GT-BE19000AI Issue

[jzchen]

Both of you guys @AlphaGator1 and @jzchen have to approach your communications (and perhaps surveillance) infrastructure the same way you approach your other essential electrical, water, drain, gas, fire, HVAC, etc. infrastructure - you call a professional and solve the problem once. The fact no license is required doesn't mean DIY is way to go. It is a waste of money on hardware doing something, somehow.

The 14x mixed make and generation APs in @jzchen house - no comment, SNB Forums Guinness Records application. The 6x APs in @AlphaGator1 house - the existing APs were too many already, but at least were capable of dedicated wireless backhaul. Added $900 AI messed them up with wrong radios configuration, it has features incompatible with the rest of the network and single 6GHz short range localized radio.

If you don't want advice - cool.

I thank you for your concern. Some hardware was purchased, some was given... Hardware already out of return period... It would be advice for someone who's looking to buy hardware, not trim down like in my case, or adjust settings as in @AlphaGator1 's case. In the latter's case it would be good to try to optimize the settings, before deciding whether or not to return the BE19000Ai (which I am assuming may still be in return window)...

There's a significant difference (now) between low power mode and standard power mode. Standard power on one router appears to illicit reciprocity in other WiFi 7 routers, as I experienced 6 GHz backhaul between Ai router and BE98 Pro from South end 1st floor to North end 2nd floor. There was no problem with 6 GHz backhaul between GT-AXE16000 and GT-AXE11000 way back in 2022 when there was a floor in between them (both South end rooms)....

I've noted that TP-Link Range Extender specs show < 30 dBm across all 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz. You've referenced material that that is no longer the case. So OLD firmware I suspect should return such routers as the GT-AXE16000 and GT-AXE11000 back to higher power 6 GHz broadcasts, I suspect....

 

[jzchen]

Should I enable MLO maybe? I have the GT6 as my main AI Mesh nodes, with an AC5300 in one of the more remote bedrooms.

View attachment 70300

The good news is MLO is easier to set up now than when it was first released (as a firmware update) to the GT-BE98 Pro. So I would suggest you can try it, see if you like how your client devices work, then turn it off if you notice no difference. Back when MLO was a beta firmware release and in fact for a while after, there were 4 settings for OFDMA/MU-MIMO, and the list of available settings was so long getting a screenshot to share/compare with others was not easy, at least for me...

All I'm suggesting is returning the "old" network portion to basically the same setup, with the wired basement GT6 as AP with AiMesh, add all the nodes to that. Leave the Ai router to work at its full potential not capped by the limitations (AiMesh is somewhat limited by the weakest/oldest node)....

 

[Poseidon]

Don’t understand how some people are having these issues with this router?

Personally the GE19000ai has been a fantastic router. No issues whatsoever once the initial “new router” bugs were fixed a while ago with firmware updates. Everything default - except smart connect, MLO enabled (no 2,4) and AFC enabled.

Perhaps I’m just using the single router and not a pile of 6-7 different routers meshed together. Lol.

 

[jzchen]

Don’t understand how some people are having these issues with this router?

Personally the GE19000ai has been a fantastic router. No issues whatsoever once the initial “new router” bugs were fixed a while ago with firmware updates. Everything default - except smart connect, MLO enabled (no 2,4) and AFC enabled.

Perhaps I’m just using the single router and not a pile of 6-7 different routers meshed together. Lol.

I haven't had issues with this router either. I did notice an increase in usage from AT&T gateway software (I was estimating around 1 TB from last month. I am hoping it was diagnostic data sent to ASUS. Thankfully no warnings of overuse from them, as it is "unlimited").

Yes AiMesh is available across the ASUS lineup, but things don't work optimally when you don't carefully choose your node specs. There are definitely ways to get optimal performance from a mixed network. WiFi Agile Multiband is good for those. Looks like WiFi 8 will include Mesh in it's specification. So my mutt network may not be a concern much longer. Hopefully I can afford to buy into WiFi 8 early...

If you get two of the same model WiFi 7 you can MLO their backhaul. I would be disappointed if that did not work. But if ever there's an issue you'll end up with double the trouble. I ended up with two EBM68s only because they sent me a 2-pack when I ordered a single. Otherwise I avoid buying multiple of any one model to avoid that risk....

 

[Tech9]

All I'm suggesting is returning the "old" network portion to basically the same setup, with the wired basement GT6 as AP with AiMesh, add all the nodes to that. Leave the Ai router to work at its full potential not capped by the limitations (AiMesh is somewhat limited by the weakest/oldest node)...

This is my suggestion to @AlphaGator1: GT-BE19000AI ($900) has to be replaced with much cheaper GT-AXE16000 (currently $338 on Amazon US). The old RT-AC5300 has to be removed. The existing GT6 routers connect to the new GT on 5GHz-2 band. The 5GHz-1 radios for clients on Ch.42 non-DFS, the 5GHz-2 backhaul radios on Ch.155 non-DFS for best reliability. The result - dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz to clients network-wide, 6GHz option at the GT, dedicated wireless backhaul on 5GHz, 2x Guest Networks propagation per node option network-wide, Asuswrt-Merlin option for the GT... for $512 (!) less. Still a dead-end solution with consumer mesh, but better balanced and preserving the tri-band purpose of existing GT6 routers. The performance is expected to be better as well.

