Trouble Finding AiMesh Node

[vandykej17]

Hi, first post here. I have read a lot of threads on here recently about fixing my issues with not finding my AiMesh node.

Some backstory:

• I had a 66U_B1 as my main router along with a switch in my basement to wire in more devices
• Got a 68U yesterday to use with AiMesh, replacing the switch with a router (wired backhaul)
  • This router was used from ebay, with dd-wrt. I flashed it back to Asus firmware
• I read on here that my higher spec one should be my router, so I factory reset both routers
  • Trying to use 68U as my main router and my 66U_B1 as the node

What I've done so far:

• Reset both routers to factory multiple times
  • Both reset button and WPS button
• Downgraded firmware just to see if that was my issue
• Called Asus and they were no help
  • Told me to return the 68U and buy a new one...
• Tried swapping router and node to see if that helps. It did not.

Ultimately the router can never find the node while searching. It's been fairly aggrevating.

After reading this post I thought I might be onto something.

[SOLVED] Help! Cannot connect AC68U to my AC86U as aimesh node

Do not login into the AiMesh node router at all, or try to configure it. The AiMesh router will do all of the work. Factory reset the AiMesh node, power it on, and run an ethernet cable from the LAN port of the AiMesh router to the WAN port of AiMesh node. From the AiMesh router, navigate to...

www.snbforums.com

The 68U doesn't think its connected to the internet. But all my devices are connected to the internet through the router. At first I thought this was only going to be annoying with FW upgrades in the future. But now I am realizing the time setting is probably way off, and I do not see a way to edit it manually.

Time warning:

Internet Disconnected Issue (I have a WAN IP over on the right sidebar though)

Does anyone have any ideas why the 68U doesn't think it has internet, but the devices connected to it have internet? Do you think this is the cause of my node search issue? Should I just return the 68U? Do you think the dd-wrt FW has anything to do with it not working? This was my first time flashing firmware, but it was fairly straightforward.

Thanks in advance,
Jake

 

[vandykej17]

Found my system time, clearly way off.

 

[jplw]

In my experience, you cannot connect an AI Mesh node if connected via ethernet to it. Unplug the ethernet cable, plug in the node near your main node, then try to add it...wirelessly. Once it is added, plug in the ethernet cable wherever you actually want it to be.

I have no idea about your ethernet connect issue.

 

[ForkWNY]

Which ethernet port are you using on the back of your 68U? The ethernet cable should be connected to the WAN port (which should be home-run back to your main router) to connect that router as an AiMesh node.

I have not had problems connecting 68U's as AiMesh nodes in that manner (I have 4 of them as AiMesh nodes). Do not connect directly to that 68U with your laptop or any other device while adding it as an AiMesh node...you want to be connected to your main AP router in your basement. You can use your 68U as a "switch" as it has 4 LAN ports on the back, just make sure you're not using the LAN port to connect back to your main router...WAN only.

When your 68U fully boots up (both wireless LED's illuminated), hold the reset button on the back for about 3 seconds, leaving it powered on the whole time (you'll see the power LED go off indicating that the 68U is resetting itself), then give it a few minutes to come back up. At that point you should be able to search from the MAIN router and add it as an AiMesh node.

If your ethernet "backhaul" cable is plugged into one of the LAN ports on your 68U, adding as an AiMesh node will not work through ethernet. Double-check that you're using a good ethernet cable and if you're plugged into a RJ45 wall jack, double-check that all is good with the jack as well. Bad jacks and cables can wreak absolute havoc. Worst case scenario, find a known-working ethernet cable and plug your 68U directly into one of your main router's LAN ports, plugging the cable into your 68U's WAN port, and try to add it as an AiMesh node using that method.

If you've already tried all of the above and nothing has worked, the 68U is probably defective.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Hi, first post here. I have read a lot of threads on here recently about fixing my issues with not finding my AiMesh node.

Some backstory:

• I had a 66U_B1 as my main router along with a switch in my basement to wire in more devices
• Got a 68U yesterday to use with AiMesh, replacing the switch with a router (wired backhaul)
  • This router was used from ebay, with dd-wrt. I flashed it back to Asus firmware
• I read on here that my higher spec one should be my router, so I factory reset both routers
  • Trying to use 68U as my main router and my 66U_B1 as the node

What I've done so far:

• Reset both routers to factory multiple times
  • Both reset button and WPS button
• Downgraded firmware just to see if that was my issue
• Called Asus and they were no help
  • Told me to return the 68U and buy a new one...
• Tried swapping router and node to see if that helps. It did not.

