RT-AX86U Pro wifi setting bug?

[eastavin]

Hello. fw 3006.102.4 Starting from factory reset router. I disabled Smart Connect. Then I switched off the 2.4Ghz radio. I noticed that the authentication method was set to WPA3 for both 2.4 and 5GHz at default. Of course it did not take long to discover that some devices dont work with WPA3, so I reset that to WPA2/WPA3 on the 5GHz General panel.

This change had no effect on the devices. So I went to the Network Map screen and saw the 2nd block down SECURITY was still showing WPA3.

So on a SWAG I guessed that perhaps Smart Connect was not that smart and may have failed to disconnect the 5GHz wifi settings from 2.4 when I turned off smart connect. So I changed the 2.4Ghz radio setting from WPA3 to WPA2/WPA3. The result was the 5Ghz devices that refused to work suddenly started working. The Network Map screen now showed the updated SECURITY as WPA2/WPA3. So it seems that in the case of WIFI security the 2.4Ghz setting controls the 5Ghz radio.

Does this align with anyone elses experience? I still have about a week on the product return window. I had been debating on whether to go with the BE86U or this and the clearance sale price on the AX won me over.

Many thanks

Edward

 

[bbunge]

The default WIFI for the AX86U Pro, and other Asus routers, is to use the Dual Band SmartConnect and WPA2-Personal. As you have discovered, make changes at your peril!
Many older clients will not like WPA2/WPA3-Personal.....

 

[jasseb]

Yep, that makes sense. When you turn off Smart Connect, the 2.4GHz settings can still affect the 5GHz band, which is why you were seeing WPA3 on both despite changing just the 5GHz. It looks like the router defaults to the 2.4GHz settings for security when Smart Connect is off, which caused the issues with your devices.

I’ve seen similar behavior on Asus routers, so you’re definitely not alone. Changing both bands to WPA2/WPA3 worked, which confirms that the 2.4GHz setting controls the 5GHz when Smart Connect is disabled. As for the router choice, it depends on your needs, but for the price, the AX86U is a solid option, and you’re right that the clearance sale makes it tempting.

 

[bennor]

Cannot comment about switching off the 2.4GHz radio but no issues using WPA2-Personal on both main LAN WiFi and Guest Network Pro profiles on a RT-AX86U Pro running 3006.102.4 with Smart Connect disabled. I did however do a hard factory reset after initially flashing the 3006.102.4 firmware. And I unchecked the option on the WiFi page during the initial router QiS setup that enables Smart Connect.
PS: I use WPA2-Personal because using WPA2/WPA3-Personal causes a number of my WiFi devices not to connect to WiFi.

 

[eastavin]

I dont recall such an issue on the AC68u series. I have several such devices and use them with 2.4Ghz shutoff and I have never had to use the 2.4Ghz panel to change authentication for 5Ghz. FWIW this sounds like a bug?