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AiMesh is a free feature Asus has brought to most of its routers since the beginning of 2018—starting with the RT-AC86U.
Over the years, it has proved to be one of the most versatile ways to build a home Wi-Fi mesh system. The feature itself has gone through a lot of changes, with the latest being dubbed as AiMesh 2.0.
As of early 2022, AiMesh 2.0 has been the norm for all Asus Wi-Fi 6 routers and will be that way for all of its new routers in the foreseeable future.
You'll learn all about this flexible mesh feature in this post—and others of the same series as shown in the box below.
Dong's note: I first published this post on February 24, 2018, and have updated it numerous times since to keep it up-to-date with the feature's development. This latest update, posted on February 11, 2022, aims to consolidate all the information and reorganize the coverage in a way that's easier for first-time readers to follow.
Dong's extra note in Apri 2024 (in response to many of your requests): I know we've had Wi-Fi 7 AiMesh hardware—I've been awake the whole time—and intend to update the series in due time. Currently, there's not enough data since AsusWRT 5.0 is still relatively new, and Wi-Fi 7, despite being officially certified earlier in the year, is not yet fully available. As usual, it'll be worth the wait. In the meantime, everything you'll find below is still relevant.
Asus AiMesh: A robust mesh approach like no others
Available in all Asus Wi-Fi 6 (and later) routers and most of its Wi-Fi 5 routers, AiMesh combines two or more hardware pieces into a single mesh network, similar to the many other mesh brands.
Initially released as an add-on update, AiMesh has proven to be Asus's most impactful home networking feature over time. For a couple of years now, it's been the most important part of the company's core router features.
Still, AiMesh is not a plug-and-play Wi-Fi solution like other canned systems on the market. It requires some work—or maybe even a lot of work in certain situations—before you get it the way you want.
In other words, it's not for everyone. But if you don't mind tinkering with your hardware, chances are you'll love it.
To take advantage of AiMesh, you need to get a couple of supported broadcasters. Most Asus routers have this feature, but that's also where the trouble starts—there are just too many combinations.
Like most mesh systems, you use one as the primary router (or primary node, per Asus), and the rest will be satellites (or satellite nodes).
At the very basic, an AiMesh satellite automatically replicates the Wi-Fi settings of the primary router and extends the coverage, either wirelessly or via network cables.
After that, the router unit determines the features and settings of the entire network. And thanks to that, an AiMesh system can offer a lot more than virtually all other home mesh brands on the market for now.
List of Asus’s current AiMesh routers
There are tri-band and dual-band broadcasters.
As a rule, for the best performance, in a Wi-Fi mesh system, you want Tri-band hardware for a wireless setup. In a home wired with network cables, generally, it makes sense to use Dual-band Wi-Fi 6/Wi-Fi 5 or tri-band Wi-Fi 6E hardware.
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) AiMesh broadcasters
Most of these are legacy broadcasters that might not support the latest version of AiMesh.
- Tri-band: GT-AC5300, RT-AC5300, Lyra, and ZenWiFi AC.
- Dual-band: RP-AC1900, RT-AC1900, RT-AC1900P/U, RT-AC2900, RT-AC3100, RT-AC5300, RT-AC68P/R/RW/U/UF/W, GT-AC2600, Lyra Trio, Blue Cave, RT-AC86U, RT-AC88U, and possibly more.
Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax) AiMesh broadcasters
These non-complete lists only include mostly the latest broadcasters already covered on this website.
- Tri-band (Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E):
- Traditional tri-band (5GHz + 5GHz + 2.4GHz): GT-AX11000, RT-AX92U, ZenWiFi XT8, ZenWiFi Pro XT12, ZenWiFi XT9, ROG Rapture GT6, and more.
- Wi-Fi 6E tri-band (6GHz + 5GHz +2.4Ghz): GT-AXE11000, ZenWiFi ET8, ZenWiFi Pro ET12, GT-AXE16000, RT-AX7800 and more.
- Dual-band (Wi-Fi 6): RT-AX88U/RT-AX88U Pro, RT-AX89X, RT-AX3000 / RT-AX58U, RT-AX56U, ZenWiFi XD4, RT-AX86U/S/Pro, RT-AX82U, RT-AX68U, RP-AX56, GS-AX3000, GS-AX5400, ZenWiFi XD6, GT-AX6000, ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4, ROG Rapture GT6 and more.
Wi-Fi 7 Aimesh broadcasters (so far)
- Quad-band: GT-BE98 Pro, ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro
- Tri-band: RT-BE96U
Flexible hardware setup
First of all, AiMesh enables you to scale up your Wi-Fi network as your needs grow.
You can start with a single router; and then, later on, add a satellite or two. It's also an excellent way to re-use your old Asus router as a node when upgrading to a newer one.
Best of all, AiMesh allows you to pick and choose a mesh system that fits your needs and budget.
You can get two affordable Asus routers and build a budget mesh. Or get two high-end ones to create a high-performing system. And, of course, you can also mix routers of different tiers.
Generally, all AiMesh routers will work with one another, but certain combos will perform better than others unless you choose to use wired backhaul.
You'll find more information on this below, but I also wrote a separate detailed post on picking the right AiMesh combo that explains more.
All the features you’d need and more
Again, an AiMesh system has all the features and settings of the primary router. And since Asus routers currently offer the most features on the market, none of the other home Wi-Fi systems can compete on this front.
In short, AiMesh is the only way to have a mesh that gives you the same feature set as even the most feature-rich standalone router. So if you pick a gaming router as your primary AiMesh node, you'll get yourself, well, a gaming mesh system—something Netgear has been working on via a premium add-on for its Orbi line.
There are also tons of networking settings and tools that you can use via the web interface. Some are quite unique, such as Wake-on-LAN, or the support for Merlin firmware.
What's more, you have the option to use the Asus Router mobile app to manage your network on your phone. It's the only app on the market that has the option for remote management without you having to register an account and log in with the vendor.
(After reviewing lots of Asus routers, I wrote this primer post on Asus broadcasters that first-time readers should check out.)
But the point is whatever you can do with a single Asus router, you can do with an AiMesh system. All you have to do is pick the right router to be your mesh primary node.
On top of that, as a mesh system, AiMesh gives you a lot of flexibility, compared to other canned stems on the market, depending on the hardware you use.
What you can expect from an AiMesh system
Following is what you can expect from an AiMesh setup:
- Flexible backhaul: Starting with AiMesh 2.0—available starting with firmware version 3.0.0.4.386.000—an AiMesh system has flexible backhaul support. Specifically:
- Dedicated wireless backhaul: When you use traditional tri-band routers, like RT-AX92U, or GT-AX11000, one of its 5Ghz bands, the 5GHz-2, will work as the dedicated backhaul band by default—this band works solely as the wireless link between the router and satellite—not applicable when you mix tri-band and dual-band hardware or use wired backhaul.
- User-selectable backhaul: You can manually set any band (6GHz, 5GHz, or 2.4GHz) or network ports as backhaul priority. When left at Auto (default), the system will use the fastest band, for the distance between the main router and a particular satellite, as the backhaul. Auto also prioritizes wired backhaul (when available).
- Wired backhaul: Generally, the WAN port of the satellite unit must be used for the backhaul. Even when that's not the case, Link Aggregation, which is available in most Asus routers, never works for AiMesh wired backhauling. However, with a router that has a Multi-Gig LAN port (such as RT-AX86U or RT-AX89X), the high-speed port of the satellite node can be used for a Multi-Gig wired backhaul.
- Mixed backhaul: Generally, it's best to use wired backhaul consistently throughout the system—you can daisy-chain the units. However, AiMesh does allow for mixing wired and wireless backhaul.
- Daisychain, third-party switch supported: For wired backhaul, you can daisy-chain the main router and nodes or use switches between the hardware units. For best performance, make sure you use Gigabit (or faster) unmanaged switches.
- Auto-sensing network ports: On the router unit, the WAN port functions in its designated role—it needs to connect to an Internet source. After that, the rest of the network ports in the mesh system, including the WAN ports on the satellite units (nodes), work as LANs. That's generally true in either a wired- or a wireless-backhaul setup.
- Up to 10 hardware units: Asus says realistically, a system shouldn't have more than seven units, though you can use up to 10, including the router. And I've indeed tried that many units in a wired backhaul setup with success. In a wireless configuration, though, I'd recommend no more than three hardware units, especially with dual-band hardware.
- No vendor account required: Just like any Asus router, no login account with Asus is necessary to use AiMesh, even when using the Asus Router mobile app. For remote access, Asus uses Dynamic DNS. So, AiMesh is less of a privacy risk (if at all) compared with other systems.
- Access point (AP) mode: As a system, an AiMesh setup can work in the access point mode—not to be confused with an individual router's AP mode. In other words, you can use an entire AiMesh system (consisting of multiple nodes) that works solely as a network/Wi-Fi extension on top of an existing (third-party) router. Among other things, it helps avoid the use of double NAT.
And finally, AiMesh is here to stay. So far, all Asus routers released since 2018, including its latest Wi-Fi 6E hardware, support this feature right out of the box. It's safe to say future Asus routers will support it, too.
Asus routers and privacy
By default, all Asus routers don't require users to use a third-party login account or provide personal information to the vendor.
However, turning on specific features that require scanning the hardware's traffic, such as Traffic monitoring, AiProtection, or Parental Control, or binding the hardware with a third-party account would increase the privacy risks.
Privacy and security are a matter of degree, and data collection varies from one company to another. Here's the Taiwanese hardware vendor's Privacy Policy.
How tri-band routers work in an AiMesh system
Generally, you want to use the most powerful (newer) router as the main AiMesh router and a lesser (older) router as a node. But if you choose to use tri-band routers, there are a couple of things to consider.
First, for best performance, consider tri-band routers if you intend to have a wireless AiMesh setup. And in this case, use tri-band hardware throughout, both as the primary router and node(s).
Important note on “Tri-band”
"Tri-band" only applies to Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 routers with one 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands. In other words, these are routers that have an additional 5GHz band to deliver extra bandwidth.
The new Wi-Fi 6E standard requires its routers, like the Asus GT-AXE11000, or ZenWiFi ET8, to have three different bands (2.4GHz + 5GHz + 6GHz) compatible with all devices.
This type of "tri-band" is not part of what we're talking about here since the tri-band in Wi-Fi 6E is similar to the Dual-band—there's no additional band among the three.
How to manage the dedicated backhaul band (5GHz-2)
As soon as you set up a tri-band unit as the primary AiMesh router, it will automatically dedicate its second 5GHz-band (a.k.a 5GHz-2) as the dedicated backhaul.
It does this by:
- Creating a separate network on this band exclusively for the job of linking the routers in the mesh system. And:
- Keeps the SSID (network name) hidden so that general users won't see it.
As a result, the 5GHz-2 band is generally not available to clients, even when:
- A dual-band router participates as a node. (In this case, this node will connect to the 5GHz-1 band for its backhaul link.)
- You choose to use wired backhauling for the entire system. In this case, the 5GHz-2 remains a standby backup backhaul that kicks in if you remove the network cable (unless you explicitly put the system in the Ethernet Backhaul Mode.)
You can leave this 5 GHz-2 band alone, and all is well. However, you can make it work for end clients, too, especially in the case of wired backhaul. Here's how:
- Unhide the 5GHz-2 SSID and give it a meaningful name—(unless the system is in the Ethernet Backhaul Mode,) this name has to be different from that of the 5GHz-1 and 2.4 GHz bands even when you use these two in a Smart Connect setup. And:
- Pick an easy-to-remember password for the 5 GHz-2 band's SSID. The default password, again, is a long string of random numbers and letters. It's too impractical to use.
Now, this band (5 GHz-2) can still work as a wireless backhaul, but it's no longer a dedicated one.
When you use wired backhaul, this band works only for clients and is available throughout all Tri-band hardware units within the mesh. When you use all tri-band hardware in a mixed wired and wireless backhaul, keep the 5GHz-2 band as the dedicated backhaul for the best performance.
By the way, if you want to switch from wired backhaul back to using the 5GHz-2 as the dedicated backhaul band, make sure no clients connect to it anymore. You can do that by changing the SSID and hiding it. And then unplug the wired backhaul cable.
Starting in late 2021, with AiMesh 2.0, there's an option to use wired backhaul, called "Ethernet Backhaul Mode", and completely free the 5GHz-2 band in a tri-band AiMesh system to serve clients—you can even combine it with the rest of the bands in a Smart Connect network.
And AiMesh 2.0 rings in a few more improvements, too.
AiMesh 2.0 and the ZenWiFi family
Asus announced the ZenWiFi family in early 2020. Since then, it has introduced the following members in the US: ZenWiFi XT8, ZenWiFi CT8, ZenWiFi AX Mini, ZenWiFi ET8, ZenWiFi Pro ET12, ZenWiFi Pro XT12 and ZenWiFi XD6.
ZenWiFi products are those built with AiMesh from the ground up. Within this product line, the feature is the core and not an add-on one. It's also the beginning of the AiMesh 2.0 upgrade mentioned above.
Generally, ZenWiFi systems come with pre-synced hardware—you won't need to add the nodes manually. But individually, each unit can work as a standalone router or as a satellite of any other AiMesh-enabled router.
Conversely, you can also manually add any AiMesh router as a satellite of a ZenWiFi set.
Among other things, an AiMesh 2.0 setup includes the following added benefits:
- Better interface: There's a new AiMesh, which makes managing the feature easier. There's also a new one-button optimization
- Guest network: Most, if not all, combos will get the Guest network throughout and not just at the router unit. (Applicable to only one Guest network per band—you can create three per band, but the other two are only available at the primary router.)
- Better wired backhaul implementation: The 2nd 5GHz band of a tri-band system will be made available to clients when the wired backhaul is used (only applicable when a tri-band router works as the primary node.)
- Better node control: You can now use the router's web interface to control certain aspects of a node, including USB applications and Link Bonding (LAN Link Aggregation), when applicable.
- Preferable backhaul: When using multiple wireless nodes, you can force the node's backhaul to connect to another node or the main router.
AiMesh 2.0 and Guest networking
AiMesh 2.0 started out as a slow and fluid process. But by the end of 2021, its improvements have generally been available to almost all Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E broadcasters.
Of the improvements listed above, the support for system-wide Guest networking is the most anticipated. Prior to this, the Guest Wi-Fi network was only available at the router unit.
It's worth noting, though, that AiMesh 2.0 is not available fully to all routers. Specifically, Wi-Fi 5 routers might only get part of the benefits listed above, if at all. Generally, a router must run firmware version 3.0.0.4.386 or later to have any AiMesh 2.0 benefits.
But most, if not all, Wi-Fi 6 and later will get AiMesh 2.0 in full. But even then, AiMesh is still far from perfect. Most notable is the clunky support for Wi-Fi bands. And that brings us to the shortcomings of AiMesh.
AiMesh’s shortcomings:
While most flexible among all mesh systems, AiMesh is quite terrible in managing the situation where you need to mix broadcasters of different numbers of bands, Wi-Fi tiers/standards, or backhaul types.
Specifically, if you use dual-band and tri-band routers together, mix wired and wireless backhaul, or use routers of different Wi-Fi tiers, there's no good way to manage them. The mesh will still work, but not as straightforward as I'd like.
Here are some specifics.
Mixing Wi-Fi tiers or standard
If you use hardware of different Wi-Fi tiers (or standard), there's no way to manage the Wi-Fi settings of the satellite.
For example, if your router features DFS channels and the satellite doesn't, the two will not share the same Wi-Fi settings, which are adjustable only at the router.
It's important to note that if you configure the backhaul band at the router with the settings not supported by the satellite, the two might not work together—use compatibility mode at the router in this case.
Tri-band and dual-band mix: It can be a bit of a mess
There are two scenarios.
Tri-band primary router + dual-band satellite
In this case, there's no dedicated backhaul band.
The router's third band will be on its own, and the satellite still connects to its first 5GHz band, which is available to clients as backhaul unless you use wired backhaul.
In other words, you gain nothing from using a tri-band router, in this case, other than having an additional band at the router itself.
Dual-band router + tri-band satellite
In this case, there's no way you can manage the satellite's third band, no matter if you use wireless or wired backhaul.
In other words, you gain nothing from using a tri-band satellite in this case—you can't use its third band anyway.
