AiMesh take 2: RT-BE96U and RT-BE92U

[nekrosoft13!]

Before trying the AImesh again... I was running BE96U as main router and AX86U as upstrairs access point, and that was running better than the AImesh.
IOT devices all worked fine, the main issue was mobile devices moving between floors, wouldn't switch reliably.

That when I devices to give AImesh another change; between BE96U (as main unit) and BE92U (node). been struggling with it for last 2 days.

I have the BE96U in the basement, due to that where the fiber modem is located, BE92U is located on the second floor.


I have ethernet backhaul enabled.

BE96U is on the latest 3.0.0.6.102_39260
BE92U is on the latest 3.0.0.6.102_38980

I got the three networks setup

What I observed for 2 days is
the main wifi7 network seems to work ok, PC, phones, laptops, seem to have a good connection (still evaluating)

the "guest" network is setup for various IOT devices.. and this network is extremely unstable. they would stay connected for few minutes, then drop, or take 30-60 seconds to respond.


already tried turning off roaming assistant

 

[Poul Bak]

When you go to wireless log, what signal strength do you have for the IOT devices?

 

[bbunge]

Suggestions from my AiMesh experience:
Disable Ethernet Backhaul. Let the router and node on Auto figure out the backhaul.
Set the 2.4 GHz to 20 MHz on Auto chanel or on chanel 1, 6 or 11
Use the Asus SmartConnect
Don't use DFS channels if your router gets hit by RADAR
You may also find that using 80 MHz gives better stability than forcing 160 MHz or using 20-40-80-160 MHz

Pretty much go back to the router WIFI defaults. Your router knows more about what WIFI settings it needs than you know.

 

[nekrosoft13!]

When you go to wireless log, what signal strength do you have for the IOT devices?

"guest" wifi doesn't seem to show in the log...

SSID: "The______________HivE"
noise: -80 dBm Channel: 10
BSSID: 82:7C:61:86:26:41 Capability: ESS ShortSlot RRM
Beacon Interval: 100 msecs
Supported Rates: [ 1(b) 2(b) 5.5(b) 6 9 11(b) 12 18 24 36 48 54 ]
Extended Capabilities: Not_Available
MLO: MLD Address: 82:7C:61:86:26:41 sim_links: 0
EHT Capable:
Chanspec: 2.4GHz channel 10 20MHz (0x100a)
Primary channel: 10
HT Capabilities: 40Mhz SGI20 SGI40
Supported HT MCS : 0-31
Supported VHT MCS:
NSS1 Tx: 0-11 Rx: 0-11
NSS2 Tx: 0-11 Rx: 0-11
NSS3 Tx: 0-11 Rx: 0-11
NSS4 Tx: 0-11 Rx: 0-11
Supported HE MCS:
20/40/80 MHz:
NSS1 Tx: 0-11 Rx: 0-11
NSS2 Tx: 0-11 Rx: 0-11
NSS3 Tx: 0-11 Rx: 0-11
NSS4 Tx: 0-11 Rx: 0-11
BSS Color: 0x0 Partial BSS Color: false
BSS Color Disabled: false
Supported EHT MCS:
20/40/80 MHz:
NSS1 Tx: 0-13 Rx: 0-13
NSS2 Tx: 0-13 Rx: 0-13
NSS3 Tx: 0-13 Rx: 0-13
NSS4 Tx: 0-13 Rx: 0-13
QBSS Channel Utilization: 0x85 (52 %)

Interference Level: Acceptable
Mode : AP Only

DFS status: state IDLE time elapsed 0ms radar channel cleared by DFS none

Channel Information
----------------------------------------
Channel 1 B Band
Channel 2 B Band
Channel 3 B Band
Channel 4 B Band
Channel 5 B Band
Channel 6 B Band
Channel 7 B Band
Channel 8 B Band
Channel 9 B Band
Channel 10 B Band
Channel 11 B Band

