Guest network admin link missing from RT-AX88U Pro dashboard

[arctan]

Hello, I recently started using a RT-AX88U Pro. It is running latest stock firmware (3.0.0.6.102_21514) on AP mode.

The webpage dashboard does not show any links to manage the regular Guest Network or the Guest Network Pro. I had to search for the the hidden links and type them out manually:

https://[ROUTER_IP]:8443/Guest_network.asp for regular guest network
https://[ROUTER_IP]:8443/SDN.asp for Guest Network Pro

On my old RT-AC88U (also in AP mode), the Guest Network admin link was easily accessible from the dashboard.

Why is the guest network link missing in the new dashboard?

 

[glens]

I'll venture a guess that your two discovered links will avail you nothing in AP mode, which would be why they fixed the presentation to omit them then. AP mode doesn't do any routing-type stuff, it merely acts as a switch with added wifi "ports" where all the network's administrative functions are passed straight back to the router.

 

[arctan]

I'll venture a guess that your two discovered links will avail you nothing in AP mode, which would be why they fixed the presentation to omit them then. AP mode doesn't do any routing-type stuff, it merely acts as a switch with added wifi "ports" where all the network's administrative functions are passed straight back to the router.

Thanks for the reply. Are you implying that it is should not be possible to set up a guest network when the wifi router is in AP mode?

In the past with a different Asus wifi router (RT-AC88U) -- which was also running in AP mode -- I had no problem accessing the guest network admin and creating working guest networks.

On my newer RT-AX88U Pro, the two "hidden" URLs I mentioned above both work (in the sense that I can see the corresponding configuration pages - see screenshots) and can create guest networks.

You may be partly right, because so far, client devices cannot connect to networks created using Guest Network Pro. In contrast, when I create networks using the hidden non-Pro Guest Network page, clients can connect to these networks. Again, this is with the RT-AX88U Pro in AP Mode.

 

[glens]

Always the chance I'm completely wrong. It's my understanding vlans are (at least /were/) a no-go in AP mode. If you can now configure, and use, them that way maybe one can also totally avoid AiMesh for their inclusion in a network with multiple transmitters.

 

[arctan]

I think you are right that Guest Network Pro is disabled in AP mode because VLANs won't work. It explains why I was never able to connect clients to those guest networks.

However, in AP mode, *non-pro* guest networks do work, but only at a basic level. So I think Asus should put back the link for Guest Networks (regular) in AP mode so that people who use AP mode can still create a guest network.

After all that, I decided to change my router to the default Wireless Router mode (although it is not the optimal setup for me since it places the Asus wireless router next to the incoming WAN in a closet which is in a bad wifi spot, so I will have to address that later).