On this front, Asus's AiMesh is really behind Synology's Mesh approach. The latter can create a virtual band when need be so that you can mix the hardware of different bands together consistently. At the very least, that helps with the management.
AiMesh’s other shortcomings
On top of the band mixing issues, AiMesh has a few other shortcomings, too, including.
- Some router combinations can be buggy. Considering so many routers are involved, it's quite hard for Asus to work in all scenarios consistently.
- At times, a new firmware release that fixes one combo might cause issues in others. In most cases, though, I find that resetting your router and setting up your mesh from scratch helps.
- The system-wide Guest network generally could use some improvement. Among other things, when available, it's limited to the first Guest SSID for each band. That's a big downer considering each Asus broadcaster can have up to three Guest SSIDs per band when working as a standalone router.
Asus AiMesh: Excellent performance
An AiMesh system's performance varies depending on the hardware you use and how you set it up.
In the past few years, I've tried dozens and dozens of hardware combinations. In fact, I tried AiMesh with virtually all Asus routers I've reviewed.
In my experience, AiMesh has gotten better over time, and it's safe to say any hardware combo can beat other similarly-priced purpose-built systems in both performance and features.
Below are the real-world performance charts showing many AiMesh satellite nodes against the satellites of some other mesh systems, both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5. I tested all of these systems in a wireless setup.
On the Wi-Fi 6 chart, keep in mind that the ZenWiFi AX cost hundreds of dollars less than all other competitors, namely the Orbi RBK852, the Alien Kit, and the Arris SURFboard mAX.
In all, performance-wise, AiMesh is a sure thing. You don't need to worry about it.
Asus AiMesh's Rating
Pros
The most flexible way to build a robust, scalable home Wi-Fi mesh system
Excellent performance, top-notch feature set
Built-in online protection
No vendor login is required, or other privacy risks
Comparatively affordable
Cons
Certain router combos can be buggy or have issues with new major firmware releases.
Rigid Wi-Fi management when mixing hardware of different Wi-Fi tiers, standards, or number of bands
Only one Guest SSID (instead of three) per band can be made system-wide
Conclusion
In my experience, AiMesh is one of the best—and fun—solutions for advanced users who want to build a scalable, robust Wi-Fi mesh system without compromising their privacy.
Most importantly, again, it can beat all other similarly priced purpose-built systems on the market in both performance and features.
If you have gotten your home wired, a couple of dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (or tri-band Wi-Fi 6E) AiMesh routers are a sure way to get a robust mesh system.
In fact, in my opinion, the only true competitor to AiMesh, in terms of features, privacy, and management, is Synology mesh. Unfortunately, Synology hasn't released any new routers for years now—there are only two, the RT2600ac and the MR2200ac. It did announce the RT6600ax earlier this year so that might change soon.
Until then, AiMesh is the way to go for now. At least for those feeling adventurous.
To learn more, check out this post on the detailed steps to set up an AiMesh system and this one on picking the best AiMesh combo.
Dong,
I’m trying to fix/expand my Aimesh. Currently running two RT-AX92s in the attic North side of the house, near the ends of the house one East and one West on wired backhaul.
I’m currently on a limited budget, so no RT-BE96 this month :-), although I may keep an eye out for a Black Friday type deal.
My main goal is to get rid of dead spots caused by “Tile on Cement Board” wall, Brick Chimney in the middle of the house, Asbestos siding on the house, “Plaster on Lath” walls, the fact that as a long narrow house nearly anything in a different room goes through 2-3 walls with at least one at a sharp angle, and my favorite… Cement Block garage construction…
With the odd combination of 5Ghz and 6Ghz bands available, my current thought is to put something like an ASUS RT-AXE7800 as the main router, use a multi-gig switch like a TrendNet TEG-S762 between the main and the nodes along with Ethernet directly to my main 3 computers, then use my 1G Powerline adapters out to the detached garage and the AC5300. I have Fiber for primary WAN and thinking of using a TP-Link AC travel Router with my AT&T FirstNet MyFi as a secondary WAN, although I could also convert a Pi4 to a PiRouter for that.
I was just given an RT-AC5300 for my garage (planning to run on Powerline 1G I currently own) to add Alexa, music streaming, and the ability to install smart garage door openers and smart lights, but I’m currently experiencing a struggle in my office because of masonry in the walls/house, so I was thinking of adding a new “heart” of the system in the office, running the AX92s as nodes where they currently are, mounting the AC5300 high enough above the concrete block in the garage that it can provide coverage inside the garage and extend my outdoor range, and using a WiFi 6e or WiFi7 as the brains of the outfit.
If I put the AC5300 above the block, the two AX-92s still in the attic on the North half of the house at East and West ends, and the new WiFi 6e or WiFi 7 router in the office South half in the middle of the length, does that seem reasonable? Would you hold off on the new router until someone offers an ASUS WiFi 7 (BE) router at under $400?
If I do this, with everything on virtual wired backhaul can I put the different 5GHz router bands on different channels, or do I need to have at least one match across the 4 routers to make it work? I guess same question on 2.4GHz… Can I make the two AX92s run on, say channel 1, and the other two run on, say, channel 9 or 11, to reduce congestion? While the houses in the area are close to each other, with all of the old-school construction, the congestion isn’t actually that bad.
I can’t pretend I’ve been to your home, Eric. All I can say is mixing hardware is always tricky — more here. Multi-Gig need hardware grade throughout. You don’t need to worry about the channel of each unit in a mesh system. And you can use Dual-Wan for your situation.
Good luck!
Hello, does anyone have any insight on the transmission power of AiMesh node?
I have a GT-AX6000 (Asia, default), running on Asuswrt-merlin firmware and a RT-AX86U Pro (China, default), running latest stock firmware.
AiMesh, ethernet backhaul, GT-AX6000 as main router, RT-AX86U Pro as AiMesh node.
Would the AiMesh node be broadcasting WiFi with transmission power level regulated by China? or would it follow that of the main router?
Thank you.
They generally all follow the local regulations on wireless spectrum, Jeff.
Thanks Dong. I guess it would follow the locale of main router.
I will experiment with the RT-AX86U Pro (China) using the following modes:
1) Wireless router mode
2) AiMesh mode (paired with main router with non-China locale)
I will report back after measuring the dBm of respective modes.
Thanks.
Hi Dong, I have been reading your posts and have a technical question on AiMesh this time. I have a wired backhaul AiMesh of one master node and 2 aimesh slave nodes (wired backhaul). master Node is by Asus GT-AX6000 and aimesh nodes are Asus RT-AX3000. I use WiFi analyser from Play Store to monitor the WiFi signal strengths, Channel congestion etc. So, now I have 2 scenarios.
1. When the Master Node starts up first and then the AiMesh nodes latch on to the Master Node, in this case , when seen on WiFI Analyser, there will be ONLY 1 WiFi signal at a single control channel with a single strength bar although all the master and aimesh nodes are emitting WiFi radio.
2. When the aimesh nodes (slave node) start up first and wait for the master node to come up. after the master node is up, the aimesh nodes waiting on the master now latch on the master node. In this case, when seen on WiFi analyser, there would be THREE (3) WiFi radio signals of the SAME SSID with different control channel and strengths.
Which one is the right mode or sequence of bootup. the aimesh nodes booting first and then waiting on master thereby presenting 3 radio signals OR the master node boots up followed by the aimesh node and presenting only 1 radio signal on the WiFI analyser. I am not sure if the design of aimesh system is to present as many WiFi radio signals of the same SSID so that the WiFi recipient (e.g. mobile client) latches on to the radio with the highest strength i.e. the nearest proximity to aimesh node or is it to broadcast a single radio signal thereby obfuscating the 3 WiFI radio of individual nodes into a single one ?
Please let me know if you have conducted research on this matter.
I’d say number #1 is the correct, Anish. And that’s also the case when you follow the setup guide.
Hi Dong
Thanks for your reply. I have been studying your posts on AiMesh and having doing a lot of research on setting up the routers in various modes. Lots of interesting results are being observed. I am preparing a list to share with you one day. In the meanwhile, do you have any post that talks on the differences between an AiMesh configuration vs Router+AP configuration. So while I can connect one primary node and rest as satellites in AiMesh arrangement, I can have one primary Asus routers and the satellites connected to the primary in AP mode rather than AiMesh. Since I have wired backhauling , hence I have all these options open.
Check out this post on a real-world mixed Router + AiMesh in AP mode setup, Anish. And also this one on general tips on mixing hardware.
Hi Dong! Thanks so much for all the work you put into this site and all the questions you unknowingly answer through your posts!
I had a quick one. I’ve got a 3500sf home. Typical suburban build for Ontario, Canada.
I recently moved to an ASUS GTAX11000 and 5 AX92U units scattered around the house.
System has been working really well and after living through extender after extender hell over the years – MESH is my new drug!
But — I’ve noticed some units hang on to devices for longer then I’d like, considering there is another satellite closer that might be able to offer an even quicker speed.
Anyway – is 5 ax92u units overkill? Would they actually be hurting the system? Would it be even quicker and seamless with just three?
Could I be over saturating the home with wifi?
Thoughts, if you have time?
You can use up to 10 nodes (router included) total, Rui. It’s just a matter of coverage. For the other question, check out the roaming part in this post.
Thank you, Dong, for your well explained article about Asus AirMesh. I just ordered the AXE-1600, I have at home the RT-AC5300 which I am planing to use as a satellite. Obviously your article will help me to set these routers together. I do not want run cables through wall and attic, it is a mess to do that.
The two might not work well together, if at all, Alex. More here. Among other things, they don’t share the same firmware version. But good luck!
Hi,
Thanks for this extensive article. After reading it I still have the question: what does AiMesh really bring vs setting up my router with connected access points manually. At this moment I have 3 Asus routers with all similar HW in it (AC66U B1, AC68U, AC1900U). At this moment the AC66U is setup as main router, put behind the router of the internet provider. Then the AC68U and AC1900U are both connected via LAN cable to the AC66U and are setup as access points. All have the same main Wifi setup, and also the first of 3 possible guest networks is the same on all. Then I have a specific named guest wifi per device so I also always have the choice to connect to a specific device. This setup works fine, is fast and all wifi points have a fast internet connection via the LAN cable.
What would using AiMesh give as advantage in my setup? Setting this up manually was not that hard, I can imagen that that could be a bit easier when using AiMesh, but ok, it is setup and running fine now. And with AiMesh I would lose the ability to also have a specific guest wifi per access point (ok, maybe not that import, but still).
I am curious what your view is on this and if I overlooked something in the article.
Check out this post, Paul.
I have a AX3000 which I want to use as the main router. I want to create AiMesh, what device would be a good choice for a node?
Follow the 2nd post of this series in the Related Post box the top of this page, Keith.
Hi Dong – Thank you for writing this. I’m struggling. My main router is an AX86U running Merlin 388.2. I’ve tried adding an AiMesh satellite node using:
1. RP-AX58
2. RT-AX58U (2)
3. ZenWiFi XT9 – AX7800 (2)
I am unable to add any of them. I read your step-by-step guide but my attempts always end in failure. The search finds the unit each time, but when I “apply” them it ultimately fails with:
“Unable to add your AiMesh node (mac address) due to the following situations. Please check and try again”. All units are within 10 feet of my main router when I try.
I’ve tried adding them right out of the box as well as updating the satellite node also to Merlin v388.2. Nothing helps. I’ve tried adding them wirelessly as well as wired.
Asus Support will not help me unless I revert from Merlin, which I do not want to do. I feel like I’m doing something wrong. Can you give me some suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
Generally, Chad, when you use Merlin, you’re on your own. This post might help.
Also, note the firmware versions and hardware of the satellites — give this one a serious read. Your build violates quite a few of AiMesh’s “rules”. Paying attention is the key.
Dong – Thank you for your reply.
Can you tell me what is the problem specifically with using my RT-AX86U as my primary router and using my RT-AX58U as my satellite node? Both are dual band WiFi 6 routers. Does that combo break any “rules”?
Thanks.
Read the third post I linked in the previous reply, Chad. The entire post is my telling.
Quick question about Asus XD6 and wired backhaul:
I finally (and thanks again for all pieces of advice, Dong, it is incredible how many details we can find in your articles) have my set of 2 Asus XD6s setup and connected.
Connection between them is wired (via two switches however), but according to configuration page, the connection is great, it is ethernet and I can see two beautiful, green parallel lines between the nodes 🙂
However, if I run WiFi Analyzer for 5GHz, I can see that besides two networks that, I assume, are my WiFi: one per one node, there is also a network called *hidden* that is linked to Asus and has a very similar mac address.
Does it mean that this is the wireless backhaul or any other WiFi connection between the nodes? Or is it something else? I haven’t setup a guest network (yet).
It’s likely for the setup process or when you change the Wi-Fi name or password. If you pick the Ethernet Backhaul Mode, chances are that this virtual SSID will be turned off. In any case, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Hi Dong, thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience on networks. I have a new multi-gig 5Gbps internet network / Wi-Fi mesh configuration question for you –
I have fiber through a Frontier ONT w/10GbE port, out via Cat6e into my home office, concrete walls, 15’ from my concrete wall 2 story big house. I also use a wired connection through a 10 GbE port Thunderbolt 3 OWC dock to my 2023 M2 MacBook Pro that is having trouble keeping an IP address… keeps self-assigning and losing internet.
Network Inventory-
-1 ASUS ROG Rapture router GT-AXE16000 with 2 10G ports;
-2 ASUS ET12s with two 2.5GbE ports;
– 2 TP-Link TL-SX105 | 5 Port 10G/Multi-Gig Unmanaged Ethernet Switches
To maximize Wi-Fi speed in the office and main house, does this mesh setup max out the 5Gbps internet without problems, or is there a more efficient configuration?
a. (Office)
ONT -> ROG Rapture Router IN to 10GbE Port #1/2
b. (Office)
ROG out 10GbE Port #2/2 -> 10G TP-Link switch #1
c. (Office to house)
TP Switch #1 (office) -> via CAT6+ cable to TP Switch #2 (house) & CAT6+ to OWC dock to M2 Mac.
d. (House)
TP Switch #2 -> 2 cat6 cables to aggregated WAN/LAN backhaul setup (for total 5Gbps) on ET12 #1’s 2.5Gbps ports.
e. (House)
TP Switch #2 -> 2 more cat6 cables to aggregated WAN/LAN backhaul setup (for total 5Gbps) on ET12 #2’s 2.5Gbps ports.
Please let me know if this is good or a better way exists.
Bonus points if you can help me fix my MacBook from self-assigning an IP to the wired connection through the OWC dock after going to sleep and losing internet access.
Thanks so much!!
Give your OWC Doc an IP reservation, that would do it, Matt. The rest looks fine. Give this post a good read and you’ll be able to get everything done correctly. It’s in the little details.
Hi Dong,
I have used AiMesh since late 2018 with an AC86U and AC-5300 wired node and so far never worked as expected. Most of the time I have seen some device connections very slow on the ac5300 (node).
I just got an AX86S and AX82U to replace them (I got them on sale for $150 each in Costa Rica).
I have read in the post about mixing Wi-Fi tiers (use routers of different Wi-Fi tiers, there’s no good way to manage them. The mesh will still work, but not as straightforward as I’d like.) However, I would like to keep one of the old ones as an additional node if possible and just if it will not interfere with the full functionality of the other two WIFI 6 routers.
Do you have any recommendations about it?
It is a good idea to mix those new WIFI 6 routers with one of the old ones and with which of the ones could be better?
Thank you in advance, and thank you for all the detailed AiMesh information you have posted during all the past years.
Check out this post, Joy, especially this section. Pay some attention and you’ll find out what you should do.
Do you know if the following config would work with AiMesh?
1. Wired pfsense router as main router
2. Asus router connected in AP mode as aimesh router, wired backhaul to pfsense router
3. Asus router connected in AP mode as aimesh node, wired backhaul to pfsense router.
The reason being my LAN points in my house are wired to a patch panel near the main entrance. I’m planning to place the wired pfsense router at the patch panel and the main aimesh router at the living room, with the node being in one of the bed rooms. However, as each room has only a single LAN port, I was wondering if a wired backhaul is possible via connecting each aimesh device to the pfsense router rather than daisy chaining it from the aimesh router? Many thanks.
Yes, that will work, I described that in this post — think of the RT-AX89X mentioned there as your pfsense router. In the AP mode, the AiMesh router and note can be connected to the network at the same level.
