Zenwifi XT8 - can't get ethernet backhaul to work

[pvanosta]

My setup:
- house is wired with ethernet. Internet modem in ground floor (1st floor for Americans) closet.
- from there ethernet to the ground floor living room, where the Zenwifi XT8 is connected as router
- also from the closet, ethernet is piped to the first floor where it goes into a Gigabit switch, connecting the middle floor bedrooms AND the upper floor home offices.
- I have 2 more Zenwifi XT8 connected as a mesh before taking them upstairs
- 1 zenwifi XT8 goes into the master bedroom (middle floor) and 1 goes to the top floor (home office)
- all 3 zenwifi XT8 are on the latest firmware
I connect everything via ethernet, boot up the 2 XT8 mesh nodes, I go to the asus GUI on my laptop and switch the backhaul to Ethernet.
All I get is flickering blue LED on both nodes.

What am I missing / doing wrong?

 

[OzarkEdge]

My setup:
- house is wired with ethernet. Internet modem in ground floor (1st floor for Americans) closet.
- from there ethernet to the ground floor living room, where the Zenwifi XT8 is connected as router
- also from the closet, ethernet is piped to the first floor where it goes into a Gigabit switch, connecting the middle floor bedrooms AND the upper floor home offices.
- I have 2 more Zenwifi XT8 connected as a mesh before taking them upstairs
- 1 zenwifi XT8 goes into the master bedroom (middle floor) and 1 goes to the top floor (home office)
- all 3 zenwifi XT8 are on the latest firmware
I connect everything via ethernet, boot up the 2 XT8 mesh nodes, I go to the asus GUI on my laptop and switch the backhaul to Ethernet.
All I get is flickering blue LED on both nodes.

What am I missing / doing wrong?

So, you've got a 3-node Zen AiMesh wired with a switch and the node blue LEDs are flickering.

Assuming the nodes are healthy and you commissioned them properly and the flickering blue LEDs mean the AiMesh is not connected wired or wirelessly; I'd suspect the AiMesh does not like your wires and/or switch.

Try getting the AiMesh to work without the switch using two good Ethernet patch cords.

OE

 

[bbunge]

If you have a managed switch, it will not work. Also connect the nodes to the WAN port.

 

[shama_001]

- Was the initial setup done with a device connected to the modem (Wan port) and the 2 others in the same room (1 to 3m recommended), wifi connected?
- How is your wire? Should be
Modem>First node WAN port
First node LAN1 to Second node WAN port
...
- As mentioned before check the setting of your switch if managable.

As a first test do the setup in a single room (wifi pairing with app, then with wire. It simply ease the job and put out of the way you house cabling/switches

 

[pvanosta]

Thanks for the inputs
1. the switch is not managed
2. the initial setup was done in proximity over wifi
3. wiring is modem to First node/router WAN
then after the switch ethernet to wan Node 1
and ethernet from switch to WAN Node 2

I will try hooking them all up via ethernet directly (sitting next to each other) and see then.

 

[pvanosta]

I THINK I may have stumbled upon something. I ran an ethernet cable from the wall socket on the 2nd floor to a desktop PC. Full speed internet, same speed as directly at the modem downstairs. BUT: I can no longer see any devices on my LAN (including my NAS downstairs).
Bear with me if this sounds DUH stupid, but I am not a networking expert.
My current setup, to try activating the Ethernet backhaul, was like this (version 1). The Modem router connects to 2 GB switches and I then tried connecting the Zenwifi router and nodes, but by connected to different switches.

NOW: I want to try version 2, where a GB switch is the only thing connected to the ISP Modem/Router, and the next-level GB switches are essentially connecting through that first GB switch by the modem. My thinking is: this may put everything on the same LAN segment and will therefore allow the Zenwifi router to 'see' the nodes via ethernet. (see version 2 image). Am I smoking dope or is this a solution?

 

[shama_001]

Is your modem bridged (router part disabled) or are we in a double router situation here?
To benefit all the features of your devices, best is to use them as router (vs access point only). Often when a ISP router/modem is bridged you can only connect one device on the port 1.
It all depends of your ISP/country but if so the LAN1 is not possible.

The LAN2 should work if you have not manageable switches

 

[pvanosta]

Thanks, none of my switches are managed. I will give Lan 2 a try.

The router portion of the modem is still functional, as that is the starting point for the 2 ethernet cables piped to the switches on floor 0 and floor 1. I think that the Zenwifi Router is connected to Lan1 of the modem and the two Nodes are connecter to GB switch floor 1 (which is connected to Lan2 of the modem, is where my problem lies. By putting both ethernets on a single unmanaged switch, which then connects to the modem, might solve the issue, but I am guessing.

 

[shoman94]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but you are creating a double NAT setup and probably other things.....

You should let your ISP modem/router combo do the routing. Set the main XT8 to APmode and then connect the 2 other nodes

 

[pvanosta]

So: I brought the 2 Nodes next to the main Zenwifi router and connected them directly via ethernet (Zenwifi router LAN to Node WAN). Switched the backhaul to ethernet WAN FIRST. Everything worked.
Took the Nodes back upstairs. Connected Node 1 to the port on floor 1. Connects fine. Connected Node 2 on floor 2. It remains invisible, like it's not powered up and the LED on Node 2 blinks blue.
However: if I connect my desktop on floor 2 to the ethernet port in the wall instead of Node 2, I get full internet speed (600 Mb/s in my case)
What do I keep missing here?
And also: when I disconnect Node 2 from the ethernet wall socket, connection with the Mesh is restored and the Node goes back to the white LED, but with the ensuing loss of speed that comes from the Wifi-only connection.

 

[pvanosta]

AND: I just connected the Desktop on Floor 2 to the ethernet wall socket. I get full speed internet, but I cannot see any other devices on my LAN (e.g. my NAS in the downstairs living room).

I am sure I am missing something very basic about networking, but I thought that if two machines were connected to the same piece of wire (even when going through multiple unmanaged switched inbetween), they would be able to see each other.

Desktop -> ethernet -> wall socket -> GB switch on floor 1 -> ethernet -> GB switch on floor 0 -> Internet modem = full speed

Desktop -> ethernet -> wall socket -> GB switch on floor 1 -> ethernet -> GB switch on floor 0 -> ethernet -> ZenWifi Router on floor 0 -> ethernet -> Synology NAS = no connection. Cannot find the NAS.

Desktop -> ethernet -> ZenWifi Node 2 -> MESH -> ZenWifi Router on floor 0 -> ethernet -> Synology NAS = working connection to the NAS.

 

[pvanosta]

I solved the issue. By thinking the issue through, I made the following change: I connected the Zenwifi router directly to the ISP Modem (before, there was a switch between them). Then ran all ethernet leads from the Zenwifi router through the various switches around the house. Result: ethernet backhaul now in operation throughout the house and overall speed on floor 2 has trebled.

Desktop 3rd floor -> ethernet -> Zenwifi Node 2 -> GB switch on floor 1 -> ethernet -> Zenwifi router -> Internet modem = nearly full speed

Thanks for everyone's helpful tips and suggestions which made me re-examine my setup!