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Asus AX88u Media Bridge vs Repeater

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Yesgeek

Occasional Visitor
I currently have an Asus AX88u in Repeater mode connected to a Ubiquiti pro AP that is connected to a public network.

I cannot connect a cable directly to the Ubiquiti access point because its not my property and even if I could it already has both Ethernet ports occupied because it is daisy chained to different AP’s around the building. I also don’t need to communicate with any of the devices on the public network.

My questions are:

If I switch my AX88u into Media bridge mode and connect my computer directly into one of the AX88u LAN ports will I get faster speeds?

If it is faster...is it significant enough to justify having to connect via a cable instead of wirelessly?

From my understanding here are the differences between Media Bridge mode and Repeater Mode.

Media Bridge: receives the wireless signal but does not repeat it wirelessly. It requires the clients to be connected directly to the router via Ethernet cable. A router can also be connected in order to repeat the signal. It helps to reduce interference by not repeating the signal and provides a more stable connection than repeater mode. It is similar to connecting directly to the router via cable.

Repeater mode: receives the wireless signal and rebroadcast it again wirelessly as well as wired. It can cause interference if placed too close to another router but essentially does the same exact thing as the bridge. It also makes it harder to communicate with other devices on the same network if your trying to say connect to printers or other devices on the same network.
 
I currently have an Asus AX88u in Repeater mode connected to a Ubiquiti pro AP that is connected to a public network.

I cannot connect a cable directly to the Ubiquiti access point because its not my property and even if I could it already has both Ethernet ports occupied because it is daisy chained to different AP’s around the building. I also don’t need to communicate with any of the devices on the public network.

My questions are:

If I switch my AX88u into Media bridge mode and connect my computer directly into one of the AX88u LAN ports will I get faster speeds?

If it is faster...is it significant enough to justify having to connect via a cable instead of wirelessly?

From my understanding here are the differences between Media Bridge mode and Repeater Mode.

Media Bridge: receives the wireless signal but does not repeat it wirelessly. It requires the clients to be connected directly to the router via Ethernet cable. A router can also be connected in order to repeat the signal. It helps to reduce interference by not repeating the signal and provides a more stable connection than repeater mode. It is similar to connecting directly to the router via cable.

Repeater mode: receives the wireless signal and rebroadcast it again wirelessly as well as wired. It can cause interference if placed too close to another router but essentially does the same exact thing as the bridge. It also makes it harder to communicate with other devices on the same network if your trying to say connect to printers or other devices on the same network.

The principle difference is shared vs not shared wireless backhaul. But it seems there can be implementation issues with either mode for any given router. But you seem to understand all of this.

It's simple to switch modes, so you should try both and decide for yourself.

I recently tried Media Bridge mode plus a wired router in Bridge mode to serve as an AP. I was not impressed. So then I tried Repeater Mode to simplify things. I'm still not impressed but it will hold until I receive my replacement AC86U AiMesh node. Admittedly, I was using older retired routers.

OE
 
The principle difference is shared vs not shared wireless backhaul. But it seems there can be implementation issues with either mode for any given router. But you seem to understand all of this.

It's simple to switch modes, so you should try both and decide for yourself.

I recently tried Media Bridge mode plus a wired router in Bridge mode to serve as an AP. I was not impressed. So then I tried Repeater Mode to simplify things. I'm still not impressed but it will hold until I receive my replacement AC86U AiMesh node. Admittedly, I was using older retired routers.

OE

I’m surprised I couldn’t find any benchmarks online. I guess I’ll just have to try it out and see what happens. Thanks for the feedback.
 
@Yesgeek, Repeater mode is giving you a slower connection from what it can be. Not only you but when you're actively using it, you are also giving all the Public users a slower WiFi experience too.

When you connect as Media Bridge mode, your router just becomes a client and simply transmits or receives as needed and this transmit/receive process isn't doubled for each packet sent (that is why it will be faster.

Yes, it will be significantly faster (almost 2x faster in fact). But you may already be 'fast enough' for what you do with this connection. This is what you should test for.

What kind of speeds does this public network offer? You can buy an inexpensive router, put that in Media Bridge mode, connect the RT-AX88U's WAN port to one of the Media Bridge's LAN ports and have the best of all worlds.

