ASUS AC-68U - transmit power and alternative firmwares - a question.

[Smokindog]

It still would be nice to know more about the ISP router. Who is the ISP? How about some pictures of both the router and the location and the installation? Otherwise you've already got about all the help that can be given.

They are in the same location. I've tried already with ASUS different placements, including antennas but still can't get the same coverage than with the one from my ISP. They use a house built solution - they made their own routers: It has a Broadcom chipset and supports 802.11ac wave2. And a lot more range. I have some esp8266 connected sensors and in some places they can only see/communicate with my ISP router.

So... I really need to get the same performance from my ASUS: make it's output power the same as the one from my ISP.

 

[maxbraketorque]

Thanks. I'm going to try a set of 7 dBi antennas out at my cabin. Looking to get improved reception on a relatively flat piece of property.

I tried a set of three 7 dBi antennas today on my AC86U. On the same floor where the AC86U is located, signal strength was a little better both near and far from the router on the 5 GHz band. I didn't try downstairs where presumably the signal strength will be worse. I'll try out the antennas this weekend at my cabin to see how they do on the 2.4 GHz band.

 

[maxbraketorque]

I tried a set of three 7 dBi antennas today on my AC86U. On the same floor where the AC86U is located, signal strength was a little better both near and far from the router on the 5 GHz band. I didn't try downstairs where presumably the signal strength will be worse. I'll try out the antennas this weekend at my cabin to see how they do on the 2.4 GHz band.

One interesting thing that only happened while using the 7 dBi antennas is that when I was monitoring wifi conditions at the far location, after about 5 minutes, the 5 GHz signal strength and the noise level both increased by several dB and stayed at the higher levels as long as I was in the room. It was an instantaneous change, so it must have been due to something changing either at the router or my MacBookPro. When I returned to the near location, noise level dropped back to usual values, and then when I returned to the far location, after about 5 minutes, the same increase in signal strength and noise occurred again. Signal quality and link rate both increased when this change occurred, so it must have been a beneficial change. It never happened with the factory antennas.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I've also found this to be a issue when trying to do comparative tests of 5GHz signal strength. Part of the problem is that 5GHz is so susceptible to environmental effects, especially at distance. Something as simple as an intervening door being in a slightly different position or a person in another room walking about can have a significant effect. Also, if testing with a laptop it is imperative that you don't move it in any way between tests. Remember that most laptop's antennas are in the screen so tilting the screen to a slightly different angle can have a major effect.

One of the most significant effects when testing with my laptop was where my body was in relation to the laptop. Even when sitting in exactly the same relative position, merely resting my hands on the keyboard vs. having them by my side produced large changes in RSSI. Combine these factors with the fact that ac-WiFi by design will change it's power output and antenna usage dynamically based on demand and the environment. So you end up with something similar the herding cats.

In the end the only way I could get really consistent results was to setup the test with line of sight between both devices. Then set the parameters I wanted to test and start a data transfer that saturated the capacity of the link. Whilst that was happening I would monitor the connection on the laptop using something like inSSIDer and leave the room.

 

[maxbraketorque]

I've also found this to be a issue when trying to do comparative tests of 5GHz signal strength. Part of the problem is that 5GHz is so susceptible to environmental effects, especially at distance. Something as simple as an intervening door being in a slightly different position or a person in another room walking about can have a significant effect. Also, if testing with a laptop it is imperative that you don't move it in any way between tests. Remember that most laptop's antennas are in the screen so tilting the screen to a slightly different angle can have a major effect.

One of the most significant effects when testing with my laptop was where my body was in relation to the laptop. Even when sitting in exactly the same relative position, merely resting my hands on the keyboard vs. having them by my side produced large changes in RSSI. Combine these factors with the fact that ac-WiFi by design will change it's power output and antenna usage dynamically based on demand and the environment. So you end up with something similar the herding cats.

In the end the only way I could get really consistent results was to setup the test with line of sight between both devices. Then set the parameters I wanted to test and start a data transfer that saturated the capacity of the link. Whilst that was happening I would monitor the connection on the laptop using something like inSSIDer and leave the room.

Wow. My experiences exactly. Even my cat meandering about in the same room can have an effect. Another thing I've noticed is that the router and/or the laptop are constantly experimenting to try to generate an optimal link. The signal parameters don't really begin to settle down until after perhaps 5 minutes of sitting in a stable configuration, especially at distant locations. With that said, I was very careful to be consistent with my proximity to the laptop and my location for each test. And without a doubt, there is no way I can clearly identify anything less than a 2-3 dB difference.

 

[L&LD]

Whilst that was happening I would monitor the connection on the laptop using something like inSSIDer and leave the room.

Which is also what I used to do before dropping the use of all apps and just picking a channel that worked the best overall over the whole coverage area.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Funny you should mention the cat. I originally wrote the same experience in my previous reply but then removed it for brevity.

Also, in case it's not obvious, you must be connected to the radio that you're testing. That might sound strange, but if you have multiple access points (or even just the usual 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios) it's easy to not spot that the client has automatically connected to a different access point. This is especially true after applying changes to the router's WiFi settings where the 2.4GHz radio signal will appear first and be stronger than the 5GHz signal. If you're not connected to the correct radio the RSSI of the radio you're monitoring will be completely different.

 

[maxbraketorque]

Funny you should mention the cat. I originally wrote the same experience in my previous reply but then removed it for brevity.

Also, in case it's not obvious, you must be connected to the radio that you're testing. That might sound strange, but if you have multiple access points (or even just the usual 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios) it's easy to not spot that the client has automatically connected to a different access point. This is especially true after applying changes to the router's WiFi settings where the 2.4GHz radio signal will appear first and be stronger than the 5GHz signal. If you're not connected to the correct radio the RSSI of the radio you're monitoring will be completely different.

Cats seem to be able to find their way into everything... She curled up for a nap away from me pretty early in the testing, so no effect on my observations this time.

Definitely connected to the correct radio the entire time. I have two routers, but I am using manual channel selection with one broadcasting in the UNI-I band and the other in UNI-III so easy to see which is which, and no signal overlap.

 

[sol1109]

I have an AC-68U on the second floor of a two story house and can easily connect from the basement to the attic and the immediate yard.

Seeing a signal strength difference with body and hand placement is not unexpected. at frequencies above 1Ghz the capacitance of the human body can effect the performance of the adjacent antenna. there are several studies on this available online. Antenna performance is tested in an anechoic chamber and ratings are "best case".

You can also find studies done by MIT and others that demonstrate the ability to monitor movement within a room from the exterior based on the absorption of WiFi signals as they pass through living tissue.