Here are the settings that resolved my issues with iOT devices and the RT-AX86U

[iFrogMac]

Hey all,

After having a very frustrating day yesterday of my smart bulbs not working correctly after the recent firmware update to my RT-AX86U, I finally was able to put together a list of settings from older iOT based threads here on the forums, and other sources I gained by reading online.
I know that this can be a very frustrating situation to fix, and everyone's setup and needs will be different.
Here are a couple screenshots of the General, and Professional 2.4GHz settings that got my network to finally play nice.

The list of devices connected to my 2.4Ghz network includes these devices:
5 Amazon Echo (audio only devices)
echo dot 4th with clock
2x Echo 4 devices
1 echo dot 3rd generation

2 Google audio devices
1 Google Home (original )
1 Nest Audio

15 MERKURY WiFi smart bulbs (aka Geeni)

The main issue(s) were:

Bulbs would randomly not respond, or slow to respond

Solution was to set the wireless mode to N only, or Legacy
While none of these devices I am working with would never exceed G speeds (hence legacy mode) I decided to set it to N only to allow newer N devices to connect (if Needed)
My high profile devices either use 5GHz, or Ethernet, so 2.4GHz is a very low bandwidth requirement and has proven to work best with tuned settings vs the out of the box auto with, or without WiFi 6 enabled on that band.

For those curious: the most activity on the 2.4G band that I'll ever have is music, or audiobook streaming.
The highest bitrate stated that will be required by the speakers is about 7.46Mbps per this website here: https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/how-much-speed-do-i-need-for-pandora-and-spotify
they mention all the major services there, and data per quality of music being streamed.

Based on this, I know, if I had to put the router into Legacy mode for 2.4G, my needs would still be covered. As mentioned though, N Only seems to have solved the problem so forcing it to G will be a known good last resort for these devices.
One final note, the Amazon and Google devices are also 5Ghz compatible, so if need be, I can always move them to that band, if I need more data speeds at some point.

So far, everything has been working well on these settings. ---> see screenshots below.
Edit: Added bottom portion of General settings after cutting out the password info.

 

[uwish]

My only issues were with 2 devices after going AImesh. Their connectivity would drop constantly. In the end the only thing I did was max out the dhcp lease time. From 3 days to 7 (in seconds). i Have many legacy devices and lights etc. never had an issue with them.

i actually wish you could leave the lease blank but Stock FW will not let you.

 

[iFrogMac]

My only issues were with 2 devices after going AImesh. Their connectivity would drop constantly. In the end the only thing I did was max out the dhcp lease time. From 3 days to 7 (in seconds). i Have many legacy devices and lights etc. never had an issue with them.

i actually wish you could leave the lease blank but Stock FW will not let you.

It's a really strange situation, I only started having the worst issues with the Asus router with it's default settings. One thing to note is I had primarily been using WiFi 5 routers as well. Part of the problems that showed up in my setup may have been issues related to a WiFi 6 router and backward compatibility.. Since all the devices I use on 2.4Ghz are N devices anyway, there was no reason not to set this for my specific setup. 5Ghz is fine though. I didn't have to force that band to one mode for stability.

I am happy to report though, I've gone through the entire day on these settings posted without one glitch with the lights. The only other option I had that fixed the solution was to turn the 2.4Ghz radio off on the Asus and use my AirPort Extreme as the 2.4Ghz AP. I'm just glad it's fixed at this point, and with computers, there still doesn't seem to be a one solution fits all.

It has made me question though, if buying a WiFi 6 router was worth it though, when I could have just gotten a newer Wifi 5 router and not had these issues. However, for the one WiFi 6 device I do have, I did want to genuinely check out the new standards to see if it was something I could actually use.

My conclusions are: yes it made a difference for that device on wireless, but overall, no, I don't think I needed the upgrade yet since most of my wireless devices are the WiFi 4 smart devices, and the high data devices like streamers and the computer, are on a gigabit Ethernet LAN.

 

[Tech9]

I don't think I needed the upgrade

You don't have to need something to make a purchase. Here is one example.

 

[uwish]

It's a really strange situation, I only started having the worst issues with the Asus router with it's default settings. One thing to note is I had primarily been using WiFi 5 routers as well. Part of the problems that showed up in my setup may have been issues related to a WiFi 6 router and backward compatibility.. Since all the devices I use on 2.4Ghz are N devices anyway, there was no reason not to set this for my specific setup. 5Ghz is fine though. I didn't have to force that band to one mode for stability.

I am happy to report though, I've gone through the entire day on these settings posted without one glitch with the lights. The only other option I had that fixed the solution was to turn the 2.4Ghz radio off on the Asus and use my AirPort Extreme as the 2.4Ghz AP. I'm just glad it's fixed at this point, and with computers, there still doesn't seem to be a one solution fits all.

