AC5300 - 2.4Ghz Stops Responding

[TWISM]

Asus AC5300 running 380.59 Merlin, ASUS AC66U Attached via Wireless as an AP.

Issue - Multiple devices are able to connect to the 2.4 Ghz band but after a random amount of time, the device will stop communicating with the internet, and the device is unable to connect to the router via 192.1681.1. This has happened with an Apple MBP - PS4 - Xbox One - iPhone. Other devices that are on the 2.4Ghz band will continue to work while that one devices seemingly us unable to communicate. If you turn off and on the wireless on any of the devices, it comes back instantly. That one device may be fine for a while, then another device will exhibit the same behavior. None of this behavior happens on either of the 5Ghz channels.

Troubleshooting - I have factory reset, only made basic changes to the router. I have run inssider to determine best channels, I have changed 2.4 to use 20Mhz, I have tired beam forming off and on, and a handful of other changes as well as trying to locate any rouge devices that could be causing interference.

Anyone else have any thoughts or theories on what is taking place? Most of my wireless devices can use 5Ghz so that is what I have done, but it bugs me that there seems to be something odd going on in the 2.4 band.

 

[L&LD]

On the troubled devices, try 'forgetting' the network and then re-associating the device with the router again. Also, try resetting the network to defaults too.

Check your ssid's and passwords to make sure they only have alphanumeric characters in them.

I would not recommend using utilities like inssider to find the best WiFi channel for your devices. Instead, test each (non-overlapping) channel (1, 6, 11) individually and with a reboot of the router and the testing computers (one wired directly to the router and transferring a large file (2GB) to a laptop that is physically plugged in to AC power and tested at various (and repeatable) locations within the WiFi area as required). Choose the 'best' channel after comparing the range, throughput and responsiveness of the WiFi for all the tested areas, overall.

You may also want to use the latest 380.60 Beta 2 RMerlin builds on your router as they contain numerous fixes from not only RMerlin, but also Asus too (based on later builds).

 

[sfx2000]

Along with L&LD's comments above - all good stuff...

Check the 2.4GHz configuration on the router - there's a selection there somewhere in the GUI that suggests Turbo/NitroQAM - turn that off... (this is QAM256/QAM1024 modes, and this is not standard for 11n in 2.4Ghz, and can cause some clients to go into a very dark place and try to do things they shouldn't be doing - and some of those things might be crashing the AP, because the AP shouldn't be doing 11ac in 2.4GHz anyways...)

 

[TWISM]

Along with L&LD's comments above - all good stuff...

Check the 2.4GHz configuration on the router - there's a selection there somewhere in the GUI that suggests Turbo/NitroQAM - turn that off... (this is QAM256/QAM1024 modes, and this is not standard for 11n in 2.4Ghz, and can cause some clients to go into a very dark place and try to do things they shouldn't be doing - and some of those things might be crashing the AP, because the AP shouldn't be doing 11ac in 2.4GHz anyways...)

I found it under modulation scheme I believe. I can't turn it off but I have 3 options.

 

[L&LD]

I think you want the MCS 7 (802.11n) option. (That's 'off').

 

[TWISM]

Thanks didn't want to be the new guy just assuming things.

 

[L&LD]

Thanks didn't want to be the new guy just assuming things.

Assume away! Just post here and you'll be quickly corrected (if need be).

 

[TWISM]

So I went through an AC5300 and AC88U and the exact same things happened. I realized that I think they both share the same hardware for 2.4 and I tried countless suggestions and it always would hang on 2.4. Different FW, channels, settings etc. I could have loved with it for a bit but some of my home devices like cameras and ring doorbell would get locked up.

I had a friend bring over a Netgear R7000 and it has been stable for 38 hours so something with the hardware in the Asus did not like my environment.

Thanks for all the suggestions.