Zenwifi XT8 mesh setup driving me crazy!

[tonguk]

Ive had this for 3 weeks now and hoped it would solve my poor wifi problems- Im in the UK with Sky so use the XT8 in AP mode.

When i use one box wired to the modem alone (WAN-WAN) it works beautifully within wifi range. When I setup the mesh with the other node everything starts to go wrong. My devices seem to show good wifi strength but simple hang when i open webpages. If I turn wifi off and on it seems to kickstart and start wok for a while but this is exactly the problem I had with my original SKY wifi. Ive tried wired backhaul etc but without success.

The reason I bought this was a colleague told me his Orbi was basically plug and play but they are a lot more expensive. Im beginning to think I should have just swallowed the extra cost- all I want is a system I can setup and forget about rather than having to fiddle with it on an almost daily basis.

Any suggestions for troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated before I return the units!

 

[TonyL]

I tried and tried to love the xt8 for all the features and configurations. I consider myself a technical person as I work in the tech industry. Ultimately I made the decision to return this beautiful piece of junk. Would not stop crashing and just buggy as hell. Ultimately decided to just buy another RT-AC 68U and mesh them with wired back haul. The 68U has been awesome for 3 years so expanding it and sticking with it. Xt8 not ready for prime time IMO.

 

[cafesociety]

Ive had this for 3 weeks now and hoped it would solve my poor wifi problems- Im in the UK with Sky so use the XT8 in AP mode.

When i use one box wired to the modem alone (WAN-WAN) it works beautifully within wifi range. When I setup the mesh with the other node everything starts to go wrong. My devices seem to show good wifi strength but simple hang when i open webpages. If I turn wifi off and on it seems to kickstart and start wok for a while but this is exactly the problem I had with my original SKY wifi. Ive tried wired backhaul etc but without success.

The reason I bought this was a colleague told me his Orbi was basically plug and play but they are a lot more expensive. Im beginning to think I should have just swallowed the extra cost- all I want is a system I can setup and forget about rather than having to fiddle with it on an almost daily basis.

Any suggestions for troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated before I return the units!

Hey Tony ,

I'm in the exact same boat as you. Bought the twin units and spent about a week trying to configure these to become stable and deliver the speeds i'm paying for. I had the issues with Sky and the Sky Q mesh. I decided to go down the powerline adapter route and shut down the Sky wifi mesh because of the interference. That all seemed to be going well and the better speeds started appearing over wifi - for a while. - A firmware update came out this week and i opted to install - the stable speeds and reliability have gone again.

Im currently deiciding wether to roll back to previous firmware and try again, whilst also searching in here for advice and config tips.

Keep us posted,

Jon

 

[TonyL]

I received my new 68U unit this afternoon and literally 10 mins of setup and wifi all around. No bugs no crashes just fast 5G speed to cover the whole home. I know it’s not wifi6 but no one complains about the speed and we are all zooming all day from home. Just don’t think the xt8 is ready for prime time. And I saved $400!

 

[rjbarker]

Hhhmm...I bought these back in Nov, set up i used the App on my phone (normally I would use the GUI), but crp it was so easy and the Mesh was set up in minutes....I just purchased a 3rd node.
It has been rock solid since Nov (looks for wood to knock on).
I have my Main Router hard wired (obviously) to my Modem and the node is set up wireless (dedicated 5Ghz backhaul), house is 3 story's 4300 sq ft. Smart TV's everywhere, including 2 outdoor patios, no issues and great wireless speeds in all corners.
Huh...have to ask the obvious, is your Modem also a Router, if so I'm assuming its set-up in Bridge mode.