Struggling with Asus ZenWiFi BE30000 aka 3 node BQ16 Pro bundle

[Solar Trekker]

Hey folks - I found this forum a few weeks ago when troubleshooting some issues with my previous Asus mesh network, and based on threads here and the review on Dong Knows Tech, I decided to pull the trigger and buy the Asus ZenWifi BE30000 from BestBuy. The layout of my house makes running an ethernet backhaul extremely difficult, and given the ages of my kids I don't exactly have a couple of weeks free to get it done. Long story short, for me, wireless backhaul is the best option, and I was excited by the speed and reliability gains with Wifi 7 + MLO.

Since setting it up, I've been struggling with stability issues, wifi drops, unexpected reboots, and general frustration. I dug through these forums to find recommended settings for IOT (I have a lot of Wiz2 and Feit bulbs, as well as ring security accessories) to maximize compatibility.

I work in tech, but am not great at networking - but I've been hyperfixating on my wireless challenges for weeks.

Here's my rough timeline:
- Tried initial setup through app, created Wifi 7 network with MLO that had the same SSID as my previous mesh wifi network - my previous mesh setup was an XT8 system, also with 2 nodes.
- Nothing could connect, I setup additional networks, still struggled - so I did a hard factory reset
- Started fresh - again, Wifi 7 network with MLO, using original SSID, setup separate 2.4ghz only IoT network, manually reset every device to connect to IOT network with new SSID (OldNetworkName_Lights)
- Still getting random reboots on main router and nodes, nodes losing connectivity, lights randomly dropping connections even when network is otherwise up
- Read here that DHCP can get hairy with so many devices, so went through and manually assigned all IOT devices a static ip
- Still having issues, tried recommended config for 2.4ghz network (see attached screenshot)
- While sitting here tonight, my router rebooted again for an unknown reason, and lights still aren't working

Does anyone have any recommendations? I can provide more info as needed, sharing screenshots of config / networks with SSID blurred

First, system log:

