How do I set up 2 RP-AC68Us with an RT-AC68U?

[deathpulse]

Hello everyone!

I just purchased 2 RP-AC68Us to compliment my RT-AC68U. My intent is to use the RP's as wireless repeaters for my 2.4 and 5.0 networks to give good coverage throughout my house. I currently have my RT-AC68U set to the same SSID for the 2.4 and 5.0 networks and I would like to seamlessly set the RP-AC68Us to also use the same SSID, so that clients always get the strongest signal on the fastest interface (either 2.4 or 5.0 Ghz). Can anyone help me set up the correct RT and RP settings to accomplish this goal? The documentation included with the RP-AC68Us is woefully sparse (its really just a quick start guide) and using the default settings, the RP-AC68Us want to connect to the RT and then take the RT's SSID and add an extension to the SSID (_RPT) which essentially create new networks, which clients will not seamlessly transfer to/from. Thanks in advance for the help on this!

 

[pete y testing]

which essentially create new networks, which clients will not seamlessly transfer to/from.

just for info the way your clients move from one transmission to another is exactly the same no matter if they are named the same or different once the client has be authenticated on both transmissions and its not true seamless no matter how you set the ssid's , true seamless roaming requires ap's with a controller

there is little i can tell you about the rp-ac68u as its very new and not even available in my country yet and the only user manual i can find is in Russian

i assume you didnt have the ability to run ethernet and installing wireless access points instead of spending $400 plus on two of these

 

[deathpulse]

Hello Pete - thank you for the response! I think the RP-68U is supposed to have some sort of proprietary(?) protocol that allows roaming from router to AP... it is discussed briefly on this video:

 

[pete y testing]

I think the RP-68U is supposed to have some sort of proprietary(?) protocol that allows roaming from router to AP... it is discussed briefly on this

although the guy makes it sound that way the spec says


Roaming Assist for stable connections, everywhere!
With our hassle-free Roaming Assist technology, you never have to switch connections manually between RP-AC68U and your ASUS router as you move around your home. Once you enable this function, your device will connect automatically to the strongest Wi-Fi signal, whether it’s from the router or the repeater. This ensures that you always get the most reliable connection wherever you are in the house.

The effectiveness of the Roaming Assist function varies according to environmental factors. This ASUS-exclusive function works only with ASUS routers.

this suggests the client devices still have to move between the transmissions thus making it not seamless

you already have roam assist in the rt-ac68u its under wireless / professional , i think this is just a variation of that function which just drops the client when a set threshold is reached

 

[deathpulse]

I have an update for the group. I set up each RP-68U manually and deleted the "_RPT" extension on each RP as I was setting it up, so each RP now uses the same combined 2.4 and 5.0 Ghz SSID that my RT-68U uses. In addition, as Pete suggested above, I found the RP and RT configuration settings for Roaming Assist - it seems to be working! I have no way to really verify and the "network map" by interface shows some very crazy results (one of the RP-68Us shows up as "wired" - that is really not true) but it seems my clients all get a STRONG signal now, no matter where they are. I think this does actually work the way I thought it might!

 

[deathpulse]

I have another update. I just bought an RT-AC5300 to replace my RT-AC68U. The reason I made the upgrade was to use a faster router to better handle the ASUS router security settings. I set the 5300 up in "smart connect" mode which seems to apply the same SSID for all channels (2.4 and both 5.0). Seems to be working if I use the same SSID for 2.4 and 5.0 on the RP-AC68U's but it is SLOW to take changes to the repeater settings.

 

[Steve_Germany]

I have the same set-up:

RT-AC5300 installed behind a cable modem/router as my main router.
I then bought a RP-AC68U and tried setting it up as a Repeater/Extender.

Once I do this however (irrespective of whether I name the SSID identically to my main router wifi SSID or leave it be with the extension "RPT"), all my clients disconnect and cannot reconnect to the wifi due to IP issues.
No clue why this is happening, even the ASUS hotline/support could not help.

Any of you have any ideas? I have the 5300 set up as a DHCP server and Smart Connect activated. No idea what is going on.

Thanks!