thinking of installing a pfSense box

[ducky124]

I currently am running an ASUS Mesh system with ethernet backhaul. I was thinking of adding a pfSense box to do the router/firewall duties for my home network. If I go and change my current main router to AP mode will I have to set up the mesh network all over again?

 

[RMerlin]

AiMesh requires the main router to be an Asus

 

[ColinTaylor]

AiMesh requires the main router to be an Asus

I thought this originally and then was corrected by a member who pointed out that he ran his AiMesh using only access points:

[AiMesh] How to setup two ASUS router as AiMesh in Access Point (AP)mode? | Official Support | ASUS Global

I'm not sure why you would want to do this but it's possible.

 

[Tech9]

AiMesh requires the main router to be an Asus

No, it doesn't. I had a test pfSense + AiMesh in AP Mode setup. The main router is not part of AiMesh.

Usual Guest Network limitations in AP Mode apply though. APs with VLAN support is better for pfSense.

 

[Tech9]

If I go and change my current main router to AP mode will I have to set up the mesh network all over again?

Most likely, but there is nothing much to setup there. Reset the nodes, re-associate to whatever is the main node.

 

[pfuller88]

I have a similar setup. A dedicated pfsense box with one ethernet (VLAN) going to ASUS router in AP mode. This ASUS router hosts several other ASUS routers in AIMesh. When you change your ASUS router to AP mode it might clear the Mesh, if it does, as mentioned above, just setup again.

 

[RMerlin]

No, it doesn't. I had a test pfSense + AiMesh in AP Mode setup. The main router is not part of AiMesh.

Interesting. Maybe that was added with AiMesh 2.0, because all the documentation I had seen so far indicated that you needed the main device to be in "AiMesh Router" mode.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Interesting. Maybe that was added with AiMesh 2.0, because all the documentation I had seen so far indicated that you needed the main device to be in "AiMesh Router" mode.

I'd also guess it's part of AiMesh 2.0. There's still an earlier dated FAQ up on Asus' website that says a router is required, in direct contradiction to the later FAQ (and user experience).

 

[L&LD]

Yes, this has worked for a long time (since AiMesh v2.0).

Access Point(AP) mode / AiMesh Router in AP mode

 

[Tech9]

Interesting. Maybe that was added with AiMesh 2.0

The example given in Asus document is on 384 firmware - AiMesh 1.0

When I started playing with Asus routers my setup was on 386 and AiMesh 2.0 though, don't remember testing AiMesh on 384 firmware.

2x Access Point routers on different channels beat this setup with 2x throughput. No much point of it unless the 2nd router can't be wired.

 

[ItsMeDude]

I changed my setup awhile back to an Opnsense box using my asus routers as AP>mesh node, and it works great.

The only snag that I had was getting to get the mesh node to be discovered. I connected it via eth cable got it connected then I just moved it to where I wanted it. That was something that I had to do before I changed my network layout so that wasn't a big deal, and was nothing specific to the new setup. It has been rock solid.

 

[Tech9]

The only snag that I had was getting to get the mesh node to be discovered.

This is not something unusual for AiMesh regardless of operation mode. Multiple hardware and software factors involved. Asus claims full compatibility between AiMesh routers, but not always true. I understand it's hard to test and verify all possible combinations.

 

[sfx2000]

AiMesh requires the main router to be an Asus

Most Mesh implementation require that the anchor host be a router - just how it is... and that's fine for most folks...

I wouldn't expect AIMesh to be any different honestly - at least at a general level - mesh is complicated enough..

 

[RMerlin]

I wouldn't expect AIMesh to be any different honestly

As others pointed out, it actually does. You can have the "master" node be run as an AiMesh AP in addition to as an AiMesh router.