network upgrade

[LaFemme69]

wondering if anyone can help me.

Q1:

I want to improve my wifi but don't know what I should do.

right now I'm running x2 AC68U in Aimesh mode.

I'm a hardcore fan of Asus, so I'm thinking of (1) their Aimesh system XT8, (2) a combination of AX11000 (as main router) + ax92u (as Aimesh node) or (3) x2 ax92u Aimesh. Although it's only a 2300 sq. f. home but i want future proof......wifi 6, triband......

which is a better option to get sustain strong and stable wifi. any other reommendations are welcome.

Q2:

has anyone experience slowed ethernet connection when in an AiMesh setup? in non-Aimesh setup, devices plugged directly into the AC68U main router can achieve almost the same downstream offered by my ISP (1Gb). in AiMesh setup, any time of the day or any day of the week my downstream is around 600-700 Mbps

thanks in advance

kd

 

[Tech9]

Any chance to go with option (4) - x2 AX86U in wired AiMesh? Will beat any wireless AiMesh setup.

 

[LaFemme69]

Any chance to go with option (4) - x2 AX86U in wired AiMesh? Will beat any wireless AiMesh setup.

unfortunately not

 

[Tech9]

Are you using Asuswrt-Merlin firmware on your AC68Us? From your options above only AX11000 is supported. I believe AX92U with dedicated Wi-Fi 6 radio turns into WI-Fi 5 node. It has only one Wi-Fi 6 radio. Check all the details before you make a decision.

 

[Trip]

@LaFemme69 - As much as you're an Asus fan, I'd urge you focus on whatever tool is best for your needs, regardless of brand. AiMesh is, at best, a workable mesh-"like" substitute, and Zen is a decent stab at mesh, but both do have certain shortcomings that limit their effectiveness for certain situations, and IMHO there are ultimately better options that both for many use cases.

The first and most important question is: are you able to hard-wire the remote wifi node? Or do you have to connect it wirelessly? If you can hard-wire, you're probably better off with a pair (or more) of controller-based access points (Omada, UniFi, Cisco CBW, etc.), which will give you cleaner, higher-capacity fronthaul wifi, plus higher reliability. If you can't hard-wire, Eero will, more-often-than-not, provide a more reliable wireless mesh setup, as it's the only product that combines auto-healing, continuous radio re-purposing and SQM QoS -- love or hate Amazon, Eero tends to be a better mousetrap for long-term reliable wireless meshing.

And a note on Wifi 6 -- unless you have perfect wireless conditions and/or a majority of Wifi 6 clients, it's not going to give you all that much more performance, not today, nor will it for foreseeable future, as most of the exclusive benefits have not been enabled in a lot of AP or client hardware, and probably won't be, not before it's replaced by the next standard (Wifi 6E). 6E will actually give us new spectrum to work with (6Ghz), but will, again, require new hardware. So, Wifi 5 is not necessary a bad thing if the product you're looking at happens to still have it (such as gen2 AC-class Eero).

Hope some of that helps. Any questions, feel free.

 

[Piggie]

wondering if anyone can help me.

Q1:

I want to improve my wifi but don't know what I should do.

right now I'm running x2 AC68U in Aimesh mode.

I'm a hardcore fan of Asus, so I'm thinking of (1) their Aimesh system XT8, (2) a combination of AX11000 (as main router) + ax92u (as Aimesh node) or (3) x2 ax92u Aimesh. Although it's only a 2300 sq. f. home but i want future proof......wifi 6, triband......

which is a better option to get sustain strong and stable wifi. any other reommendations are welcome.

