RT-AX86U - What to pair with for AIMesh?

[LexLuthor]

I have an RT-AX86U as my main router with an RT-AC68U paired as AIMesh node using Ethernet uplink. I just got a new laptop wirh a Realteak Wifi 7 chip and I'm having lots of problems with losing the connection ocassionally, even if I'm right near the RT-AC68U. I think it might not be playing so nice with the very old RT-AC68U. Plus I'm not getting as good range as my last laptop with an Intel Wifi 6 chip.

Wondering what my best option is here? Should I get another RT-AX86U and use that as AIMesh node instead? Is there a cheaper Asus router that would pair well with the RT-AX86U and would serve that function just as well? Or to better prepare for the future, should I get a RT-BE86U or RT-BE92U and use that as the main router and make my current RT-AX86U the AIMesh node?

I'm not really a power user and don't need great speed across my network. I've just got a ton of TV, computers, phones, etc connected to the network that I need a reliable connection for and good range. My interneet connection is 300M/300M.

Or should my current combination not really expierence this kind of issue and I should try to troubleshoot that better?

Thoughts?

 

[degrub]

Turn off the AC68U and test to see if your new laptop connects and doesn't have the issues you are seeing.
If it doesn't, i would get another AX 86u to use as a node. wifi 7 is still being worked out across vendors. You may want to see if you can switch your laptop adapter to use only wifi6. You won't really loose anything if reliability is more important to you.

 

[LexLuthor]

Turn off the AC68U and test to see if your new laptop connects and doesn't have the issues you are seeing.
If it doesn't, i would get another AX 86u to use as a node. wifi 7 is still being worked out across vendors. You may want to see if you can switch your laptop adapter to use only wifi6. You won't really loose anything if reliability is more important to yo

I need to test a bit more thoroughly, but, yes seems like it works fine with the AC68U cut, though the AX86U is too far away to provide covered in some parts of the house. I was just pinging the main and mesh routers and it was a mess of high latency with packet loss when conencted ot the AC68U. I then bound to the AX86U and it was fine and then bound to the AC68U and it was find and then took off the binding and it was fine. It's intermittant issue, but i do think with the AC86U off it seemed to work find for a good while earlier. Maybe it has something to with trying to switch between routers.

To disable wifi7 on the laptop adater, do I just change 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless mode to a/n/ac/ax instead of a/n/ac/ax/be and the disable 6GHz band entirely?

Even if that solves the issue, I think I've got a range issue.

No point in trying to future proof with a Wifi 7 router at this point and there's no cheaper router that would be worth pairing with my AX86U, so just get another one of them?

 

[OzarkEdge]

I have an RT-AX86U as my main router with an RT-AC68U paired as AIMesh node using Ethernet uplink. I just got a new laptop wirh a Realteak Wifi 7 chip and I'm having lots of problems with losing the connection ocassionally, even if I'm right near the RT-AC68U. I think it might not be playing so nice with the very old RT-AC68U. Plus I'm not getting as good range as my last laptop with an Intel Wifi 6 chip.

Wondering what my best option is here? Should I get another RT-AX86U and use that as AIMesh node instead? Is there a cheaper Asus router that would pair well with the RT-AX86U and would serve that function just as well? Or to better prepare for the future, should I get a RT-BE86U or RT-BE92U and use that as the main router and make my current RT-AX86U the AIMesh node?

I'm not really a power user and don't need great speed across my network. I've just got a ton of TV, computers, phones, etc connected to the network that I need a reliable connection for and good range. My interneet connection is 300M/300M.

Or should my current combination not really expierence this kind of issue and I should try to troubleshoot that better?

Thoughts?

Have you check for an OEM driver update for your new laptop network adapter?

OE

 

[bbunge]

An AX86U Pro may cost less than a new AX86U. A refurbished AX class router would be a better option than the AC68I.

 

[LexLuthor]

Have you check for an OEM driver update for your new laptop network adapter?

OE

I do not see anywhere to get the driver from Realtek. I have the current driver that is listed on the machine specific Lenovo page. The network adapter is a Realtek RTL8922AE.

 

[OzarkEdge]

I have the current driver that is listed on the machine specific Lenovo page.

That one may be as current as it gets.

OE