Adding AiMesh Nodes to RT-AC88U with Merlin firmware

[MW5811]

A week ago I purchased a RT-AC88U router on E-bay to replace my RT-AC68U router, which I then planned to add as a node to the 88U. After a hard-reset I discovered it was running Asuswrt-Merlin 384.11. After upgrading to the current version I was able to save/restore settings from my 68U to the 88U and everything worked fine.

But when I try adding nodes, it doesn't see the 68U.

Is that because the 68U is running the std ASUS firmware and the Merlin router will only see nodes running Merlin?

Let me know, thanks.

p.s. when I originally bought the 68U it was a T-Mobile CellSpot that I tried to update to Merlin, from articles on web, but I later discovered I had done the ASUS std firmware. (obviously I am not an expert)

 

[L&LD]

Your best course forward is to fully reset the 'new' router you bought, and minimally and manually configure it. Do not import any old backup config files (particularly from other models). Do not plug in any USB drives that you've previously used with amtm (unless you first format it on a PC to NTFS).

[Wireless Router] When Standard Reset Isn’t Working: Hard Factory Reset - Models list | Official Support | ASUS USA

Merlin on ASUS ax86U Question

I have an ASUS AX86U and contemplating the installation of Merlin firmware. The DDNS settings on the AX86U are limited to select dns providers. If I install Merlin, will I have more flexability (choices) with the DDNS Settings? Thanks in advance!

www.snbforums.com

 

[ColinTaylor]

After upgrading to the current version I was able to save/restore settings from my 68U to the 88U and everything worked fine.

Don't do this. It will create problems between the 68U to the 88U. A recent example of which was in this thread: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/firmware-assigning-wrong-hostname-to-router.86460/post-860417

Do a factory reset on the 88U and set it up again without restoring settings from your previous router.

 

[MW5811]

Okay, I hard reset the 88U router and was able to get a step further, where it would actually list the Nodes (RT-AC68U and two RT-AC1900's) but when I would click CONNECT it would think for as few seconds and get to 1% and fail with the attached error. I hard reset everything a couple times but kept getting the same error.

After reading many threads, I decided to try it with an ethernet cable connected between the 88U router and the WAN port on the nodes. Once I did that, it would slowly count up the % over a couple minutes and eventually add the nodes to the router. One time it hung at 19% for a few minutes, but when I closed the window to retry, the node was connected. I have a couple of them running and now I can get 5G in more of our house.

But I have a couple questions. I didn't see it anywhere where it required you need to have them connected together to add the node. Is that normal?

I plan on having them connected for backhaul but just curious why they wouldn't add the node unless they were connected.

Second question, 1 of the replies said "reset with minimally configure it". I only have a few static IP addresses set for devices and names added on all the devices so they can be easily identified instead of a cross reference somewhere to their MAC addresses.

Could this extra configuration be causing a problem with something? I didn't add it until after I had added the nodes.

Let me know, thanks.

 

[drinkingbird]

Okay, I hard reset the 88U router and was able to get a step further, where it would actually list the Nodes (RT-AC68U and two RT-AC1900's) but when I would click CONNECT it would think for as few seconds and get to 1% and fail with the attached error. I hard reset everything a couple times but kept getting the same error.

After reading many threads, I decided to try it with an ethernet cable connected between the 88U router and the WAN port on the nodes. Once I did that, it would slowly count up the % over a couple minutes and eventually add the nodes to the router. One time it hung at 19% for a few minutes, but when I closed the window to retry, the node was connected. I have a couple of them running and now I can get 5G in more of our house.

But I have a couple questions. I didn't see it anywhere where it required you need to have them connected together to add the node. Is that normal?

I plan on having them connected for backhaul but just curious why they wouldn't add the node unless they were connected.

Second question, 1 of the replies said "reset with minimally configure it". I only have a few static IP addresses set for devices and names added on all the devices so they can be easily identified instead of a cross reference somewhere to their MAC addresses.

Could this extra configuration be causing a problem with something? I didn't add it until after I had added the nodes.

Let me know, thanks.

DHCP reservations won't interfere. There have been many who have found that cabling them is the easiest way to get them to synch up. I think some models actually require the wireless signal strength to be near perfect (i.e. routers right next to each other) for the initial synch up. Not sure if it is a security measure or what. Once synched over ethernet (or having them right next to each other) you can then disconnect and place them wherever and they should reconnect fine.

Also it is recommended to run stock firmware on the nodes, having merlin on them has at times caused problems, especially on the older routers. Just pick a stock code that is close to the merlin version. There is no benefit to merlin on the nodes.