how to use AC5300 as wired router and 68U as AP

[routerq]

I recently ended up with a RT-AC5300 which has a bad 2nd 5ghz Wi-Fi. 5ghz 1 is limited to lower set of channels, so speed is 1/2 of what I get with my RT-AC68U. I am thinking of using the 5300 as a wired router to run all the glorious stuff here (more powerful processor, more ram) and use the 68U only for Wi-Fi access (I think this is called AP mode).

Reason: I like to experiment and when the router reboots and stuff loose Wi-Fi signal, Wife and Kid get upset ... so if they are connected to Wi-Fi , things will be lil less hairy for me :

If anyone can share a good tutorial / guidelines, that will be great.

 

[AndreiV]

Simply follow the instructions on the routers in question.

Look at the Administration pages, the options are listed there.

Basically connect the 2 routers with an ethernet lead, set the AC5300 in router mode and the other router in AP mode .
You might want to download the >> ASUS DISCOVERY TOOL << which will help you idnetify the IP Adresses of each device.

 

[routerq]

Thanks.. 5300 LAN to 68U WAN port or 5300 WAN to 68U LAN port?

 

[AndreiV]

5300 LAN to 68U WAN

 

[Tech9]

5ghz 1 is limited to lower set of channels, so speed is 1/2 of what I get with my RT-AC68U.

What channels you normally use? Is it really that much of a difference between lower and upper channels in your environment?

 

[routerq]

I run my 68u in auto mode and currently it is using 157 .. and I get 100 to 120 Mbps on ookla speed-test (my ISP down is 120Mbps max) ... with the 5300 running on lower channels, i was getting between 50-60Mbps... live in a condo , so lots of interference...

running the speed test from the 5300 interface, I get full 120Mbps.

Runnign speedtest on 2.4G, I get similar speeds on both router...

 

[routerq]

Additional question in continuation: If I connect the AC5300 (running as router) wan port to AC68U (running as router) LAN port using ethernet cable, will the devices on ac5300 be isolated from the devices on AC68U?

If I put all IOT devices on the ac5300 and enable all security, will it keep the ac68u network als secure?

 

[ColinTaylor]

"Isolated"? Well they will be on different subnets so that's a sort of isolation. But devices connected to the AC5300 will still be able to access devices connected to the AC68U, assuming any local firewalls etc allow it. Access in the other direction would be blocked by the NAT and firewall on the AC5300 .

You can block access to the AC68U network using the Network Services Filter on the AC5300 .

 

[routerq]

Reviving this old thread. Still have my Asus AC5300 router that has the upepr 5ghz band radio gone kaput.

If I get a cheap AX router and use it as a pure AP with the Asus, what are the thoughts on the performance.

Case in point this AX1800 router is $22 on amazon.
Wi-Fi Router-AX1800 4-Stream WiFi6 Router, Dual-Band Gigabit Router Supporting... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DNGSMGX/?tag=snbforums-20 via @amazon

 

[L&LD]

Sometimes, the cost equals the quality.

You may have luck in your current environment for a few months, but longterm, the following are suggested instead.

I would also make them the main router and use the AC5300 only if absolutely needed.

For same listed speed what is better AX1800 or AC1800 router

I was looking at Amazon for a router for a friend and I see several routers that are AC1800 and several that are listed as AX1800. I see that AX is generally better, but I am unable to find what will be the difference between speed / performance when the listed speeds are the same. I did see a...

www.snbforums.com

 

[SheikhSheikha]

You might want to properly flash Merlin on your router. L&LD has written some procedures that you can follow to get that up and running. It might even revive your 2nd 5Ghz. (I had a problem with one of my AC5300 too on the 2nd 5Ghz but a clean install of Merlin solved that and it is up and running again for >2 years. The router is and remains an animal and they serve the premises here without interruption and at full throttle. DSF channels should be avoided at all times. (they crash your second 5Ghz easily when you live close to aviation/military radars and devices).