would anyone recommend 2 x RT-AC68U to create mesh network?

[cooloutac]

A lot of words pro and con for Asus. But I've recently put up an AiMesh 2.0 with an AC66U_B1 and AC68U and it works very well! About to add another AC68U node.

those are two great routers. but it seems to only go downhill from there lol.

 

[cooloutac]

If you want (or need) a commercial/enterprise router for your home, you really shouldn't be looking at Asus: there are more appropriate solutions for you. I hope they're as magical and magnificent as you hope or believe they will be; I also hope you enjoy parting with your hard-earned money for the experience.
I'm running an ac86 for 2-ish years now, give or take, and havent had a single problem with it, other than with a couple of config blunders on my part. My experience differs from yours, obviously, because mine has been a rock solid piece of kit that I haven't hesitated to recommend to others because of that. Mind you, I'm just running a simple 2.4 and 5GHz wifi scheme, no guest networks, no VPN client/server, Native IPv6 on a 50/10 DSL, no dual wan, cake for qos, unbound DNS/blocking, no skynet, no suricata...no overreach.
I'll give you marketing: gamers trend towards the 5300s because they're explicitly marketed as Gaming routers to the gaming crowd, who then tend to come looking for advice on how to lower latency and find that their niche routers aren't as malleable as the mainstream ones. oh, the irony. right?
I also don't agree with you on the smart devices/IoT - 50 seems high to me: I'm doing whatever I can to limit my exposure to them.
Further, the ISP-provided modem/router combo box only does one of those acceptably well at any time for me (and many others), which is why companies like Asus make product in that category...and take them to a next step with tech like AiMesh. (I'm expecting v2 to bring home whatever runners are stranded out on base from v1 - a bit of patience might serve you well if youre so inclined - because alpha testers on both the factory and merlin forks are reporting improvements. by the time beta has wrapped and release is happening, it'll most likely be elegant/smooth or at least ridiculously functional for what it is)

ya thats my point. asus is a toy in comparison. I won't be parting with much money except for the unifi ap hopefully. which is much cheaper then the ac86u. I'm going to use an old i5 pc as the router, a raspberry i have laying around as the controller. my ac66u_b1 might just become another ap.


You haven't had any problems with your ac86u? i notice you didn't mention ai trend micro, adaptive qos or traffic analyzer. don't have those enabled? They factor into the cost of that router.

I have fios, verizon usually gives an actiontec router which is not bad. the modem is the ont which is already in bridge mode. I used their router for years at my old place and its very powerful. when i moved I gave up cable and chose to buy an ac66u_b1 to save money.

 

[bbunge]

ya thats my point. asus is a toy in comparison. I won't be parting with much money except for the unifi ap hopefully. which is much cheaper then the ac86u. I'm going to use an old i5 pc as the router, a raspberry i have laying around as the controller. my ac66u_b1 might just become another ap.


You haven't had any problems with your ac86u? i notice you didn't mention ai trend micro, adaptive qos or traffic analyzer. don't have those enabled? They factor into the cost of that router.

I have fios, verizon usually gives an actiontec router which is not bad. the modem is the ont which is already in bridge mode. I used their router for years at my old place and its very powerful. when i moved I gave up cable and chose to buy an ac66u_b1 to save money.

If you want to set up a good router on an old PC try IP-Fire. Has a 64 bit version and a recent review placed it above PfSense as being able to fully handle a 1 GB connection. Also has a lot of other features such as a blocker or filter that works off of IP address not DNS.

As for my AC86U it has been running well since I got it last winter. Both the Asus and Merlin firmware keep getting better! Yes, I run AiProtect, Adaptive QOS and Traffic Analyzer. Also DoT to Cloudflare 1.1.1.2/1.0.0.2. I do let the Pi-Hole (running DoT with DNSSEC) block adds.

Asus is no toy. Have been running several Asus routers in commercial/small office applications for several years. With the router security features I have virtually stopped employees from getting viruses/malware.

 

[cooloutac]

If you want to set up a good router on an old PC try IP-Fire. Has a 64 bit version and a recent review placed it above PfSense as being able to fully handle a 1 GB connection. Also has a lot of other features such as a blocker or filter that works off of IP address not DNS.

As for my AC86U it has been running well since I got it last winter. Both the Asus and Merlin firmware keep getting better! Yes, I run AiProtect, Adaptive QOS and Traffic Analyzer. Also DoT to Cloudflare 1.1.1.2/1.0.0.2. I do let the Pi-Hole (running DoT with DNSSEC) block adds.

Asus is no toy. Have been running several Asus routers in commercial/small office applications for several years. With the router security features I have virtually stopped employees from getting viruses/malware.

I only have a 300MB connection. I'd rather try something more vetted. leaning towards pfsense or sophos. Sophos for example blocks all outgoing by default which is more sane from a security perspective. I would like to use all the bells and whistles, but I run ip blocklists at the os level not the router which would be a headache. I subscribe to iblocklist.

Do you also setup an openvpn client on your ac86u? That's what most causes a conflict with the dcd apps. Which is, I believe, the reason most people buy the ac86u and I suspect why there is so many reported issues with it.

and sure you do...

 

[heysoundude]

ya thats my point. asus is a toy in comparison. I won't be parting with much money except for the unifi ap hopefully. which is much cheaper then the ac86u. I'm going to use an old i5 pc as the router, a raspberry i have laying around as the controller. my ac66u_b1 might just become another ap.


You haven't had any problems with your ac86u? i notice you didn't mention ai trend micro, adaptive qos or traffic analyzer. don't have those enabled? They factor into the cost of that router.

I have fios, verizon usually gives an actiontec router which is not bad. the modem is the ont which is already in bridge mode. I used their router for years at my old place and its very powerful. when i moved I gave up cable and chose to buy an ac66u_b1 to save money.

