Need advice on which Asus mesh device to pair with my AX88U

[gil80]

As someone who just moved houses, I need to extend my wifi coverage, but I'm unsure about the factors I need to consider.

I own the RT-AX88U. It sits far away from my living room which doesn't allow for a wired connection.
After some reading, I thought about getting the Asus ZenWifi XD5 and place that in my living room.

What I'm not sure about is if this device requires a wired connection to my router in order to operate, or can it be used wirelessly to extend the router's wifi signal and improve the speed in my living room.
If yes, any downsides of using it in a wireless mode?

 

[gil80]

bump
anyone please?

 

[Tech9]

Wireless AiMesh node is in fact a Repeater. All shared backhaul repeaters cut the throughput to connected devices in half due to retransmissions. If this is not an issue for you and you don't need extended Guest Network - any AX repeater will do, not necessarily Asus. Some folks around use RP-AX56 or RP-AX58 for similar to your purposes - AiMesh compatible Asus repeaters. Others use cheaper Asus routers like RT-AX58U also called RT-AX3000.

 

[OzarkEdge]

As someone who just moved houses, I need to extend my wifi coverage, but I'm unsure about the factors I need to consider.

I own the RT-AX88U. It sits far away from my living room which doesn't allow for a wired connection.
After some reading, I thought about getting the Asus ZenWifi XD5 and place that in my living room.

What I'm not sure about is if this device requires a wired connection to my router in order to operate, or can it be used wirelessly to extend the router's wifi signal and improve the speed in my living room.
If yes, any downsides of using it in a wireless mode?

If you have a coax segment available, MoCA 2.5 (what I did) may be an option for a wired backhaul for a wired AP/wired AiMesh node... then decide which AP/node (or new main router... the ASUS so-called 'Pro' models will get next gen firmware supporting vlans/better guest WLANs... we hope).

Ideally, use a wired backhaul for the living room/media center traffic.

OE

 

[gil80]

Wireless AiMesh node is in fact a Repeater. All shared backhaul repeaters cut the throughput to connected devices in half due to retransmissions. If this is not an issue for you and you don't need extended Guest Network - any AX repeater will do, not necessarily Asus. Some folks around use RP-AX56 or RP-AX58 for similar to your purposes - AiMesh compatible Asus repeaters. Others use cheaper Asus routers like RT-AX58U also called RT-AX3000.

Is there a way to avoid the 50% reduction in throughput?

 

[L&LD]

Yes. Use wired backhaul.

 

[Tech9]

Is there a way to avoid the 50% reduction in throughput?

Not with your RT-AX88U. You need a 3-radio (band) routers for dedicated wireless backhaul. If the backhaul is shared the same radio serves the link to the parent router and the clients at the same time. This is where throughput reduction to Nodes/Repeaters/Extenders connected clients is coming from.

 

[gil80]

If you have a coax segment available, MoCA 2.5 (what I did) may be an option for a wired backhaul for a wired AP/wired AiMesh node... then decide which AP/node (or new main router... the ASUS so-called 'Pro' models will get next gen firmware supporting vlans/better guest WLANs... we hope).

Ideally, use a wired backhaul for the living room/media center traffic.

OE

how can I know if my existing coax cables are compatible with MoCa connection?

Also, my power grid is 220v/50Hz.
Are the moca adapters compatible with this voltage/Hz?

 

[OzarkEdge]

how can I know if my existing coax cables are compatible with MoCa connection?

RG-59 or better RG-6 coax in good repair... test and/or try it.

Also, my power grid is 220v/50Hz.
Are the moca adapters compatible with this voltage/Hz?

Look at the spec for the equipment you are considering to see if it works on your service.

OE

 

[gil80]

RG-59 or better RG-6 coax in good repair... test and/or try it.

is it supposed to be written on the cable?

 

[Clark Griswald]

is it supposed to be written on the cable?

should be marked along the length of the cable.

 

[OzarkEdge]

is it supposed to be written on the cable?

A quality cable manufacturer typically marks their cable to identify it... you want a quality cable for high-speed data communications.

OE

 

[gil80]

If you have a coax segment available, MoCA 2.5 (what I did) may be an option for a wired backhaul for a wired AP/wired AiMesh node... then decide which AP/node (or new main router... the ASUS so-called 'Pro' models will get next gen firmware supporting vlans/better guest WLANs... we hope).

Ideally, use a wired backhaul for the living room/media center traffic.

OE

unfortunately, the ScreenBeam is rated for 110v/60Hz where as I need 220v/50Hz.

 

[gil80]

Not with your RT-AX88U. You need a 3-radio (band) routers for dedicated wireless backhaul. If the backhaul is shared the same radio serves the link to the parent router and the clients at the same time. This is where throughput reduction to Nodes/Repeaters/Extenders connected clients is coming from.

Is there any benefit buying a tri-band mesh node (to extend the range) for my rt-ax88u (dual band)?

I'm thinking of the XD4 Pro, but happy to reconsider if there is something better.

 

[Tech9]

Both main and nodes must be 3-radio (band) for dedicated wireless backhaul. In your position I would perhaps buy one more AX88U (Pro) and run 4-stream AX wireless backhaul with high throughput to minimize node-to-clients throughput impact. If the new router is Pro model - it becomes main.

 

[JGrana]

I have used the Hitron MOCA 2.5 adapter. It supports 220V/50hz. I am using one now (@120V60Hz) between my main router (AX88U Pro) and a closet that has a switch and some peripherals. Works good - but has others have warned, the quality of the coax cable in the house will have a big impact on performance.
I tried wired backhault using MOCA between my main house and an external shed. It was a bit too far and the cable not too good.

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