It has made me question though, if buying a WiFi 6 router was worth it though, when I could have just gotten a newer Wifi 5 router and not had these issues. However, for the one WiFi 6 device I do have, I did want to genuinely check out the new standards to see if it was something I could actually use.

My conclusions are: yes it made a difference for that device on wireless, but overall, no, I don't think I needed the upgrade yet since most of my wireless devices are the WiFi 4 smart devices, and the high data devices like streamers and the computer, are on a gigabit Ethernet LAN.

I thought the same thing really, but if I look at my network snapshot as of right now....48 devices connected...10 are on 2.4 the rest are on 5 Ghz, the only things hard wired other than the nodes, are my PC, one fish tank controller and our NAS. EVERYTHING else is on the WiFi... and since all newer devices are AX (Generally) it made sense to me. I was in your position 18 months ago...

 

[iFrogMac]

I thought the same thing really, but if I look at my network snapshot as of right now....48 devices connected...10 are on 2.4 the rest are on 5 Ghz, the only things hard wired other than the nodes, are my PC, one fish tank controller and our NAS. EVERYTHING else is on the WiFi... and since all newer devices are AX (Generally) it made sense to me. I was in your position 18 months ago...

I went back and re-read your initial post. The main difference here is, I don't use Mesh, I just use a single router.
both setups have older legacy devices, The other difference is, my only AX device is my iPhone 12 Pro Max, my other Wireless devices are: 3 Amazon Smart Plugs, 6 Echo devices (audio only models) 15 Smart bulbs. From my troubleshooting, it's mainly the smart bulbs that don't play nice with Asus routers. Probably firmware issues between the two. (oh, and I forgot to mentioned the two Google speakers I have.)

There were only two things that completely fixed the problem in all the troubleshooting / combination of settings tested.
1. was to disable 2.4 on the Asus router, and use an Airport Extreme as the 2.4Ghz AP
2. What I did yesterday, and that was to set the specific wireless mode for the devices used with the 2.4Ghz band.

The first is a reliable option, but defeats the purpose of spending the money on the new Router.
The second is a suitable option because there is no point in having support enabled for devices I'll never use on my network, and it still allows me to use to use the new router in full for my particular setup with all my devices.
The 5Ghz band is operating in full (including AX) The 2.4Ghz band is operating in full for what I need it for (80211n)
No b, or g clients, and no reason to use AX on the 2.4Ghz band.

I'll finish by saying this: for a 2.4Ghz band device, the 6th Generation Airport Extreme still gives me slightly better performance than even this Asus router, when it comes to overall speed, but it's marginal .
I'm also referring to better 2.4Ghz speeds to Apple devices, not sure about third party. On the 5Ghz band, the Asus is faster.

 

[iFrogMac]

Hey all,
I wanted to update this thread and add that The above settings, or using Legacy mode for 2.4ghz are still reliable solutions for smart devices. However, with the latest firmware from July, 12, and a factory reset of the AX86U, I seem to be able to use my bulbs in a mixed mode network now. However, many of these problems also seem to come from devices with old outdated firmware, or poor controllers that just don't keep up with modern updates when it comes to newer routers / firmware.

So, everyone's situation is different. However, my intent here was to present situations where people may have the types of devices that lead to these problems and present solutions for those types of situations / devices, configurations, etc.
As a fallback, I have a TP-Link model AX4400 that is a known good router to work with my network setup. One thing to add here is, it seems to be known that TP-Link only supports their devices for about 2 years when it comes to firmware. However, in my case TP-Link issued an update for it's current AX routers, on July 11, of this year. So, if I have problems with the RT-AX86U, I still have a current router to fall back on, if needed.

 

[OzarkEdge]

I still have a current router to fall back on, if needed.

Until the next IoT niggle rears its ugly head. Beware the wholesale adoption of IoT, imo... it's not the network's fault.

OE

 

[iFrogMac]

Until the next IoT niggle rears its ugly head. Beware the wholesale adoption of IoT, imo... it's not the network's fault.

OE

It also depends on the types of devices used too. In my case, the amazon devices, Echos, and Smart Plugs (for me) have been stable. It's been mainly the bulbs here. It probably isn't the router's fault, however different devices do respond differently with different combinations of hardware / software. That's how I really got the types of answers I was looking for. Going to various support communities for companies of products that I own revealed similar issues with other products as mine. In this case, it was people with various older Kasa products such as switches, bulbs, etc that were showing the same types of issues I had, but various models of Asus Routers were mentioned, not just the one I have. The other thing to take note of here was there were reports that @RMerlin 's firmware didn't fix the problems because apparently the particular issues were with the closed source wireless code that's not publicly available.

