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Any way to wirelessly link Asus RT-AC87U and TM-AC1900?

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d0g

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I was hoping to extend range of one of these with the other. Both show WDS settings, but according to Asus the 1900 doesn't support it.

Am I SOL?

Weird Asus support transcript:

Me: Hi, I have a RT-AC87U and a TM-AC1900 which I'm trying to link up using WDS. I followed the guide at https://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/114612/ but it's not working
Asus: Thank but I am sorry to say but it is that I was just advised by our team that your TM-AC1900 doesn't support this feature.
Me: So why is it in the menu? It has all the settings for WDS but they don't work?
Asus: Yes it does have the settings but it is that this router doesn't support this feature.
Me: so there is no way to link the 2 routers wirelessly?
Asus: My apologies but there is not.
Me: what if the AC1900 is the primary, can the AC87U get wan from it over wifi?
Asus: My apologies but it would not as you would require a mesh system for this. Which your TM-AC1900 does not support.
Me: Does the AC87U support mesh?
Asus: My apologies but no it does not.
Me: What if I flash the AC1900 to AC68U firmware?
Asus: That ma brick your router and that is done at your own discretion. Also it is not recommended.
Me: But in theory, if I do, does AC68U support WDS?
Asus: My apologies but no it does not.
Me: Does the AC87U support WDS?
Asus: Yes it does.
Me: Why is there a whole page of settings for an unsupported feature?
Asus: It is a feature equipped within your settings menu. But in regards to setting it up with your TM-AC1900 it is not supported.
Me: What does "a feature equipped within your settings menu" mean? why is it there?
Asus: You may see these options as they are built in but in regards to setting up certain features your router does not support them. If you look closely you can sometimes see the mesh option but your router does not support this.
 
Don't use WDS. Put the AC1900 into repeater mode and connect it to your AC87U's wifi.
 
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Don't use WDS. Put the AC1900 into repeater mode and connect it to your AC87U's wifi.
Thanks! But I don't see Repeater mode ... I'm looking at Administration Tab:

upload_2019-10-2_16-28-59.png


Do I need to flash it to AC68U first?
 
Thanks! But I don't see Repeater mode ... I'm looking at Administration Tab:
Ah, OK. I didn't realise that option wasn't present in your firmware.

Do I need to flash it to AC68U first?
You cannot flash it with any of the recent versions of the official Asus firmware. It will not accept it.

Modifying it to get around this restriction is illegal because of licence violations. If you attempt to do so you're on your own. You will not get any help in these forums and your posts will be deleted.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/snbforums-policy-on-asus-tm-ac1900-conversion-discussion.46018/
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/the-tm-ac1900-is-not-supported.48056/

Maybe try an alternative firmware like OpenWRT, DD-WRT or John's fork instead. Or just buy a cheap wireless extender and use that instead.
 
OK, so I successfully "replaced" the TM1900 with an AC68U.
I tried repeater mode, and it worked – but only when I connected to the 2.4 of the AC87U.
It seems to refuse working when connecting to the 5ghz.
Is this normal?
 
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