ZenWiFi BT10 5GHz

[JamiryoFC]

I upgraded from a 2-node TP-Link Deco X60 v3.20 mesh to a 2-node ASUS ZenWiFi BT10 mesh. Both systems are placed in the exact same locations as before. The BT10 nodes use 10 Gbps wired Ethernet backhaul, ethernet backhaul mode is on and MLO fronthaul is enabled.
My phone does NOT support 6 GHz, so it always connects on 5 GHz.

In a spot where the Deco satellite used to show full signal bars, the BT10 sometimes drops to 1 bar, yet real-world speeds are the same or slightly better than before.
What could explain lower signal bars/RSSI readings while throughput remains the same or improves? Could it be differences in signal-bar mapping, roaming/steering behavior between nodes, DFS channels, channel width (80/160 MHz), or Asus settings like Roaming Assistant/WiFi Agile Multiband? What settings should I check to stabilize coverage reporting and roaming?
The interesting part is this: In the back room where the Deco’s main router had zero signal, the BT10’s main unit now shows full bars. So the BT10’s primary unit clearly has much stronger coverage than the Deco.


However, in that same spot, the BT10 satellite node sometimes shows only 1 bar on my phone, and I can’t understand why the coverage would drop there.

 

[Tech9]

Look at Wireless Log, find your test client, watch the RSSI and link rates. One bar closer to the node sound like your test client is still connected to the main router and not the node.

 

[jksmurf]

Look at Wireless Log, find your test client, watch the RSSI and link rates. One bar closer to the node sound like your test client is still connected to the main router and not the node.

Yep; Sounds like (per your observations) stronger signals from your new BT10 units so once connected at the acceptable RSSI it’s hanging on to the client like a limpet (sticky clients), even as you migrate far from the main towards the much closer node.

You may be able to change that behaviour for that client (you’ll need to see if you’re happy with how other clients behave with new settings) by changing the limiting RSSI in roaming assist (wireless professional) for the band (probably 5GHz) it’s connected at.

Failing that (or in addition) you could try to tweak Smart Connects Steering Trigger and STA settings, although these tend to be more for when to give up on 5GHz and at least get you connected at 2.4GHz. I don’t have BE units so I’m not sure what effect MLO may have.

At least for you, your TX power is the same on both units, for those of us with mixed main and node devices it’s yet another factor, with clients often preferring the higher TX devices and no way under AiMesh to individually balance these out.

I think you’ll find many posts here referencing clients deciding about connectivity, so there’s no guarantees the above will give you the (absolutely reasonable) expected transition from main to node or node to node at say the mid point. Try RA first maybe, test it with the one device, see how the others behave. My experience is that it’s an absolute balancing act between having a device connect at all and hanging on too long.

I’m not convinced ASUS have the default (i.e. it should just work) settings right, but to be fair, there’s so many combinations and permutations of settings, devices, topography and physical layouts, it’s a hard ask to get it right. You can spend hours, days, weeks tweaking (I know I have), for both bands and still end up with just “the best compromise”.