Looking for a solution to making my wifi reliability/range better (BE92u)

[nirurin]

I have a BT92u router. All in all im pretty happy with it. Maybe not the best router in the world but I got it for abiut 1/4 the cost of those routers and it has all the features i need (as far as I know).

I also have a single rp-ax58 extender. This worked to extend my main 5ghz network.

However I have two networks, the main 6/5/2.4 network and a "guest" network for iot devices thats just 2.4. The problem i found though is that the ax58 only seems to be able to extend a single network, so I have to choose between the two, and ideally I need to extend them both.

I could buy multiple more ax58s and picks and choose which networks they relay, which would work but seems inefficient.

So I thought id ask the question what the experts would recommend. I wondered if a more complex device (like an actual second router) set up in mesh mode would be able to extend both networks. However when I tried to search it I wasnt able to find any definitive answers, and its an expensive experiment if im wrong lol.

Appreciate any help!

 

[bbunge]

Do you have the AX58 set up in AiMesh mode? If so it should be able to do at least one guest WIFI along with the main 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WIFIs. It has an Ethernet port that you can use to make throughput better.

 

[nirurin]

Do you have the AX58 set up in AiMesh mode? If so it should be able to do at least one guest WIFI along with the main 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WIFIs. It has an Ethernet port that you can use to make throughput better.

Yes its in ai mesh mode. Ethernet isnt an option as we cant run cables.
Weird that its meant to be able to extend both networks, I cant see anything about that in the asus webui and I know the doorbell at least was unable to connect to the iot network and so (at the time due to signal strength) I had to connect it to the main network. Ill go back to the webui and look again.

 

[bbunge]

Look in the guest WIFI setup for an AiMesh option to enable the guest on the node.

 

[nirurin]

Look in the guest WIFI setup for an AiMesh option to enable the guest on the node.

I think this is what pointed me to thinking the AX58 couldn't handle two networks at once, cos if you go into making a new network (its the only time I can see the option, you don't seem to be able to view this option on an existing guest network) it says the interface has reached its maximum.

 

[jksmurf]

I think this is what pointed me to thinking the AX58 couldn't handle two networks at once, cos if you go into making a new network (its the only time I can see the option, you don't seem to be able to view this option on an existing guest network) it says the interface has reached its maximum.


View attachment 70771

It’s not networks per se, but interfaces per band. See here for asus response on the numbers.

5Ghz GUEST Network not propagating to AiMesh nodes?

What is the latest wisdom on getting the 5Ghz (Guest Wifi) band to actually work on the GNP Nodes, using AiMesh (in addition to the 2.4Ghz band). I do not wish to create APs atm. My Guest Network (GNP) is working, but clients (iPhones and iPads) all seem to be served 2.4Ghz only (on Guest) and...

www.snbforums.com

See here for a post (one of many), noting GNP Capable Routers i.e. supporting multiple interfaces.

Looking for a Wi-Fi 7 Router/AP with Wireless-Backhaul and VLANs

Hey guys, i'm currently running my network based on a pair of Netgear Orbi Pro (SXR80/SXS80) with a wireless backhaul and some VLANs. As Netgear has discontinued the Orbi Pro series, i'm looking for a Wi-Fi 7 alternative and got some hints that maybe ASUS devices can give me what i'm looking...

www.snbforums.com

 

[nirurin]

It’s not networks per se, but interfaces per band. See here for asus response on the numbers.

5Ghz GUEST Network not propagating to AiMesh nodes?

What is the latest wisdom on getting the 5Ghz (Guest Wifi) band to actually work on the GNP Nodes, using AiMesh (in addition to the 2.4Ghz band). I do not wish to create APs atm. My Guest Network (GNP) is working, but clients (iPhones and iPads) all seem to be served 2.4Ghz only (on Guest) and...

www.snbforums.com

See here for a post (one of many), noting GNP Capable Routers i.e. supporting multiple interfaces.

Looking for a Wi-Fi 7 Router/AP with Wireless-Backhaul and VLANs

Hey guys, i'm currently running my network based on a pair of Netgear Orbi Pro (SXR80/SXS80) with a wireless backhaul and some VLANs. As Netgear has discontinued the Orbi Pro series, i'm looking for a Wi-Fi 7 alternative and got some hints that maybe ASUS devices can give me what i'm looking...

www.snbforums.com

Ahh I'll take a look through those. It seems like I should sell the RP extender and replace it with something with GNP so I can more easily extend both networks.

Or alternatively (if I understood correctly) set it up so that the repeater extends the 5ghz from the main network and the 2.4ghz from the guest...