Q2:

has anyone experience slowed ethernet connection when in an AiMesh setup? in non-Aimesh setup, devices plugged directly into the AC68U main router can achieve almost the same downstream offered by my ISP (1Gb). in AiMesh setup, any time of the day or any day of the week my downstream is around 600-700 Mbps

thanks in advance

kd

I've had my AX92u for almost 2 years. Other than a bad firmware update last December, which now has been fixed, AX92u has been rock solid. Wired connection with 1 gbps service runs around 940mbps. Wireless connections on AX (WiFi 6) channel with AX clients run around 850-920 mbps (at the router). My set up includes 2 AX92us and it easily covers around 5000 sq ft. So, you shouldn't have any problems with 2300 sq ft. AX92u does support AX channel in both AP and AI mesh modes. I use many of ASUS features, AI Protection, Parental Control, Open VPN, Let's Encrypt, QOS, Traffic Analyzer. From an aesthetic standpoint, AX92u is very nice to look at it. The antennas fold down and it looks like a square box. So it can be placed in bookcase or coffee table. It doesn't have the typical Asus bug like look.

While my AX92u has been great, WiFi 6e routers are starting to roll out now. For instance, GT-AXE11000 supports WiFi 6e. There's also been talks that AX92u may be discontinued -- so I'd do a little research on it. Also, there is no merlin support for AX92u. If you're looking for the latest technology, and money and looks aren't a concern the GT-AXE-11000 would be the latest. The AX92u can often be found on sale for less than $200. GT-AXE-11000 runs over $550. The AXE11000's little brother, AX11000 (WiFi 6 not WiFi 6e) runs around $450. These two are ASUS top of the line routers. Tim Higgins did a preview on the AXE11000 here Home - SmallNetBuilder . Also Dong Ngo's review Asus GT-AXE11000 Review: Wi-Fi 6E Be Wild | Dong Knows Tech

As it relates to your second question, I've tried the AX92u in both AP and AI Mesh mode. I ran AP mode originally and when AI Mesh 2.0 came out, I tried it for two months. I eventually went back to AP mode. Wired speeds in AP mode and AI mesh were comparable (940 mbps). Wireless speeds under AP (AX channel and AX clients) are 850-920 mbps (at the router); however, I saw a slight reduction in wireless speed using AI Mesh: 800-860 mbps (at the router). One nice feature under AI Mesh is that guest network works properly on both the router and node. Whereas under AP mode, the guest network works fine on the router but it will not isolate on the AP. (This makes guest network useless on the AP). Hopefully the guest network issues will be fixed in a future firmware update. (The January update isolated the guest network on the node for AI Mesh).

Hope that helps.

 

[LaFemme69]

Are you using Asuswrt-Merlin firmware on your AC68Us? From your options above only AX11000 is supported. I believe AX92U with dedicated Wi-Fi 6 radio turns into WI-Fi 5 node. It has only one Wi-Fi 6 radio. Check all the details before you make a decision.

I am using latest stock firmware.

not that it matters at this time since i don't have any wifi 6 devices yet, but didn't know that ax92u will downgrade wifi 6 to wifi 5 node. however, it would wifi 6 would work normally IF the ax92u functions as a standalone router correct?

 

[LaFemme69]

@LaFemme69 - As much as you're an Asus fan, I'd urge you focus on whatever tool is best for your needs, regardless of brand. AiMesh is, at best, a workable mesh-"like" substitute, and Zen is a decent stab at mesh, but both do have certain shortcomings that limit their effectiveness for certain situations, and IMHO there are ultimately better options that both for many use cases.

The first and most important question is: are you able to hard-wire the remote wifi node? Or do you have to connect it wirelessly? If you can hard-wire, you're probably better off with a pair (or more) of controller-based access points (Omada, UniFi, Cisco CBW, etc.), which will give you cleaner, higher-capacity fronthaul wifi, plus higher reliability. If you can't hard-wire, Eero will, more-often-than-not, provide a more reliable wireless mesh setup, as it's the only product that combines auto-healing, continuous radio re-purposing and SQM QoS -- love or hate Amazon, Eero tends to be a better mousetrap for long-term reliable wireless meshing.

