AC86U as an Access Point

[geralds34]

Trying help a friend , remotely(Covid times) , replace a Netgear R7000 with an AC86U. The netgear has had intermittent wifi issues, and is 5+ years old.

Current Setup:
ISP Modem: Hitron CGN3 with wifi turned off.
IP 192.168.0.1
DHCP allocates out at 192.168.0.10 to 200
On a 75/10 plan from cable ISP
Single family home, no other wifi routers in the house.
No interference from neighboring homes, modem is in basement mechanical room

R7000:
Set in Access Point Mode
Ethernet perf ~75/10
Wifi 5GHz 43/10 (within 10 feet of router)
R7000 is in main floor

New wifi Router
AC86U:
Came with Firmware 384_32799 and was updated to 386_41634, followed by a hard reset.
Configured as Access Point, as
IP 192.168.0.199
Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
Gateway 192.168.0.1
DNS 192.168.0.1 and 1.1.1.1
New SSIDs
Installed in same spot as the R7000

He connect to the 86U, but is getting really poor performance
Wired into 86U ~30/10
Wifi 5Ghz 16/9


Should the ethernet cable be plugged into the WAN or LAN port of the 86U acting as the AP?
(The R7000 acting as AP was cabled into the WAN port, and he did the same with the 86U. But I have read different suggestions for cabling into an access point, maybe the difference is the capability of the router)

Any suggestions?
Try it with Merlin?
Could it be a "bad" router, and return and try another?

I'd like to put the hitron into bridge mode and use the 86U as the router, but the layout of the house and exist ethernet runs dictate that there is a router close to the modem, as all cable runs terminate there.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Should the ethernet cable be plugged into the WAN or LAN port of the 86U acting as the AP?

It shouldn't make any difference as the WAN port becomes just another LAN port in AP mode. That said, it sounds like there might be an issue with the physical connection between the two routers. It's possible that the RJ45 plug has become slightly out of tolerance compared to new router's socket. So it's worth trying the other LAN sockets to see if they make a better connection. The normal advice would be to try another patch cable but I'm guessing that's not an option.

If your friend can run a continuous ping (from an Ethernet connected PC) to the Hitron's IP he might be able to see packet loss occurring.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Trying help a friend , remotely(Covid times) , replace a Netgear R7000 with an AC86U. The netgear has had intermittent wifi issues, and is 5+ years old.

Current Setup:
ISP Modem: Hitron CGN3 with wifi turned off.
IP 192.168.0.1
DHCP allocates out at 192.168.0.10 to 200
On a 75/10 plan from cable ISP
Single family home, no other wifi routers in the house.
No interference from neighboring homes, modem is in basement mechanical room

R7000:
Set in Access Point Mode
Ethernet perf ~75/10
Wifi 5GHz 43/10 (within 10 feet of router)
R7000 is in main floor

New wifi Router
AC86U:
Came with Firmware 384_32799 and was updated to 386_41634, followed by a hard reset.
Configured as Access Point, as
IP 192.168.0.199
Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
Gateway 192.168.0.1
DNS 192.168.0.1 and 1.1.1.1
New SSIDs
Installed in same spot as the R7000

He connect to the 86U, but is getting really poor performance
Wired into 86U ~30/10
Wifi 5Ghz 16/9


Should the ethernet cable be plugged into the WAN or LAN port of the 86U acting as the AP?
(The R7000 acting as AP was cabled into the WAN port, and he did the same with the 86U. But I have read different suggestions for cabling into an access point, maybe the difference is the capability of the router)

Any suggestions?
Try it with Merlin?
Could it be a "bad" router, and return and try another?

I'd like to put the hitron into bridge mode and use the 86U as the router, but the layout of the house and exist ethernet runs dictate that there is a router close to the modem, as all cable runs terminate there.

Don't chase the solution with other firmware, imo.

The previous existing issue may still be haunting the new network.

The AP should be wired WAN-to-LAN, according to Asus FAQ.

The 41634 firmware has an elevated CPU temp issue. The current 41994 beta release re-enables the CPU wait state to remediate this temp issue.

Another firmware install and webUI Restore w/Initialize to reset would not be a bad idea. Then configure from scratch, again.

The similar reduction in AP speeds for both LAN and WLAN tests suggests the issue is common to both... like router function or uplink cable function.

I would suspect cabling and inspect/change that... try a different cable and port(s). This fault would be common to the old network.

OE

 

[geralds34]

I should have added that the same cable was used for both the R7000 and 86U, so I don't think it is a cable issue.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I should have added that the same cable was used for both the R7000 and 86U, so I don't think it is a cable issue.

No, but it can be a connector (i.e. plug/socket) issue created by it sitting in the same position for a long time. That's why I made my suggestion.

 

[OzarkEdge]

I should have added that the same cable was used for both the R7000 and 86U, so I don't think it is a cable issue.

What do you think the issue is?

OE

 

[geralds34]

What do you think the issue is?

OE

I am baffled what the issue is. He sets up the 86U, and get bad speeds. Shuts it down, and using same ethernet cable gets good numbers from the R7000. Swap back to 86U, poor numbers again.

There is not a lot to config for a basic access point, not sure what the issue is. Half wonder if this 86U is a lemon. The Production Year is 2020, so I think that year was more problem free than 2018.

 

[OzarkEdge]

I am baffled what the issue is. He sets up the 86U, and get bad speeds. Shuts it down, and using same ethernet cable gets good numbers from the R7000. Swap back to 86U, poor numbers again.

There is not a lot to config for a basic access point, not sure what the issue is. Half wonder if this 86U is a lemon. The Production Year is 2020, so I think that year was more problem free than 2018.

Could be a lemon. Could be the hard reset was not applied correctly. Must be something... I would not rule anything out unless you are sure.

OE

 

[HWDan]

CGN3 is fully bridgeable. Disable residential Gateway function under "Capability" or something like that and use the AC86U as the router.
I have this configuration and even get well above my plans full speed easily.

 

[geralds34]

Tried that route with my friend a few weeks ago. All the wiring in the house terminates next to the Hitron in the mechanical room, so need the router there. As it is in the basement and mech room, total waste putting wifi in there.

He has decided to return the router, and will rethink how to improve his setup.