New AC88U issues, DNS & WiFi Chan

[Gt3911]

Hi all,

First of all, quite a noob here, please bare with me.

I recently upgraded my N66U to a AC88U. I've been noticing some hesitance when establishing connections. It just hasn't felt quite... right? Some consistent examples would be;
-A silly phone game I play requires me to watch some adverts to get a daily boost, it would struggle to find ads (never on the 66u) I only thought it was the game until it noticed I can turn off wifi and find new ads almost instantly on the 4g.
- My smart tv would really struggle in a similar way to launch ondemand content.
- My phone would have huge lag to give me a delivery tick occasionally on messages sent out, wifi off, instant tick.
- General hesitance while on the web.

I decided to look how my N66U config varied from my AC88U and I discovered a setting in the 66 that to my knowledge is "wrong" but as my understanding is basic I thought I'd give it a go.
Using 8.8.8.8 in LAN DHCP server.
I have my DNS set in WAN with 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4...

The weird thing is - This worked? My game has unlimted instant adds again. I removed the setting from (it was blank back to blank) and my ads took a lot of thinking about to appear.

I don't really understand that. What should the LAN DHCP servers DNS be configured too? Does this behaviour and fix make sense?


-

Additionally could anyone educate me on Wireless "control channel auto" I used an app on my phone to find the 'best' channel - it gave me the best rating on channel 13, I switched it to 13, my connection speed on the nearest device dropped to 24Mbps and devices further away could no longer see the router. Hoping for the opposite result and being confused I turned it back to auto and everyone returned to a functional connection. Why would that be? Does auto actively change channel for the best connection? It always says it's on 6? Can it and will it change on the fly if it can perform better on another channel?

Many thanks
Latest Asus firmware

 

[ColinTaylor]

I decided to look how my N66U config varied from my AC88U and I discovered a setting in the 66 that to my knowledge is "wrong" but as my understanding is basic I thought I'd give it a go.
Using 8.8.8.8 in LAN DHCP server.
I have my DNS set in WAN with 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4...

Try putting the router's DNS settings back at the default and testing again. In theory they should be the best settings. So set the WAN DNS to "Connect to DNS Server automatically" and leave the LAN > DHCP > DNS as blank. Remember to disconnect and reconnect your client device to pick up the changes and test again.

If you still experience the problem try changing just the WAN DNS setting to manual (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4).

 

[Gt3911]

Thanks for the reply Colin.

I was playing around with DNS settings as you suggested and still running into issues, typing out my findings in this thread as I went along. Trying different combo's of auto here and 8.8.8.8 there. Having somewhat random results.

I am curious what happens when LAN DNS is set to 8.8.8.8? Does that make the client resolve DNS and by-pass the routers request or something?

But anyway, I seemed to have just discovered more of a headache... As while I was testing DNS I encounter the following issue and since deleted all my DNS rambling as the issue seems to be elsewhere;

[deleted ramblings]....Maybe there is something else going on. Another thing I've noticed is scrolling down fast on my phone on a google image search is faster on 4g than wifi. Occasionally it will hang on a image set. Something about the AC88U has put these types of little gremlins into the chain that the N66U didn't enocunter. Whilst writing this message I've been playing around and sense I might have a deeper problem going on here and this may all be coincidence clutching at straws. I've been trying to run some speed tests. My desktop is performing fine, 18ms, 41Mbps/12.6 - My phone however, right next to the desktop, one room away from the router had a 5mbps link speed and was struggling to get 00.01Mbps on multiple runs. Rebooted the router still the same. Switch the phone over too the 5g link speed reports 117Mbps, 'signal strength' "poor" one room away? 40mbps on speed test. I notice that sometimes my link speed on the 5g reports "fair strength @ 87mb link" or jumps to "poor @ 117" but.... the kicker is, on 5g the adverts on the game are popping up quickly. My desktop is however on 2.4ghz quite happly.... Although the reason it's on 2.4ghz is because it can't see the 5ghz which also wasn't an issue on the n66u (using a AC54)
Oh boy. This threads just unraveling a bit of a mess. Equally it surprises me that only one room away the 2.4ghz coverage is 'fair' with a 104Mbps link speed on the desktop. I figured with this beast of a router it'd say "super bloody good!"

So basically it probably wasn't those DNS settings doing anything to my games adverts it was maybe resetting the connection was just waking it up on DNS changes, or it was pulling the data through 4g on the reconnects. Maybe I'm not sure whats going on now it seems
My android device hates being on 2.4ghz, but operates on 5ghz fine.
Meanwhile my desktop can't see the 5ghz even though it was always on 5ghz with the nu66, and although it performs ok on 2.4 has surprisingly low signal and when I move to a 'better channel' the signal is even worse.
As it's on the latest firmware, and a few people online report 5ghz goes missing and a factory reset fixed it?? I might see if merlins firmware can drag me out of this rut.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I am curious what happens when LAN DNS is set to 8.8.8.8? Does that make the client resolve DNS and by-pass the routers request or something?

The value entered for the LAN DNS is the IP address given out to the DHCP clients. This means that the clients will use it to go directly to that IP address for DNS lookups.

Leaving the LAN DNS blank is that same as putting the routers IP address in there. So in that case the address given to DHCP clients would (typically) be 192.168.1.1. This is the preferred option because the router has its own built-in DNS server which acts as a cache, giving you the fastest DNS response. Of course like any cache, any lookups that aren't already in the cache are retrieved from the upstream DNS server, which is what you specify on the WAN page.