And a note on Wifi 6 -- unless you have perfect wireless conditions and/or a majority of Wifi 6 clients, it's not going to give you all that much more performance, not today, nor will it for foreseeable future, as most of the exclusive benefits have not been enabled in a lot of AP or client hardware, and probably won't be, not before it's replaced by the next standard (Wifi 6E). 6E will actually give us new spectrum to work with (6Ghz), but will, again, require new hardware. So, Wifi 5 is not necessary a bad thing if the product you're looking at happens to still have it (such as gen2 AC-class Eero).

Hope some of that helps. Any questions, feel free.

thank you for responding.

unfortunately, i cannot hard-wired between the 2 routers/nodes or APs however my setup is. main router is on the main floor and the other device upstairs in the office, hence i'd have to go wireless.

Eero's reliability in connectivity, speed or both? I guess I'm looking for something that would provide both.

i understand wifi 6 hasn't been widely used nor do i have any wifi 6 devices, however it is something for the future. I certainly don't want to spend $$ buying wifi 5 routers then 3 years down the road, i'd need a wifi 6 router....LOL.

 

[Piggie]

I am using latest stock firmware.

not that it matters at this time since i don't have any wifi 6 devices yet, but didn't know that ax92u will downgrade wifi 6 to wifi 5 node. however, it would wifi 6 would work normally IF the ax92u functions as a standalone router correct?

If you have WiFi6 clients, you can use WiFi6 on AX92u as either a standalone router, in AP mode or in AI Mesh mode. You have the option to set up the AX band (5ghz -2) as wireless backhaul -- or you can set it up so it will broadcast in WiFi 6 mode.

 

[LaFemme69]

I've had my AX92u for almost 2 years. Other than a bad firmware update last December, which now has been fixed, AX92u has been rock solid. Wired connection with 1 gbps service runs around 940mbps. Wireless connections on AX (WiFi 6) channel with AX clients run around 850-920 mbps (at the router). My set up includes 2 AX92us and it easily covers around 5000 sq ft. So, you shouldn't have any problems with 2300 sq ft. AX92u does support AX channel in both AP and AI mesh modes. I use many of ASUS features, AI Protection, Parental Control, Open VPN, Let's Encrypt, QOS, Traffic Analyzer. From an aesthetic standpoint, AX92u is very nice to look at it. The antennas fold down and it looks like a square box. So it can be placed in bookcase or coffee table. It doesn't have the typical Asus bug like look.

While my AX92u has been great, WiFi 6e routers are starting to roll out now. For instance, GT-AXE11000 supports WiFi 6e. There's also been talks that AX92u may be discontinued -- so I'd do a little research on it. Also, there is no merlin support for AX92u. If you're looking for the latest technology, and money and looks aren't a concern the GT-AXE-11000 would be the latest. The AX92u can often be found on sale for less than $200. GT-AXE-11000 runs over $550. The AXE11000's little brother, AX11000 (WiFi 6 not WiFi 6e) runs around $450. These two are ASUS top of the line routers. Tim Higgins did a preview on the AXE11000 here Home - SmallNetBuilder . Also Dong Ngo's review Asus GT-AXE11000 Review: Wi-Fi 6E Be Wild | Dong Knows Tech

As it relates to your second question, I've tried the AX92u in both AP and AI Mesh mode. I ran AP mode originally and when AI Mesh 2.0 came out, I tried it for two months. I eventually went back to AP mode. Wired speeds in AP mode and AI mesh were comparable (940 mbps). Wireless speeds under AP (AX channel and AX clients) are 850-920 mbps (at the router); however, I saw a slight reduction in wireless speed using AI Mesh: 800-860 mbps (at the router). One nice feature under AI Mesh is that guest network works properly on both the router and node. Whereas under AP mode, the guest network works fine on the router but it will not isolate on the AP. (This makes guest network useless on the AP). Hopefully the guest network issues will be fixed in a future firmware update. (The January update isolated the guest network on the node for AI Mesh).

Hope that helps.

thank you for your response

as i mentioned to other responders, unfortunately i cannot hard-wire b/w the router and the node as they are on separate floors and opposite ends of the house. I wouldn't know how run cable, so the only option is wireless.

