ASUS AX6100 (2x RT-AX92U) constant Internet conn. problems and more

[nameduser]

Smart Connect is always OFF.
AX is OFF
DHCP query frequency => Normal Mode
All users connect via WiFi, no clients use ethernet cable

(Setup => 1 router & 1 AIMesh node). Bought them on Black Friday.
Previous network was 2 WiFi networks, 1 upstairs, 1 downstairs, downstairs router connected to modem with Powerline adapter. We have thick concrete walls. Got tired of the constant switching between the 2 networks and decided to try this new mesh technology.
First week was OK, didn't notice anything then. After that I have had a lot of problems.
First thing I did was turn off the AIMesh node. This helped somewhat. The problem was the WAN connection would start dropping after 1 day or so (firmware 3.0.0.4.384.6437 Nov 2919). The system log was full of these messages. Also problems with DNS, I could ping known external ip addresses but not resolve any URLs. The only solution I found that worked well enough was to re-flash the firmware and then it was good to go for a day. The 2nd unit was always off.
I used the WRT UI "Feedback" page 5 times providing log and all. Never heard anything from ASUS, I don't know if it even got there.

I upgraded them to firmware version 3.0.0.4.384.7977 (Jan 2020) and did a factory reset and now I also use the mesh node unit. The AIMesh Node is connected to the main router with a Powerline adapter. I tried using 5GHz for back hauling and although the router reported node signal strength as good there were entries in the log stating the node was disconnected because of poor signal strength (checked MAC address). Could be I misunderstood the log, it wasn't very friendly text (...sending station is leaving...).
Now I have to reboot them everyday for it to work properly, I also reboot the modem then. I also have in the settings that it reboots at night.
An hour ago I did the Ookla Speed Test on my desktop. After that the network stopped working properly. Connection to the UI was very slow. Firefox showed a lot of "Performing TLS handshake" when loading a page from the WRT UI. So reboot again of both units and it worked again.
I still sometimes get this situation with DNS not working, pinging external IP addresses works.

I don't know anymore, should I return them or not. I guess I would just get the same model as replacements. I was hoping a firmware update would solve this. I have tried all kinds of settings. My previous network (2 different ASUS routers) was also now and then not working => reboot but not even close to the problems I have now.

I am pretty sure I hopped on the Mesh bandwagon too soon. I wonder if this tech(WiFi 6 / Mesh) is mature enough for normal people.

Anyone in similar situation? Any tip would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gouldin]

So your routers wan connection is plugged into a powerline adaptor? (Might be reading this incorrect as it's a big post)
I would strongly suggest connecting the router directly to the modem with no interuptions as powerline adaptors fluctuate in line speed and noise massively.

Should be fine using the powerline adaptor as a wired backhaul for your mesh if you must use them, but honestly, I've tried numerous powerline adaptors, all of them have been intermittent wherever I've had to deploy them for customers.
Often times the app for the adaptors will say that they have decent line speed, yet lan transfers are abysmal until both the adaptors get rebooted. Having that as your main internet connection is asking for trouble.

As you've said already, you get dropouts regardless of which routers you use, I can't see the routers being the issue here.

Best yet, put you mesh node closer to the main router and use the wireless backhaul, signal strength for the mesh link wants to be around 40-50db, any more than that and yes, you will get drop offs.

 

[nameduser]

Main RT-AX92U <- patch cable -> ISP Modem/Router
Main RT-AX92U <- Powerline -> AIMesh Node RT-AX92U

Main router is connected directly to the modem.
Powerline is for backhaul.

I've used Powerline for years without problems. Sure, the speeds are not the best but enough for our needs. We don't have much options considering the concrete everywhere.
Yesterday I removed the RT-AX92U network and went back to the old hardware. No problems so far.
I will send the RT-AX92U units back and give a detailed report, hopefully I will get some offer some other models. After reading the problems people have with these (e.g. Amazon reviews) I am starting to believe there are some H/W issues involved here.

 

[Rizm1989]

I recently bought this router and kept having issues as well. I read multiple forms about possible fixes, yet nothing worked. I finally figured out what the issue was for me and possibly this will help others. If you own a google home mini or any type of google smart device, than that device is likely causing your internet to crash, reboot, or lose SSID connection. So like many people I keep my SSID name the same when I get a new router so I don't have to re-login to every device. Well Google kept tripping the connection with failed authentication. So here are the steps I took and so far 3 days without a drop connection (was getting 15-20 a day).

Step one: update to latest firmware, and factory reset router.

Step two: disable smart connect and split your wireless bands.

Step three: rename your SSID to something different ( I kept my name the same but added 2G, 5G, WiFi 6 at the end of my SSID for each band)

Step four: organize what devices connect to which band, for me 2.4ghz are all smart devices, smart locks, and cameras, 5ghz band all streaming devices and computers that use wifi 5 and below, and 5ghz wifi 6 I use all my new devices that have wifi 6, smart phones, MacBooks, tablets.

And that was it, I kept everything else on default settings (I did enable wifi 6 and 160mhz).

I hope this helps those who ran into similar issues with constant drops and disconnects. No need to flash back to an older firmware like 384, that firmware helped a little, my drops went down to 2-3 a day, but it wasn't a permanent solution to my problem.

 

[leerees]

This is an old thread that's been bumped.

The firmware you are using had issues with wired backhaul.

Upgrade to 3.0.0.4.386_41712.

There was an issue with Asus releasing a bad firmware (that has since been rectified). Other than that, the only problems I've seen are caused by trying to manually set wifi channels or having the AP's too far apart. For a stable mesh, you need a RSSI of less than -60db, you can check this in the Asus app.

The RTAX92u's today are mature enough and a good option for people wanting a mesh solution.