Hi Dong, I have a aimesh with a ac86u and a node with the ac5300. I have over 80 devices connected and now I start to have disconnection for some devices . Do you think I have reached the max connections of the router?
That can be multiple issues. I’d recommend you check out this post on routers in general. It’ll answer a lot of your questions.
Thank you Dong, I have read the post already and most of the devices are smart light switches, smart plugs and other smart home devices so usually they don’t use a lot of bandwidth, I have a symmetric 200MB internet connection and usually don’t see any usage over 10MB. I have start to have this disconnection issue after I installed the last 10 devices (smart switchs). Last night I have changed some devices from the 2.4 to 5 GHz and so far I see fewer disconnections. I have QoS, traffic analyzer and AIProtection enabled.
I really appreciate your help with it.
You didn’t read that post closely, it seems, Joy. It’s the bandwidth of the Wi-Fi band itself (not the Internet) which is adversely affected by a slow device. Give it another serious read. In any case, that’s all I can tell you.
Thank you very much, Dong! That’s a relief and also amazing at the same time that Aimesh supports this.
Apologies I thought I had read the AiMesh article a couple of times over but I missed out that part on non-Asus routers being compatible too. Guess I have to give it another read!
👍
Dear Dong,
Highly appreciative of your content!
if I may expand on Reuben’s question: I have a wired star topology of in total 5 RT-AX 92U’s (so 4 AImesh nodes and one AImesh router). All are in AP mode. The mesh ‘router’ is connected to my main non-wifi router. Will the system be faster when all 5 of them are directly connected to the non-wifi router rather than via the mesh router?
The strange thing is that when I rewire to this new config, the Asus app stil shows the same star topology rather than the actual physical topology. So it seems everything is still routed as before. Can you shed light? Thanks!
If you use wired backhauling, Bad, the topology doesn’t apply. Your case is fine as is assuming you’re using the AP mode for the whole system. Or you can try removing the original router.
For your situation the performance is the same. Also, the AiMesh map will always show that the satellites are behind the primary node since it’s where you manage all of them.
Asus (and AIMesh) routers support WPA3/WPA2-MIX mode? In order to connect to legacy clients like IoTs?
All routers that support WPA3 do, Liviu, on applicable bands. More here.
OK, thanks.
Instead of a WPA3/WPA2 MIX mode, I would like to connect the IoT to the guest network for increased security.
[I DID reviewed your article entitled: “Guest Wi-Fi Network Explained: Best Practices (with Your IoT Devices)”]
Do you know if it is possible for an ASUS router to support both WPA3 (on main network) and WPA2 (on the guest/VLAN network) simultaneously?
That depends on the band, not the SSID, Liviu.
Hi. Not sure if you can help, but I’m not sure what else to try. I have a 3-story house, new, so hardwired throughout. I started with an Arris SurfBoard G36 modem / router combo. Worked OK, but I had to put it in the bottom level based on where wiring comes in, so WiFi on the top floor was slow. Based on all your articles on Asus, I bought a pair of XD6 routers, put the Arris G36 in bridge mode, and set it all up. The one router is hardwire connected to the other, which is hardwire connected to the Arris. All laptops are ethernet connected to one of the XD6s. At first everything worked great, speeds on the system were excellent. However, over time speeds have dropped off to the point where speed tests show just a few Mbps, and video calls drop, video playback buffers, just not good. I’ve tried rebooting all equipment, but it just doesn’t seem to have an impact. Any thoughts? Thanks.
Check to make sure you set up the system properly and it uses wired backhauling, Brian. After that, you might want to use QoS in case you have a device that hogs all the band with.
Thanks. The Arris Surfboard G36 has 4 1G ethernet ports and one 2.4G ethernet port. While our internet plan is around 800 Mbps, I had connected the XD6 to the 2.4G port on the Arris cable modem. On a lark, I switched the connection to one of the 1G ethernet ports, and the problem instantly resolved itself. I have no idea why…
Likely the G36’s 2.5Gbps doesn’t work well in the bridge mode. In your case, it’s best to use a modem, like one of these, but the current setup should be fine, too.
Hi,
If I have a dsl-ax82u dual band router and add another identical one as a satellite. Will I lose the 5ghz band to backhaul if not using wired? Will clients not be able to connect to it?
You don’t lose any band using AiMesh, Si. Read the post for more.
Hi Mr Dong,
I plan to move my home Asus XT8 to my three-storey office (1500 sq ft each floor) by adding two ceiling mounted Netgear WAX610 connected through solid backhaul to form a mesh. The two Netgear WAX610 will be connected to a POE switch which is connected to the XT8 router.
Can this configuration work as a mesh? Are there any setup issues I need to be aware of? Thank you for your help.
Yes, but you don’t want to do that since Insight Managed to require a subscription — it’s a ripoff. Go with TP-Link Omda instead, you can keep the XT8 as the router (or use any good router) and you’ll have a nice setup. Good luck!
Thanks for the prompt reply, Mr Dong. I read your post on TP-Link Omada. May I ask whether this configuration works: Modem + ASUS router (XT8) + switch (Netgear GS524PP) + OC200 controller + 3 Mesh APs (2xOmada EAP650 + 1x Asus XT8). Any compatibility issues with this setup? Can I use the OC200 controller to setup Asus XT8 mesh? Appreciate very much for your helps.
That will work, but you’ll have two separate systems (AiMesh + Omada) that might interfere with each other — so you’ll need to configure them accordingly. I’d take the 2nd XT8 out and use another Omada in its place. And you can replace the 1st XT8 with any router.
Hi Dong, thanks for the great collection of articles on AiMesh and ASUS networking in general. I’m running (4) XT12’s now in AiMesh covering a 5400sf house and it’s working well, way way better than the Eero Pro 6 I ignorantly went with before.
Question for you – now I want to extend wifi into a detached garage and a patio area. I am thinking of adding a pair of RT-AX92U nodes because they’re cheap and seem to have great range. Will they work well with the XT12’s?
Thanks!
I think the XT8 is better in your case, Rich, and if you don’t care about speed, you can also try the RP-AX56U. I haven’t tried any of those combos though.
In any case, if you’re using the system in a fully wireless setup, you’re pushing it.
Hello,
I run an Asus RT-AX92U. I have an issue with my synology NAS, and they need to connect remotely, but my router is blocking them. How can I whitelist their incoming IP?
I tried searching here, and everywhere, but haven’t got much luck. I understand if I’m asking too much, I know you’re not ‘tech support’.
Your site has been really helpful for many tasks I’ve had to do over the past couple years, thank you.
Check out these posts, Al:
1. You might have a double NAT issue.
2. You might not know how to set things up in terms of remote access.
I’m pretty sure the RT-AX92u has nothing to do with your issues.
Wow, that was fast, thank you! I don’t think it’s a double NAT issue. Sorry, I should have been more clear. I set my NAS up for remote access (Synology walked me through it), and they were connected for level 1 and 2 support, but they couldn’t resolve the issue (it’s been a month of back and forth with them) and had to pass it to synology headquarters. Headquarters is saying they can’t connect due to my routers firewall. They gave me an IP to whitelist, but I can’t figure it out. Would the port forwarding possibly allow them to connect once I set it up and gave them the link? Thanks again, I really appreciate the response, I know you’re very busy.
You need to know networking at a certain level first, Al. Explaining that you have a problem and that you want something will not get you the answer. In this case, it seems you don’t even know specifically what you want to begin with. Give this post a good read and follow any linked related posts. Don’t go online and look for easy answers. You’d only waste your and others’ time.
For your case, to make sure the router is not part of the issue put the NAS server’s IP in the DMZ zone.
Ok, I’ll check it out and read through. And trust me, I’m not looking for easy, or even hard answers. I’m desperately trying to allow them to connect to fix my NAS…not having this working right for a month is killing me. Any answer on how to fix this is good enough for me, because I’m lost and I’ve already wasted time on this problem. But hey, I gotta do something, the answer isn’t going to fall into my lap. Thanks again!
You often ask us to read closely, so I do.
As such, I’ll point out that one of your pictures in this article (right below “Below are the real-world performance charts showing many AiMesh satellite nodes against the satellites of some other mesh systems, both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5.”) refers to “megagits”…
Thanks, that was a typo. I noted that, but it was hard to change an image at the time, and it slipped off my mind… I’ll see what I can do. Typos are one of my many weaknesses, and I’ve made it easy to report by the button at the top corner.
As for my urging you to read “carefully”, it’s more of a reading with an open mind, and don’t just go look to validate the thing you’ve already believed. But grammar policing is welcome, too!
Hi Dong, thanks for this info. I’m considering setting up 2 dual band routers in AiMesh mode. If I use the 5ghz wireless band for the backhaul, will the satellite router still provide 5ghz connection to clients? Or does the backhaul band have to be dedicated?
I’m unable to run a wire at this time, and since I already use one dual band router I’m not willing to purchase 2 brand new tri-band ones for the setup.
I also read about the AP mode operation. If that is possible over WiFi, should I look into that instead of AiMesh?
Thank you
Read the post CAREFULLY, Ayush, and follow the linked related posts when need be. Please no questions until you’ve done that.
Hi, I am in a bit of a spot here, I have asus rt-AC 3100 as my Main router ( Firmware 386.5_2) and One Netgear r7000 on Xwrt-Vortex – r7000_386.5_2, i made the R7000 to run as a node, everything running fine, so i decided to add one more node and got another r7000 from a friend who was using it in his setup as a node too. Same firmware – r7000_386.5_2.
Now, I made fresh setup of nodes, what happens is sometimes only 1 node works, ( other will show offline) or sometime neither will work.
Huh? Maybe you should read the post?
Dear Dong,
Could you please help me with my headache.
I need to cover a rather big house (about 300m) with relatively good wifi. I want to start with a single router in an access point mode (I already have Mikrotik RB750GR3 as a main router) and then, if I feel lack of range, to add one more
Which one, do you think, will be better in that situation – XT8, XD6S/XD6S, AX92U?
From your review tables it seems, that AX92U has better speed comparing with other ones, but what about a range? Or I should better choose a dedicated access point, like Ubiquiti U6 Mesh or U6 Pro?
No i couldn’t, Aleksandr. But this post will help, that’s if you read it carefully.
Thanks Dong. I really love the site and have been reading through the great articles.
My house is a two story, 2000sqft home and it’s older so I won’t be wired on the second story where my office is. I’m settled on ASUS and prices on the high end products are very reasonable (RT-AX92U) in my eyes. I already know from your articles how highly recommended the XT8 is and that is on my very short list, but is it worth getting the RT-AX92U vs. XT8(2 pk)? I do remote work and gaming in my office upstairs but my ISP is not a gig but connection is a priority. I’d likely have a unit downstairs where I’m wired but with the XT8 I could have a unit upstairs in my office (likely overkill but I don’t mind). I’d definitely love to future proof myself, however.
If you intend to have a mixed (wired and wireless) setup, Hoang, the RT-AX92U is a much better buy. Get a 3-pack or a 2-pack and the GT-AX11000 as the main router. But what you envisioned will likely work, too. Note though that wireless is never good for gaming — more in this post.
Hi Dong,
Thanks again for your great articles!
I have recently bought a Asus XT8 set and having some problems since with some IoT devices. The new beta-firmware has helped some, but my Shelly WiFi devices keep loosing connection after some time. My both nodes have wired backhauls.
When searching the internet I see more problems with IoT devices with this XT8 set, as with other mesh systems. It seems it all comes down to the CoAP(CoIoT) integration. I know you can’t go 8nto my specific situation, but can you give some general tips perhaps for avoiding problems with CoAP and IoT devices?
I mentioned that in this post on Airtime Fairness, Henk.
Read it, very clear. Too bad there isn’t much I can do, other than connecting my Shelly’s to another WiFi network… 🙁
Thanks again for your help and quick reply!
Hi,
thanks Dong for all your articles. As an engineer myself, your work here is great!
I own an AC86U, and I recently for upgraded to 1Gbps line. It is located in the centre of the house and coverage is great and I don’t need more than a single router to cover it all.
However I noticed over wifi ac I never see more than 6-700Mbps, even combining multiple devices.
I was thinking of upgrading with a router that would allow me to see 900+ Mbps speeds.
I saw the GT-AX6000 seems to have great throughput, but it’s dual-band, is that enough for wifi only gigabit lines?
other options:
– tri-band router to have more total available bandwidth or, related to this guide,
– I can put the GT-AX6000 next to (literally next to) the old AC86U configured as wired mesh node, to act almost like a tri-band or that would be overkill or even worse, interfering over the wifi bands?
tried researching, but for those sort of scenarios experience is more valuable than anything
obviously I can buy and return if not happy, but wanted to have a plan first
Hi Andrea,
The GT-AX6000 will work out great for you. However, remember that the speed depends on both ends. Just because you get a new router doesn’t mean your device is up to snuff. More on that in this post where I talked about Gigabit Internet. You don’t need a tri-band router though that doesn’t hurt. But it only makes a difference, if at, all if you have lots of active 5GHz devices — the faster a connection is, the shorter a device remains active. More in this post on dual-band vs tri-band. And finally, no, you should place the two next to each other, but more on that here. If you have a network cable, you can use the AC86U as a wired AiMesh satellite for a far area of the home, though.
Thanks for all you have detailed for us, it has helped immensely re product selections, setup, understanding and more !!
My XT8 setup was a breeze even just with app alone.
I have already experienced something I don’t understand though…very often if I am between router and node on a wifi signal strength perspective, I find that speed tests when device bounced between them is exponentially higher from the NODE !?
For eg if I’m upstairs (node), I’m still physically closer to router (floor below) but walls/ceiling result in signal strength from both being same (-71) I was recording 495 node and 338 (or lower !!!) from router. Speeds standing next to each are about 800…ie same/similar. Do I have to account for other connections a d activity specific to the router to explain loss or what accounts for it when hardware and strength same ??
I would care a lot less about which box aimesh has decided to connect devices to if I thought speed would be same/similar. (for full disclosure there is another pair of XT8’s operating in house on other different network (there were no apparent channel conflicts at that time as per Airport Utility app scan)
Your message is a bit confusing, Mike. However:
1. You should stop testing using your phone — more on testing here.
2. More on-hand off in this post.
3. More on dBm in this post.
Most importantly, chances your phone doesn’t have any application that needs more than even just 50Mbps. What you’re doing is like looking at a freeway and wondering why cars are running at different speeds and then getting upset about that fact. Do something better with your time. 🙂
Interest is not about my iPhone use or needs.
I am in the infancy of still SETTING UP the mesh network and was using iPad along with aimesh stats and Airport Utility for monitoring network signal levels.
If I simplify my initial concern…I guess I’m saying it concerns me that speed tests results on node from that spot can be 400-500mbps yet speeds…if device pivots onto router, then speeds are like 200-350 when signal level from both node and router are IDENTICAL !! ( there is zero other wireless activity connected to router during this test)
Demands on network as a whole here are considerable in the household including heavy busy activities so was just hoping for better understanding of it…in case…I needed to consider any BINDING or transmitter strength modes to steer it a bit better.
OTHER…..noticing device(s) on 2.4ghz network absolutely will NOT roam even if you are one foot away from other box and signal is like -10dbm. The only way to get any devices onto the other box is to reboot the one they are connected to. That is not consistent with what I have read….any thoughts or experience with that ?? (fyi….roaming on 5ghz-1 happens as you would expect…maybe even to a fault LOL)
LASTLY…your most recent notes re XT8 seem to suggest that 5ghz-2 was restricted from device use when used as wireless backhaul. That no longer seems to be the case and you need to turn off SSID broadcast for firmware to interpret intent as being DEDICATED. (just thought I’d mention since that might have been perceived as a negative (til now) by anyone looking at acquiring XT8s for their mesh solution)
Thanks again !!
Since you didn’t read what I linked in the previous reply, Mike, let me put it in a way that might work.
Imagine you (a Wi-Fi device) are romantically (or sexually) interested in two individuals (that’s two Wi-Fi broadcasters). No matter if that’s two ladies or two men or a mix (you pick the Wi-Fi band combo!), you’d easily realize that the physical distances you have with them (within reason) have little or anything at all to do with how much you feel attracted at any given time. Specifically, you might feel more attracted to the one who wants to leave you. You bring that to your current BFF (that’s your Apple app), and they would provide you with whatever bullshit they have at hand with the goal of keeping you coming back because they want to be relevant even when they are not.
