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Best ASUS AiMesh combo for less than 200€/$?

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I have a very specific type of small network building task at hand.

An apartment with a challenging zig-zag layout and walls made of steel enforced concrete. Cabling is not an option nor can I place the router to a central location. Therefore a wireless backhaul mesh setup is needed to cover the apartment corner to corner. Currently there is a combo of TP-Link Archer C7 + RE200 which is very reliable, but has two practical issues. The satellite connection is slow and devices tend to connect and stay connected satellite for some reason, even thought the bandwidth would be much better by connecting straight to the router. Especially the centrally located livingroom Chromecast is problematic in this regard.

So what we need is:

- An ASUS AiMesh solution, since it allows to bind devices to a specific node (the Chromecast and other stationary devices)
- Wireless backhaul
- Super tight budget

The use case is typical family living with a bunch of devices, streaming video and working from home. Nothing extreme in the use cases. The WAN Internet is currently on the slow side, with 150mbps 4G+/LTE. May be upgraded to 5G in the next few years, which is expected to double-triple the bandwidth, but definitely not in gigabyte scale.

I almost bit the bullet and got an Asus XD6 2-pack for 279€, but I am not a big fan of crippled satellite units and it also lacks a USB-port, which might be useful for a hard drive or office room printer. Performance wise it would have been more than enough.

So I am looking at different combinations of AX-56U, AX58U, AX-55U and AX-68U, but it is pretty damn hard to figure out the actual real-life benefits or weaknesses of these models that are so similar. As an example, many here seem to suggest that the 58U is somehow superior to the 56U, but when I read the tests and benchmarks, I can't see it. Currently the 58U is 50% more expensive in local stores.

Another thing I am pondering is the 68U that features a 3x3 antennae setup. It combined with 55U or 56U might just fit the budget, but what is the real life benefit of 3x3 vs 2x2 in this scenario?

Long post. Hopefully you get the idea, and I am more than eager to read any input from the SNB gurus. Been reading this forum for years, and now finally registered.
 
RT-AC66U_B1 two pack
 
I have a very specific type of small network building task at hand.

An apartment with a challenging zig-zag layout and walls made of steel enforced concrete. Cabling is not an option nor can I place the router to a central location. Therefore a wireless backhaul mesh setup is needed to cover the apartment corner to corner. Currently there is a combo of TP-Link Archer C7 + RE200 which is very reliable, but has two practical issues. The satellite connection is slow and devices tend to connect and stay connected satellite for some reason, even thought the bandwidth would be much better by connecting straight to the router. Especially the centrally located livingroom Chromecast is problematic in this regard.

So what we need is:

- An ASUS AiMesh solution, since it allows to bind devices to a specific node (the Chromecast and other stationary devices)
- Wireless backhaul
- Super tight budget

The use case is typical family living with a bunch of devices, streaming video and working from home. Nothing extreme in the use cases. The WAN Internet is currently on the slow side, with 150mbps 4G+/LTE. May be upgraded to 5G in the next few years, which is expected to double-triple the bandwidth, but definitely not in gigabyte scale.

I almost bit the bullet and got an Asus XD6 2-pack for 279€, but I am not a big fan of crippled satellite units and it also lacks a USB-port, which might be useful for a hard drive or office room printer. Performance wise it would have been more than enough.

So I am looking at different combinations of AX-56U, AX58U, AX-55U and AX-68U, but it is pretty damn hard to figure out the actual real-life benefits or weaknesses of these models that are so similar. As an example, many here seem to suggest that the 58U is somehow superior to the 56U, but when I read the tests and benchmarks, I can't see it. Currently the 58U is 50% more expensive in local stores.

Another thing I am pondering is the 68U that features a 3x3 antennae setup. It combined with 55U or 56U might just fit the budget, but what is the real life benefit of 3x3 vs 2x2 in this scenario?

Long post. Hopefully you get the idea, and I am more than eager to read any input from the SNB gurus. Been reading this forum for years, and now finally registered.

I hesitate to tell anyone what to buy, but I will suggest that with an OEM like ASUS that likes to market a bazillion models to solve the same basic need, my approach is to ignore most of them and find the one or two 'mainstream' builds that will get the job done reasonably well and enjoy good support.

For my needs, this has been the N66U; the AC68U; the AC86U for Smart Connect/same SSID 'elegance' and about 20% more WiFi coverage for a long AiMesh backhaul; and now the AX86U, mostly to leave the AC86U behind (which has had a few hardware issues). The rolling development of AiMesh has also been troublesome across all models (more so on those enjoying less support/less frequent firmware updates), but I want it to succeed so I'm still onboard with it.