No sir, no problems at all, except for those caused by my ham-handedness. and No Trend Micro, Cake is my QoS, and I don't care to analyze traffic. KISS is a good way to go, and the scripts people around here do a GREAT job of that for people like me, where the second S in KISS stands for Sh!tforbrains. I'll let you know after the weekend if AiMesh confuzzles things, because today's the day I inherit an ac68.

 

[cooloutac]

No sir, no problems at all, except for those caused by my ham-handedness. and No Trend Micro, Cake is my QoS, and I don't care to analyze traffic. KISS is a good way to go, and the scripts people around here do a GREAT job of that for people like me, where the second S in KISS stands for Sh!tforbrains. I'll let you know after the weekend if AiMesh confuzzles things, because today's the day I inherit an ac68.

I find that running trend micro, qos or traffic analyzer along with openvpn client really messes things up on the ac86u. . either dcd crashes or whole router crashes. i refused to pay for a router i can't use the advertised features on.

 

[noah way]

I'm very happy with a pair of 68Us running Merlin with Diversion ad blocking.

The routers are about 150' apart in different buildings. With a combination of 9 dbi antennas and a single ALFA dual band directional antenna ($12 from Data Alliance) I'm getting >130 Mbps and RSSI around -60 in a fairly congested area with all kinds of people running multiple non-standard channels. This is a repeater setup. On a slow day I may try a mesh setup with a pait of ALFAs.

With a 100 Mbps internet connection I have no complaints. Especially since the pair of routers cost just a bit more than a single 86U.

 

[heysoundude]

I find that running trend micro, qos or traffic analyzer along with openvpn client really messes things up on the ac86u. . either dcd crashes or whole router crashes. i refused to pay for a router i can't use the advertised features on.

There are better ways for more advanced users, which is what you seem to be. That's why the scripts are so popular: they are almost plug-n-play and just as (if not more) effective, but most importantly, respectful of your privacy, and protective of it.

 

[cooloutac]

There are better ways for more advanced users, which is what you seem to be. That's why the scripts are so popular: they are almost plug-n-play and just as (if not more) effective, but most importantly, respectful of your privacy, and protective of it.

whats more advanced then ai trend micro or the traffic analyzer with graphs?

 

[cooloutac]

I'm very happy with a pair of 68Us running Merlin with Diversion ad blocking.

The routers are about 150' apart in different buildings. With a combination of 9 dbi antennas and a single ALFA dual band directional antenna ($12 from Data Alliance) I'm getting >130 Mbps and RSSI around -60 in a fairly congested area with all kinds of people running multiple non-standard channels. This is a repeater setup. On a slow day I may try a mesh setup with a pait of ALFAs.

With a 100 Mbps internet connection I have no complaints. Especially since the pair of routers cost just a bit more than a single 86U.

ya i agree thats a way better deal. i bet ai mesh is more stable with them too.

 

[noah way]

whats more advanced then ai trend micro or the traffic analyzer with graphs?

Trend Micro's EULA allows them to monitor your data. No thanks.

 

[L&LD]

Any A/V you subscribe to allows 'them' to monitor your data. Can't be done otherwise.

 

[heysoundude]

Trend Micro's EULA allows them to monitor your data. No thanks.

...and mine more out of it than you ever would looking at your own datastreams, @cooloutac - a fairly sizable security/privacy hole.
Turn it off, be free. secure. private. (same thing with not running unbound and connecting to a VPN provider...but let's not get started on that. You can do your own research)
Easy as that....unless you've granted LAN access to someone you don't entirely trust, in which case, that's on you and easy enough to remedy with a network re-credentialing.

 

[cooloutac]

...and mine more out of it than you ever would looking at your own datastreams, @cooloutac - a fairly sizable security/privacy hole.
Turn it off, be free. secure. private. (same thing with not running unbound and connecting to a VPN provider...but let's not get started on that. You can do your own research)
Easy as that....unless you've granted LAN access to someone you don't entirely trust, in which case, that's on you and easy enough to remedy with a network re-credentialing.

maybe privacy. but definitely not security.

anything you use you have to trust. I mean are you using all libre hardware and software that you've personally audited? Of course not... Do you live like a monk and don't play with nice things? Doubt it since you are using an asus router in the first place...

you say free, but what is trend micro preventing me from doing? You say secure but tell me how they are making me insecure? Private? Who is your ISP and dns provider? What browser do you use? What email? There is lots of trust in your chain and I will agree with many that privacy doesn't exist. All sorts of trackers on snbforums.com, even if we block them should we not trust the owner? And maybe security doesn't exit either when nowadays we should be assuming all hardware is backdoored by gov'ts and abused by miscreants in the know at the lowest base levels of our systems.

You want to be free and private? Unplug and live like a caveman off the grid in the woods. I'm more upset at big data brokers that make money off me without providing me any service. We all should be compensated but thats another debate.

 

[noah way]

Back to the OP's question:

I have just changed the setup of two AC68U from router / repeater to a mesh network. The devices are in separate buildings about 150' apart in a fairly congested area. There is one ALFA dual band directional antenna on the node. AiMesh was not possible without this antenna (I may set up another one on the router).

Merlin 384.19 Site Survey shows 5 bars at 5GHz, 4 bars at 2.4GHz. Connection is quick and stable. Internet speed tested at the node is about 60% of a test at the router. I noticed that Site Survey shows networks based on the router location - not the node. Networks previously visible from the repeater are not shown.

The goal here is stability. As I seem to have the only 5Ghz network in the area there is no interference.

 

[noah way]

Due to mysterious occasional drops I've reconfigured the 68U mesh node as a repeater. RSSI & dBm are comparable, speedtest returns comparable results. The main difference is no drops.