The second to last note I wanted to make is, I don't have a wide range of wireless devices to test with. Just specific ones I got to fulfill a few specific purposes. I decided a long time ago, I was tired of dealing with wireless problems, and wired my network. So, any wireless devices I have today are things I ned, but have no other options but to be wireless.

Final thoughts: I primarily use smart devices to discover ways to help people with disabilities (myself being one)
Alexa is mainly used for weather alerts, package delivery alerts, music, audiobooks, setting timers for cooking, etc, and also is there in the event of an emergency.
Smart bulbs are used to automatically adjust color and brightness based on time of day, and to also help me wake up and go to sleep with timed brightness and shut off.
Because I'm sensitive to bright light, I usually only go out early in the morning as well to avoid the direct sunlight. (this isn't a mandatory thing) something I chose to do because there are times the direct sunlight can bother me.
Likewise inside, having adjustable light levels, and colors that each bulb can do independently, or as a group is also nice. There are a lot more things I would like to test in the smart home space, but am limited on currently as I currently rent vs owning my own place.

The bottom line is, I want to see how well robots can replace humans in certain situations where a person may need help, but there isn't another person available, or the person isn't able to call for another person so smart home automations could be a good go between solution.

 

[OzarkEdge]

It also depends on the types of devices used too. In my case, the amazon devices, Echos, and Smart Plugs (for me) have been stable. It's been mainly the bulbs here. It probably isn't the router's fault, however different devices do respond differently with different combinations of hardware / software. That's how I really got the types of answers I was looking for. Going to various support communities for companies of products that I own revealed similar issues with other products as mine. In this case, it was people with various older Kasa products such as switches, bulbs, etc that were showing the same types of issues I had, but various models of Asus Routers were mentioned, not just the one I have. The other thing to take note of here was there were reports that @RMerlin 's firmware didn't fix the problems because apparently the particular issues were with the closed source wireless code that's not publicly available.

The second to last note I wanted to make is, I don't have a wide range of wireless devices to test with. Just specific ones I got to fulfill a few specific purposes. I decided a long time ago, I was tired of dealing with wireless problems, and wired my network. So, any wireless devices I have today are things I ned, but have no other options but to be wireless.

Final thoughts: I primarily use smart devices to discover ways to help people with disabilities (myself being one)
Alexa is mainly used for weather alerts, package delivery alerts, music, audiobooks, setting timers for cooking, etc, and also is there in the event of an emergency.
Smart bulbs are used to automatically adjust color and brightness based on time of day, and to also help me wake up and go to sleep with timed brightness and shut off.
Because I'm sensitive to bright light, I usually only go out early in the morning as well to avoid the direct sunlight. (this isn't a mandatory thing) something I chose to do because there are times the direct sunlight can bother me.
Likewise inside, having adjustable light levels, and colors that each bulb can do independently, or as a group is also nice. There are a lot more things I would like to test in the smart home space, but am limited on currently as I currently rent vs owning my own place.

The bottom line is, I want to see how well robots can replace humans in certain situations where a person may need help, but there isn't another person available, or the person isn't able to call for another person so smart home automations could be a good go between solution.

Fair enough. I would hold to a minimum standard for application reliability then to preserve the user experience (and the admin's sanity)... choose your IoT wisely, Grasshopper.

OE

 

[iFrogMac]

Fair enough. I would hold to a minimum standard for application reliability then to preserve the user experience (and the admin's sanity)... choose your IoT wisely, Grasshopper.

OE

Thanks @OzarkEdge , By the way, I know everything I'm testing right now is harmless if something goes wrong. I'm treating seriously though as if it was a life or death situation. Reason being, if I can't get the simple harmless stuff to be dependable, I would hate to try something more serious. With that said, it's a good learning experience, and it's also a testament to what people do chose to abuse, also still has purposes for good.

It can be frustrating though, but I will also try to keep the smart home stuff geared toward the smart home community. I mainly came here because I wasn't prepared to have so many options I didn't know if they applied to me or not in AsusWRT. I'm glad I kept a more basic router around if things get too frustrating. I do like a challenge, and it's not like I'm new to networking. Just been a while since I had to keep up with anything detailed, and things change fast.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[Weblee2407]

Great discussion! I love this board!

I had been looking for problems with you know who (Alexa) and consistently finding and acting upon devices. Went to N only and away we go! I had assumed I still had some B's out there, but I guess they went out during my big hacker hunt.

And the purchase of this router is looking better and better. Just wish I could write it off my taxes since I work from home.

 

[iFrogMac]

Great discussion! I love this board!

I had been looking for problems with you know who (Alexa) and consistently finding and acting upon devices. Went to N only and away we go! I had assumed I still had some B's out there, but I guess they went out during my big hacker hunt.

And the purchase of this router is looking better and better. Just wish I could write it off my taxes since I work from home.