The AC66U B1 mentioned above is now similar to the AC68U (no Smart Connect, so use different SSIDs per band).

Router USB solutions tend to fall short of similar connected directly to the LAN, and more so on routers with less horsepower/memory i.e. in your price range, so moderate your expectations accordingly. I would shop for your primary need, affordable network coverage.

I'm not a fan of packaged systems and their inherent constraints. ZEN system units are pre-paired so its all or nothing, which defeats an AiMesh (and WiFi in general) premise of maintaining/upgrading the network incrementally over time.

Typical wireless clients are 2-streams or less. The use for 3- or 4-streams is the wireless AiMesh backhaul, router to node. I would target 2.4x3 and 5.0x4 antennas to aid the wireless backhaul and any business/work class laptops with 3 antennas.... like a 'mainstream' model would/should do. If you settle for less, expect to have less throughput with higher end clients. If you use a wireless backhaul, you are already sharing that pipe/WiFi with clients... so avoid hobbling it further, imo.

Your final decision may come down to the one thing most important to you. Decide that first, and don't overlook total cost of ownership as this relates to the user experience... opportunity costs.

OE
 
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one or two 'mainstream' builds that will get the job done reasonably well and enjoy good support.
My thought exactly. I wonder which of the current AX lineup would be the "future classics", with a large userbase and good support.

I definitely will not go for legacy AC products in 2022. For example the AC66 is from circa 2017 and must be reaching it's EOL. AC models in general are not in very good availablility anymore and virtually with no price difference to AX models. Also, this a downtown apartment so there are a lot of noisy neighbours. I am thinking that the AX would benefit the backhauling and also the business laptops are adopting AX as well.

Any suggestions for pairs? The ASUS lineup is really is quite confusing. For example the AX68U is definitely interesting and there have been good sales prices for it, but it seems to be based on an older platform than 56 or 58.
 
My thought exactly. I wonder which of the current AX lineup would be the "future classics", with a large userbase and good support.

I definitely will not go for legacy AC products in 2022. For example the AC66 is from circa 2017 and must be reaching it's EOL. AC models in general are not in very good availablility anymore and virtually with no price difference to AX models. Also, this a downtown apartment so there are a lot of noisy neighbours. I am thinking that the AX would benefit the backhauling and also the business laptops are adopting AX as well.

Any suggestions for pairs? The ASUS lineup is really is quite confusing. For example the AX68U is definitely interesting and there have been good sales prices for it, but it seems to be based on an older platform than 56 or 58.

Take a look at the AX68U and AX86U (the S version has lower hardware specs). And watch for more comments here from other users.

Upgrading from WiFi5 AC to WiFi6 AX (not WiFi6e AX), gets you snappier and current hardware with more longevity, but it still squeezes AX/160 MHz bandwidth into a 5.0 band that is tight on channels and subject to DFS interference. You can use AX at 80 MHz bw, just like for AC, but using AX at 160 MHz bw is limited to two channel options, both subject to DFS.

I only have one AX client so far and it is wired (full-duplex GbE). And my wireless node is AC. So AX at 160 MHz on the 5.0 band is not that significant; I leave it configure at 80 MHz bw to have more non-DFS channel options. However, if I upgrade my node to AX, I'll want to try running the AX backhaul at 160 MHz on ch 36-64 with some DFS channels. See my AiMesh install notes for more detail.

To shine, AX needs WiFi6e... lots of channels and no DFS. Someday.

We all know that 2.4 travels farther than 5.0. This has to do with the wavelength... less power attenuation. Similar may hold for the 6.0 band... I'm not sure, but 6.0 may travel less far than 5.0, which can be both good and not good depending on your needs. (I'm glad my neighbors' 5.0 bazillion node packaged mesh systems are mostly not able to reach into my house.)

OE
 
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To refrain from repeating a lot of what has been already stated above, and just answer the question(s), the most stable/reliable and highest performing hardware at the least cost you can buy today will be 2x RT-AX68U's (or 3x, if needed). The other (better) option is 2x (or 3x) RT-AX86U's.

Report - 2x RT-AX68U upgrade over 2x RT-AC86U in wireless backhaul mode

A single RT-AX68U or RT-AX86U offers a lot of performance, I would suggest you buy two, but only unbox and test one in your environment before opening and testing the other.

