Fixed - Very poorly balanced RT-AX88U AiMesh running Merlin (w/ hardwired backhaul)

[jksmurf]

And, Merlin firmware is not recommended for AiMesh nodes.

With all due respect I think that advice has moved on somewhat.

Stock is perfectly fine and works for many, maybe that is by virtue of it being a new install then newly added node, who knows, but it is no longer a panacea.

Regarding all recommendations to run stock fw on AImesh.
I have never used stock fw on my nodes and it working very fine for many years.

RMerlin:

"A lot of that is based on outdated information. Years ago, there was an issue that prevented Asuswrt-Merlin nodes from succesfully onboarding nodes over wifi on multiple models (but not all of them), it only worked over Ethernet. The issue was caused by Asuswrt-Merlin not properly updating the wlceventd daemon during GPL merges. The issue was fixed in early 2023."

Suggesting, the way I read it, that the (previous) recommendation to run stock is now based on outdated information.

Ref:

RT-AX68U_3004_388.10_0 has put router repeater mode.

Hello, as the title says after upgrading my router to RT-AX68U_3004_388.10_0 it appears as a repeater. The router was part of an Ai Mesh and the other two routers in that setup are working correctly. Resetting AX68U and trying to readd to Ai Mesh has not worked. Any help is much appreciated.

www.snbforums.com

i think if you search for Merlin's threads about using Merlin firmware on nodes, he said something to the effect that his firmware does not add anything to the node function. The AiMesh firmware is in the ASUS part of the firmware and his addition does not touch it. His firmware additions are intended for the main router.

That is indeed correct; but Merlin not adding anything means you can choose either with no ill effects, as supposed to the recommendation to use stock, which suggest Merlin has drawbacks, which, as above, is no longer the case.

 

[jksmurf]

While Merlin-based nodes seem to work fine so far (aside from the above limitation), there is generally little benefit in running it on a node, so it's generally recommended to leave your nodes on the stock Asus firmware.

I would generally agree on there being little benefit to the bulk of users who do not wish to take advantage of any amtm functions or addons or scripts on the nodes and in this respect stock, for the reason you note, that Merlin is 3rd party and may introduce issues, is a sound choice for most.

However when it becomes stable, out of beta, my experience of Merlin on nodes is that they attach, re-attach and perform without issue. Being nodes, they really do not have to do much and in that capacity simply do not utilise many of elements of Merlin FW that depart from stock, so must surely be less prone to the vagaries of any 3rd party add as, omits and amendments, IMO.

I personally like Merlin on my nodes, especially remote ones, so I can e.g. use amtm, use SCP (WinSCP), put MerlinAU on them for FW updates, have a disk check performed on an attached USB.

I fully get that most users do not care for this and that rebooting a node, disabling LEDs etc can all be done from the AiMesh Node WebGUI menu, so in that particular respect, the recommendation to use stock makes sense, but I wanted to differentiate that from any suggestion that Merlin has poorer or reduced functionality than stock, or is harder to attach or re-attach as a node.

 

[Tech9]

The problem @mswlogo is trying to solve with this "sequential booting" is something I can simulate on my multi-AP system just by bumping the APs EIRP to 31dBm. Since my APs don't reboot on power change I can do it on the fly. The same sticky clients start to appear soon after. A well balanced system works with -65/-70dBm signal level between the APs, working/supported 802.11k/v/r and minimum signal level to clients at around -70dBm. This is unrelated to when individual APs become available.

For folks with multiple "dumb" IoT clients there are options. Specific SMB vendors have roaming assistive technologies not requiring client support. For folks with more challenging environments there are options as well. Specific SMB vendors have quite effective hardware beamforming technologies to multiple clients. Consumer products may work for some and be total nightmare for others.