The error is in hardware choice and can't be fixed with settings. Your suggestion will result in flat network like it's 2006, just the way your mix of routers and extenders works. And all this after $1400 (!) in hardware?

 

[jzchen]

You're confident that AC hardware doesn't work well with AX(E) hardware? From personal experience it works just fine, at least with Ethernet backhaul. And 6 GHz in "low power" mode clearly requires a node in every single room, AFC is quite helpful given that. You're hiding the fact that 6 GHz on the AXE16000 is basically useless in the current power levels, except line of site and/or in the same room....

 

[Tech9]

You're confident that AC hardware doesn't work well with AX(E) hardware?

I'm positive AC-class device with shared backhaul to other routers and clients will need more airtime compared to AX/BE-class device and everyone has to wait. This is how Wi-Fi works. This 10+ years old EoL device is just fine when the rest of your equipment is $100 from eBay. Not fine when you spend $1400.

You're hiding the fact that 6 GHz on the AXE16000 is basically useless in the current power levels, except line of site and/or in the same room...

No, I'm revealing the fact how AI router radios mismatch hurts the rest of the system. It has single 5GHz radio and this is the only one AiMesh can use to connect to the other routers and clients. GT-AXE16000 doesn't have this problem since it has dual 5GHz radios for "quad-band" configuration. And it's much cheaper.

 

[jzchen]

Well if you truly want to help someone make an informed decision then they should understand the difference in 6 GHz range between the two. Just saying...

You're basing this on real world experience from your Unifi? Maybe you can let someone who's had three generations of WiFi on the same network share too, instead of berating their choices as "dead-end"....

 

[jzchen]

AiMesh is not "dead-end", in fact it took Wi-Fi Alliance 8 generations to finally incorporate seamless roaming into it's bn specification...

 

[Tech9]

AiMesh is not "dead-end"

AiMesh with six routers five of which are wireless is a dead-end. The maximum recommended number of wireless nodes by ASUS is five including the router. If you don't understand why, ask. I guess, it's very easy to waste someone else's time and potentially money when your most expensive piece of equipment arrived for free and the way it works together with other existing equipment actually doesn't matter much.

 

[jzchen]

AiMesh with six routers five of which are wireless is a dead-end. The maximum recommended number of wireless nodes by ASUS is five including the router. If you don't understand why, ask. I guess, it's very easy to waste someone else's time and potentially money when your most expensive piece of equipment arrived for free and the way it works together with other existing equipment actually doesn't matter much.

Except if you look carefully, there are 5 wireless nodes including router. The basement GT6 is wired.

Yes, this model router is sitting in my house and I did not pay for it. Doesn't mean I'm not trying to help the OP with his original questions in the original post....

 

[Tech9]

This is a dead-end setup. No expansion options and in general not worth the money. I would rather explore Ethernet infrastructure options. Some folks don't realize Ethernet wires can be run outside the house in cable raceways. There are paintable raceway options done for this purpose and commonly used for outdoor surveillance systems. Once done this multi-node mix-and-match consumer mesh madness can stop.

[Wireless Router] How many AiMesh nodes are suggested to be set in an AiMesh system?

 

[jzchen]

@Tech9 Hmmm. If you're gonna run Ethernet, I'm going to recommend running LC-UPC LC-UPC OM4 fiber in parallel, for future proofing. I was running Ethernet back in 2003/2004 when this house was built.

Sigh, be a little more forward looking....

I bought a pair of these back in 2024, and they are already EOL because...

10GBase-SR SFP+ LC Transceiver

10GBase-SR SFP+ LC Transceiver

www.omadanetworks.com

They're already on at least 25 Gbps....

Omada 25GBase-SR SFP28 LC Transceiver

25GBase-SR SFP28 LC Transceiver

www.omadanetworks.com

 

[AlphaGator1]

This is my suggestion to @AlphaGator1: GT-BE19000AI ($900) has to be replaced with much cheaper GT-AXE16000 (currently $338 on Amazon US). The old RT-AC5300 has to be removed. The existing GT6 routers connect to the new GT on 5GHz-2 band. The 5GHz-1 radios for clients on Ch.42 non-DFS, the 5GHz-2 backhaul radios on Ch.155 non-DFS for best reliability. The result - dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz to clients network-wide, 6GHz option at the GT, dedicated wireless backhaul on 5GHz, 2x Guest Networks propagation per node option network-wide, Asuswrt-Merlin option for the GT... for $512 (!) less. Still a dead-end solution with consumer mesh, but better balanced and preserving the tri-band purpose of existing GT6 routers. The performance is expected to be better as well.

