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Does a 5.0 40 MHz client affect a 5.0 80 MHz client?

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I've never seen any real life benefits of Beamforming and MU-MIMO.

I've noticed wireless connection quality consistently degrade with explicit beamforming disabled, particularly for the wireless AiMesh backhaul between two AC86Us where you would expect equally competent hardware to so respond.

OE
 
I've noticed wireless connection quality consistently degrade with explicit beamforming disabled

It's part of AC specs and is expected to work between 2 routers. They support it for sure and perhaps benefit from it. Routers don't move around. Your clients may have little to no benefit though.
 
Update on my case study...

My erector set network fell apart overnight when the N66U Bridge decided to reconnect to the E3200 AP wired to it... because of same different SSIDs on the AP.

So, I made some adjustments. I created a dedicated OE-50 Bridge guest WLAN with intranet access on the AC86U router for the N66U Bridge to use. And I set static IPs on both the N66U Bridge and the E3200 AP wired to it. I figure that should tame things a bit.

Still testing the use of same different SSIDs across router and AP WLANs... works so far with one client.

OE
 
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It's part of AC specs and is expected to work between 2 routers. They support it for sure and perhaps benefit from it. Routers don't move around. Your clients may have little to no benefit though.

That is how I see it. When AiMesh users here recommend disabling everything in the course of blind troubleshooting, they should realize that they might hobble their wireless AiMesh backhauls since their routers may be their most capable wireless clients.

OE
 
in the course of blind troubleshooting

This is a very accurate description of recommendations and guides I see around SNB. You know your things and the step by step troubleshooting you do is the better way. Are you going for 3rd RT-AC86U router? Is there any way to wire 2 APs in your place and forget about wireless backhauls and bridges?
 
I agree that switching every setting on/off 'blindly' while troubleshooting is a futile exercise and one which I've seen renders many routers unstable even after going back to their 'good' settings.

The defaults suggested by the M&M Config and the Nuclear Reset guides are solid and have been proven many times over for my customers and for many on these forums right here.

Testing the settings is very time-intensive and many do not even reboot after changes (let alone waiting for 10 minutes or more for the router to settle down), making the observations suspect.

A best-practices approach that can be repeated easily is needed to verify any improvements. Using the guides mentioned here do that.

What is interesting is that those old guides haven't been updated in years. :)
 
This is a very accurate description of recommendations and guides I see around SNB. You know your things and the step by step troubleshooting you do is the better way. Are you going for 3rd RT-AC86U router? Is there any way to wire 2 APs in your place and forget about wireless backhauls and bridges?

Yes, but, blind troubleshooting is normal when you don't know enough and can yield some good.

I will resist another 86U at current prices... I got my first two for $140 each after a Microcenter sale and Asus rebate... maybe they were dumping them already back then. Things I have learned here while hanging around for AiMesh may allow me to repurpose retired routers to get by until I need to buy up. Of course, if the product timing were better, I'd buy now... but WiFi 6e is a ways off and AiMesh 2.0 is still unusable... maybe next week. :)

I could run cables but it would be ugly and relatively difficult and not wireless.

OE
 
have been proven many times over for my customers

I see you actively advertise your 101 guide which has nothing to do with troubleshooting and it was the first thing coming in mind when Ozark mentioned blind troubleshooting. Some of your guides include router destructive troubleshooting. The 101 guide includes network destructive troubleshooting. I expect neighborhood reset and reconnect guide coming soon. I don't know about your customers, but I really hope you get paid per hour. :)

I could run cables but it would be ugly and relatively difficult and not wireless.

My suggestion is to test simple setup first. If this RT-N66U works well as a Bridge, why not straight as Repeater? This is similar to what you had with AiMesh. With wireless backhaul your bandwidth is 1/2 at the repeater, but it may be a good temp solution with less devices involved. I would also experiment with early Jonh's Fork versions with the "illegal" power settings driver on 5GHz. May help in your situation, if the Repeater part is stable on this FW.
 
Nothing is advertised by me here. I merely provide a method for people to help themselves. From (many) suggestions taken from people who were helping others long before I was here.

Nothing destructive mentioned either. To make breakfast, you need to break a few eggs. That isn't called destructive cooking. But we know your bias against me.

Still waiting on your wonderful guides that will show me how to do things right. :rolleyes:
 
My suggestion is to test simple setup first. If this RT-N66U works well as a Bridge, why not straight as Repeater? This is similar to what you had with AiMesh. With wireless backhaul your bandwidth is 1/2 at the repeater, but it may be a good temp solution with less devices involved. I would also experiment with early Jonh's Fork versions with the "illegal" power settings driver on 5GHz. May help in your situation, if the Repeater part is stable on this FW.

I was using the N66U in Repeater Mode before moving to AiMesh. AiMesh was better all around and the wireless backhaul was stronger. I decided to try the N66U in Bridge Mode to see how the backhaul performs. Plus the AP since I've never tried using an AP. The roaming with the repeater was not great; roaming with the AP may be better... still testing this with common SSIDs (same different SSIDS).

I did move the AP 5.0 channel off the 149-161 block used by the router... AiMesh may tolerate co-channel nodes but I assume APs do not. So, that leaves determining whether or not to use unique SSIDs on the AP.