Don't be afraid of testing for the location, orientation, and antennae placement as much as possible. In WiFi, even a few inches in 3D space can make a huge difference.
 
Most of us would vote for the AX86U or S. You I were concerned about cost and that is why I recommend the AC66U_B1. Still getting updates, rock solid performance and Merlins go to choice for testing new firmware. I feel it still has stronger WIFI than the AX86U. I use mine as a mesh node.
 
I'm curious what you feel is 'stronger' in the RT-AC66U_B1 vs. the RT-AX86U? The throughput of the RT-AX68U (an obvious lessor model) easily trumps the still much better RT-AC86U, which in itself is superior to the RT-AC66U_B1 and all other RT-AC68U sister models.

The upcoming v4 of the RT-AC68U (with greatly upgraded hardware) seems like it may well replace the RT-AC86U when the drivers and firmware are found stable for it too.
 
A single RT-AX68U or RT-AX86U offers a lot of performance, I would suggest you buy two, but only unbox and test one
Thank you - this reminded me why I am using a TP-Link OneMesh in the first place.

Due to the concrete walls there is actually only one room that 5GHz can't currently reach, so I am using the RE200 w. OneMesh to get around the last corner and cover everything. The 2.4GHz might do better in terms of penetrating the walls, but i had to isolate the bands as Chromecast does not work with TP-Link Smart Connect (aka merging the bands to one SSID) - if Chromecast and the controlling device are streered to different bands, they cannot see each other (this is not just me, verified by a large number users/posts on different forums).

It is my understanding that the TP-Link Archer C7 is not best routers for maximum range, and newer routers might do better. So indeed, I could 1st try with a one higher and router than two cheap ones.

Can someone confirm whether Chromecast works with the ASUS implementation of SmartConnect?
 
- Super tight budget

TP-Link Archer C80 for $50 has amazing range and speed for such cheap device and you can still use your OneMesh repeater.


I had to replace one AP with something temporary and this thing was the first available. Well... it has exceptionally good Wi-Fi. It may not have the features of Asus RT-AC66U B1, but beats it in Wi-Fi in both speed and range. Very basic, but stable, cheap and compatible with what you already have. It has a good app as well. You may get one and see if it works for you. If it doesn't - send it back.
 
My favorite retailer just put the RT-AX68U on sale (129€) with a flexible 50d return policy, so I am going to give this a spin.

I did some more measurements and using the Archer C7 alone, only about a half of the room with most distance form the router has no usable signal. I am hoping that the AX68 might have a better range, as the C7 is not the greatest in this regards. If a single router can blanket the house then great - mesh just would add unnecessary complexity.

I am slightly worried about the feedback that AX68U is getting around the Internet. Many people seem to complain about WiFi dropouts and other issues, here too. The Archer C7 + RE200 has been a rock solid combo that can run without reboots literally for months and months (I never reboot them).

At first I am going to drop in the AX68 with default settings, minimal configuration, using the old SSIDs and passwords. Let it run from couple of weeks to see if it stable. After all, basic routers like this one should just work.
 
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I am hoping that the AX68 might have a better range, as the C7 is not the greatest in this regards.

AX68U will have better range than Archer C7, but I'm not sure about the reliability. Archer C7 is a legend, one of the best for reliability.
 
AX68U will have better range than Archer C7
Indeed it does. I dropped in the new router, and I now have usable signal around the house. In the most remote corners of the apartment the 5Ghz band is starting to have issues, and gives only bornerline ~30mbps speeds. If central placement would be possible, the AX68 would easily blanket the apartment (100m2, odd layout, many steel enforced concrete walls).

Apparantly routers have evolved during the recent years and this kind of an entry level router wipes the floor with an AC-era "legend". In terms of dB, the signal improved roughly +10dB around the house, near and far (a rough estimate with WiFi-Man). The setup was a breeze too, as I literally did it during an 18 minute hockey game intermission. I did it with the mobile app and the router updated it's firmware too. Everything is set to defaults/automatic, for now.

The router opted for 5GHz channel 106 (80MHz, one noisy neighbour) and channel 3 (20MHz). With the old router I found CH 6 to be the fastest at 40MHz. Will experiment later.

Smart Connect/band steering might be useful for me, as the 2.4GHz band is faster in the farest corners of the apartment. Nobody has commented whether Chromecast works with ASUS SmartConnect as it definitely does not with TP-Link's. Can anyone confirm if it works or not?
 