Then you ask your logical mind (that’s me), and it’d tell you that emotions don’t work the way you can use logic to explain. You’d say “ah-ha!” for two minutes, and then you’d open a bottle of wine and not want to believe it because it’s inconvenient but mostly because you’re emotional. You keep second-guessing yourself. Repeat.
Believe it or not, that’s your Wi-Fi situation. I’ve run into that a lot.
Here’s my suggestion:
1. Read the post(s) I linked with an open mind and pay some attention.
2. Read the post(s) I linked with an open mind and pay some attention.
3. Read the post(s) I linked with an open mind and pay some attention.
Specifically:
1. This post on testing.
2. This post on mesh systems.
3. This post on AiMesh.
You’re welcome.
🙂
TBH…a bit ticked with that response.
It’s a little condescending at best…as well as insulting to suggest that efforts were not made to reference any recommended material. I had already indicated at the start that I had read NUMEROUS related writeups on your site…which already happened to include most that were subsequently recommended. NONE of them appear to clearly explain away circumstances I have experienced and detailed, hence the question or two I raised in an effort to reconcile the perceived oddity.
You might remind yourself that just because someone opts to seek you out for some technical guidance, it doesn’t automatically mean they’re an idiot…and even WITTY sarcasm is still sarcasm and there is nobody here for that. You could likely have offered people more direct assistance on numerous occasions of late from posts I’ve seen on this thread and others but you have seemingly chosen to take a different route with your support.
Deep down I do expect that you are SINCERELY trying to help people while simultaneously educating them and not putting up with any laziness but sadly I am finding the approach a little exasperating. I expect I’ll just sort it alone. I do not have time to comb thru a week’s worth of technical material (again) trying to find some inferred nugget that may explain away my results.
I have identical hardware with no outside influences…if we’re using analogies maybe better way to describe might have been to ask why in the hell I am constantly driving out of town to buy ice cream when the exact same kind is right around the corner ?! Roaming aside…I still have not read one single point in any article written to account for why my IDENTICAL node and router when IDENTICAL signal levels with an assortment of devices, are producing such dramatically lower speeds REPEATEDLY…at the ROUTER compared to the NODE.
IF it is to be expected…apparently I am never going to hear WHY…and if it isn’t normal, again I am apparently not getting an answer as to how to troubleshoot further.
Not trying to mount any kind of personal attack (still a bit in awe)…although I am a somewhat offended and frustrated with the process.
I told you all along your articles have been instrumental aid already…so there’s that : )
I’ll manage.
Regards !!
Sorry, you took it that way, Mike. It was just my clearly failed attempt to be comical. But if you keep using that Apple app as the standard, it’s tough to continue with any conversation. Sure, you can use it to get an idea, but not something you can rely on so that you keep asking other empirical questions.
Another thing is there’s no such thing as “identical”, seriously. Two things are always different in degrees — oftentimes very much so. Just because you don’t recognize the differences or have the will to do so that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. And if you read my stuff, you’d note that Wi-Fi does NOT work the way we humans generally want to interpret — again, just like love or general emotion. My advice is to take things with nuance. Seeing things as black and white and taking things personally won’t get you anywhere. And unsatisfying Wi-Fi would be the least of your problems.
By the way, I could have ignored your comments, not even published them, or sent them straight to the trash. It would have saved me a bunch of time. I chose to answer because I wanted to help. Probably not a good idea on my part.
Take care!
I truly appreciate both the help and the added perspective from most recent response !
It need not end with any hard feelings !!
I will continue to try and gain a greater understanding via the site as you have shared a wealth of information there already without even factoring in any additional time you made available to assist individuals.
thanks
Sure, Mike. And no hard feelings at all.
Thanks for sharing the review. I am using an RT-AC68U for many years now with merlin firmware.
The router has a weak signal to cover a split level townhouse. I added an extender ASUS RP-N53 which need to manually. I am considering buying another router for the Ai-mesh setup. Any combination recommendations?
Require handling audio, video meeting calls, tv streaming, transferring large files (20GB) between desktop and NAS, not a heavy gamer.
Highly appreciate your advice. Thank you.
You first need to get your home wired with a least one network cable — for your needs, this is a must. After that get another RT-AC68U or another dual-band Wi-Fi 5 router, like the RT-AC86U. More in this post.
Question on wireless back-haul capability
Hi,
I have 3 of the ZenWifi XT8 units. I have a lot of area and floors to cover in my home. I am considering adding a new unit as the 2 nodes indicate weak signal to the router. I am wondering if the ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 would have a better wireless back-haul c ability than the ZenWifi XT8 wireless back-haul.
Could you comment on the wireless back-haul capability of each unit or point me to where I could get that info. I have reviewed the ASUS websites and various google searches, but can’t seem to find out much about the back-haul capability of each unit. The ASUS guidance is 10 – 15 meters between router and nodes. The external, multi-antenna design of the GT-AX11000 would seem that it could be more capable as a wireless back-haul, but I am just not sure it is really the case.
Any help would be much appreciated.
-Greg
First check out the range section in this post on Wi-Fi, Greg. After that, this post on AiMesh combos will help. In short, there’s no such thing as the general “backhaul capability” — but if you Google for that, you will get lots of answers, so on a side note, be careful what you Google for, don’t just look to validate stuff that pops in your head. 🙂
Thank you very much for the quick reply.
I should have clarified my question.
I would prefer wired back-haul, but have to live with wireless back-haul. Given this, I am trying to see if the ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 would be better able to reach nodes far away with its wireless back-haul than the ZenWifi XT8 could with its wireless back-haul.
I did read the article on Wifi range. I also looked over your reviews of each product. It appears that the GT-AX11000 might have better Wifi range than the ZenWifi XT8.
What I am not certain about is if the performance of device-to-router/node wifi connection is the same as the node-to-router back-haul connection.
I know the wireless back-haul will use one of the 3 bands as a dedicated back-haul. What I am not sure is if the back-haul connection is implemented differently such that its performance does not necessarily correlate with the device-to-router/node performance.
Again, your help is much appreciated.
-Greg
Yes, using the GT-AX11000 as the main router and XT8s as satellite nodes is a good combo, Greg.
Thanks for your help
Sure, Greg.
Hi!
I am currently running an AC86U as the primary Mesh router and and an AC68U as a wired node. I believe it is not AiMesh 2.0 but everything is working fine. There is a building about 80m away and I would like to include it into the network. A wired connection is not possible. Would I have a chance with two tri-band routers, one in each building?
Thanks a lot.
Check out the range part in this post, Dennis. https://dongknows.com/home-wi-fi-explained/#wi-fi-range-in-real-life
Hi. I have two GT-AX11000. One is the router and the other is a AiMesh node hardwired for the backhaul. Overall, the mesh network works pretty well, but I was wondering if anyone has tried using the 2nd router as an Access Point vs AiMesh. Has anyone tried both? Any advantages to using the 2nd router as an Access point?
I mentioned that here, Jares.
Hi there. I read the brief explanation of the AiMesh node as an Access Point, but I didn’t really see an explanation of how it is more reliable or stable than an AiMesh node. Would you be able to give some examples?
It’s NOT more reliable than a wired AiMesh node. You need to compare apples to apples. That said, an access point is always more reliable than any wireless satellite unit, mesh or extender. More in this post. https://dongknows.com/mesh-wi-fi-system-explained/
Ok, thank you. I might try and reset the 2nd GT-AX11000 and try out Access point mode vs AiMesh. Just one last question for you. Do run a cable from the first GT-AX11000 to the second one and plug it into the WAN connection or just one of the open LAN connections on the second AX11000 that would be the Access Point?
Follow the link in the previously linked post. Please make sure you read before asking questions. Don’t make assumptions and expect somebody to explain things for you along the way. 🙂
I’ve been reading about mesh network systems and I’ve found your articles to be the most helpful I’ve come across to understand all this! Thank you for them. Based on what I’ve read on your site, I’ve purchased two Asus XT8 mesh routers. I have very limited options for internet service. I have an ISP that provides 8mbps down and 1mbps up. I just received a Starlink dish. So, I now have two ISPs. I am planning on setting up one of the Asus XT8 routers up with a dual WAN to ensure a consistent connection. This will leave two LAN ports available. I will plug my PC directly into one of the LAN ports and a gigabit switch into the last available LAN port. Plugged into the switch will be a network printer and a VoIP as well as the wired backhaul from the second Asus XT8 (connecting to this wirelessly would be: another work computer, Smart TV – streaming, cell phones, three Google Smart Speakers, etc.). Would this be the most efficient/correct way to arrange all of this equipment?
Since you have wired backhaul, I’d recommend getting two dual-band broadcasters, Tondy. More in this post.
Thank you for your prompt reply. I did read that article and looked specifically at the ZenWiFi XD6. However, the Asus XT8’s were a better price due to an “instant special.” So, I grabbed them quickly. I thought I might read more about converting the second 5GHz channel into an open channel for devices at some point. But, it may not be necessary. So, while I realize one channel may be redundant, is there any concern with using the XT8’s like I’m thinking (based on your comments in a few articles, I won’t upgrade firmware until it’s well documented as being stable lol).
Dong,
If you change the router in a mesh system with two satellites I believe the Aimesh software is smart enough to replace a router when you do the discovery ?
In short, I don’t have to start all over again, the mesh system can replace routers too ??
I mentioned that in the related link, Mario. 🙂
Hi Dong,
Thanks for the article, it definitely clears a lot of things up.
Just two questions if you don’t mind:
1-If I use two AX92u’s as AiMesh but open up the 5GHZ-2 for end clients meaning the backhaul isn’t dedicated, is there any downside to this? Such as unstable connection or lower speed? (The two routers are far apart and wired backhaul isn’t possible)
2-If I connect my computer to 5GHZ-2(want to use WIFI 6), it will be the 5GHZ-2 on the node that I’m connected to (assuming the node is placed in my upstair bedroom) instead of the main router in the basement right?
Thank you!
Hi Tim,
1. Then the backhaul is no longer “dedicated” and all that implies. It can be many things, really, it’s impossible to speculate. It’s like you have a dedicated driver vs. a driver who also drives for other people and cleans the house, washes your clothes, etc. Use your imagination.
2. I’ve never been to your home. So stuff like “basement”, “bedroom”, “upstir” etc. doesn’t mean the same way to me as they do to you.
In any case, take your time and read the reviews and posts on the products involved. You can start with this post. Good luck! 🙂
How does AI Mesh work if I want to use a separate router/firewall? I really like Firewall Gold and would like to use that for my routing. Do I place the ASUS routers in “Access Point Mode” and if thats the case, is that considered Mesh?
Use the site search, Annas. You can use the AiMesh in the AP mode — more in this post. Alternatively, you can use the Firewalla in the add-on mode as I mentionied in its review.
Hi,
I have a ZenWiFi XT8 as my main router and I bought an RP-AX56 node to improve coverage. I set it up with wireless backhaul and intially I was disappointed to discover that the dedicated backhaul channel goes unused and my tri-band router was reduced to a dual-band one. I was about to return the RP-AX56 but I decided to try the optimize button before I do that. Lo and behold, it did optimize the network after several rounds of optimization and reboots. Two thing have happened. The router’s dedicated backhaul band switched from a DFS 160 MHz channel to a non-DFS 80 MHz channel and the node connected to this channel and served clients using it. In a way, even though the node is only dual-band it uses semi-dedicated backhaul channel, shared only with the clients connected to the node. I did not have to change any settings to get to that, the AirMesh system figured out this solution on its own.
Good to know. Thanks for the tip, Elad.
I have a RT-AX89x and 2 Asus AiMesh XT8 nodes. Is there a way to know what the new IP address is that a node has changed on a wi-fi device?
e.g.
1) DHCP static IP set for a wi-fi timer plug = 192.168.10.120
hostname = plug120
2) Network Map/View List – the plug is controlled by a mesh node and the IP has changed to 192.168.101.5, hostname stays the same from what I can tell
Programs updating the plug with new times cannot find it b/c the IP address has changed. “nslookup.exe plug120” reports the original IP (10.20) instead of the node changed IP (101.5).
Without querying the router each time, is there a Windows utility program (such as nslookup) that can resolve the node modified IP with it hostname? Is there any other way?
Thanks.
That’s not a good combo you have there. More here.
For your need, use IP Reservation on the router. It seems you were messing around without knowing what you were doing. 🙂
Hi,
I currently have the RT-AX89 as my main router; and was wondering if the RT-AX92 as in Aimesh 2.0 setup – with wired backhaul would be compatible to give me better wifi upstairs away from my main router? – or is there something other than the RT-AX92 i should be looking at?
Many thanks
If you read this post closely, you’ll find the answer, Stu, but if you need more, check out this post on AiMesh combos.
Hi Dong, thanks SOOO much for the super valuable resource.
I’ve hunted around and haven’t managed to find the answer to my weird edge case.
Lower floor – wired.
Upper floor – not wired.
I was interested in using AX11000 and AX 92U around my home. A combination of wired backhaul on the lower level – but wireless backhaul upstairs. Is it possible to mix backhaul with AIMesh? Or do all nodes need to be wired OR wireless?
Thank you so much
David
Check out this part of the post, David. I also talk about mixed wired and wireless in many other posts here.
i will post first the issue and then my message to DONG.
our families live in 3 floors in a building and the apartments are not connected. The router is ROG CAPTURE AX11000 connected to modem and OPERATION as ROUTER.
Through LAN in the first appartment, 2 Aimesh nodes as AX92 via wan PORT wired backhaul. in the Aimesh network i have selected Wired backhaul as a choice and it doesn’t let me have nodes connected otherwise.
Here are my issues. i have Aimesh 2 and the only way to get internet to the other apartment is to get the LYRA (dual band) as Aimesh nodes.
i have 2 More RX 92 which i do not use. i would like to have 2 nodes in the main apartment, 1 in the one below and the last one in the last floor. how many devices can i have on this network?
the most important if i deselect WIRED backhaul and just have it as priority how to setup WIFI in smart tri connect to have the second 5gh as dedicated wireless backhaul?
Thank you.
Read this post again, Stefanos, and then this one on AiMesh combos. I can’t be any more specific than that. 🙂
Hi Doug, You have recommended using the RT-AC86U as the main router and the AC5300 as the node. Is this still the best option to go event with Aimesh 2.0 and new firmwares.
Also, now I have an extra RT-AC86U so now a have two RT-AC86U and one AC5300.
Do you think is better to use the two RT-AC86U instead of the RT-AC86U as the main router and AC5300 as the node?
Thank you.
By the way, I used a wired backhaul.
I don’t remember recommending what I said I recommended, Joy. For wired backhaul, the tri-band hardware is not necessary, and you should use it as the main router.
Thank you Dong. What about the other question.
Do you think is better to use the two RT-AC86U instead of the AC5300 as the main router and RT-AC86U as the node?
It’d make no difference, Joy, but tri-band is not necessary if you have wired backhauls. More in this post.
Dong, Excellent site. I’ve learned a lot here. My question is in mixing wired & wireless backhaul. I currently have an AX82U and plan to purchase a pair of XT8 to create my mesh system. Can I set up the system with an XT8 as the primary using wireless backhaul only to the other XT8 as a node and also use the AX82U as a node with only wired backhaul? I do not want to lose the 5ghz band on the AX82U. Will the Asus software allow me to do so? Is there a better configuration short of buying another tri-band?
You can, Kurt, and you won’t lose the 5GHz band on the dual-band satellite, which will replicate the 5GHz-1 band of the XT8. Have fun! 🙂
Much appreciated and thanks again for the great site!!
Sure, Kurt.
These are some very helpful router articles – thank you, Dong!
I’m looking to picking up two AiMesh router. One of the reasons to go for AiMesh is that I have two houses (they’re very close, only 10 meters apart) and would like a wireless bridge between them.
Am I right in thinking that two AiMesh routers will give a wireless bridge, and that you can connect to both the wi-fi AND the ethernet ports on both routers with no limitation?
If I understand right, there is a dedicated bridge mode available which will disable the wi-fi capability(?), but I don’t have to use that mode to effectively get a bridge between the houses as well as being able to connect by wi-fi and wire on all the AiMesh nodes?
Regards,
Are
Any Tri-band AiMesh system would do that, Are. Read this post again! You can go with the XT8.
Great – As I thought, just needed confirmation as it’s not mentioned explicitly anywhere I’ve seen so far. Thank you!