Stations List
----------------------------------------
idx MAC Associated Authorized RSSI PHY PSM SGI STBC MUBF NSS BW Tx rate Rx rate Connect Time
1 786C:13:88:AF Yes Yes -50dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 65M 00:11:22
1 DC:E5:5B:6EB:BA Yes Yes -44dBm n Yes Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 72.2M 00:12:01
1 18:B4:30:851:E6 Yes Yes -45dBm n Yes Yes No No 1 20M 65M 6.5M 00:12:11
2 34:13:43:79:01E Yes Yes -55dBm n Yes Yes Yes No 1 20M 72.2M 65M 00:00:56
2 3C:84:6A:66:9A:85 Yes Yes -65dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 26M 00:01:02
2 3C:78:95:EA:7C:66 Yes Yes -61dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 72.2M 26M 00:01:07
2 78:20:51:BBE:1F Yes Yes -48dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 65M 00:01:07
2 FE:52:E1:0C:31:25 Yes Yes -52dBm n Yes Yes Yes No 1 20M 72.2M 39M 00:05:15
2 D0:3F:27:2B:33:75 Yes Yes -46dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 72.2M 00:05:21
2 2C:AA:8E:E7:C8:A3 Yes Yes -35dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 72.2M 72.2M 00:07:59
2 2C:AA:8E:E7:BF:BF Yes Yes -42dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 72.2M 72.2M 00:08:00
2 50:3D1:7E:B1:18 Yes Yes -61dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 65M 00:08:51
2 48:E1:E9:38:A7:E8 Yes Yes -55dBm n No Yes No No 1 20M 72.2M 19.5M 00:09:03
2 50:3D1:7E:A9:4B Yes Yes -57dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 72.2M 65M 00:09:29
2 BC:07:1D3:94:20 Yes Yes -46dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 26M 00:11:05
2 10:5A:95:89:A4:E4 Yes Yes -50dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 72.2M 65M 00:11:05
2 50:3D1:7E:BA:AE Yes Yes -55dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 72.2M 65M 00:11:05
2 78:20:51:09F:95 Yes Yes -51dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 72.2M 65M 00:11:16
2 D4:A6:51:EB1:04 Yes Yes -60dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 28.9M 00:11:20
2 D4:A6:51:EA:BB:23 Yes Yes -62dBm g No No No No 1 20M 54M 36M 00:11:21
2 48:E1:E9:26:A5:83 Yes Yes -46dBm n No Yes No No 1 20M 65M 1M 00:11:28
2 00:31:92:3C:0D:F4 Yes Yes -48dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 72.2M 00:11:53
2 DC:CD:2F:09:FE:7E Yes Yes -67dBm ac No Yes No No 1 20M 65M 39M 00:11:56
2 10:27:F5:9C:31:21 Yes Yes -50dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 65M 00:12:02
2 48:E1:E9:62:96:F0 Yes Yes -57dBm n No Yes No No 1 20M 65M 6M 00:12:03
2 48:E1:E9:780:F3 Yes Yes -45dBm n No Yes No No 1 20M 72.2M 26M 00:12:04
2 34:20:03:7A:19:41 Yes Yes -44dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 72.2M 00:12:11
2 10:27:F5:9C:22:73 Yes Yes -50dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 65M 65M 00:12:11
2 40:ED:007:39:FD Yes Yes -52dBm n No Yes Yes No 1 20M 72.2M 1M 00:12:12

 

[nekrosoft13]

got my old account back

 

[nekrosoft13]

Suggestions from my AiMesh experience:
Disable Ethernet Backhaul. Let the router and node on Auto figure out the backhaul.
Set the 2.4 GHz to 20 MHz on Auto chanel or on chanel 1, 6 or 11
Use the Asus SmartConnect
Don't use DFS channels if your router gets hit by RADAR
You may also find that using 80 MHz gives better stability than forcing 160 MHz or using 20-40-80-160 MHz

Pretty much go back to the router WIFI defaults. Your router knows more about what WIFI settings it needs than you know.

hmm.. I can try doing hardware reset...

"Pretty much go back to the router WIFI defaults"
I'm pretty sure that 2.4Ghz radio being at 20/40mhz is the default, as was as DFS being on.

changing the 2.4ghz to 20mhz only.. maybe some TP-link devices work better, but then some other devices didn't improve.

as far as the backhaul, if router and node use wifi for backhaul, doesn't that make one of the radios unavailable?