HTH.
 
@Yesgeek, Repeater mode is giving you a slower connection from what it can be. Not only you but when you're actively using it, you are also giving all the Public users a slower WiFi experience too.

When you connect as Media Bridge mode, your router just becomes a client and simply transmits or receives as needed and this transmit/receive process isn't doubled for each packet sent (that is why it will be faster.

Yes, it will be significantly faster (almost 2x faster in fact). But you may already be 'fast enough' for what you do with this connection. This is what you should test for.

What kind of speeds does this public network offer? You can buy an inexpensive router, put that in Media Bridge mode, connect the RT-AX88U's WAN port to one of the Media Bridge's LAN ports and have the best of all worlds.

HTH.

I’m getting between 70-130 from the public network depending on how many clients are connected.

I think I’m going to take your advise and just buy an additional router to setup as a media bridge. The problem is that it needs to have powerful antennas because my Gli.net slate is not powerful enough to repeat the signal.

Do you have any recommendations on what router I should buy?
 
With an expected doubling of the speeds for a single client (not via a repeater), any N300 or better router with Media Bridge mode, and external (adjustable) antennae are what I would be looking for.

What is your budget? If high enough may as well get one that you can reuse/sell when not needed anymore. :)
 
The problem is that it needs to have powerful antennas because my Gli.net slate is not powerful enough to repeat the signal.

What signal is the Gli repeating? You need a wireless client before AX88U, not a repeater. Three people answered your question already. None can answer the question what's the point in purchasing >$400 worth of routers chasing a non-guaranteed speed and quality public WiFi.
 
The Gli is giving me 20 at most even with OpenVPN disabled. I configured it in WISP mode(Same thing as media bridge mode but wireless) A wireless client can also be configured as a repeater, bridge or AP. A client could be a printer, IOT device, a router, a server, a PC. What I need is another router in Media bridge or AP mode connected to the public network.

Why am I buying $400 worth of networking equipment to use a public network?

1. The public network is part of what I pay for rent. I'm not stealing the internet or doing anything I'm not supposed to.
2. They are using high-end hardware. Sonic Wall and Ubiquiti to be exact with 150 download speed why not take advantage.
3. Since I am behind the public network It provides an unparalleled amount of security and privacy.
4. The cheapest internet plan is $40 a month x12 months that is $480 which pays for all the equipment I purchased within one year.
5. When I decide to purchase my own internet I can always repurpose most of the equipment or sell it and get my money back.
6. My internet connection is not running any server or anything critical so if it goes down I can always use my phone as a hotspot.
7. I don't know how else to explain this to you

You should not discourage learning and experiments with electronics. If you don't have anything positive to say then it's better to not say anything. If someone doesn't understand something or wants to do it a different way then you should let them.
 
With an expected doubling of the speeds for a single client (not via a repeater), any N300 or better router with Media Bridge mode, and external (adjustable) antennae are what I would be looking for.

What is your budget? If high enough may as well get one that you can reuse/sell when not needed anymore. :)

I'm going to attempt to build a super router using a Qotom box. I'm going to install OpenWRT for now in bridge mode and later repurpose it as a PFSense box, Workstation, or Mini Server. I'm getting the one with an i7 so it will last me 10 years and I could experiment with all different types of setups.

I fell bad getting a router/repeater/ap for $100 that I will probably never use after I know I could probably sell it but I really want to experiment with the Qotom boxes.

I'm going to try to install Linux Mint and then create two virtual machines one for OpenWRT and one for Pfsense and see if I could get them both to work. Pfsense would handle the routing, network analysis, and VPN, and the OpenWRT would handle the wireless. Not sure if it will work but it will be a fun project.
 
Sounds like a fun project. Hope you keep us updated with your progress here. :)
 
Sounds like a fun project. Hope you keep us updated with your progress here. :)
I definitely will. So far I've come to the conclusion that in my case Media bridge mode and repeater mode give me the same results. I connected my laptop directly to one of the LAN ports in both modes and I was getting similar speeds. Around 80-90 on public a network that does around 150. The only reason I would use Media Bridge mode would be if I end up connecting another router behind the router so that the wifi signals don't interfere with each other.
 
Not so much 'interfere', rather, just 'doubling' the RX/TX for each packet. :)
 

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