One additional Q, if I may: Since I’m only going to use wired connections to the remote AiMesh node, and the Router/WAN AiMesh (master) node will only have 2.4GHz wifi and wired devices connecting – could I go cheap and opt for dual band routers, and they would then automatically use the one 5GHz band for the backhaul, possibly even configuring the 5GHz band for use exclusively for backhaul, and then only the 2.4GHz would be free for use by older wifi devices?
Perhaps that could even be “faked”, by setting a different SSIDs for the 5GHz and never connect any wifi devices to it?
Regards,
Are
Read the post I linked in the previous reply, Are. It will answer these questions and ALL others you might have on this front. Make sure you take your time and follow the related links. But you can use the 5GHz band as a dedicated backhaul if you don’t connect any client to it, but really, you don’t want to do that, the 2.4GH band is really slow in speeds.
I’ve been reading for hours, and I’ve learnt a lot, but didn’t see anything definitive yet about the details of dual band routers dedicating their single 5GHz to backhaul – but it does indeed makes sense that they can do that, at least if you don’t actually connect clients to it.
I’m not at all worried about speed – I’m used to ADSL with 8Mb/s down and 512kB/s up. Also, I started out as a systems developer almost 40 years ago, so the speed I get with 2.4GHz nowadays is still dizzying to me :-)) I’m waiting for the fiber to arrive here, but even then I’ll be perfectly happy if I get 100Mb/s throughout the two houses.
OK, now I know all I need (and there’s still more to read!). Thank you very much for sharing your experience in this area – it is greatly appreciated!
Regards,
Are
Back with a report:
I’ve just installed 3 RT-AX92U in an AiMesh network. The WAN has a bandwidth of 100Mbps. I’m using 5GHz-2 as the backhaul. The three AX92U’s are arranged in a string with around 15m between them : ROUTER NODE 1 NODE 2. On the second hop through NODE 2 I get more than 500Mbps on the LAN.
This works to perfection, giving almost 100Mbps on every connected device 🙂
Again, thank you for all your advice – and have a merry x-mas!
Regards,
Are
Sure, Are. Thanks for the update. Merry Christmas!
Hi Dong,
Absolutelly fanastic and in-depth article.
I (like many others) have additional questions and your insight would be very helpful.
I’m setting up wifi at (not tech-savy) friend. Problem is in thich iron-armoured walls. Current ‘good old’ Linksys wrt54gl can barely penetrate it.
My first plan was to use rt-ax86u (because it has good review on wall penetration) as main router on floor1 and node rt-ax86u on floor2 (all wired backhaul). I would need additional sattelites – thinking of zen ax mini xd4 (requested as they are ‘stylish furniture’ 😀.
Questions:
1. Is rt-ax92u better option (in comparison with rt-ax86u in case of wall penetration)? This would also make sense in combination with zen ax mini xd4 (same triband, wifi6).
2. There will be 3 zen ax mini xd4 sattelites – since one will note be wired is it possible to set this node to wirelessly conect (wifi backhaul) to another mini xd4 that will be wired to main router (like wifi daisy-chain)?
3. Is mixing rt-ax92u and zenwifi ax mini a good idea?
Many many tnx and BR,
Smiljan
Check out this post, S. Please use the site search if you have more questions. For example, I explained Wi-Fi signals here.
hi dong.. I’ve been using AX56U for quite some time.. i recently notice that there seems to be some kind of maximum number of clients.. that is 30 on my experience..
80% of the clients on my network are IoT..
I tried to setup AI mesh setup with AC66U B1 as the node, yet it doesn’t seem to add up..
the CPU utilization mostly around 0-15% for each core
is there anyway to add the maximum clients?
Check out this post, Tara.
Thanks for the prompt response dong!
I checked out the IP pool starting and ending value on my AX56U.. and it’s already ranged from 2-254.. it’s the router default number i suppose..
any other idea?
Try different parts of that post and the linked post in the part you already read where I explained about bandwidth, Tara. If that can’t fix it, get a new router. You’re pushing it considering the low-end router model and the number of devices you want to use in your network.
I still couldnt get it fixed..
Hmm.. do you happen to have data list of max clients for each asus router?
I couldnt find this information on asus official site
Need to make sure how many device can connect to the router
Read the linked post, Tara. There’s no max clients. It’s about the bandwidth. https://dongknows.com/how-to-pick-the-best-wi-fi-router-for-your-home/
Hi,
I have a RT-AX82U (1st floor family room) as the primary router and AC68U (2nd floor stairwell and AC86U (1st floor living room) as the nodes. The 86U is going offline a lot and I don’t know why. They are all connected via wifi and are all using the latest ASUS firmware. I recently added the AC86U to my mesh system and have it defined as AIMESH-Node. The 68U was setup as a repeater (a year ago) and have no issues. Furthermore, when I use the Asus mobile app, I can see and change the settings on the AX82U and AC68U as it is setup on the top left corner dropdown, however, I can’t see the AC86U.
Any suggestions on how the 86U can stop going offline? BTW, i already tried swapping the locations of the two nodes and it is still the 86U that goes offline.
You’re mixing two Wi-Fi standards, Thomas, check out this post on how to deal with that.
Will a USB printer on an aimesh node work?
That depends on the printer and the router you use as the node, BC. The general answer is yes if the node supports AiMesh 2.0. But the print serving function is really old, almost obsolete now. More in this post.
Hi Dong,
I recently purchase RT-AX88U(wireless router mode) and RT-AX86U(aimesh node). I have connected both of them via ethernet backhaul using CAT5E cable. ISP speed is at 300Mbps. Both updated with latest Merlin firmware 386.3.2
However when my devices laptop (LAN CAT5E cable) and phones (5Ghz) is connected to the AIMesh node, my download speed is cut by half (120Mbps). I am getting full speed if I am connected to AX88U acting as a wireless router mode. Is this a known issue? I have read a few forums that reported the same issue. I tried to set AX86U in AP mode, also facing the same issue whereby I am not getting the full download speed. QoS is disabled.
Hi Zen,
It’s highly likely that something is wrong with your wired backhaul link so:
1. Check to make sure the wired backhaul is used (and not a wireless one) and is at 1Gbps. You can do that in the AiMesh section via the router web interface.
2. Make sure nothing is wrong with the actual cable like it’s not broken, try a new cable, etc. You can place the 86U near the 88U and try with a wired computer.
3. Try moving both to Asuswrt, sometimes, though rare, Merlin can be the culprit.
Hi Dong,
Having a similar issue – using my old ASUS AC68U as a AiMesh and my new AX86U as my new router. Initially using speedtest on a 1Gbit connection I got the about 850 – 900Mbit speed.
I think the culprit might be one of the firmware updates for one of the ASUS routers.
As for the points above:
1. I’m using the wired backhaul.
2. First of all if any of the wires had an issue it would drop to either 10/100 speeds.
Just to double check I’ve tested:
PC -> AX86U directly = 1Gbit speeds (minus the overhead)
PC -> AC68U -> AX86U = aprox. 500Mbit speeds
3. I’ve been using only the original ASUS firmware. No merlin or other custom firmware.
So the state of AiMesh is not that nice for all of us. Asus doesn’t responds to emails or support (not in constructive way). Maybe you can try your luck reaching out to them.
As of now the last firmware release for AC68U:
Version 3.0.0.4.386.43129
2021/05/21
AX86U:
Version 3.0.0.4.386.45375
2021/08/31
You might be right, Cody. Try downgrading the firmware and see if that fixes it.
Yeap…..it seems 3.0.0.4.386.43129 is the culprit. Downgraded and it fixed the issue.
Nice! Glad it worked out. Thanks for sharing, Cody.
I saw that you downgraded the mesh node firmware and the issue was resolved. I have a system with the RT-AX86U as my primary router and three ZenWiFi AX Minis as nodes (along with the wireless signal from the AX86U- four wireless points in total). Anyway, I’m wondering if this reduction in speed with the x.43129 firmware in “nodes” is limited to the AC68U or would it impact any Asus devices serving in such capacity? Thanks.
I got a RT-AX55 and I am thinking of getting the 2x RT-92U as the node.
My place is around 3500 sqft
I can connect all 3 via a wired back-haul.. however, modem is in the store room nearer to the front of the house
I am thinking of using the AX55 as the main router connected to the modem since it is in the store room and wired connected to both the RT-92U one of first floor and one on 2nd floor.
will this be ok ? I understand that the main router should be use as the primary.. but in this case, if I use the RT-92 as the main.. stuck in the storeroom, the wireless would be bad .. thus was looking at using the AX-55 instead.
Meanwhile will this configuration be better than a google wifi ?
No, Nick. Read this post again and also this one for more information. As for better than Google Wifi or not, that depends on what you need.
I’ve recently moved into a very old house (built sometime in the mid-late 1800s,) which also has some new add-on construction from (estimated) the 1980s. Due to the age, many of the walls in the original portion of the home are board and plaster, rather than drywall. Overall the home is 3 stories and slightly over 12000 sq feet.
After reading through this article, as well as your “Get your home, wired: 5 easy steps” article, I would like to go with an AiMesh system. I am considering the “ASUS ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System (XT8 3PK)” on Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/ASUS-ZenWiFi-AX-Whole-Home-Tri-Band/dp/B08LPSXNMS?tag=dkt-comment-20) I have intentions of using one as the router on the main floor and configuring the other 2 with wired backhaul connection on the 2nd and 3rd floor.
I realize without knowing the exact layout and specifications of the home, nothing is guaranteed, but based on your knowledge and experience, should I be ok with just the 3 units for WiFi coverage throughout, or should I purchase additional units to set up as wireless backhaul AP’s?
That one should work well in a fully wireless for mixed wired/wireless system, Jeremy. If you go full wired, I’d recommend the XD4 though.
Thanks for the reply Dong. I think I will be going with the XD4 recommendation. I’ve spent a large amount of time today reading through many more of your informative guides and have learned quite a lot.
In my area, a fairly rural town in PA, the best we have available is 250 Mbps, and I doubt it’ll be any time soon that anything faster will be available. Based on this I believe I will be going with a Netgear CM600, an Asus RT-AX68U, and the before mentioned XD4 3 pack behind a switch.
One question I do have is, if the 3 XD4 nodes are not sufficient for full coverage in my home, due to the size and material of the walls, will adding additional XD4 nodes have any issue with syncing to the original 3 and router?
Thanks so much for your time and guidance.
That’s a great set via wired backhauls, Jeremy. You can have up to 7 hardware units (including the router), so you’re fine.
Hi,
I’ve tried to get help from ASUS but their responses are always generic and never helpful. The information here is way more than anything I’ve received from ASUS. Well done.
However I’m having problems tuning the roaming assist and the hand-off doesn’t work.
I have an RT-AC68U and 2 Lyra Trio’s to extend range. They are all hardwired with CAT6.
It looks as though whatever I set the RSSI value it doesn’t change the way the Lyra handles the hand-off. I can stand next to the first Lyra with my phone and walk to the next one at the other side of the house and it stays connected to the first one.
It’s painful when using zoom or facetime as it looses bandwidth when you move away but then wont hand off to the one with better signal.
Help me help me Obi Dong Keknowbi… you’re my only hope
Lol, Andrew. Just don’t move around too much.
Hi Dong,
I have a Zenwifi xt8 2 pack ai mesh system which was working perfectly when i first bought it. Recently I have realised that some devices have a weak connection and seem to drop off and reconnect. When going into the interface I realised that the devices with weak connection were connected to the main router instead of the node which is much closer to the client device. I have then tried to turn the device off and on and turn wifi off and on and sit 50cm away from the node however one device would still not connect to the node. I then tried to bind the device to the node through the web interface which caused the device to drop wifi connection altogether. I have reboots scheduled every morning so I dont think this is the issue. I’m mainly having the issues with my samsung galaxy s21 ultra and my mothers iphone se and my wifes iphone 10. Any advice you have would be appreciated and happy to provide further info if needed.
You can try separating the 2.4GHz and 5GHz as two SSID and see if that helps, Abu. When this happens, it’s likely because the device gets stuck to the 2.4GHz band. If you can get them on the 5GHz, you can start troubleshooting from there. But it’s always tricky when it happens to just one or two particular devices — it might have nothing to do with your mesh system.
Thank you for your reply. I am guessing if i seperate the 2.5 of 5ghz bands to two seperate ssids then i will not be able to utilise the smart switch option where the connection should automatically switch to the nearest device whether that be the node or the router.
That’s not true, Abu. That’s band-steering which requires Smart Connect. What you’re taking about is seamlessly hand off which works band per band. https://dongknows.com/mesh-wi-fi-system-explained/
Hi Dong,
I have set up two RT-AC86U in AiMesh with ethernet backhaul and is working beautifully. However, once very few weeks, we get a weak signal from the node and the only way I can fix it is to restart both routers. Is there any way of fixing this permanently? I have paired up an RT-AC86U with a single CT8 (wireless backhaul) and I get the same problem. With that, I manually reboot the RT-AC86U.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
You can schedule a weekly auto reboot, Syed. It’s on the Administration -> System area of the web interface.
Perfect, thank you.
Sure, Syed. 🙂
Hi Dong,
I currently have an Aimesh setup with the gt-ax11000 as the primary router and 3x ax-92u’s as the Aimesh nodes. 2 of the nodes are wired backhaul but due to physical constraints one node is on a dedicated 5ghz-2 wireless backhaul.
My question is what max speed I should expect if I were to run a wired connection (cat 6) between the client and the node with wireless backhaul. I chose to use the LAN ports for devices close to this node because my assumption was that the 5ghz wifi connection would be capped at 867mhz given the Aimesh combo I used, as opposed to gigabit Ethernet.
As a more general question, given my mixed wireless/wired backhaul set up, would I still be able to use the wifi 6 band for the wired nodes effectively? I guess I could try disabling the dedicated backhaul but my concern there is that it might interfere with the aimesh node connection.
Thank you in advance!
Check my review of the RT-AX92U for the speed number, Mike. But yes, 867Mbps is a good way to put it. You can also open up the backhaul band for clients, in which case, that depends, but you might be able to get up to 2400Mbps. There’s no way to know for sure since this depends on how you place the wireless node and your place’s layout. But it seems you’re on top of it.
How is your setup going for you?
I currently have a GT-AX11000 and want to add a AX92U(wired backhaul) how are your speeds? Are you running your Node in AiMesh or AP mode?
Thank you!
Thanks for the informative article. I have an AC 5300 with several AC68U nodes for Mesh. I have had this system running well for a couple years, but all of a sudden the 5300 needs reset daily… I suspect it is dying! If I replace it, will one of the newer 802.11ax – wifi 6 routers “Mesh” with my existing AC68U nodes? Would there be an impact either way on performance?
That’s not a good idea unless you have wired your home, Dell. More on AiMesh hardware in this post.
Chao anh Dong,
Do you have any idea why Aimesh roaming on my guest network 5ghz works flawless but when I’m connecting to my normal 5ghz network, it doesn’t roam to my node. It only wants to roam when I first let my device connect to the Aimesh node. When I let it connect to the main Aimesh router first, it doesn’t want to roam to the node anymore. Guest wifi works flawless no matter which router or node I first connect to. Tested on multiple devices already. Hope you have an idea and suggestions to try. Thanks
Check out the roaming section of this post, Donny. Or, if you have messed with it, leave it to default.
Thanks for quick response. I’ve read your interesting article including the roaming section before posting. I’ve factory reset both of my routers (ax82u and ax55) many times already to keep the settings default as possible. Before I’ve been testing dBm settings in roaming assistant. Even turned off without success. I just cannot understand why roaming in 5ghz guest network is working flawlessly but normal 5ghz wifi network not. Both routers on latest firmware (3.0.0.4.386). Using WPA2 only. Wired backhaul. I even tried to isolate the normal wifi network to make it look like a guest network without success. Also adjusting tx power and enable/disable beamforming doesn’t seem to help. Anything else I can try?
That’s likely because the Guest network uses the “correct” channel for your environment. You can use that particular Guest SSID (or change it) as your main network by allowing intranet access on it — more in this post — and use another one for guests. Chances are you’ve made too many Wi-Fi changes to your main networks. I’d recommend using Auto for the settings.