 

[Tech9]

You are aware RT-BE92U has some ongoing issues, correct? They are mix of software and very likely hardware because this device has V6 revision already. At least this was the last one reported a week or so back. I wouldn't delegate main AP or Node role to this model in particular.

 

[nekrosoft13]

mine arrived with rev 6.1 two days ago...

I wasn't aware of it when I purchased it, but over last two days did a lot of searching for solution... so definitely more aware now..

After 6+ revisions... probably not a good sign.

 

[nekrosoft13]

with BE92U potentially being the problem... what would a good option?
would preffer tri-band.. not overly offensive looking.. Lets just say BE96U would not be permitted to leave the basement..

ASUS ROG Strix GS-BE12000?
ASUS ZenWiFi BT6 - can these use ethernet backhaul?

Or do TP-link Archer mesh stuff works better?

 

[Tech9]

You have to find you best ASUS way of doing things. I would probably do Ubiquiti UDR7 and U7 Pro Wall, PoE+ injector and U7 Pro Wall Mount (for desktop applications) for the total of $536. Eventually Flex Mini 2.5G switch if more LAN ports are needed upstairs for $50 extra. It's stable, expandable, full VLAN support for LAN and WLAN, advanced routing and network configuration options, smaller size better looking devices. It's user friendly enough for home setup, set and forget.

 

[nekrosoft13]

You have to find you best ASUS way of doing things. I would probably do Ubiquiti UDR7 and U7 Pro Wall, PoE+ injector and U7 Pro Wall Mount (for desktop applications) for the total of $536. Eventually Flex Mini 2.5G switch if more LAN ports are needed upstairs for $50 extra. It's stable, expandable, full VLAN support for LAN and WLAN, advanced routing and network configuration options, smaller size better looking devices. It's user friendly enough for home setup, set and forget.

I had ubiquiti switches before.. and didn't like the whole unifi eco system... but was thinking about potentially trying TP-Link Omada at one point..

placement of access points is something that I would have to figure out where.. and putting them on ceiling probably wouldn't work.

 

[Tech9]

would preffer tri-band.. not overly offensive looking..

Unfortunately, ASUS tri-band routers are mostly spider-like design. ZenWiFi experience is YMMV, quite a few complaints around. AiMesh in general is in YMMV category due to lack of network tuning options. UniFi have completely redesigned UI with many new features. The main new feature is Zone-Based Firewall, lately with AI port monitoring. They offer desktop stands for tri-band Wall APs as accessory. Omada is excellent price/performance hardware, but they don't offer desktop options for Wi-Fi 7. TP-Link mesh products are called Deco. They offer better self-adjusting home mesh, but with minimum settings available. They are in "Easy Button" category. The same with Eero and Nest series products. Good luck!

 

[GJJ]

Before trying the AImesh again... I was running BE96U as main router and AX86U as upstrairs access point, and that was running better than the AImesh.
IOT devices all worked fine, the main issue was mobile devices moving between floors, wouldn't switch reliably.

That when I devices to give AImesh another change; between BE96U (as main unit) and BE92U (node). been struggling with it for last 2 days.

I have the BE96U in the basement, due to that where the fiber modem is located, BE92U is located on the second floor.


I have ethernet backhaul enabled.

If you decide to keep the BE92U, I have some suggestions that I think made my IOT network more stable.
Please note, I only have the BE92U and don't have an AI Mesh network setup.

On the WiFi - Professional tab, with the 2.4GHz radio selected, I disabled "802.11b mode", since none of my devices are "b"

Some one already suggested it, but I will suggest it again, set the Channel bandwidth for 2.4GHz to 20MHz.

On the Network page, for my IOT network, I set the Authentication Method to WPA/WPA2. Originally, I had it set to WPA2 only, but found one of my devices couldn't do WPA2 and therefore couldn't connect to the network. You should play around with this one to get the maximum authentication for your devices, with a preference of WPA2 only, if you can. I doubt you would have any IOT devices that could do WPA3, so skip that option.

