Solved GT-AX6000 and GT-AXE16000 Antennas: interchangeable?

[ika]

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well.

So I upgraded from my GT-AX6000 to a GT-AXE16000. While I understand it is an older model now, it was a good deal and I have a wired OpenWRT router with a dedicated internet line for work, so this setup is solely for personal use and providing internet access for my family and the house (for example, I can now dedicate a 6E network to wireless VR only, which is a significant upgrade in our usecase).

I carefully copied all the settings from my GT-AX6000, but I immediately noticed that the 2.4GHz range is significantly lower than what we had with the previous unit. This made me wonder:
- Would using the antennas from my GT-AX6000 make a difference?
- Are they compatible with the AXE16000?
- If so, which ones should I replace?
- Would the GT-AX6000 work with the antennas from my GT-AXE16000 (so I could safely donate it to my friend)?

Another question (sorry if this was asked before):
I recently acquired a new IoT device that unfortunately does not support 802.11w. Is it possible to disable protected management frames specifically for a single IoT network while keeping it enforced on all other networks?
- if not, what would be the best solution for this problem, dedicate the 2.4Ghz radio for guest/iot networks only?

ps.: I really loved the GT-AX6000. While I experienced some serious issues with it initially, those problems were resolved after a few updates and it's been a joyride ever since. The wireless performance with AsusWRT-Merlin has been phenomenal and remarkably stable. I truly appreciate it.

Thank you very much in advance.
Noble regards,
ika

 

[Tech9]

Are they compatible with the AXE16000

Routers with 6GHz band have non-detachable antennas.

 

[ika]

Routers with 6GHz band have non-detachable antennas.

Oh, I never tried to unscrew those, my mistake, please accept my appolgies and thank you for the quick answer.

ps.: I do not mark it "Solved" yet, asd maybe somebody has answer for the second question about the PMFs.

 

[Tech9]

You can disable PMF in 2.4GHz radio settings. Just like in GT-AX6000. As far as I remember it's per radio setting and not per logical interface (i.e. specific guest network) on ASUS routers, but you can double check. The two routers run the same base 3006.102 firmware and the Web GUI is the same. It's even the same ROG red.

 

[ika]

You can disable PMF in 2.4GHz radio settings. Just like in GT-AX6000. As far as I remember it's per radio setting and not per logical interface (i.e. specific guest network) on ASUS routers, but you can double check. The two routers run the same base 3006.102 firmware and the Web GUI is the same. It's even the same ROG red.

Yes I understand, I know it is almost the same router, I just did not have this iot device with the GT-AX6000, so I never faced this issue until now. I guess I will go with 5-6 Ghz only for internal lan, and dedicate the 2.4Ghz for guest/iot networks.
Thank again

 

[Tech9]

There is an official ASUS FAQ about IoT compatibility. They recommend PMF disabled.

Offizieller Support | ASUS Deutschland

Das ASUS Support Center hilft Ihnen Treiber, Handbücher und Firmware-Versionen herunter zu laden. Hier finden Sie auch FAQs und Troubleshooting Hilfen

www.asus.com

Not sure why the link says ASUS Germany, the document is on ASUS Global in English.

 

[Roy2002]

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well.

So I upgraded from my GT-AX6000 to a GT-AXE16000. While I understand it is an older model now, it was a good deal and I have a wired OpenWRT router with a dedicated internet line for work, so this setup is solely for personal use and providing internet access for my family and the house (for example, I can now dedicate a 6E network to wireless VR only, which is a significant upgrade in our usecase).

Hi, I have a GT-AX6000 and am looking for a AXE16000. Can you summarize your experience with the new router?

Just feel itchy to get a "better" one, and quad band might be better.

 

[ika]

Hello,

First of all, sorry for the late reply (I'm not sure it is a good idea the necro a solved thread, but the answer might be still needed).

Merlin’s firmware and the AMTM scripts are now fully ironed out and are just as stable as they are on the GT‑AX6000, it is a very good experience (that is why we are all here and keep coming back I guess).
That said, I would recommend staying with the "lesser" model unless you specifically need a dedicated wifi 6E band (which is excellent for low‑latency wireless VR, the very reason I switched) or if you require more than 2.5 Gbps of wired throughput (kindly note: my unit tops out at around 8 Gbps.).
If neither of those applies, then the GT‑AX6000 offers essentially the same experience imho.

p.s.: That being said, I treat the GT-AXE16000 as a fire and forget router: it provides a general network around the house, but anything "serious", anything I want to tinker with (or anything that needs a bit more hardened security) I handle with my fully separate openwrt path, so I may have missed things tbh, as I rarely touch the unit (I only check the logs one time a week, maybe even less often, which I'm not proud of)