U were saying: “I’d recommend using Auto for the settings”. Do you mean the control channel (36, 40, 48…)? I’ve been testing some more this weekend and I found out when disabling “Protected Management Frames”, it solved the problem of roaming. Since I could roam flawlessly before in Guest mode but not in main network, do you see any connection with Guest mode and PMF? Is PMF turned off by default in Guest mode maybe?
I mean leave things as close to default as possible, Donny, which generally works best since it favors compatibility. But Wi-Fi changes greatly depending on where you are, there’s no one-size-fits-all setting. If you figure out the setting that works for you, keep it.
Hi,
Very interesting article, thanks!
For a start, what can I expect from an Aimesh setup? Should I be able to continue a WhatApp (video) call or a Facetime call while roaming? Answer to this determines relevance of the ask below.
I’m using a RT-AC88U as router, and an RT-AC68U and another RT-AC88U as Aimesh nodes. Backhaul is wired. Settings are default including the Roaming Assistant at -70 dBm. The SSIDs for 2.4 and 5 GHz are different.
The challenge I’m facing is that the above two use cases are not smooth in my case, e.g. the call is interrupted and reconnects after few seconds when not really moving around. I’m wondering if that can be improved. This problem occurs when using iPhones in an area where the signals (dBm) are roughly:
Main router: 2.4: -46 5: -61
Near node: 2.4: -59 5: -71
Far node: 2.4: -85 5: xx
As usual, these signal strengths vary a bit, so the numbers above are averages. They are taken from a tool on a laptop, not from the iPhone.
Any suggestion would be appreciated!
No, John, you can NOT expect smooth transitioning while roaming, period. No matter what hardware you use. More on that here.
Thanks Dong, that is clear.
Asking the question is the first step in solving it. So, did some absolutely none scientific tests by moving around in the house during a WhatsApp video call, forcing the phone to switch from the main Aimesh router to the next Aimesh node. As I can see in the Asus Aimesh web UI.
I noted that one iPhone (XS max) would continue the WhatsApp video call with perhaps a single stutter. Acceptable in my view. However, another iPhone (11) would loose the call, initially single sided. And, only on 2.4. On 5, the experience would be OK.
So, now focusing on what the difference between the two could be. Both run the latest iOS versions.
Thanks again, John.
Sure, John. 🙂
I’m staying in a 2 Storey apartment wired in 2 bedrooms and living room. I have ax1800 mini zenwifi x 2, zenwifi ax6600 x 1 and Rt-ax3000. I like to have the best connection in living room, 2 bedrooms and the dining area( no wired setup) Can advise on the best set up?
Since you have wired your home, that’ll work. Use the the RT-AX3000 as the main router and two Mini as node. You might not need the XT8, but if you do, use it as an AP.
How will I get Triband with wired backhaul? Do I use XT8 as router but the rest as nodes?
Read the posts, JC. U explained that in great detail.
With your recommended setup, will I still be able to enjoy the 5Ghz-2 band from the xt8 if xt8 is put as AP? If not, how should I take advantage of the triband of the xt8? Appreciate your patience in answering this noobie question.
Yes, JC. I explained that here.
Hi, I hope to use ax6600 zenwifi as router and ax1800 mini zenwifi and rt-ax3000as nodes. Is this a good combo?
Not really, JC. More here: https://dongknows.com/best-aimesh-routers-and-combos/
If you use wired backhaul, can you also use the non-main node’s ethernet ports for home networking? It would be silly to have to buy a separate ethernet switch when there’s a perfectly good one on the router already.
Yes, I mentioned that specifically in the post, Steve.
Hi Dong,
Good article about AiMesh, Have an issue with internet speeds when i changed over from RT ac88u to RT ax88u.
It went from approx 800mbps (ac88u) to 80mbps (ax88u), i was wondering has it got something to do with the firmware or a particular setting in the router
many thx
Dn
You might want to separate the two bands to makes sure your clients connect to the 5GHz one. A lot of legacy clients would pick the 2.4GHz band if they don’t support Wi-Fi 6, hence the slow speed. Make sure you update them to the latest driver, too.
Thank you for your prompt reply!
Will try it out now!
Many thanks!
I thought I would pile on here a bit, since I always find real-world experiences super helpful on this site. I use an RT-AX86U as my main router, and I have a 3000 sq ft house with two stories. The main router is located in the office on the second floor at the front of the house. The AX86U has amazing 5 GHz coverage, and it’s simply great. I wanted to extend the coverage into the outside back patio, so I used an RP-AX56U range extender as an AI Mesh node, placing it in the first floor family room at the back of the house. This did the trick. The exterior of the house is brick, with regular insulation. I find the WiFi6 technology with 802.11ax is a VERY noticeable step-up, for those who have not experienced it. Using a WiFi6 range extender as an AI Mesh node allows you to really catch the 5 GHz signals and keep a strong link connection. The repeater is able to get a -60 dBm signal. The AI Mesh feature of binding devices to nodes, and preventing devices from roaming, is perfect. I think the AI Mesh system does a good job of not pushing devices to the RP-AX56U unless there’s a real benefit, thereby avoiding situations where you just suck bandwidth from the whole Wifi setup with two hops. In my configuration, I bound all of my IoT devices to the main router, too, most of which are on 2.4 GHz only. So far, super happy with the AI Mesh. And, absolutely agree here that AI Mesh is a lot smarter, so using just regular range extension will definitely just degrade your overall WiFi performance.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Anthony.
Thanks for the explanations. Great text.
I am planning to have a wired aimesh network in my new house. For this I bought the first Asus RT-88u router to be the main one. Is this the best choice?
Completing the previous message, I bought a Asus RT-AX88u.
Thank you.
Not really, though that might work, Vlad. More here: https://dongknows.com/best-aimesh-routers-and-combos/
Hi Dong,
Great article!! I have a quick question though. My main router is a GT-AC5300 and I have 2 nodes added (RT-AC86U and RT-AC68U), both of which are dual-band routers. The entire mesh is hard-wired.
The AC5300 if tri-band while the nodes are dual-band. Am I still ok, since the are all hard-wired to one another?
Yes, you’re, A. The 2nd 5GHz band is only available at the router. More on that in this post about using AiMesh combos.
Do you have the optimal WiFi band settings for an aimesh with an AX92U router as the main unit and an AC5300 router as a node? This would be connected wirelessly using wireless backhaul. Thanks!
As stated in the post, you shouldn’t use them together, Karl, unless you have wired backhaul. More details on the combos in this post. But if you have to use them together, make sure you turn off Wi-Fi 6 on the RT-AX92U’s backhaul band (5GHz-2) and use it only with the 80MHz (or lower) channel width. That will help though it won’t guarantee reliability.
Dong,
I use all your advise to set-up my system with one GT-AC5300 and two RT-AC5300 connected as Access Points (no AiMesh) and -63db for switching between access points. However lately as I have added more smart devices to my home, the wi-fi signal has degraded. I have three SSID for each the 3 bands, and the name matches on all three Access Points. (All routers are hardwired). Do you recommend changing the system to AiMesh instead of Access Points but keep the second 5GHz band with a different SSID name for additional bandwidth? (Note that I have two apple TV 4K that were connecting wireless before at 600 MB/s but now fluctuate between 200 and 300 MB/s I am not certain if an AiMesh system would help to make the wifi connection more reliable).
Yes, Ricardo, you should use them in AiMesh and open the 5GHz-2 band for clients. Use the 2.4GHz band for low-bandwidth devices.
Dong,
Thank you for your prompt reply, I thought it would be easy to just switch to Aimesh from the main router, since the Access points were wired but the router cannot find the nodes. Then I realized that I had to exclude the access point ip address from the router dynamic address range when I did the setup. I would like your advise on how to setup the system as a mesh. Do I include the access point IP address inside the dynamic range of the router and keep them wired or do I need to disconnect the access points bring them close to the router reset them, build the mesh wirelessly and then placed them back wired at their original location and set the back haul as wired in the main router. I also have a question on the backhaul setting choices, I am guessing but I am not sure that even if I want to use the second 5GHz band for alternate connection I still need to choose tri-band as my backhaul setup instead of the two GHz bands on the backhaul settings?
You need to reset the APs to the factory default first, Recardo. Check out the setup instruction in this post and try again.
Hi!
Thank you for the informative write up.
May i know if i can use a non-Aimesh router and then to two Aimesh nodes? Will that still be a Aimesh network.
Thank you
Nope, Canvas. You definitely need an AiMesh router as the main router of your network. Check out the post on AiMesh Combos (linked in this post) for more.
Thank you for your advice Dong.
How about if i use Asus Non-Aimesh router as main router?
Thank you!
AiMesh is Asus-specific, Canvas. Did you read my previous answer? You need an Asus AiMesh-ready router as the main router. If you need to keep the current router, check out this post on how to make that work.
Hi Dong,
I have a asus zen wifi ax and an asus ax86u. Which should i use as the main router and which should be the nodes? My current setup is one of the asus xt8 as the main router and a node and the asus ac86u as a node also. Advice which is the best option. Thanks
Check out this post, Ben. https://dongknows.com/best-aimesh-routers-and-combos/
Just found your site, great article (and others im seeing now too)
I just setup my Aimesh with two AC5300’s and one 2 band AC68U. master ac5300 in office on gig internet. other 5300 in kitchen, and 68u in the garage. just updated all firmware to the latest 9…386.
signal level is “great” to kitchen” and “good” to garage. in the Gui the topography shows the garage before the kitchen on the little flow pic. that doesnt make sense. yesterday it showed the proper flow but today its different.
Most importantly, when i do a speed test on my phone from in the kitchen im only getting 20mb/s down at all times. this wifi signal is great and shouldnt be this week. something is going on.
any suggestions on why the speed is so slow and how to address it? also issue with the nodes showing out of order?
thanks!
This depends on your placement and the distances between the units, but if you have a dual and router involved, it’s better to use wired backhaul. Your hardware might be using the 2.4GHz band as backhaul. More un this post. https://dongknows.com/best-aimesh-routers-and-combos/
Hi,
Hope you are doing great.
I have three RT-AX92U that I want to use in a mesh in AP mode in a wired backhaul.
How can I connect them physically really?
RT-AX (LAN port) x 3 -> switch -> router
or
RT-AX (WAN port) x 3 -> switch -> router
or
RT-AX (WAN) x 2 -> switch -> RT-AX (LAN) + RT-AX (WAN) -> router
Second question, can I use the same SSID for 5GHz-1 and 5GHz-2 bands or not?
Read to the the entire post, Alex.
Dong,
I did and indeed you cover the second question thank you.
But the physical connection is still not clear here, could you please clarify this?
You need to first clarify your question, Alex. It makes no sense. Generally here’s the normal diagram:
Intenet source -> (WAN prot) Router (LAN) -> (Swiches) -> (WAN port) node(s).
Thank you this is what I was wondering
Hello and thank you for the excellent articles.
Currently I have the ASUS RT-AC88U as my only router and our ISP is supposed to be giving us UP TO 400mbs. I’m currently building an addition to my home and need to rework my network. I’ve been reading the different articles here and have a few questions.
1. Is the GT-AX11000 AiMesh compatible to use as the primary router with the old AC88U as the node.
2. Can I connect a switch to the GT-AX11000 to serve the hardwired devices without losing too much latency?
3. Do outlets with cat6 connections lose latency? I’m debating whether to put network connections on each wall of the 3 new rooms. Mostly for convenience, since all the outlets wouldn’t be used.
FYI. We will have 2 Xbox’s, 2 computers, a network printer and a TV hardwired. We will also be adding a Synology NAS. As well as the 20 or so other Wi-Fi devices (phones, google tv and hubs) most of which will be on the node.
Hi Kevin:
1. Check out this post on picking the best AiMesh combo.
2. Check out #1.
3. No. Wiring is always the best. More here.
Considering your situation, wiring is the way to go.
Thanks for the comprehensive article, Dong, much appreciated.
I have a zen wifi ct8 AC mesh system but am not able to enable triband smart connect across the system, even when I select wired backaul and connect via ethernet cable. Asus have indicated triband smart connect is not currently available once a node is connected via Ai mesh.
Your update note in this article suggested this should be now possible. Is it only possible via the xt8 model?
You can make the backhaul band available to clients as a different SSID, Craig. It looks like Asus has now switched the focus on Wi-Fi 6 broadcasters.
Thanks very much for your response Dong. That makes sense. Ok will activate as a separate SSID then. You are making a fabulous contribution here mate. Cheers
Sure, Craig. And that’s why I made the site. 🙂
Hi
I have 2 GT-AC5300
one GT-AC5300 is a main router
last one used to AiMesh via 5.2Ghz radio
in AiMesh node I see have 3 Radio 2.4Ghz + 2 x 5.1Ghz
My Question:
Could I disable radio 2.4GHz in AiMesh node and my system will work fine ?
Thank you.
You can disable the 2.4GHz band on the router and it’ll be disabled on the node, too, Quang. But you can’t do that just on the node.
Alternatively, you can:
1. Separate the bands and just leave the 2.4GHz alone or use it for a specific set of devices. Or:
2. Use the node in the access point mode. This way you can configure its bands however you like.
Hi Dong,
A couple questions:
1) Would you tweak any of the default configuration settings on the main router (ie universal beamforming, SIP passthrough, roaming assistance etc)? Or would you only tweak those if you had performance issues?
2) In a wired backhaul AIMesh setup what RSSI signal strength of a 5ghz client (lets say an iPhone) would you recommend to place the second (and subsequent) wired nodes so as to help with client roaming and reduce overlap? Or does overlap not matter as much with AIMesh since the nodes are all on the same channel?
Hi Dong,
Read several of your articles. Very helpful, thank you.
I have a 6500 2.5 level brick house and want good solid WiFi inside and out. Have gigabit internet. I purchased 4 x Ax82U and currently have them in AImesh mode.
Would AP mode be better or worse in my situation?
The AP mode is only available if you have wired your home, Shawn. And in that case, no, it won’t make a difference. You just have more control over each node. More on that here.
Thank you. I do have them all hardwired.
That said, if I keep them all in AIMesh mode, would there any differences between keeping all 4 of the nodes the AX82U’s or would it help to get the AX86u/AX88u as the main unit and use either these 82u’s as the other nodes (or some other compatible Asus router as the other nodes in AIMesh)?
I’d say it’ll make no difference in your case, Shawn, unless you have Gig+ or faster Internet. Check the reviews for more.
Hi Dong,
I am using a RT-AC5300 as the main router and 2 ZenWifi AX as nodes and 1 RT-AC68U as a node. I am aware that you recommend using the newest as the main router, but I experienced I get a better result with the AC5300 as the main router (which I also believe is more powerful in certain aspects). Do you recommend that I use another (AX) router as the main router?
Yes, or use the CT8 as nodes instead, Tomas. https://dongknows.com/asus-zenwifi-ac-ct8-aimesh-system-review/
Noted. Thank you for your swift reply. Which on of GT-AX11000 or RT-AX89X do you recommend?
That depends on your implimetation of the mesh, Tomas. More here. https://dongknows.com/best-aimesh-routers-and-combos/
Dong, thank you for the in-depth review and advice. I hope you can help with this question. I have an AiMesh with RP-AC55 “repeater” in my garage, and Ethernet backhaul to an RT-AC68U router in my lower story. For devices in the garage, the repeater signal is much stronger (four bars) than the router signal (one bar). Yet they roam from the repeater to the router. Is there any way to bind the garage devices to the repeater? I don’t fully understand the interaction of roaming assist, roaming block list, and connection binding. I tried decreasing the power output of the router, but and increasing the roaming assist threshold to -55 dBM, but still the garage devices sometimes roam to the router. Even reconnecting a garage device doesn’t cause it to select the repeater. But curiously, if I go through the process of reselecting the WLAN on a garage device, it always connects to the repeater initially. If I could have the repeater (but not the router) advertised two SSIDs, then I could configure garage devices to the one SSID that was unique to the repeater, but this doesn’t appear possible. I’ve thought about putting the repeater in AP mode, with a separate SSID. But then I’d have to configure all my mobile devices with to connect to both SSIDs, and I suspect that roaming between them, as it would depend on the devices’ roaming logic (no roaming assist) would not be so seamless as it is today. ASUS has not been helpful. I’m running the current, standard ASUS firmware on both devices. Any idea?
