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ASUS AX86U recommendations

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kannanni

Occasional Visitor
Hi there,

I have an Asus AX86U arriving tomorrow and wanted to ask: based on a mixture of Wi-Fi6 and normal Wi-Fi 5 clients, what channel/settings shall I use on the Wi-Fi section for optimal performance on stock firmware?

(I’m based in UK currently using Virgin media on an Asus ac68u on channel 100 on 80 mhz running stock firmware)
 
Hi there,

I have an Asus AX86U arriving tomorrow and wanted to ask: based on a mixture of Wi-Fi6 and normal Wi-Fi 5 clients, what channel/settings shall I use on the Wi-Fi section for optimal performance on stock firmware?

(I’m based in UK currently using Virgin media on an Asus ac68u on channel 100 on 80 mhz running stock firmware)

I'm in the US. The settings in my install notes might help... ignore the AiMesh bits and adjust for your region as required, particularly to fit 160 MHz bandwidth into the 5.0 band using as few DFS channels as possible. I have only one AX client; it connects at 160 MHz while my other clients connect at 40 or 80 as they require.

OE
 
(I’m based in UK currently using Virgin media on an Asus ac68u on channel 100 on 80 mhz running stock firmware)
I had exactly this setup. When I got my RT-AX86U I kept the same 2.4GHz setup with ax mode disabled. On 5GHz I would have kept the same 100/80 channel but a neighbour's AP was causing interference on that channel so I moved it to 116/80. I don't use 160MHz as I only have one device that could use it. Channels <100 have noticeably less power/range.
 
I recommend you start out with the WIFI defaults. Do use Dual Band SmartConnect with Auto channel for both bands. You could use just 20 MHZ on the 2.4 band to be kind to your neighbors. Let the router run for a couple of days to see which channels it chooses then maybe set fixed channels. Leave the 5 GHz at 20, 40, 80, 160. The router will detect when an AX client connects and switch up to 160 if cleared for RADAR. The only other thing I turn off is WPS. Stick with Asus firmware unless there is an urgent and compelling reason not to.
 
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Enable 160mhz, this will work on channel 100 and you'll max out your VM connection over wifi.

Make sure you click use DFS channels to get 160mhz.

If you live near an airport, you'll have to stick with 80mhz which will still net you a reasonable 600mb/s on your AX band.
 
Hi guys,

Thank you for your recommendations. I have now set this up and I'm very happy with it.

1 more thing I forgot to ask: What type of Wi-Fi encryption do you recommend for this router? I have left it on default WPA2 personal at the moment, but I did see WPA3 was there as an option..
 
I use WPA2-Personal and have Protected Management Frames disabled. But it's really your choice.
 
Hi guys,

Thank you for your recommendations. I have now set this up and I'm very happy with it.

1 more thing I forgot to ask: What type of Wi-Fi encryption do you recommend for this router? I have left it on default WPA2 personal at the moment, but I did see WPA3 was there as an option..
WPA2-Personal is the default. I have run WPA2/WPA3-Personal in the past but discovered some of my older clients do not like that. I set up a guest WIFI with just WPA2-Personal for those older clients. Would do no harm to try it. But as I recommended before just stick with the Asus default WIFI settings.
 
1 more thing I forgot to ask: What type of Wi-Fi encryption do you recommend for this router? I have left it on default WPA2 personal at the moment, but I did see WPA3 was there as an option..

My settings are linked in post#2 above.

All of my clients work with 'WPA2/WPA3-Personal AES'. Older/AC/N clients authenticate with WPA2; my one newer/AX client authenticates with WPA3... as they should in a perfect world.

OE
 
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For me 2 clients use WPA3 - Phone / Laptop

Everything else whether 5G or 2G goes w/ WPA2 i.e. thermostat / soundbar / printer / Chromecast
 

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