The error is in hardware choice and can't be fixed with settings. Your suggestion will result in flat network like it's 2006, just the way your mix of routers and extenders works. And all this after $1400 (!) in hardware?

@jzchen and @Tech9

I originally had the GT6 as my AIMesh, and I got the GT-BE19000AI as a new hub because I am fortunate enough to afford it and thought it would be somewhat future-proof as ASUS' flagship model. I also plan to take advantage of the AI chip/capabilities at some point (I am learning about this stuff now).

Anyhow, I have now eliminated the AC5300 and set up an Ethernet backbone to three GT6 nodes (see below).

I thought my original issue was gone, but I was wrong. I am seeing the same behavior (the BGW320 responds immediately, and the BE19 lags and is almost unresponsive for this specific website). Again, I could care less about this website...the thing that bothers me is that it is happening and I can't solve it. It MUST be a setting somewhere. I am back to using the ISP DNS for WAN.

I tried enabling MLO now that the backhaul is all wired, but it looks like the GT6 doesn't play well with MLO. I tried setting up a separate MLO network on the BE19, thinking I could have that network for my desktop only, but (if I understand ASUS literature correctly) I have to enable MLO for the entire setup. I cannot do it for a separate wifi network/SID on the BE19.

I don't know what else to try :-/

 

[AlphaGator1]

The good news is MLO is easier to set up now than when it was first released (as a firmware update) to the GT-BE98 Pro. So I would suggest you can try it, see if you like how your client devices work, then turn it off if you notice no difference. Back when MLO was a beta firmware release and in fact for a while after, there were 4 settings for OFDMA/MU-MIMO, and the list of available settings was so long getting a screenshot to share/compare with others was not easy, at least for me...

All I'm suggesting is returning the "old" network portion to basically the same setup, with the wired basement GT6 as AP with AiMesh, add all the nodes to that. Leave the Ai router to work at its full potential not capped by the limitations (AiMesh is somewhat limited by the weakest/oldest node)....

That is a really good idea. Now that I've wired the backhaul, I can just use the spare GT6 I have as the hub, then set up my BE19 as its own Wi-Fi 7 network.

 

[Tech9]

I got the GT-BE19000AI as a new hub because I am fortunate enough to afford it and thought it would be somewhat future-proof as ASUS' flagship model.

The most expensive on the consumer market is often not the best and historically had not the best support. For your next upgrade my advice is to use the money on professional services. A company will come, make an environment assessment and install proper equipment for you based on your requirements.

 

[jzchen]

@AlphaGator1 I also have a BGW320 (mine is a -500) and GT-BE19000Ai connected to it as router. Regarding MLO there should be a setting to enable MLO Fronthaul somewhere. I do not have a desktop with 6 GHz, I used my PCIe slot for a 10 Gbps Ethernet add on. I have a single WiFi 7 device and it doesn't improve speed on MLO. It was unclear how many WiFi 6E/7 devices you have, so that is why I suggested you try it and then it off if not useful. If you haven't yet, turn on AFC...

Beyond AT&T Fiber we also switched to AT&T cellular for service from T-Mobile. I recently was notified that backup service from cellular could be set up even though Internet is under my name and cellular my wife's. Anyways it is good because it does not take your hotspot data, but uses the unlimited data of your plan, but it requires the BGW320 WiFi on and cellphone connected to it's WiFi to work, so I needed to enable it's WiFi. I turned off 5 GHz on the BE19000Ai because I realized the BGW has dual 5 GHz and I am not aware of a way to turn on only one of the 5 GHz radios, (at least not yet. Something you might try if you also have both services in your household).

I can't remember if we discussed what DNS you are using? I am currently using custom with 68.94.156.8 AT&T West Coast which is lowest ping here and 8.8.8.8 (2nd lowest). With the Ai router 5 GHz off my unscientific sense feels the BGW is slower. Per your note of NSFW content I have avoided going to the website of concern. It did just dawn on me that the DNS may be an issue. (Recently someone closed the door of the closet with my 10 G switches just enough that I think they overheated, and I had to figure out that is why speedtest was normal ping and download, completely failing at upload attempt).

@Tech9 A couple of years ago my cousin passed away sadly. I just recently was sent a check from his estate. Spending money on professional advice sounds like a good idea, but finding a trustable company is probably my biggest concern that comes to mind...

 

[Tech9]

finding a trustable company is probably my biggest concern

Hint - look for surveillance and alarm system companies.

I did a project recently in a country I don't speak the language. Narrow trenches, conduit, wiring, light restoration of landscaping, few holes through walls. Surveillance network, IP cameras and NVR. I told the guys what I need, they offered me options, done in two days total time. First a guy came to see what equipment they need, 3 days later two guys did everything 9AM-2PM. I only needed to patch few minor spots on interior walls and play with the NVR settings. They asked me if I need outdoor Wi-Fi. If they don't do computer networks and Wi-Fi they know who does. And the company doesn't have to be Cisco subsidiary.