AP configuration

[geralds34]

I just picked up a RT-AX86S, planning for the eventual failure of my RT-AC86U, and have setup the AX86S as the router, AC86U as an AP(Wired, not AiMesh). I am on fibre to home, 500/500 plan, yet the ISP is doing a month long promo of 1.5G/1.0G. Fibre modem is Bell HH4000, and the router connects using PPPoE, bypassing the HH4000 to the extent possible.

network would look like:
ISP Fibre - HH4000 - RT-AX86S - RT-AX86U - laptop by wifi or CAT6

Looking at the Internet speed on the network map while downloading large ISO files, the DL/UL are reported as almost the same speed on the AC86U(Access point)(30MB/30MB), yet the AX86S only shows significant traffic for DL(30MB/40KB). I was expecting to only see significant DL traffic on the AC86U as well.

Is this expected, or do I have something miss configured?

 

[Yota]

Traffic analysis will not work properly in AP mode, check the numbers reported by the router.

 

[bbunge]

I just picked up a RT-AX86S, planning for the eventual failure of my RT-AC86U, and have setup the AX86S as the router, AC86U as an AP(Wired, not AiMesh). I am on fibre to home, 500/500 plan, yet the ISP is doing a month long promo of 1.5G/1.0G. Fibre modem is Bell HH4000, and the router connects using PPPoE, bypassing the HH4000 to the extent possible.

network would look like:
ISP Fibre - HH4000 - RT-AX86S - RT-AX86U - laptop by wifi or CAT6

Looking at the Internet speed on the network map while downloading large ISO files, the DL/UL are reported as almost the same speed on the AC86U(Access point)(30MB/30MB), yet the AX86S only shows significant traffic for DL(30MB/40KB). I was expecting to only see significant DL traffic on the AC86U as well.

Is this expected, or do I have something miss configured?

You are using the WAN port on the AC86U to connect to a LAN port on the AX86S?

Edit: there is an Asus beta firmware for the AX86U/S that works very well if you would like to try it.

 

[geralds34]

Traffic analysis will not work properly in AP mode, check the numbers reported by the router.

AP and router report essentially same numbers

 

[geralds34]

You are using the WAN port on the AC86U to connect to a LAN port on the AX86S?

Edit: there is an Asus beta firmware for the AX86U/S that works very well if you would like to try it.

Correct , WAN port on AC86U to LAN port on AX86S

 

[eibgrad]

Correct , WAN port on AC86U to LAN port on AX86S

The fact the AC86U is connected over its WAN would normally suggest it's in a routed configuration wrt the AX86S. However, it's also possible to configure the router into AP mode and still use the WAN port. But in that case, the fact you used the WAN port is NOT significant, since in AP mode the WAN port is converted into a LAN port.

IOW, what we need to know here is whether the secondary router (AC86U) is in a routed vs. bridged configuration wrt the primary router. Based on your OP, @Yota had assumed the latter. But based on what's been posted so far, I'm still NOT so sure.

Why does it matter?

In a routed configuration, the secondary router has its own unique IP network, firewall, bandwidth limiting, etc. But in a bridged configuration, traffic monitoring becomes irrelevant. And given the reason for this configuration (i.e., the eventual failure of the AC86U), it seems more likely you'd be using a bridged configuration. But so far your responses have been ambiguous in this regard.

Long story short, is the AC86U in router or AP mode?

 

[geralds34]

AC86U is in AP mode

Both devices are using Merlin 386.7_2

 

[eibgrad]

AC86U is in AP mode

Both devices are using Merlin 386.7_2

Then as @Yota indicated originally, traffic analysis is irrelevant from the perspective of the AC86U, at least as far as wifi devices that happen to be using its SSID.

 

[Yota]

I was expecting to only see significant DL traffic on the AC86U as well.

In AP mode, your AC86U becomes a switch, so its traffic data is irrelevant, and I don't know where you see the traffic data, I log on to the router in AP mode, and even the Traffic Monitor is hidden.

 

[geralds34]

I was referring to the Internet Traffic under the Network Map tab

 

[Tech9]

I was referring to the Internet Traffic under the Network Map tab

Don't bother with this one. You don't even need Asuswrt-Merlin in AP Mode.