Ultimately the router can never find the node while searching. It's been fairly aggrevating.

After reading this post I thought I might be onto something.

[SOLVED] Help! Cannot connect AC68U to my AC86U as aimesh node

Do not login into the AiMesh node router at all, or try to configure it. The AiMesh router will do all of the work. Factory reset the AiMesh node, power it on, and run an ethernet cable from the LAN port of the AiMesh router to the WAN port of AiMesh node. From the AiMesh router, navigate to...

www.snbforums.com

The 68U doesn't think its connected to the internet. But all my devices are connected to the internet through the router. At first I thought this was only going to be annoying with FW upgrades in the future. But now I am realizing the time setting is probably way off, and I do not see a way to edit it manually.

Time warning:
View attachment 30055

Internet Disconnected Issue (I have a WAN IP over on the right sidebar though)
View attachment 30057


Does anyone have any ideas why the 68U doesn't think it has internet, but the devices connected to it have internet? Do you think this is the cause of my node search issue? Should I just return the 68U? Do you think the dd-wrt FW has anything to do with it not working? This was my first time flashing firmware, but it was fairly straightforward.

Thanks in advance,
Jake

I'd return the AC68U and buy a new AC86U.

OE

 

[vandykej17]

Sorry for the confusion. I was not trying to set up the node with Ethernet initially, but once I add it as a node, I'll move it to the wired back-haul. I have it sitting about a foot apart trying to add it as a node over wireless.

Jake

 

[vandykej17]

After installing the Merlin FW onto the 68U it now confirms I have internet and the time has successfully updated. But I still cannot add the 66U_B1 as my node. I have no idea what is going on. Its so weird that the 68U works perfectly as a standalone router but the mesh capability just won't work.

 

[Mine Ong]

my suggestions:

1) make sure you use the same version of firmware on both 68U and 66U_B1. In Merlin, both model use the same firmware anyway,
2) I personally had much better luck pairing AiMesh nodes using WIRED connection: connect the AiMesh Node WAN port to the AiMesh Router LAN port, and try pairing again.

 

[vandykej17]

Yeah I made sure they are the same and reinstalled multiple times, with a factory reset each time. The Asus support had me wire them together, but no luck there either.

At this point I'm returning the 68u, but probably won't try to get another router. I don't really need one anyway.

Thanks for your help,
Jake

 

[Mine Ong]

since you mention your 68U is used, let's try the obvious: the MAC address may have been tempered with.

For AiMesh to work, the mac address for the 5GHz has to be the mac address of the 2.4GHz + 4 (in hex)

 

[vandykej17]

Here is what my MAC addresses show. 00 + 4 would be 04, correct?

 

[vandykej17]

I looked on the sticker on the router and the MAC address should be

1C:87:2C:67:F0:68

which means the 5GHz one should be

1C:87:2C:67:F0:6C

.

I then ran the following, but then when resetting, to go back to aimesh mode it went back to the old MAC addresses.

nvram set et0macaddr=1C:87:2C:67:F0:68
nvram set wl0_hwaddr=1C:87:2C:67:F0:68
nvram set wl1_hwaddr=1C:87:2C:67:F0:6C
nvram commit
reboot

Should I not do the reset after? I am trying to figure out what happened in DD-WRT that makes the MAC address change "stick" even when resetting the NVRAM.

 

[vandykej17]

After reading a lot and trying many things I found out the MAC addresses were edited in the cfe.bin or mtd0. I opened it up in a cfe editor and corrected the incorrect items. But I'm having a rough time getting it written back out into the boot. I have done mtd-write several times.

 

[Mine Ong]

At least we have identified the issue.

After updating the CFE, did you reinitialize/reset the nvram?

Assuming you have a real/legit RT-AC68U, what you may need to do is:

• find a CFE that was extracted from another RT-AC68U,
• edit that CFE with the mac address that matches with yours
  • the LAN/2.4GHz mac address should be the same,
  • the 5GHz mac address should be that of LAN/2.4GHz + 4 in hex
• flash the modified CFE using mtd-write
• reboot,
• re-initialize/reset nvram so the new CFE will take effect. Let the router sit for 5-15 minutes to, let it settle down, so to speak.

hope this helps,