However that's not easy to do, because I don't seem to have the AI mesh settings on a per-network basis. I can do them during making a new network, but don't have them on existing networks?

Someone posted this screenshot, and I have the 'General' and 'Advanced Settings' sections, but not the AIMESH section. I have a separate aimesh tab in the settings menu but it doesn't give these options. I can only see these options when making a new network. I dunno why though.

Edit:
Oh, weirdly, that AiMesh section -does- show up if I make a custom guest network. But it doesn't show up on my default main network or my default IoT network.
I may make a do-over and delete both and make them from scratch and see if it makes a difference.

 

[Tech9]

RP-AX58 is AiMesh compatible Extender, doesn't have Guest Network Pro support, but can extend one Guest Network per band when using 5GHz (in order to maintain somewhat adequate performance) shared backhaul. I had one in my hands and it works as normal AiMesh node well. RT-BE92U doesn't have Guest Network Pro either, but it has similar Smart Home Master. There is no BT92u model.

 

[nirurin]

RP-AX58 is AiMesh compatible Extender, doesn't have Guest Network Pro support, but can extend one Guest Network per band when using 5GHz (in order to maintain somewhat adequate performance) shared backhaul. I had one in my hands and it works as normal AiMesh node well. RT-BE92U doesn't have Guest Network Pro either, but it has similar Smart Home Master. There is no BT92u model.

Yeh sorry I meant Be92u.

Yeh the ax58 works fine as a node, but only for a single Network. Though it seems i can do two networks, if I have it do 5ghz for one Network and 2.4ghz for the second Network... I may test it later.

But I need to extend 5 and 2.4 for the main network and 2.4 for the guest. Which seems not to be possible?

So im not on the lookout for the cheapest option for an aimesh device that can extend both networks.

 

[Tech9]

You have to be able to do 2.4/5GHz main network plus one 2.4/5GHz guest network.

 

[nirurin]

You have to be able to do 2.4/5GHz main network plus one 2.4/5GHz guest network.

Yeh that's what I said from my original post. The problem is that I don't know which is the cheapest aimesh node option that allows that config

 

[jksmurf]

Someone posted this screenshot

That was my remote system. I now have two RT-AX86U Pro replacing the XD6s. I kept the RT-AX58U for 2.4Ghz only, as it runs Merlin.

 

[nirurin]

Going from the links above, the options seem to be:

AX58u - £50
AX57 Go - £60 (travel router but seems to AiMesh, but probably has less range)
AX86u - £120
AX88u - £130
BE58 GO - £80 (another travel router but seems to have antenna so might be doable)

But it's hard to figure out which (if any) of these actually covers my needs as they're all different in various ways. I could get another one the same as I have now, but that would be £150-£190 used (which is a pain cos I got mine new for less than that, seems prices have gone up).

The AX6000 keeps popping up when I search for the AX88u Pro, but it's not on the list above and they seem to be different units so not sure why google keeps doing that. Probably not worth the risk that it might not work.

 

[jksmurf]

AX58u - £50
AX57 Go - £60 (travel router but seems to AiMesh, but probably has less range)
AX86u - £120
AX88u - £130
BE58 GO - £80 (another travel router but seems to have antenna so might be doable)

Of these

• Only the RT-AX57 Go and RT-BE58 Go are GNP compatible
• Only the Pro Versions of the RT-AX86U and RT-AX88U are GNP compatible. I have both Pro versions, per my sig.
• The AX58U has per my own examples limitations on interfaces. It is not GNP compatible. Also in my sig.

The GT-AX6000 is on the GNP list. Per my sig I have one.

If you also want VLANs to Ethernet ports on nodes that is another list which I include for completeness only.

==================================================

Guest Network Pro (GNP) List: https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1049414/

GT-AX6000, GT-BE19000, GT-BE19000AI, GT-BE96, GT-BE98, GT-BE98 Pro, RT-AX57 Go, RT-AX86U Pro, RT-AX88U Pro, RT-BE58 GO, RT-BE86U, RT-BE88U, RT-BE96U

VLAN Capable List: https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1049415/

EBA63, EBG15, EBG19P, EBM68, EBR63, GT-AX11000 Pro, GT-AX6000, GT-BE19000, GT-BE96, GT-BE98, GT-BE98 Pro, ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000, RT-AX57 Go, RT-AX86U Pro, RT-AX88U Pro, RT-BE86U, RT-BE88U, RT-BE96U

 

[jksmurf]

As main always gets propagated, either as combined with SC, or separate bands, you could split the main and put the IoT on 2.4, use 5 for private and then another 5 or 2.4 for guests (suggest 5), using your extender. Zero extra cost. All 3 will get propagated.