Archer C7 is AC Wave 1 router. AX68U is AC Wave 2 + AX. There is good 20% improvement in range and speed between the two AC generations. This is perhaps all the improvement you need to cover your place. Use non-DFS channels for 5GHz (36-48, 149-161) for stability and 20MHz wide channel on 2.4GHz for both stability and range. Don't follow 1-6-11 rule on 2.4GHz - the router will auto-select the channel with most bandwidth available. Monitor what channel the router uses most of the time and fix it after a week. I would not use SmartConnect for extra control on devices.
 
Nobody has commented whether Chromecast works with ASUS SmartConnect as it definitely does not with TP-Link's. Can anyone confirm if it works or not?

My Chromecast 1 (recycled) and 2 (on the shelf) dongles worked fine on N66U, AC68U, AC86U/AiMesh, and AX86U/AiMesh, with and without Smart Connect. Chromecast is now built-in to my wired stupid smart TV.

Be brave... try it.

OE
 
Be brave... try it.

Rather not...quite of a lot of work to reconfigure the clients, and perhaps do it again if issues are found. Band Steering and Chromecast has been a frequently discussed issue for several years, so I am pessimistic unless someone is able to confirm otherwise.

Regarding the router:

While it all started great with easy setup, good coverage and speed, something went south during the last 24 hours. This morning I noticed odd networking issues with my clients. Had a look at the router log and saw a lot of...

kernel: wl1: fatal error....

The router had produced 112 of these, so it was happening several times per hour. Not good. The configuration still is as default as possible.

Rebooted the router and cleared the logs. If this starts happening again during the next few days, the router will go back to the store -- these things should just work and uptime should be measured in months, not days.
 
Rather not...quite of a lot of work to reconfigure the clients, and perhaps do it again if issues are found. Band Steering and Chromecast has been a frequently discussed issue for several years, so I am pessimistic unless someone is able to confirm otherwise.

Regarding the router:

While it all started great with easy setup, good coverage and speed, something went south during the last 24 hours. This morning I noticed odd networking issues with my clients. Had a look at the router log and saw a lot of...

kernel: wl1: fatal error....

The router had produced 112 of these, so it was happening several times per hour. Not good. The configuration still is as default as possible.

Rebooted the router and cleared the logs. If this starts happening again during the next few days, the router will go back to the store -- these things should just work and uptime should be measured in months, not days.

If you don't want to use Smart Connect, you should forget about it and stay with different SSIDs. Otherwise, configure it and the Chromecast to see how it behaves. You don't need to change all of your other clients unless you decide to keep using it.

As for the fatal errors, be sure to reset the router firmware to its default settings before you configure it from scratch.

Reset FAQ
Reset/Restore
Hard Reset/Restore w/Initialize

OE
 
As for the fatal errors, be sure to reset the router firmware to its default settings before you configure it from scratch.

I don't get this - this is a brand new router. Do you reset your new car or smartphone immediately after taking it to good use? Both of them have way more complex software than a simple router.

The kernel fatal errors stopped with a simple reboot and the router worked for a few days, but just crashed in the middle of an improtant work meeting. This time I got this and all wifi connections died:


The router deauthenticated connected device without a specific reason.

Unfortunately this router seems to be absolute garbage and will return it. Crashing every few days is absolutely not normal. Are all ASUS routers this bad, or is the AX68U an exceptionally bad model?
 
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Has anyone mentioned the AX86U yet? :D
 
I don't get this - this is a brand new router. Do you reset your new car or smartphone immediately after taking it to good use? Both of them have way more complex software than a simple router.

The kernel fatal errors stopped with a simple reboot and the router worked for a few days, but just crashed in the middle of an improtant work meeting. This time I got this and all wifi connections died:


The router deauthenticated connected device without a specific reason.

Unfortunately this router seems to be absolute garbage and will return it. Crashing every few days is absolutely not normal. Are all ASUS routers this bad, or is the AX68U an exceptionally bad model?

Which is why I mentioned it and linked to supporting information. And I have no idea what the state of your new router is. If you want to be sure to start fresh, reset/initialize the current firmware to its defaults. Otherwise, you may be debugging the simple stuff.

There is no user reset on my car and I never configure its firmware. False comparisons are a waste of time unless you intend to use your car as your wireless router, which I would recommend against.

If you decide to troubleshoot your AX68U issue, I would start by disconnecting all but the ISP connection, reset and configure the current firmware minimally from scratch, and then see how it performs with a few clients. Once you have confidence in the new hardware (no obviously abnormal behavior), add your network to it, one change at a time.

OE
 

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