I have x2 AC68U. Originally, one as main router and the other one connected through Media Bridge. That work for awhile, then wireless was getting spotty so I mesh them. That didn't seem to improve wifi much either. hence the ball got rolling.

brainstorming what would be best to improve the wifi. i figure probably best to get new routers, probably will get better performance with tri-band routers. on the same token, maybe my AC68U is failing....???

another thought, what if i just get one of the ax11000 or ax92u as main router and use one of the ac68u as a node or media bridge. at least the new router may improve wifi since one of the 5ghz will be used to mesh or media bridge, leaving the other 5ghz and 2.4ghz for use.

right now, i don't have any wifi 6 devices/clients so wifi 6e is VERY far fetch at the moment!!! LOL. wifi 6 is probably the most i'd try to equip with.

 

[LaFemme69]

If you have WiFi6 clients, you can use WiFi6 on AX92u as either a standalone router, in AP mode or in AI Mesh mode. You have the option to set up the AX band (5ghz -2) as wireless backhaul -- or you can set it up so it will broadcast in WiFi 6 mode.

as currently, i don't have any wifi 6 devices/clients. Maybe in the future!

 

[Tech9]

In my opinion If you really want Asus routers, x2 AX86U will be better even with wireless AiMesh. AX86U is a newer and more popular model than AX92U and I expect it to have longer support. You may not have any Wi-Fi 6 devices at the moment, but the routers will use Wi-Fi 6 to communicate between them. If you want the one of best available home mesh systems, eero Pro 6 is a good choice. You can still use your existing AC68U router as router only with Wi-Fi disabled and eero Pro 6 in bridge mode for Wi-Fi. This way you keep your familiar Asuswrt UI + good Wi-Fi 6 coverage with 3 access points.

 

[LaFemme69]

In my opinion If you really want Asus routers, x2 AX86U will be better even with wireless AiMesh. AX86U is a newer and more popular model than AX92U and I expect it to have longer support. You may not have any Wi-Fi 6 devices at the moment, but the routers will use Wi-Fi 6 to communicate between them. If you want the one of best available home mesh systems, eero Pro 6 is a good choice. You can still use your existing AC68U router as router only with Wi-Fi disabled and eero Pro 6 in bridge mode for Wi-Fi. This way you keep your familiar Asuswrt UI + good Wi-Fi 6 coverage with 3 access points.

i've also considered eero 6 pro and netgear rbkb852, other than the fact that i like asus but more umportsntly also for the sake of simplicity and uniformity. i'd still like to use the ac68u under diffferent capacities... AP, media bridge, range extender, so i figure it maybe easier to setup with same brand as suppose to mix different brands and dealing with different IP addresses.

on a side note, through my researches i hardly see eero 6 pro as one of the top mesh systems

in addition, I'm looking for something that has a few LAN ports coz i still want to hardwire devices. I think the eero pro also only have 1 or 2 LAN ports, i need 4.

AX86U is a dual-band correct? would that be better for mesh? i thought a tri-band would make mesh better and hence improve wifi, since 1 band is dedicated for mesh and does not affect the other 2 bands for use.

 

[Tech9]

AX86U is a dual-band correct? would that be better for mesh? i thought a tri-band would make mesh better and hence improve wifi, since 1 band is dedicated for mesh and does not affect the other 2 bands for use.

AX86U is dual-band, correct. AX92U is tri-band, but has only one AX radio. If you want to use the AX radio as backhaul shared with AX clients, this is what AX86U will be doing. If you dedicate the AX channel for backhaul, AX92U turns into 2x2 AC router. Depending on configuration, x2 AX92U in AiMesh may or may not have advantages over 2x AX86U. The main advantage of AX86U is available Asuswrt-Merlin firmware. One day you may want to use VPN with policy rules, block clients own DNS requests with DNSFilter, use your own DNS resolver or ad-blocker etc. - with AX92U you can't do it at the moment.