How to get more use out of the 5GHz.-2 band on XT8 in AP mode?

[RogerSC]

I have an RT-AX88U and XT8. The XT8 is connected in AP mode via MoCA, and is working well. Both have the lastest firmware, the AX88U uses RMerlin firmware, and the XT8 is using Asus firmware (of course). I'm using smart connect on both the AX88U and the XT8. When I first set it up, looking at the client list on the the XT8 I saw both 5GHz. radios being used, both the 5GHz.-1 and 56GHz.-2. Now, a few days later, I see only the 5GHz.-1 radio being used, no use of the 5GHz.-2 radio.

I'm wondering what I might do to get the XT8 to use the 5GHz.-2 radio to balance the load between the two radios. After all, the 5GHz.-2 radio is the more powerful of the two, it's 4X4, and the 5GHz.-1 radio is only 2X2. So I'm motivated to get the 5GHz.-2 radio to be used, even though I don't have any 4X4 clients.

Any ideas? I've tried both the smart connect tri-band and smart connect 5GHz., and that doesn't seem to make any difference. I also looked at the smart connect rules, and nothing jumped out at me there that would help things balance out between the radios more.

I was wondering how things would work if I disabled smart connect, and used the same SSID name for both the 5GHz.-1 radio and 5GHz.-2 radio? Would the firmware on the XT8 then divide up the clients between the two 5GHz. radios? How smart is the Asus firmware, anyways *smile*?

 

[RogerSC]

Never mind...switching to "5GHz. smart connect" and turning off 2.4GHz. radio on the XT8 appears to have turned the trick. I'm now seeing both 5GHz. radios in use on the XT8 again. I'll continue to check on this, but I think that it's "case closed" *smile*.