If your IOT devices only use 2.4GHz, then restrict the IOT network to the 2.4GHz channel. One less decision the router has to make (in theory).

One last thing, make note of your current settings, only make one change at a time and try it out for some time, before making the next change.
It's slow and annoying, but I made things worse for myself, by setting my router up the same way as my previous AC68U and had to go back, reset the device and try changing settings one by one until I fixed the issues I was having. I give any change about a week, but my network is relatively quiet and simple compared to some and problems take longer to surface.

GJ

 

[jzchen]

If I am not too late....

Each WiFi generation has its quirks. And it is generational. While @Tech9 vehemently advises against ASUS and for Ubiquiti, I believe at one point he noted he has avoided Ubiquiti WiFi 7, so...

My ASUS experience started with the venerable RT-AC68U. At one point last week I added it as a node to an EBG15, so I had WiFi 5 to WiFi 7 on one AiMesh. 8 nodes and AP totalling 9, all different models because hey I refuse to suffer from double trouble...

@bbunge made a very good post above... My next two ASUS routers were purchased during COVID and I kind of had free reign to build a stable network, my wife is a physician (same as my mother), we live in the same household and my wife worked from home. GT-AXE11000 and GT-AXE16000. For some strange reason this WiFi 6 generation suffered from two things. IF you turned on Ethernet Backhaul Mode, for whatever reason, nodes would drop! And they would not come back online! No clue why Ethernet was fine, for a while. Also 6 GHz had two peculiarities as well: PSC was important to be ON and 802.11ax OFDMA/MU-MIMO needed to be disabled in order for many 6 GHz devices to even see 6 GHz SSIDs! How did I figure this out? Copied these two settings from a TP-Link RE815XE, and wallah my son's new 6E MacBook Pro M2 MAX now connected on 6 GHz.

On to WiFi 7. Ethernet Backhaul Mode no longer drops nodes, including WiFi 6 models. 802.11ax OFDMA/MU-MIMO now works on 6 GHz radios on these new WiFi 7 models. (Maybe it was a chip issue in the 6E generation chips, sorry for the speculation)....

WiFi Agile Multiband is good for Access Point Mode (on the BE92U), but is default OFF for AiMesh, and suggest you turn it off on all bands if all nodes are AiMeshed. I do recommend Ethernet Backhaul Mode. Also Auto on channel and bandwidth selections. Unless you have a WiFi 7 client device that runs only on 2.4 and 5 GHz, as I see you have it set up WiFi 7 is on and they are Smart Connected, turn off the WiFi 7 mode and 802.11ax OFDMA/MU-MIMO back ON. See if any devices drop. If so and they are ALL 2.4 GHz, then turn off OFDMA/MU-MIMO on 2.4 GHz only. If a mix of 2.4 and 5 GHz drop, turn it off on both...

 

[Tech9]

at one point he noted he has avoided Ubiquiti WiFi 7, so...

This is correct. I run Gigabit gateways and switches with Wi-Fi 6 access points. I'm going to skip the entire Wi-Fi 7 generation hardware since it brings no value to me, still has issues and it's more expensive. As I always advice - don't overpay for hardware and ISP lines and go after user experience and not specs on paper.

 

[jzchen]

I'm going to skip the entire Wi-Fi 7 generation hardware since it brings no value to me, still has issues and it's more expensive.

For example at Walmart TP-Link WiFi 7 has been cheaper than WiFi 6:

Archer AX4400 $99 (on sale)
Archer BE4800 $97 (regular price).

 

[Tech9]

This is not a "true" Wi-Fi 7 device. Dual-band devices are not much faster than Wi-Fi 6. The same restrictions on 5GHz band apply. The devices in your Walmart example - if you have 4-stream AX4400 already it doesn't make much sense to "upgrade" to 2-stream BE4800. Both have about the same real life Wi-Fi capabilities and the former most likely have better sensitivity (range). I'm going to add more to my advice - don't go for the cheapest option, it's perhaps cheap for a reason.