RT-N56U 5Ghz issue discussion

[slyphnier]

Hello everyone

i am not sure since when, for about a year i disable my 5ghz radio because i placing router in corner of my house due cabling, so 5ghz kinda not used as signal is kinda poor

but now as i upgrade cabling enabled 5ghz and found out, my devices cant detect 5ghz
i am not tested every firmware, but i guess the issue since firmware 3.0.0.4.***
i tried few couple firmware :
FW_RT_N56U_30043744561
FW_RT_N56U_30043761665
FW_RT_N56U_30043763637

so i give up stock firmware (i am thinking to rollback to more older version though), but seems people fix the issue with padavan custom firmware, so i try it

at first it also not detected, i was starting to think the 5ghz radio is dead
but then i change Region Code to korea (even though i am not living in korea)
and viola, the radio working as it should

now this make me wondering, all this things is all about channel issue ?
but how come ASUS not realize that lots people cant use 5Ghz in few last firmware ?

i mean the stock firmware is basically only have 4 5ghz channel (36,40,44,48)
us/eu/jp indeed using this
but not sure why, my PS3 cannot detect those channel but okay with asia channel (149,153,157,161), same for my samsung galaxy note 3

or its more than just channel that causing issue?

 

[johtaja]

PS3 has only 2,4ghz 54mbps wireless, it doesn't have 5ghz so it can't detect 5ghz.

 

[slyphnier]

ah yes you correct

i think i miss remember, or back when first time i start use it the 5ghz set to legacy or something?
or maybe i tested 5ghz with macbook pro
i not clearly remember anymore, but back then i indeed use 5ghz for a while, then as it need to be moved (due to isp fo cabling)

anyway what i want to know is regarding this 5ghz issue
> is this wifi-chip-to-chip compability issue ? just for info, the samsung galaxy note 3 i test for 5ghz is using exynos chipset

>or samsung is blocking 5ghz channel 36,40,44,48 ?
but from what i read on wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels), those channel is okay for indoor use, so blocking those most used channel is kinda stupid to me

beside those there is possibility hardware issue on my router or smartphone
but so far except those 5ghz channel, both been working fine without any issue at all ... wifi been ok without dropout
and been using 5ghz with channel 149 for whole day, and so far no problem too

Update:
i did some more testing, with BlackBerry Bold 9900
and it connect fine to channel 36, so its means router is working fine

which also means, it the samsung galaxy note 3
either the exynos chipset only support 5.8ghz channels
or firmware that set/block channels and only allow specific channels
or phone network that set specific instruction to dissallow 5ghz channels

i still not thinking that hardware failure in note 3 as it working just fine on channel 149

any thoughts welcome

 

[tomgru]

5GHz issues - new to this

Admittedly new to this topic, and this forum. Had this router for a few years, in a 3500 sq. ft. house, with good results. Had some issues recently that seemed to be fixed with a recent firmware upgrade. (note, i'm on the firmware update that came out this week).

Honestly, i never even noticed until recently that i could go into "traffic manager" and see both the GHz. action. When i found that and checked 5GHz, i found that not one single device in my network was using it. (have both frequencies setup with same SSID).

So.. i changed the SSID for the 5GHz and tried that with one of my laptops that saw it, and found it to be very spotty at best. even within 5 feet of the router (Which i also admit is in a closet above the door on the first floor). This seems to be somewhat consistent with what i'm reading elsewhere.

Lot's of reading on this forum tonight indicate that 5GHz is much more short range, but my little test with the laptop would seem to show that even at close distances, it's not working. Most anything in my house that requires a fast connection is wired, so maybe this all a moot point?

Should i care? or upgrade? I have a few remote corners of my house that have spotty coverage that i'd like to get to. Mostly web browsing, although my wife uses audio conferencing quite a bit as well.

Is it worth going to an AC router?

Thanks. Sorry if i highjacked this post.

 

[L&LD]

What firmware are you running?

 

[tomgru]

What firmware are you running?

Latest
3.0.0.4.376_3754

 

[L&LD]

You may want to try RMerlin's 376.49_5 version or Padavan's version.

With either of the above, make sure you flash the firmware and then do a reset to factory defaults and then manually setup the router again with the minimal required settings. The less tweaks, initially, the better for trouble shooting purposes.

 

[slyphnier]

afaik rwtmerlin focusing on hi-end type, the only custom available for N56U is padavan

in my testing padavan firmware giving you more performance
but based what my test, padavan firmware seems increase your router temp abit
but i believe there is nothing to worry, as the heat is still just warm to touch

for AC, you need to make sure your client support it too (cmiiw
rather than AC type,imo what more important is router antenna, N56U using internal type, so getting external atenna type might improve coverage better

for N56U
first try change channel (seems most of time router will pick channel 36)
2nd try disable WMM ASPD (in wireless-> professional tab)

if above not change anything, then u should try padavan firmware
and set channel to 149,153,157,161

anyway i kinda think that 5Ghz on N56U is kinda trial, as when it released there were only few router that have 5Ghz
except you really need 5Ghz (like for streaming UHD movies), i think 2.4ghz still works okay

its lik

 

[tomgru]

Thanks guys.... good feedback.

For the 5GHz channel, the router is set to "auto". any idea which I might try, other than going down the list one at a time? Do you recommend something like SSIDer to check for things like signal strength?

I don't stream over wireless, so your feedback on being good with 2.4 is much appreciated.

 

[L&LD]

I used to use inssider, but essentially it is slightly gimmicky for me and doesn't translate to real world results, like throughput, which is all a router is good for.

Simply go through each channel and in a few minutes or hours, you will see which one is the best for your network environment. Don't find a good one and stop your testing either, try each channel and keep track of things like throughput and responsiveness of your wireless network when deciding on choosing the best one overall.

 

[tomgru]

One additional thought... since my coverage (even 2.4GHz) in a particular corner of my house...

any thoughts on using an older/shelved Linksys wtg54g bridged via Ethernet - placing it upstairs?

hard to do?

Lots of talk about it... and some good how to's. Just not sure if it's worth it.

 

[L&LD]

Bridged via Ethernet is a good idea. It is worth it if the devices you'd connect to that old '54G won't be limited by running at the slower standard.

Hard to do? No, the hardest part is running a CAT5e cable to the location you want and making it look pretty.

 

[tomgru]

Hard to do? No, the hardest part is running a CAT5e cable to the location you want and making it look pretty.

Does it have to be direct, or can you do it through hubs?

 

[L&LD]

Hubs? As in 1980 is calling?

I hope you mean switches, if so; yes.

 

[tomgru]

Hubs? As in 1980 is calling?

I hope you mean switches, if so; yes.

Yes.. i'm still running Arcnet

thanks!

 

[L&LD]

Yes.. i'm still running Arcnet

thanks!

Lol...


Are you also running the TRS-80 with dual 5 1/4" Floppies too?

 

[tomgru]

Lol...


Are you also running the TRS-80 with dual 5 1/4" Floppies too?

Nice.

 

[tomgru]

So I tried this today and it seems to be working. but I notice that It shows up as a separate wireless network SSID. Now...I think this is because i'm an idiot and I named it the same, but the Primary is ASUS (all caps), and the secondary is Asus (single cap)... so now assume SSID is case sensitive?

Second question... will my devices failover to the strongest signal (if above is true , I rename, and they show up as one SSID) automatically?

THanks.

EDIT. Answered my first question. (yes, case sensitive). STill wondering about my second question. I also just may leave it like it is, and use the secondary only when I need it.