The only thing you lose is 2.4 for yourself and guests. IoT will be happy.

[EDIT] btw I have never seen anyone try a non GNP-capable main with a GNP-capable node… so not even sure that will work.

 

[nirurin]

Of these

• Only the RT-AX57 Go and RT-BE58 Go are GNP compatible
• Only the Pro Versions of the RT-AX86U and RT-AX88U are GNP compatible. I have both Pro versions, per my sig.
• The AX58U has per my own examples limitations on interfaces. It is not GNP compatible. Also in my sig.

The GT-AX6000 is on the GNP list. Per my sig I have one.

If you also want VLANs to Ethernet ports on nodes that is another list which I include for completeness only.

==================================================

Guest Network Pro (GNP) List: https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1049414/

GT-AX6000, GT-BE19000, GT-BE19000AI, GT-BE96, GT-BE98, GT-BE98 Pro, RT-AX57 Go, RT-AX86U Pro, RT-AX88U Pro, RT-BE58 GO, RT-BE86U, RT-BE88U, RT-BE96U

VLAN Capable List: https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1049415/

EBA63, EBG15, EBG19P, EBM68, EBR63, GT-AX11000 Pro, GT-AX6000, GT-BE19000, GT-BE96, GT-BE98, GT-BE98 Pro, ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000, RT-AX57 Go, RT-AX86U Pro, RT-AX88U Pro, RT-BE86U, RT-BE88U, RT-BE96U

Oh that's annoying, half the time the names are different in this country anyway, and I searched for each one from the list in the link, and these were the results I got for this country. Seems it just picked totally different models. A lot of those probably don't exist here at all then.

The AX6000 I was seeing that I didn't think was compatible was the TUF-AX6000 which is differen to the GT-AX6000. But the GT is available for £115 used which isn't terrible.

The pro versions of the other ones seem to no exist as far as I can tell. One of them I might find but it's like £700 so no.

So that cuts the list down to:

GT-AX6000 - £150
BE58 GO - £80
BE92U - £160 (don't actually know if this'll work, it's just the same as I have already).

Annoying that asus naming scheme is so terrible between models.

The BE58 Go might be the best option, if it'll work.

As main always gets propagated, either as combined with SC, or separate bands, you could split the main and put the IoT on 2.4, use 5 for private and then another 5 or 2.4 for guests (suggest 5), using your extender. Zero extra cost. All 3 will get propagated.

The only thing you lose is 2.4 for yourself and guests. IoT will be happy.

[EDIT] btw I have never seen anyone try a non GNP-capable main with a GNP-capable node… so not even sure that will work.

I don't need another guest network, I only need two - Main and IoT.
The issue with the rp-ax58 is that it -only- propagates the main (5+2.4) and not the IoT at all.

I think I can get it to propagate the IoT 2.4, and the Main 5. But that would mean not having any 2.4ghz on the main.

You seem to be saying to have Main 5, and IoT 2.4, and then another third guest network on 5 or 2.4, and I'm not sure how you're doing that cos this extender (as far as I can see) doesn't allow for it.

But maybe I've been wrong this whole time, and it's just a bug in the webui. Once everyone is asleep tonight I'll delete the networks and recreate them and see if it fixes anything.

 

[jksmurf]

The issue with the rp-ax58 is that it -only- propagates the main (5+2.4) and not the IoT at all.

Sorry I’m not familiar with that extender but yes, that’s problematic in your setup, if it only propagates main.

Again, if you’re looking for a cheap solution, and willing to split bands as detailed above, the scenario I posted above will work with an RT-AX58U but you’d have to live with the limitations. Don’t forget you would get guest on main anyway, both bands, so the single guest band on the node would only be when they are near it, so I’d choose 5Ghz there.

 

[nirurin]

Sorry I’m not familiar with that extender but yes, that’s problematic in your setup, if it only propagates main.

Again, if you’re looking for a cheap solution, and willing to split bands as detailed above, the scenario I posted above will work with an RT-AX58U but you’d have to live with the limitations. Don’t forget you would get guest on main anyway, both bands, so the single guest band on the node would only be when they are near it, so I’d choose 5Ghz there.

The "guest" network is iot so it has to be 2.4ghz only as several iot / smart devices have issues with 5ghz.

Main is then wifi 7 mlo, but the repeaters seem to be limited to 5+2.4