For the upstream DNS servers it's usually (but not always) best to use your ISP's because they are closer (in network terms) to you, compared to a public DNS like Google or OpenDNS.

Anyway, it sounds like your issue is with the wireless and not DNS.

One recommendation I would make is "don't use channels 12 or 13". I don't know where you are located, but whilst they are valid in the EU they are not in the US. I know from personal experience (I'm in the UK) that some devices that should work on channels 12 and 13 simply don't.

 

[Gt3911]

Once again, Thanks Colin.

Great information, makes sense! Thanks for the hot tip on channels 12 and 13.

I find it interesting that my phone on 2.4ghz gets a 21ms ping on speedtest and 0.01Mpbs.

My android based Wifi Analyzer says
2.4ghz is -69dBm
5ghz is -75dBm
When I'm in the room next to the router.
I swapped over to channel 3 which didn't change the dBm on the phone but my desktop went from Fair to Good.
The connection speed on the Phone has managed to go up to 0.70Mbps but has since settled at 0.02.
I only pickup one other router, I'm not drowning in 2.4ghz signals.
Like I said previously my desktop in the same room also on 2.4 happily get 40mbps.
When I'm in the same room as the router I can get 40Mbps on the phone. As soon as I get a little further away I get huge speed drop offs.
My N66U could get me decent signal in my garden at the opposite end of the house, now i'm struggling to get it in the next room.
Plus my Desktop has gone from 5ghz to 2.4ghz.
Not having too much fun with this upgrade.

Any suggestions? I'm kinda limited to the ideas of flash to merlin and hope for a miracle or put it in it's box and go back the the 66U!

 

[ColinTaylor]

My android based Wifi Analyzer says
2.4ghz is -69dBm
5ghz is -75dBm
When I'm in the room next to the router.

To be honest that sounds like there's something very wrong with the router. In all seriousness, are you sure the antennas are screwed on correctly and not broken?

My android phone only does 2.4GHz but I get about -70dBm from 3 rooms away, and I'm not even running the router at full power! Standing 3 feet away from the router I get about -30dBm.

I'm guessing your desktop is coping with the poor signal better because it has a better antenna or position than the phone.

I suppose to confirm the "apparent" lack of signal strength you could turn on the old N66U and compare the levels from a similar distance (say 10 feet).

 

[ColinTaylor]

When I'm in the room next to the router.

Do you mean you're in the same room as the router, standing next to it? That's what I assumed.

Also, it worth turning off both beamforming options (Wireless - Professional) and Airtime Fairness for both bands as an experiment. Some users have reported having issues when one or more of these options is enabled.

 

[Gt3911]

Ah yes, I could have worded that better!!

I meant that I was in the room that is one next to the room the router is in. One brick wall between myself and the router.

Maybe coincidence, but I decided to put merlin onto it. Now my android gets the same speed on 2.4 and 5g. My desktop can also see 5ghz again. Although it does jump from 162Mbps to 216, and occasionally down to 81, with the signal "fair" I feel like one room away that's a bit rubbish for this device.

Like you when I stand 3 feet away in the same room I get -27dBm on 2.4 and -35dBm on 5, and then one room away, one wall inbetween and 20feet between the phone and the router we go to -70 on 2.4 and 75 on 5ghz.... I get -78 on my neighbours which is impossible to be any less than 2 walls (most likely more) and 35feet away minimum, best case. I guess talktalk are sending out some mega beast routers or mine is lacking. Bit of a bummer thus far!

 

[RMerlin]

Depends what's in the walls, and also what obstacles are in line-of-sight. If the router is an enclosed cabinet, or if the fridge stands directly between the router and the other room, it will have an impact. The key is to look at the direct line-of-sight between the router and the target client.

 

[Gt3911]

Yeah, I wish that was the case. Lots of stuff between. Regrettably the only thing between the router and the room in discussion here is just one internal wall and no other device, cabinets, nothing. If you knocked the wall down you could draw a lazer dot from the router to the device. The router is also just sat ontop of a side table. My N66U (broken antenna*) would sit in the same location and go right from what is the front of the house, through 2 additional rooms including a kitchen an outside wall and to the bottom of the garden with a concrete garage in inbetween too. The connection on the ac88 drops pretty much immediately as you leave the outside wall to said garden on 2.4 or 5ghz. I'd have assumed the ac88u would be able to at least do what the n66u has done for years even while broken*. I'll have to buy a repeater for the summer months now.

I might try and snag a 87u on ebay or the AC3200 and see if I can actually improve on my N66U. They seem popular models so I should be able to sell on for the same price I buy it for just to answer some questions! Feel like the 88u shouldn't be leaving me this underwhelmed... or my N66U was just mega!
-
*broken - my n66u has antenna damage although I'm not sure of its significance. The hardware that one of the antennas screws onto is loose, it spins and wobbles around in the case. I don't know if that means the antenna has also lost its connection to the board and is 'dead' or if its still wired to the bored and functioning as a floppy antenna. Although the signal is low, it happily streams audio, stays connected at the furthest point of the garden on multiple laptops, phones, tablets with this maybe broken antenna where the ac88u can no longer be seen.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I think I'd be pretty disappointed with those results as well. I almost bought one myself when I upgraded my N66U but went for the AC68U instead (because I'm a cheapskate).

Is there any chance that you can send it back as faulty and get a refund or replacement?