Jul  3 20:40:42 rc_service: ntp 5217:notify_rc restart_diskmon
Jul  3 20:40:42 disk_monitor: Finish
Jul  3 20:40:42 disk monitor: be idle
Jul  3 20:40:42 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3.1: Auth C8:69:CD:7F:8F:21, status: Successful (0), rssi:-58
Jul  3 20:40:42 kernel: SBF: dhd3: INIT [c8:69:cd:7f:8f:21] ID 65535 BFW 65535 THRSH 2048
Jul  3 20:40:42 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(722): wl3.1: Assoc C8:69:CD:7F:8F:21, status: Successful (0), rssi:-58
Jul  3 20:40:42 wan_up: Restart DDNS
Jul  3 20:40:43 dhcp client: bound 24.143.53.187/255.255.255.0 via 24.143.53.1 for 86400 seconds.
Jul  3 20:40:43 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.1: Deauth_ind CC:50:E3:1F:E1:E1, status: 0, reason: Unspecified reason (1), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:43 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3.1: Auth CC:50:E3:1F:E1:E1, status: Successful (0), rssi:-62
Jul  3 20:40:43 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.1: Deauth_ind A8:51:AB:CB:CC:CF, status: 0, reason: Station requesting (re)association is not authenticated with responding station (9), rssi:-69
Jul  3 20:40:43 kernel: WLC_SCB_DEAUTHORIZE error (-30)
Jul  3 20:40:43 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(662): wl3.1: Disassoc A8:51:AB:CB:CC:CF, status: 0, reason: Disassociated because sending station is leaving (or has left) BSS (8), rssi:-69
Jul  3 20:40:44 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.1: Deauth_ind 5C:CF:7F:75:6D:46, status: 0, reason: Deauthenticated because sending station is leaving (or has left) IBSS or ESS (3), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:44 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3.1: Auth 5C:CF:7F:75:6D:46, status: Successful (0), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:44 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.1: Deauth_ind A8:51:AB:CB:CC:CF, status: 0, reason: Unspecified reason (1), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:44 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3.1: Auth A8:51:AB:CB:CC:CF, status: Successful (0), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:44 crond[3833]: time disparity of 266499 minutes detected
Jul  3 20:40:44 kernel: SBF: dhd3: INIT [a8:51:ab:cb:cc:cf] ID 65535 BFW 65535 THRSH 2048
Jul  3 20:40:44 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(722): wl3.1: Assoc A8:51:AB:CB:CC:CF, status: Successful (0), rssi:-69
Jul  3 20:40:44 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.1: Deauth_ind C4:82:E1:A8:45:A6, status: 0, reason: Station requesting (re)association is not authenticated with responding station (9), rssi:-64
Jul  3 20:40:44 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(662): wl3.1: Disassoc C4:82:E1:A8:45:A6, status: 0, reason: Disassociated because sending station is leaving (or has left) BSS (8), rssi:-64
Jul  3 20:40:44 kernel: WLC_SCB_DEAUTHORIZE error (-30)
Jul  3 20:40:44 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3.1: Auth C4:82:E1:A8:65:3B, status: Successful (0), rssi:-61
Jul  3 20:40:44 kernel: SBF: dhd3: INIT [c4:82:e1:a8:65:3b] ID 65535 BFW 65535 THRSH 2048
Jul  3 20:40:44 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(722): wl3.1: Assoc C4:82:E1:A8:65:3B, status: Successful (0), rssi:-61
Jul  3 20:40:45 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.1: Deauth_ind C4:82:E1:42:3F:54, status: 0, reason: Station requesting (re)association is not authenticated with responding station (9), rssi:-51
Jul  3 20:40:45 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(662): wl3.1: Disassoc C4:82:E1:42:3F:54, status: 0, reason: Disassociated because sending station is leaving (or has left) BSS (8), rssi:-51
Jul  3 20:40:45 kernel: WLC_SCB_DEAUTHORIZE error (-30)
Jul  3 20:40:45 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.2: Deauth_ind 10:D5:61:55:0F:60, status: 0, reason: Deauthenticated because sending station is leaving (or has left) IBSS or ESS (3), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:45 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(662): wl3.2: Disassoc 10:D5:61:55:0F:60, status: 0, reason: Disassociated because sending station is leaving (or has left) BSS (8), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:45 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.2: Deauth_ind 10:D5:61:78:14:88, status: 0, reason: Unspecified reason (1), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:45 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3.2: Auth 10:D5:61:78:14:88, status: Successful (0), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:45 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3.2: Auth 10:D5:61:55:0F:60, status: Successful (0), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:45 kernel: SBF: dhd3: INIT [10:d5:61:78:14:88] ID 65535 BFW 65535 THRSH 2048
Jul  3 20:40:45 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(722): wl3.2: Assoc 10:D5:61:78:14:88, status: Successful (0), rssi:-60
Jul  3 20:40:45 kernel: SBF: dhd3: INIT [10:d5:61:55:0f:60] ID 65535 BFW 65535 THRSH 2048
Jul  3 20:40:45 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(722): wl3.2: Assoc 10:D5:61:55:0F:60, status: Successful (0), rssi:-76
Jul  3 20:40:46 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.1: Deauth_ind 50:DC:E7:2A:B6:5C, status: 0, reason: Unspecified reason (1), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:46 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3.1: Auth 50:DC:E7:2A:B6:5C, status: Successful (0), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:46 kernel: SBF: dhd3: INIT [50:dc:e7:2a:b6:5c] ID 65535 BFW 65535 THRSH 2048
Jul  3 20:40:46 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(722): wl3.1: Assoc 50:DC:E7:2A:B6:5C, status: Successful (0), rssi:-43
Jul  3 20:40:47 kernel: SBF: dhd3: INIT [c4:38:75:98:ca:22] ID 65535 BFW 65535 THRSH 2048
Jul  3 20:40:47 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(722): wl3.1: Assoc C4:38:75:98:CA:22, status: Successful (0), rssi:-49
Jul  3 20:40:47 kernel: SBF: dhd3: INIT [10:7c:61:6d:f6:31] ID 65535 BFW 65535 THRSH 2048
Jul  3 20:40:47 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(722): wl3: Assoc 10:7C:61:6D:F6:31, status: Successful (0), rssi:-48
Jul  3 20:40:47 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.1: Deauth_ind CC:50:E3:1F:E1:E1, status: 0, reason: Unspecified reason (1), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:47 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3.1: Auth CC:50:E3:1F:E1:E1, status: Successful (0), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:47 kernel: wfd_registerdevice Successfully registered dev wds3.0.1 ifidx 3 wfd_idx 3
Jul  3 20:40:47 kernel: Register interface [wds3.0.1]  MAC: 10:7c:61:6d:ea:90
Jul  3 20:40:47 kernel: SBF: dhd3: INIT [10:7c:61:6d:f6:31] ID 65535 BFW 65535 THRSH 2048
Jul  3 20:40:48 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3.1: Deauth_ind 5C:CF:7F:75:6D:46, status: 0, reason: Deauthenticated because sending station is leaving (or has left) IBSS or ESS (3), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:48 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3.1: Auth 5C:CF:7F:75:6D:46, status: Successful (0), rssi:0
Jul  3 20:40:48 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(685): wl3: Auth 10:7C:61:6D:E6:11, status: Successful (0), rssi:-39
Jul  3 20:40:48 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(645): wl3: Deauth_ind 10:7C:61:6D:E6:11, status: 0, reason: Previous authentication no longer valid (2), rssi:-39
Jul  3 20:40:48 kernel: WLC_SCB_DEAUTHORIZE error (-30)

 

[Jadehsn]

I don’t have much advice for you. I assume you’re running the latest firmware?

I ended up returning mine as I didn’t find them to be very stable yet, and the speeds weren’t where I was hoping they’d be.

 

[jzchen]

I do have something to share. The MLO broadcast is not compatible with prior WiFi generations. There is, at least on the BE98 Pro, a MLO tab where there is a toggle switch to turn it off and on. Toggle it off then on. Upon turning it on there should be a pop up. The WiFi 7/MLO SSID should be different. The second one should be the "Legacy" SSID, which should be the same as your old SSID for the non-WiFi 7 devices.