OE
 
Still waiting on your wonderful guides that will show me how to do things right. :rolleyes:

You had some suggestions how to improve your 101 guide and some pointers what is straight wrong in it. You never bothered to update it. The "always right" factor plays role here. You even ignored Merlin's opinion. Better wait for someone who knows the answer instead of flooding the forum with destructive guides. I know at least 10 people around who usually hit the right answer within few posts. Have some patience. It's a friendly advice and I have nothing against you personally.

I did move the AP 5.0 channel off the 149-161 block used by the router... AiMesh may tolerate co-channel nodes but I assume APs do not. So, that leaves determining whether or not to use unique SSIDs on the AP.

You can keep same SSID on different channels. This is how true mesh systems work. Moving AP away from the backhaul is right. Roaming though is straight client decision in your case. Your clients may hold the connection as long as possible, even though you're much closer to the other AP. You may have to reconnect clients in order to force them switch to the AP. You use Asus stock with no much advanced features. I believe an Eero Pro 3-pack system will work better than AiMesh for you.
 
All your suggestions on how to improve the guide were fully answered in that thread. What is wrong is how you're attempting to interpret it, not what is written for beginners.

Where did I ignore RMerlin's opinion?

Again, 'destructive guides' are your issue. Not to the people they help get their networks working reliably again.

You may want to read what others have already suggested too before replying. Repeating what was said a post or two above is seldom useful.

The 'always right' factor does play a role here (for you, not me).

Again, I am mostly repeating information that I have found helpful from previous forum members. Your beef is with them, not my guides.

And to put a fine point on this, the reason they bear repeating is that they provide results. Again, and again.
 
Yes, but, blind troubleshooting is normal when you don't know enough and can yield some good.

I will resist another 86U at current prices... I got my first two for $140 each after a Microcenter sale and Asus rebate... maybe they were dumping them already back then. Things I have learned here while hanging around for AiMesh may allow me to repurpose retired routers to get by until I need to buy up. Of course, if the product timing were better, I'd buy now... but WiFi 6e is a ways off and AiMesh 2.0 is still unusable... maybe next week. :)

I could run cables but it would be ugly and relatively difficult and not wireless.

OE
You mentioned micro center, so I assume you have one close to you. I have two in Atlanta. They have had the Netgear R7800 priced at $161.49 for over a week now. The store closer to me is out of stock on it and the other store has one left. If you're game for that router, it's reasonably priced right now and highly rated.
 
@OzarkEdge FYI I've updated my posts #2 and #19 in light of what Tim said and me looking at the source code.
To steer things back on course and also beat on this horse a little more hahaha.....you're edited post snippet shown below...
20/40/80 depending on capabilities of router. It seems to me that if the router wasn't capable, then it wouldn't be an option in the first place. What does one use to determine the capabilities of their router and know what it is going to do by using that setting. Mysteriously, there is no info to display in the router settings when you hover over that particular setting in the gui. Seems even they didn't know and just didn't said screw it.

Snippet -
Code:
Router setting Broadcom bw_cap value
20 20MHz
40 20/40MHz
80 20/40/80MHz
20/40/80 sets the value to 20/40MHz or 20/40/80MHz depending on capabilities
of router and turns on OBSS Coexistence.
EDIT: Corrected 20/40/80 behaviour above.
 
I believe an Eero Pro 3-pack system will work better than AiMesh for you.

What is required to setup eero?
Already have your eeros or are just looking for what you'll need to get started? You can find all the requirements below:
What you'll need
Ain't ever gonna happen here!

OE
 
20/40/80 depending on capabilities of router. It seems to me that if the router wasn't capable, then it wouldn't be an option in the first place. What does one use to determine the capabilities of their router and know what it is going to do by using that setting.
Sorry, the phrase "depending on capabilities of router" is unnecessarily confusing. What I meant was that there are checks within the code to determine whether or not 80 MHz is a valid bandwidth for a particular router model or band (2.4/5GHz). This is obvious to the end user from the options given in the the GUI. For example if you change the band to 2.4GHz the "20/40/80" option is replaced by "20/40". Likewise, IIRC the RT-N66U doesn't support 80 MHz on 5GHz.
 

Just wait for someone who knows what the issue is to answer first. This forum is not a speed posting competition. If you see no progress in like 3-4 days, slap them with your reset and tear down guides. The user obviously has no idea what is he doing. This is all I'm asking for. More tech approach and less guessing.

Ain't ever gonna happen here!

This is for security purposes to verify the account is yours. Similar to gmail service with phone sms confirmation. They won't steal your data nor monitor your activity. If you read TrendMicro agreement for AiProtect you'll never use that service either. Eero Pro is one of the better systems out there. The choice is yours.
 
If I'm answering, I am confident that I am correctly guessing what the issue is. Can't do much more than that via a post...

Wait 3-4 days? Lol... Nobody has time for that. Particularly the user who needs help.

Notice that the guides (M&M Config and Nuclear Reset) are the last thing that is suggested and searching for direct solutions/answers is step #5.

Doesn't sound like you've even read the guide, at least not with an open mind?
 

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