My idea is you’re being cheap and expecting the world, Randy. Spend a bit more time on the site and you might find out what you should do. Follow the linked posts on this post. Read, pay attention, and invest in a decent set of gear. 🙂
The latest version of AiMesh lets you bind devices to a specified node in your AiMesh network. Click on the chain icon of the device from the AiMesh menu and you’ll be able to select which node you want things to be locked to. Handy for IoT devices/stationary Wi-Fi devices.
Nathan,
I can bind devices to my RT-AC68U router, but not to the RP-AC55 repeater (no chain/link icon appears). Perhaps the RP-AC55 does not support this feature. Yes, it would be handy for my RainMachine, which is an IoT device. I have several other stationary WiFi devices in my house, and have successfully bound them to the RT-AC68U router.
I took a look, and the latest firmware for RP-AC55 is Version 3.0.0.4.384.83130. This is the problem, I believe binding with AiMesh was introduced with AiMesh 2.0. AiMesh 2 started rolling out with Version 3.0.0.4.386. For example, RT-AX86U currently uses firmware Version 3.0.0.4.386.42840, you’d need to wait for an update number like that. I recently got the RP-AX56 and had the same issue, it’s not supporting the latest AiMesh features yet. My very old AC68P router supports binding with latest updates so it may come to your repeater yet, but there’s no telling.
Thank you, Nathan. That explains it then: my unit is running version 3.0.0.4.384_83130-gce033e0, and the router GUI confirms that it is the current version. If only ASUS support (so lame!) could have clarified this, it would have saved me a lot of effort. Now I can turn to lobbying ASUS to bring this feature to RP-AC55 (I hope it’s not a memory limitation that has prevented it.)
Hello Nathan,
Both my ZenWiFi routers run fimware 3.0.0.4.386 (_23003 to be precise), which according to your post means I should’ve got AiMesh 2.0., which, to my understanding, should offer the binding of clients to specific nodes. However, the web UI still doesn’t show the binding option. I saw a screenshot of AiMesh with RT-AC68U with firmware version 386.2_5 (no 3.0.0.4 in front) so I don’t know which version I should have to be able to bind clients.
A Samsung TV is especially stubborn and connects to the farther node all the time, which causes a poor signal that often prevent TV services to work properly. Restarting TV most often helps, but not for long.
Which firmware should I have to get the binding feature? The UI says it has the latest version. Is there a way to get it somewhere and update it manually?
Dong,
I have a large (4700 sq ft) house where I run two R7800 (one router and one AP mode) connected via hardline right now. I have Gig internet right now (1000/40). My plan is to buy new Asus routers and use AIMesh. If I have a lot of 5GHz devices, do I still want to get Tri-band to have more bandwidth or will having a mesh of dual-band router effectively give me enough 5GHz bandwidth? Does adding more routers give each router the same bandwidth or not because they are on the same channels?
Go with a dual-band, 4×4 set, Sparkle. More here.
Thank you for the incredibly quick reply. Looks like I’ll get two AX86 and go from there!
Dong,
Just found your page today and I truly appreciate your post. I purchased the Netgear Orbi system on Monday and hate it already. It has had nothing but trouble and their tech support was horrible. That had me researching other options and today I purchased 2 x RT-AC5300 in the hopes that I will be able to get a stable Wi-Fi mesh system going.
Do you think 2 x RT-AC5300 will work well together and be stable as they are both the same. Lastly I have been reading about the people using original firmware or the Merlin firmware. Do you have anything written up on the differences and why people use the Merlin firmware over the standard?
I truly appreciate your time.
Check out this post on Merlin, K. I think the RT-AC5300s will work out well in a wireless or wired setup. I haven’t tested it personally, though. For the rest, check out this post on how to pick an AiMesh combo.
Hi Dong,
Great site! I need some clarification on the wired backhaul set-up that I couldn’t find mentioned anywhere (so much info!). Your description says the node(s) must be wired through the main AiMesh router on the way to the modem/gateway (main “in front”). This ASUS page shows AiMesh set-ups where the nodes can arrive “in parallel” at a network switch or the modem/gateway as long as the main AiMesh router is in AP mode. https://www.asus.com/US/support/FAQ/1044151 Took some digging to find it. Their other pages only mention scenario 1.
I would like to use scenario 3 as my xFinity XB7 gateway with gigabit service is buried inside a closet where my home cable/telephone/CAT 5e ethernet network all come together in a network cabinet. I already use a RT-AX88U at the front of my house as an access point like in scenario 3 and don’t use the xFinity built-in wireless (turned off).
To improve speed at the back of my house I am considering plugging in one XT8 as a node at an ethernet connection at the back of the house (will look nicer in the open than another 88U) and using the 88U where it is now as the main AiMesh unit still in AP mode. Due to distance and because I am wired already, I don’t want to use wireless backhaul. I also don’t want to stick the 88U in the closet and maybe have to buy a third router to get good coverage in front.
1) Any issues you see with this or why you don’t mention scenarios 3 and 4?
2) In #3 and #4, I see they show the Main AiMesh Router connected with the LAN port, not WAN port. Look correct to you? Why?
Thank you. Scott
Some of the info on the page seems completely wrong, Scott. But you need to bring that up to Asus. Just follow what I said on this page. I can’t afford to address the stuff that other people do.
Thank you. I will take it up with ASUS but wanted to cross check with you due to your extensive knowledge and experience. Will see what they say.
Sure, Scott. Good luck! 🙂
Just following up on what I did in case your readers find this and are also interested in scenarios 3 and 4. I did contact ASUS through their chat system. Wasn’t really helpful as the person seemed to just say what was on the page. Would rather talk to someone. At the bottom of the page I selected “NO” where it asks “Was this information helpful?” and submitted suggested changes for things I noticed as well as asking for more detail to be added, like for one, why does the Main AiMesh Router in scenarios 3 & 4 use the LAN port instead of WAN port? They haven’t updated the page yet per any of my comments. I encourage others to submit comments and maybe they’ll update it.
In the meantime, I went ahead and got an XT8 assuming the general idea on that page was correct. Set-up of the XT8 was a breeze. Ethernet backhaul mode was selected. Then I moved it to my family room and connected by ethernet through a switch that led to another switch where it met up with my RT-AX88U. That switch is then connected to my xFinity gateway. Works great so far. The first time I unplugged it to re-arrange some wires it didn’t automatically re-connect and I had to go into the web interface to have the 88U search for it and connect again. Several times since then I have unplugged it and it reconnected just fine. Being both lazy and in a rush to set it up, I never moved the 88U ethernet connection from the WAN to the LAN port to match their schematic. Doesn’t seem to matter but maybe I am missing something.
Thanks again for your informative site.
Hi Dong,
I purchased the RT-AX92U and am enjoying the quality of the AI Mesh.
But on the node under management there is a setting called Bonding/ Link aggregation. You can either enable of disable it. Do you know what that setting is for?
Thank you,
Frank
I consider the AIProtection to have a strong element of privacy risk. Trend Micro can legally obtain the knowledge of every website the user visits, and at one time the router owner was required to tell those using their system that their emails might be sent to Trend. I spent a half hour digging through multiple layers of what I find to be “shell gamed” EULA and privacy agreements and did not find that, but here is my citation.
{Link removed}
Don’t get me wrong, I am running AI protect on the router that this message will go through, and I appreciate you and your site. OTOH ignoring risks does not make them go away. Risks need to be assessed and accepted, ameliorated, or eliminated.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Peter. No spam, though, please. And I’m aware of the privacy issues, that’s the nature of any protection software.
unacceptable according to GDPR
What is? Also, some of us don’t live in the EU. 🙂
I have 2 nodes now on my AiMesh, AX82U with TUF-AX3000 (Asian version only I believe) and AX55U as nodes.
Was discussing about Mesh system in another forum, their conclusion is that having a high end node is unnecessary in Asus AiMesh system, as the main router will handle all the processing and routing. Is it correct?
I have to add, all my nodes are connected by wire to the main router.
That’s correct, S. I mentioned that in the post. Do read it!
Hi Dong,
I am wanting to increase my wifi coverage and speeds in my house as well eliminating my extender to have only one SSID network. I currently have ASUS RT-AC68R router in my home office, and am using bonded MoCA 2.5 adapters to carry signal to the range extender in the basement.
Would you suggest purchasing a new ASUS router to take advantage of AiMesh, with the new router in the office/cable modem and AC68R in AiMesh mode or AP mode in the basement connected via the MoCA? Or would I be better off purchasing a mesh wifi system?
My internet speeds are 200/10. No Wifi 6 devices. ~10 clients in household.
Thanks for the help!
Check out this post, Ryan. Make sure you read before asking any questions.
Yes I have read that article as well, for my setup, where one router does not provide sufficient Wifi coverage in a home, you suggest using a mesh network solution. With my ability to do wired backhaul via MoCA and sub-gigabit speeds you suggest ZenWifi AX Mini, so that would be a better solution than pairing my current AC68R with a AC86U?
And if I wanted to future proof a bit for Wifi 6 devices and/or increasing internet speeds a pair of Asus RT-AX8xU routers would be recommended.
Update: I purchased AC86U to use as AiMesh router, it is connected to my old AC68U as AiMesh node with ethernet backhaul via MoCA 2.0. I can now get reliable 5 gHz wifi and internet speeds (200/10 with my ISP) throughout the house with one SSID. I am very pleased. More expensive mesh solutions wouldn’t have provided any additional benefit for my household. Your website was very helpful understanding wifi better, thank you!
Sure, Ryan. Great job, by the way!
Dong, thanks much for the great info – it sure helped me get my AIMesh setup and running. Still have to work on keeping the right clients connected to the right nodes!
Do you see AIMesh as the home and smaller system answer to separate routers and distributed APs like in large commercial setups? If so, what do you think about putting the primary router close to the network switches and patch panel and incoming cable modem where a router belongs, and adding (wired) nodes where they belong so radios can give the best signal coverage? Turn off the primary router radios, or just assume they will not do much good in the basement 🙂
Currently using AX86U primary in living room, AC86U node in family room. If I went this way, move AX86U to basement network area, add something like AX92U as living room node? Make any sense?
Thanks!
Read the post again, John. What you want to do works. However, you don’t want to use a tri-band router as the node of a dual-band primary router.
Regarding the anticipated Guest network over nodes, I understand that firmware v3.0.0.4.386 and latter DOES support this. There are comments in forums to work with Guest network#2 and not #1.
This depends on the combo, Liviu. But yes, that works now for most combos, as long as the router unit support system-wide Guest network and all units run 386 firmware or later.
Hi, I just purchased a set of three ZenWifi Mini’s (XD4) and am trying to get the Traffic Analyzer function to work but it does appear in the menu. Does the XD4 support the Traffic Analyzer function?
If you don’t see it on the menu (of the web interface) then it’s not included, Mahlon. Here’s its full review.
Ok, thanks for the quick reply!
Dong,
Great and informative article. Thanks for your efforts! I have a simple question that may have been answered in the article, but I’ll ask it anyway. You said that it’s possible to mix Merlin and stock FW devices in an AIMesh setup (I did read the article lol), so here’s my question…I have an RT-AC88U (running the latest version of Merlin) currently, and I’m going to add an RT-AC66U B1 as an AIMesh node (it should be here this weekend). Is it better to update the AC66U to Merlin or leave it stock? Obviously, part of the answer has to do with the FW version that is on the device when it arrives, but what is the best practice? IDK if it matters, but I’ll be using ethernet as backhaul. Thanks in advance for your assistance with this.
I’d go with either Merlin OR stock when possible, Kevin. Good luck! 🙂
Thanks for your quick response! I was leaning toward updating the new device to Merlin, so that’s how I’ll proceed!
Thanks to your fantastic and in depth explanation, I’ve had my AIMesh system up and running (merlin firmware) for almost 2 months. It’s been great! I do have another network/fiber internet connection question, but I don’t know where to post it, so I’m posting it here. Sorry if it’s the wrong place. I have AT&T gigabit fiber, and when I run speed tests from the ATT modem interface, I get speeds commensurate to that. BUT, when I run a speed test from my wired PC (or really any wired connection), I get speeds closer to 700Mbps up and down. My router is an ASUS RT-AC88U, and I’m wondering what is a normal level of speed loss between the modem and router. When I had Spectrum cable, I’d usually get download speeds in the 975Mbps area so I know my hardware will work at higher speeds. If I’m out of the normal loss, can you point me to an article that might help me tune the router settings? Thanks, and again I’m sorry if I posted this in an incorrect area,
That’s likely due the Jumbo Frame and MTU settings of the router and your NIC, Kevin. It’s impossible to tell since it’s very specific and none knows what you’ve done. Try resetting things to default and try again.
Thanks! I appreicate your resposnse and the information you put out for us to benefit from
Jumbo Frame was disabled, I enabled it and BIKKITY BAM! testing in the 900s. THANKS again!
👍
Hi Dong,
Great networking site, fantastic work! I admit I have not read every comment but has there been any mention of the use of “Wi-Fi Agile Multiband” and/or “Protected Management Frames”? I was having issues with the hand off between wire-backhauled aimesh router/node on the 5Ghz band, even after adjusting the roaming settings. I noticed in one of your screen shots you hade those 2 setting off on your 5GHz band and I believe they are off by default on the 2.4GHz band. I disabled them and now I’m changing nodes flawlessly and almost instantaneously. My question is why do they need to be off (or really what the heck do they do)? Is there a short answer or a link that could explain those settings?
Thanks!
There’s no short answer, Jeff. That has a lot to do with what clients you have. But if that works, leave it like that.
Hi Dong,
Thank you for your wonderfully informative posts, they have taught me a lot. My situation is that my house is between single router and mesh size. I have a 2,500 square foot old house with plaster walls and the cable internet only comes into the house via a single spot against a cinderblock wall in the basement, making wiring/rewiring a burden and putting a lot of barriers on the wifi signal. My previous router (an ARRIS SBG10) just wasn’t cutting it (probably obvious to you). I upped my internet service and got an ARRIS SB8200 modem, with the goal of also strengthening the wifi network and adding parental controls (I did read your post where you proposed they were a gimmick, but for now my kid won’t be able to figure out how to beat it). I also need the new wifi setup quickly . I purchased a Netgear RBK572 system and it’s working great but Netgear hasn’t figured out how to add parental controls to RBK572 yet, a point I missed when I was researching mesh systems. Anyway, the Asus XT8 dual packs are sold out everywhere, so I cant get them quickly. There are single XT8 router units available for the same cost as RT-AX86U routers. If needed I would be willing to eventually swallow the extra $50 to buy 2 single XT8s as opposed to the pair. However, given my in between size, would you recommend buying the single XT8 unit, and seeing if that’s sufficient on its own, knowing I could always add a node or is it better to get the stronger RT-AX86U also with the possibility of adding a node but being stuck with a dual band wireless mesh.
Thank you,
Dan S
I believe the RBK572 has some blocking features, Dan. If you’re looking for something you can use on your mobile device via an app with a login account, it’s likely doing your children more harm than good. Sure it might be able to keep your kids from certain things, but the app will collect information on your children for marketing purposes. Anyhow, if your home is not wired, I’d always go with Tri-band hardware.
Thank you!!! I appreciate your advice and quick reply. When I chatted with Netgear tech support they said there were no parental controls yet.
Best,
Dan
Dear Mr Ngo, would the converse be ok? I live in an apartment with thick concrete walls. I have 1 Gbps plan. I currently have an AC88u as my router and an AC66u as a node. Geographically the AC88u is in the middle of the apartment and the AC66u with wired backhaul is in the front. But I have poor wifi signals in the back of the apartment.
I was planning to get a CT 8 and use 1 as my main router, move the AC88u to the front of the house with a wired backhaul and the other CT 8 node in the back of the apartment on a wireless backhaul. Keeping the 2 CT8 as wireless backhaul as per your advice.
Would that work?
That will work, Raj.
Hi,
I have Asus RT-AC5300 as my primary router and I only use dual band mode.
I’m planning to buy ASUS RT-AC1200 as AiMesh node and connect it wirelessly.
Will it work ?
Read the post, Dino. Also, I don’t think the RT-AC1200 supports AiMesh.
Hi Dong – thanks so much for the excellent website, I’ve learned a lot!