Glad to hear you found this topic helpful. I never had issues with Alexa, it was mostly my smart lights. I've replaced my lights with a higher quality brand than what I was using and they are working perfectly now. Also, I haven't updated my settings screenshots here, but, with the latest firmware, I've been able to put the wireless mode for 2.4 back to auto, and just turn off ax for 2.4. Most of the other settings I've posted, should be the same. I'll have to double check and get back to you.

 

[iFrogMac]

Here are updated screenshots of my current working settings for wireless, both 2.4, and 5Ghz, General, and Professional.

 

[iFrogMac]

So, after switching back to my TP-Link Archer AX4400, the random disconnects on certain smart devices, have completely stopped. I don't believe it's a wireless issue as both routers put out the same signal strength and SNR ratios according to my WiFi analyzer app. What I am thinking now, based on the behavior is, certain devices are having issues with the DHCP server in the AsusWRT firmware. I say this because they connect but then disconnect and don't come back unless power cycled. However, it's only random devices, and mainly the smart bulbs, but again, not all of them, usually one or 2, and it's not consistent. The main differences between the two routers is, after looking up the default value on google, suggests Asus defaults to a 24 lease while the TP-Link defaults to 120 minutes, which is 2 hours.

The other thing I've noticed is, when a client disconnects, the TP-Link typically knows about it and updates the status instantly while the Asus doesn't.

one thing I've considered doing to confirm is not a wireless issue is to put the Asus in AP mode, and let a different router handle DHCP and routing. However, is there a way to just disable the built in DHCP server, and tell it to use a different one to completely isolate that as the cause?

Using the Asus as an AP with another router will change too many variables all at once, vs just that one.

The other thing I found going back to the TP-Link is, it has a safer implementation of UPNP than the Asus as well. What I mean by that is, I use ShieldsUP from GRC to check certain security things, and when UPNP on Asus is enabled ShieldsUp reports it as a danger because it responds to the probes. When UPNP on the TP-Link is enabled, Shields Up reports either did not respond, or actively rejected which are both better results. Looking in the UPNP list where I have my Plex and other DLNA server open ports, it reports them as NAT-PMP. So I am thinking along these lines it's a safer way to do it as well. It's nice to be able to leave it on, just in case something needs it, and I feel better leaving it on with the TP-Link router because it seems like it doesn't have the potential threats other routers have with this. The Airport extreme is also a safer option along these lines as it doesn't have UPNP but uses NAT-PMP.

With all this said, I'm planning on just sticking with the TP-Link router since it just works, but if there is a way to isolate the DHCP from the Asus router and use a separate one, I would be curious on how to do so.

Thanks

 

[iFrogMac]

Here is another update. Since changing the DHCP settings (lease time) from the default 24 hours to 2 hours. I have not had anymore random disconnects. The other setting I disabled was DHCP reservations, but I doubt that was a factor in this issue as none of the affected devices had a manual dhcp reservation.

Here is a screenshot of my system log uptime without problems since putting the router back online and changing the settings.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Since changing the DHCP settings (lease time) from the default 24 hours to 2 hours. I have not had anymore random disconnects.

Have you tried reverting this change to see if the issue returns... to confirm your conclusion? I say this knowing there are always so many factors in play.

OE

 

[iFrogMac]

Have you tried reverting this change to see if the issue returns... to confirm your conclusion? I say this knowing there are always so many factors in play.

OE

I haven't, but that's mainly because I've been focused on getting ready to move in a couple months and the router won't matter then because I won't have my own internet connection for a while, or even my own network. So I've really just been enjoying the stability right now. I am still watching it in keeping track of how long it's been up to see if problems come back the longer it's up as that was also a factor. Things worked ok for a while then problems showed up the longer things ran, so I think I'll watch the time factor for now as that should also say if it's really fixed or not.

 

[OzarkEdge]

I haven't, but that's mainly because I've been focused on getting ready to move in a couple months and the router won't matter then because I won't have my own internet connection for a while, or even my own network. So I've really just been enjoying the stability right now. I am still watching it in keeping track of how long it's been up to see if problems come back the longer it's up as that was also a factor. Things worked ok for a while then problems showed up the longer things ran, so I think I'll watch the time factor for now as that should also say if it's really fixed or not.

Makes perfect sense. I'm looking to add your tip to my toolkit in case I need it.

OE

 

[kmartshopper]

Thanks for sharing images of the settings you've tried. I've been having issues with some WiZ bulbs recently (model 23007, specifically) that can't maintain a wireless connection on an AX58U. I also have a Nest Hub that has always had issues with this router, but applying ASUS's recommended IoT compatibility changes seems to have resolved that device's issues.

I'm going to try some of the settings you suggested and hope to see some improvement with these bulbs. I'll report back with any results.

Also, in my case I'm only using this router as an access point, so have no reason to suspect DHCP issues. Though, I have tried setting static IP's to the bulbs with no improvements.