AX86U 2.4GHz broadcast question

[zero7404]

i recently setup an AX86U to replace an older AC87U.

I do not have any AX devices, during setup I chose to use 2.4GHz and 5GHz as separate networks/broadcasts.

i noticed almost right away, that older wifi devices like printers, home appliances, older game consoles (that use 2.4GHz WiFi only), do not support the 2.4G broadcast (even when it is setup as WPA2-Personal, which has worked on the AC87U).

I also setup a few 2.4GHz guest networks, one of them for true guests (no intranet access). the other, I created because I noticed that the guest broadcast DOES work with older WiFi devices.

both guest networks are 2.4GHz WPA2-Personal broadcasts, but the second one I have setup to allow intranet access and also added MAC filtering to allow only those device MACs I specified.

any thoughts on what makes the 'primary' 2.4GHz broadcast incompatible with older devices, whereas the 'guest' 2.4GHz broadcasts are compatible ?

NOTE: the 'primary' 2.4GHz broadcast is also set to WPA2-Personal (there were other selections like WPA/WPA2-Personal) which I don't know what that setting is doing.

'primary' 2.4GHz
b/g/n
WPA2-Personal
channels managed by router (auto)

'primary' 5GHz
a/n/ac/ax
WPA3-Personal
channels managed by router (auto)

'guest 1' and 'guest 2' 2.4GHz
b/g/n
WPA2-Personal
channels managed by router (auto)


using a scanner, I see all the 2.4GHz broadcasts @ 600 Mbps
the 5GHz broadcast is at 2402 Mbps

 

[L&LD]

If you're reusing your old SSIDs on the main wireless networks, you are more likely to see the issues you're experiencing.

Try using a new, never before used SSID (by any of your devices, ever), to test with on the main 2.5GHz wireless network.

 

[zero7404]

i am using entirely new and unique SSID's for this newer router.

 

[zero7404]

something else i find concerning ....

i have a work computer that i connect to my network. but my LAN IP subnet is different from the popular 192.168.1.x subnet usually used. this work computer connects to my router with an IP of 192.168.x.y (both x and y are between 2 and 254).

so far it looks like it's working ok, not sure if the router has an issue with this since it is outside of the subnet and subnet mask that i specified.

 

[ColinTaylor]

something else i find concerning ....

i have a work computer that i connect to my network. but my LAN IP subnet is different from the popular 192.168.1.x subnet usually used. this work computer connects to my router with an IP of 192.168.x.y (both x and y are between 2 and 254).

so far it looks like it's working ok, not sure if the router has an issue with this since it is outside of the subnet and subnet mask that i specified.

How is the work computer getting its IP address, from DHCP? Is it running a local VPN client connecting to the main office?

Is the work computer connecting to your main WiFi or to a guest network? Devices connecting to the first guest network "slot" on 2.4 and 5 GHz will get IP addresses in the 192.168.101.x and 192.168.102.x ranges respectively.

 

[zero7404]

How is the work computer getting its IP address, from DHCP? Is it running a local VPN client connecting to the main office?

Is the work computer connecting to your main WiFi or to a guest network? Devices connecting to the first guest network "slot" on 2.4 and 5 GHz will get IP addresses in the 192.168.101.x and 192.168.102.x ranges respectively.

i use a work provided vpn, yes.

and it is indeed connecting to the first 2.4GHz guest broadcast because I don't want it having visibility to my LAN.

and it was assigned a 192.168.101.x IP .... i have tried to change it's IP and make it binding (in the router) but that doesn't work.

wrt the other devices within my network that connect to the second slot 2.4GHz guest, those IP's that I've specified usually stick (10. subnet rather than 192. subnet).

 

[bbunge]

WIFI settings are controversial!

What works for me with the Asus firmware:
Use Dual Band SmartConnect
2.4 GHz at 20 MHz on channel 1, 6 or 11
5 GHz at 160 MHz on channel 36
WPA2/WPA3
Disable WPS
A couple of older clients do not like WPA2/WPA3 but they do like Guest 1 or 2 with just WPA2
I recommend SmartConnect with the above settings because if the 5 GHz gets RADAR bounced the clients will switch over to the 2.4 GHz and keep working. I also run an AC86U as a WIFI AiMesh node with no issues.

The newer Asus firmware for the AX86U has DoT and DNS Filter which works very well! Upgrade if you need to!

 

[ColinTaylor]

and it was assigned a 192.168.101.x IP .... i have tried to change it's IP and make it binding (in the router) but that doesn't work.

The first slot is a special case. Asus has implemented this way so that it can propagate guest networks over AiMesh nodes. If you want to bind the clients to specific IP addresses you'll need to use slots 2 or 3.

 

[zero7404]

bbunge thanks for those suggestions ... will look into them with time.

as it stands now it took some decent chunk of my time to do the 'heart transplant' on my network and have all devices seamlessly working for everyone when they woke up this morning.

being intermediate with Asus routers helped to rebuild the new network. what doesn't help is how the router radios, gui, OS have to reset or reboot with even the smallest of changes. that one thing led to the bulk of the time it took to setup.

i wonder why Asus hasn't implemented a gui or function that allows you to go make all your changes everywhere and hit apply all when you're done. would save a lot of time for setups and tweaks

 

[zero7404]

The first slot is a special case. Asus has implemented this way so that it can propagate guest networks over AiMesh nodes. If you want to bind the clients to specific IP addresses you'll need to use slots 2 or 3.

i missed that fine print somewhere in the gui or the manual. thanks

 

[zero7404]

i’m going to plan on another wave of tweaks to my network with this router.

would be beneficial to know why some legacy devices that can use 2.4 are not compatible with the ‘primary’ 2.4 broadcast of the AX86U ?

that could help with choosing features like smart connect. maybe the reason is that the broadcast is also setup to enable WPA3 if desired. I am using WPA3 for the 5GHz broadcast without issues on the client side connections.

or I can just remove the primary 2.4 network and rely on my 2nd slot 2.4 GHz guest network - that’s also an option I can do since it looks like it plays nice with all 2.4 clients I have.

I can also implement Merlinwrt at the same time, i paused on that during initial setup because I noticed ASUS’s official fw release has a more recent time stamp vs. the latest Merlinwrt for this router.