I actually tried creating a separate IoT network in the past, then tried starting to move IoTs over, to great difficulty. I ended up keeping them on the main/Legacy SSID, to this day...

 

[Solar Trekker]

I don’t have much advice for you. I assume you’re running the latest firmware?

I ended up returning mine as I didn’t find them to be very stable yet, and the speeds weren’t where I was hoping they’d be.

Appreciate the reply. Yeah - running the latest firmware.

 

[Solar Trekker]

I do have something to share. The MLO broadcast is not compatible with prior WiFi generations. There is, at least on the BE98 Pro, a MLO tab where there is a toggle switch to turn it off and on. Toggle it off then on. Upon turning it on there should be a pop up. The WiFi 7/MLO SSID should be different. The second one should be the "Legacy" SSID, which should be the same as your old SSID for the non-WiFi 7 devices.

I actually tried creating a separate IoT network in the past, then tried starting to move IoTs over, to great difficulty. I ended up keeping them on the main/Legacy SSID, to this day...

Heh - I spent almost an entire day trying to move my IOT devices over. And it would fail about as often as it would succeed, which just increased my frustration,.

I'm going to try hitting that toggle now and seeing what happens. If this fixes it, I'll drink, cry, then thank you .

My 2.4ghz spectrum seems crowded because some of my neighbors are running in 40mhz mode .

 

[Broken Hope]

A lot of devices don't support the 256 bit encryption that enabling MLO/WiFi 7 mode turns on, that's why it also enables a built in IoT SSID. Only really my Apple devices support the higher level of encryption, my other devices don't even see the SSID.

 

[Solar Trekker]

A lot of devices don't support the 256 bit encryption that enabling MLO/WiFi 7 mode turns on, that's why it also enables a built in IoT SSID. Only really my Apple devices support the higher level of encryption, my other devices don't even see the SSID.

Thanks for sharing that. I turned off Wifi 7 mode on my SSID - interestingly, the backhaul is still running MLO but the network itself isn't.

Even so, I'm still seeing really intermittent wifi connections for my smart home devices running in the 2.4 ghz band. At this point, I can't tell if it's a mesh issue, an asus issue, a 'cheap smart home device' issue, or something else.

 

[Solar Trekker]

I did a full factory reset on the router and two nodes, and the network is less stable than before. Connections will randomly hang - udp seems fine (zoom calls aren't interrupted) but I won't be able to ping domains or ip addresses and trying to do a traceroute on my mac will just freeze, where it won't even jump to the first node. Honestly, no idea what is happening here.

 

[torstein]

Like DongKnows wrote in his reviews, expect new Asus-hardware to be buggy, but get more stable and better over time. I guess that's worth something? Am looking to get the BQ16 myself for wireless backhaul.

 

[Solar Trekker]

Like DongKnows wrote in his reviews, expect new Asus-hardware to be buggy, but get more stable and better over time. I guess that's worth something? Am looking to get the BQ16 myself for wireless backhaul.

I remember wincing at that review before pulling the trigger on the system .

It's kind of a mixed bag - the system will be buggy! But also, hesitate before getting new firmware! I knew jumping into bleeding edge tech that I'd bump my head into the wall some. Hoping that as more folks buy the system, the more folks can hop in here and help out.

 

[skypx]

I have been using the BE30000 for a few weeks and it has been 100% stable. I left MLO disabled and turned off WiFi 7 since we only have iPhones. The only issue I’ve encountered is the led on the router turning red indicating no internet but the internet was working fine. After a reboot it was back to normal. This is with the latest firmware ending in 32.

 

[Will]

@Solar Trekker I got mine yesterday and set it up same day. One thing I noticed is the back haul signal strength for the nodes are OK not excellent. Speeds are great with the exception of my M1 MacBook pro Max. Test speeds are all over the place. But my 6e and WiFi 7 device speeds are consistent at over 1.2G.

Hope that adds a little light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll report back as I do more testing.

 

[Bandito]

I too took the plunge and purchased the BQ16 two-piece set, and I am also experiencing a lot of instability with the router and node. I've checked lots of things, but nothing is helping so far. I eventually tried a factory reset by holding the WPS button down while powering up the router and holding it until the LED turned white again, but it didn't do anything other than to restart the router.

Next, I'm going to try to factory reset from the router's webpage and see if that does anything.

The last message in the log before the most recent reboot was:
kernel: SBF: dhd3: INIT [cc:28:aa:29:8f:19] ID 65535 BFW 65535 THRSH 2048

I'll see if I can find anything that says what that means and see if it is consistent when the system restarts.

 

[Bandito]

Knock on wood, but I reset and reconfigured the router and things seemed to have stabilized now. It has been running without rebooting for a day and a half now whereas before, it would reboot every half an hour or so. It looks like the node has stabilized as well.

In the logs, it's easy to find when the router restarts as the date/time defaults to sometime in December until it resyncs. For the node, does anyone know what to look for in the log to see if the node has rebooted?