BB204F4D5B0F0A72372D1BA7DC31D7EF37873D51DD825C1E2234C
Release Note:
Bug Fixes and Enhancements：
1. Enhanced Client Connection Stability.
2. WPA Encryption Settings Update.
Added new configuration options for WPA encryption, including the option to select AES for improved client compatibility. This setting can be found under "Network > Main Network".
3. Improved AiMesh Backhaul Compatibility.
4. Strengthened certificate protection, providing enhanced data security.

but file return 404 on download attempt

Thx mine have updated im now on Version 3.0.0.6.102_36869

 

[A011528]

At this point, I don’t really care. I’m done with asus. Great hardware, pisspoor software. My monitor, motherboard all have issues for months, from this point on, asus is banned just like netgear!

My confidence is also fading, too many niggly issues. I've just updated to latest FW and i will test, but if they don't fix this soon, all four of these BQ16 are going are going back! then I move to Ubiquity (even at the higher cost) friend of mine has these and his network is rock solid, i just couldn't stomach the cost originally (still cant) but you get what you pay for.

 

[A011528]

It’s not just iPhones, my soundbar was also disconnected

cannot see Sonos devices from IOS devices, however i can access using Android on network!

 

[Stepalex]

then I move to Ubiquity

My 2 main requirements are 'high speed wireless backhaul' + 'Wireguard VPN clients', so I am stuck with Asus. I've been fairly happy with XT12s, so hopefully they're about to fix BQ16s too.

 

[Stepalex]

cannot see Sonos devices from IOS devices, however i can access using Android on network!

I have 5 Sonos devices too, so hopefully it's some local issue, or might this fix from the latest FW be a solution - 2. WPA Encryption Settings Update. Added new configuration options for WPA encryption, including the option to select AES for improved client compatibility. This setting can be found under "Network > Main Network" ?

 

[A011528]

I have 5 Sonos devices too, so hopefully it's some local issue, or might this fix from the latest FW be a solution - 2. WPA Encryption Settings Update. Added new configuration options for WPA encryption, including the option to select AES for improved client compatibility. This setting can be found under "Network > Main Network" ?

Yes i have that enabled (seems isolated to IOS again) will bounce all devices...

 

[Stepalex]

@garysteel Have you tried the new FW?