I’m running an ZenWiFi AX XT8 AX6600 combo with dedicated, wireless backhaul (wired backhaul is not possible for that node). I want to add an additional node, which I could connect with a wired backhaul to the router unit. In general, you mention that mixing tri-band with dual-band is not recommended, but I wonder whether in this specific situation I can simply get a dual-band node and connect it directly to a LAN port of the router? Will this impact the existing wireless backhaul & other wifi settings? And do I have to configure the new node specifically (eg. “binding” it to the router or preferable backhaul) to prevent the dual-band unit from slowing down my other node? Finally, any suggestion re. which (dual-band) router to get for my set-up? Thanks a lot & sorry if you already answered these specific questions
It’ll work, Roman. Leave the XT8 as is and add a dual-band node to the router unit. You can get any of the dual-band AiMesh routers, then use its WAN port to connect to the XT8.
Hi Dong, I’m replacing my current AP setup of AC86U primary + AC66U as AP, with AIMesh: new AX86U primary + current AC86U as node. Merlin firmware. Of course will use ethernet between, but the path goes through 2 switches, shared with other traffic, and about 50+ meters of cable total. Is there any concern with using this shared switched path for backhaul? Any good way to check or test if the backhaul path is causing any issues? Pings all < 1 ms.
Thanks!
No, that’s fine, John. I have had the same setup for a couple of months now. The switches won’t cause any issues. Just make sure they are Gigabit (or faster).
Hey Dong, I have a similar set-up, dsl-AC68U as the main router, connected via Ethernet to an RT-AC68U in a garden office 30 meters away. I’m thinking of upgrading my LAN to 2.5g with AX86 units and a new NAS. I’d need a switch between the routers to make use of the 2.5g on the NAS. I tried putting a 1g switch in between my current routers and the mesh failed. The node just seemed to act like a dumb switch with no WiFi. Any ideas?
R
What you said didn’t make a lot of sense, Rory. Try reading the post again. Using a switch in between the routers should be fine but if course that depends on what kind of switch and how you connect the hardware.
Hello…2 aimesh questions based on the following scenario:
1 Asus RT-AX as aimesh router, WPA3 only enforced (no WPA2 etc allowed)
1 Asus RT-AC as aimesh node, no WPA3 available in the regular firmware
for both questions I am under the node coverage at the 2nd floor
1) will my connection work with WPA3 knowing that the node normally does not support it? Does the Aimesh override this and WPA3 will work?
2) will my connection work in AC with theorical max of 866 mbps or in AX with max of 1201 mpbs for the 5 GHZ band?
Thank you
You do NOT want to use WP3 exclusively, Ark. Most legacy clients don’t support that, and therefore won’t be able to connect. If you really LOVE WPA3 (why?), use the WPA2/WPA3 mode.
1. No. You can’t even set up the AiMesh system if you use a node that doesn’t support WPA3 (most AC routers don’t support that for now.)
2. No. That’s because NOTHING works at the theoretical speeds. It’s called “theoretical” for a reason. But sure, you can get 2×2 Wi-Fi 5 out of it.
Hi Doug,
Really appreciate the revisit and thorough updates of all the information on AImesh 2.0. However, one thing I wanted to ask you about was 802.11k/v/r support. According to many of the change logs, 802.11k/v support has just recently been added in the .386 firmware update (12/07/2020) but still lacks 802.11r (which brings handoff down from ~600ms to ~50ms) support as seen on the TP-Link Deco M9+ kit and/or competing Eero, Google Wifi, and other such kits.
Can you comment as to how AImesh has matured in handoff transitions due to this upgrade and compared to the other tried and tested systems (especially on Whatsapp Video calls and Facetime calls).
It’s the nuances, but you should stand at one place when doing a video or voice call, Jign. That’s the ONLY way to make things work well.
Hi Dong,
First off, thanks for this site. I spent quite a few hours reading through here over the holidays to upgrade my setup. I ended up with an RT-AX86U as my main router in the office (NW corner of the basement) with an RT-AX82U as a node in the loft (SE corner of the 2nd floor). The AiMesh was simple to set up (like < 10 minutes) and I'm using a Cat5e wired backhaul running through the house. Life is good.
I'm really happy with these two devices. In addition to the ease of AiMesh setup AND the Dual-Band Smart Connect AND the (free) AiProtection AND the Roaming Assistant, another feature that I love is the built-in speed test right at the router… no more wondering if speeds are slow at the router or somewhere in the home or at the device. This will definitely help me with network debug if necessary.
Two questions though…
1. Am I correct to understand that AiMesh does not support modifying the Roaming Assistant threshold for all of the nodes? I get an error saying this isn't supported when I try to set the Roaming Assistant threshold from the (main) RT-AX86U when the AiMesh is active.
2. The router-based management of multiple nodes with the Roaming Assistant as well as the Dual-Band Smart Connect choosing 2.4G-vs-5G has been great for all my home devices… except one. I have an older weather station at my home that can only use 802.11-b/g/n. It seems that it can't handle the router testing/trying to change its band. Is there a way that I can tell the main RT-AX86U router to always use 2.4G for this device? The only way I've gotten around this problem to date is to create a separate SSID-hidden 2.4G "guest" network with that weather station as its only client. That DOES work, limiting that network to 2.4G, but it is a hack of a solution.
Thanks for the help in advance.
That’s an excellent setup you got there! About as good as it gets.
1. You are correct. You generally have little control over the node. Even with the latest firmware, you can only do the USB ports and Link Aggregation. But generally, that’s the point of a mesh. If you want total control, use the RT-AX82U in the AP mode. It’s more work.
2. For that, you need to separate the two bands. Or you can turn on one Guest network for the said band. If you allow the intranet access, the Guest Wi-Fi is now a segment of your main network. More here.
Hi Dong,
Thanks for all of your detailed replies. I appreciate the additional support!
Hi Dong,
Regarding your response to my recent email—I have reset the AC88U several times, and still no Ethernet signals. I will give the Merlin firmware a try before purchasing a new router….
I was not clear in my reference to recommended routers… What I meant to say was that I intended to follow your recommendation of staying in the same “family” of devices when putting together a mesh setup—as opposed for example, to using an AC88/86U as the primary router and CT8s as nodes/satellites. (Although for aesthetic reasons, I was tempted to do, since the nodes would be located in living areas and the primary in the basement…)
As I mentioned in the tri-band section of this post, Bob, it’s not a good idea to mix tri-band and dual-band routers though it will work. In that case, it’s best if you use wired backhaul.
It helps if you read a post in its entirety instead of skimping over to get what you want. In that case, you’ll likely find incomplete information. Again, networking is a complicated thing. 🙂
Dong,
Excellent article. Well done but had to re-read a few times.
I have a different setup but currently use a single AC-68U with pretty good results over the past year or so.
ISP modem to a Cisco RV-325 router. Wired to most of the house including the AC-68U. For AIMesh, I want to wire the units direct for backhaul. Not sure which ports but assume their WAN ports.
If I use the central Cisco router (used as gateway/dhcp) across a single LAN, do I need to wire the Primary AIMesh router to the main LAN and disribute cabling from this router to potential AIMesh nodes? If not, then what is your suggestion and what should I use as the main AIMesh router assuming I re-use the AC-68U as a node.
Ideally it would be nice to just use a simple LAN but currently I am doing the Double NAT without too many issues….I assume the above maintains that unless there is something I may have missed.
Great work….and very thorough. Enjoyed the read….and re-reads. Hahaha.
I’d continue with the double NAT setup and wire the main AiMesh router to the gateway, Scott. After that, all the node units (and the rest of your network for that matter) must be behind the main AiMesh router. Since you’re into reading, maybe check out this post, too.
Thanks Dong,
I can see why you have such a wide following given your quick reply…
I’m curious if in your many experiments with AiMesh, whether you have found any performance differences when using these Asus routers in AP mode or Router mode? I’m considering ditching the double NAT and just using a main ZenWiFi AX6600 XT8 router in AiMesh AP mode with another XT8 as a AiMesh node and my old AC-68U as an AiMesh node for my basement lab….
I have a very nice Cat6a wiring arrangement in the house, hence the question about collapsing the second NAT in the WiFi Router.
Thanks again.
There’s a big difference between AP and Router mode, Scott. More on that here. (Quick replies are a matter of timing — I do so when I get a chance. It’s best that you *read* and find the answers yourself. Also, I’m not too fond of offhanded compliments :).)
I hope Dong’s link with the only relevant part being 1 sentence in the final note answered your question!?
Definitely do as you suggested!
I ran mine that way for a while before switching ISP to one that allowed a modem that was just a modem and it’s definitely favourable to double NAT.
Brilliant review, thank you. Extremely informative. I would be grateful if you could just confirm my suspicions, regarding mixing and matching dual and tri-band nodes. If I had an XT8 pair and then added a single (for example) XD4 to it as an AIMesh node with wireless backhaul, I would lose one of the channels on the XD4. Would I lose the 5GHz or the 2.4GHz band, and would I have any control over which band was used for the backhaul? I realise this is, in general, a bad thing to do, but I only want coverage for my back garden, which is not worth spending a lot of money on.
This post will answer that question of yours and many more, Dave.
Thanks. So much useful information I missed the key part, which I think is “(when) A dual-band router participates as a node. (In this case, this node will connect to the 5GHz-1 band for its backhaul link.)”
So in other words (I think), adding a dual band node into tri band mesh means that the dual band node doesn’t use the dedicated wireless backhaul, and shares its 5GHz band with both the client connections and the connection into the mesh.
Hi Dong. I have this question too so can you confirm that Dave is correct? I want to add a cheap (ax55 maybe) node to my main ax92 to cover one bedroom and am hoping it will use 5Ghz-1 as backhaul without affecting the availability of the faster 4×4 5Ghz-2 from the ax92 to the rest of the house. Unfortunately I can’t do wired backhaul.
Read the post again, Kieron. The answer is there. Also check out the post on AiMesh Combos, linked in the section of supported routers, for more.
Hi,
I have spent the last 2 days reading your reviews and comments/responses regarding AiMesh, and I am overwhelmed a bit!
My house has FIOS internet service (300/300) and is hardwired with coax. The house is 2 stories with a basement, ~4,000 sq. ft. total. my plan is to get MOCA adapters and a splitter, and have a Mesh WIFI with wired backhaul. I have multiple tablets/phones accessing wi-fi, and will need a wired connection in 2 separate rooms.
From reading your reviews, Asus XT4 seems to be like a good solution, along with a Asus RT-AC86U, since it’s a two-band solution. If I go this route, I may need to get 2 unmanaged switches for my wired connection needs, and the router will stay in the basement close to FIOS ONT and MOCA splitter. I did read that XT4 may be underpowered/slow. Please let me know what you think a good mesh network solution may be for my case.
Thanks!
Don’t use MoCA, DM. Run network cables then get a few dual-band unit, like the XD4.
Dong, thank you for the reply! I really don’t want to open the walls and run network cables (unless there is an easy way to follow coax runs). Is there a reason you do not recommend MOCA?
MoCA is generally not reliable, especially if you use it also for service signal. But sure it’s better than nothing. 🙂
Thanks again for your quick reply and the insight!
Hi Dong, Hi dm-BK. This is a great post Dong, thank you, very informative. I just wanted to note that I have had great success with MOCA as the backhaul for my AX88U/AC88U mesh on either ends of my house – full 1GB connection showing “Great” on the AX88U’s AiMesh web page. I have Centurylink’s fiber service and that terminates in my study where I have the AX88U. [Side note – if you can get Centurylink’s fiber at your location it is highly recommended – ~1GB up and down, uncapped, no contract, and just $65/month – and it has proven 100% reliable since I switched from Cox gigablast cable internet 5 months ago.] I have an Actiontec Bonded MOCA 2.0 box off the back of my router that provides the MOCA for the house. Our family are TiVo folks with 3 TiVo Bolts (and some Minis) around the house, all connected via MOCA, with Cox providing the Cable TV – hence the coax everywhere. Each TiVo Bolt has an ethernet port that presents ethernet from its MOCA. So in the living room at the other end of the house my AC88U is connected to the TiVo and gets full 1GB speeds. My setup is extremely fast and MOCA has proven very reliable for many years. I originally had the AC88U as the master and an AC68U as the mesh, and upgraded to the AX88U last year. Bottom line – don’t be afraid of MOCA – just get the right components!
Thanks for sharing, Pfly. And yes, getting the right parts is always the key.
Whattup Dong! Long time man. Nice to see you are crushing it as usual here. Wanted to let you know that based on your reviews I bought an ASUS ZenWifi Mini mesh system for my house and it’s great. I wired both nodes and converted my old router (EA9500) into a switch for my hard-lined clients. If we end up here longer term, I may go with a more robust system but this is great for now.
I now have a question for you regarding my father in-law’s set up. He’s got 500mbps Frontier Fios and has their router that they provide. Then he has an EA9500 (coincidentally) but it’s not bridged, it’s just connected. I’m thinking of getting the ASUS ZenWifi AX and running the mini’s as nodes for his house and bridging the Frontier router to retain their landline/voice feature. He’s got a 5000 sq ft 2 story house so I’m wondering if the AX base router is enough or if I should just get a standalone mesh enabled router (Like the Asus RT-AX86U) and get the mini’s as nodes. Or should I try a separate mesh system??
Anyway, this is just a long-winded question / love letter to you my man. Thanks for all the help!
What’s up, dude! Hope you guys are doing well! It’s been crazy.
Anyhow, if the place is wired, you can just start with the ZenWiFi AX Mini (XD4). That should do it. Or, if need be, you can get another dual-band router, like the RT-AX86U, as the main. If the place is NOT wired, though, then you need a tri-band set. In that case, the ZenWiFi AX XT8 is a great choice, or the CT8 will do, too. You might need 3 or four units. Bridging the Fios gateway is the way to go. Or you can do a double NAT.
Take care and stay safe! 🙂
Definitely been a wild year! So I’m seeing a small issue with my network now – I’m thinking of just replacing the EA9500 with an unmanaged switch, I’ve been trying to mess with the configurations (Turn of DHCP, change the IP address, and rename the networks) but it seems to create issues and I can’t access my ASUS admin portal. So I end up just keeping reverting back. If I get an unmanaged switch I won’t have to bother with any set up right?
Also for my in-laws place. Rather than getting four AX units, I was going to start with 2 AX units and using 3x minis as nodes. It’s just more cost effective but do you think I’ll get any significant speed/coverage losses?
You should just turn the EA9500 into an Access point and you’re all set, Clay. To do that go to its Intenet setting and turn on the “bridge” mode. You can keep the IP automatic.
For your in-law, read my previous replay again and check out this post.
Hello Dong,
First of all, thank you for your extension write-ups and responses on this site. After spending several hours reviewing posts over a couple weeks, I ended up getting an Asus system and so far it is running great.
One question that I have not seen a lot about on the site is outdoor routers – my search yielded one post with the word ‘outdoor’ but if there is another post I’ve missed, let me know. Specific to the zenwifi system, I found that the AX mini is so compact that I can fit one in a weatherproof ‘sockit box’ and, although it may get cold, it will stay dry.
Is this AX-mini-in-a-weatherproof-box combo a reasonable alternative to an outdoor router, or should I connect a true outdoor router (like the old RBS50Y from my RBR50 setup I am getting rid of)? More generally, I would think there is a healthy audience of folks that would love to hear your thoughts on outdoor routers in general, even briefly.
Thanks again and take care,
Paul
That’s a very cool idea, Paul. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Dong,
Can’t find a review of https://www.asus.com/uk/Networking/ZenWiFi-AC-Mini-CD6/. Have you played with them? Not in the US yet? It looks good value. Any ideas if it will play nicely with AiMesh? What do you think? Alex.
This one available (yet) in the U.S., Alex. But belieave it’s similar to the CT8.
Hi from Australia Dong!
First up, tremendous post. I stumbled on to this after many weeks of searching for a solution to my current problem.
I live in a 3 storey house. Our broadband connection terminates in the garage (I know, not the most ideal location!). I currently have an ASUS RT-AC68U anchoring the network. Fortunately we do have ethernet throughout the house.
We were experiencing wifi issues in certain parts of the house casting Netflix etc to non smart TVs thru Chromecast devices. My early research led me to deploying a Google mesh network (one puck on each floor with one of those cabled directly to the RT-AC68U) and turning off the router wifi. This certainly solved our wifi issues but it presented me with a different issue which I’ve not yet been able to solve. That is, the Google wifi network doesn’t recognize anything cabled directly to the router (via a switch) on the network – including the Synology NAS that has all of our digital music and movies stored. I should have done more research in to the ASUS AiMesh at that time!
Which brings me here. Unless you know of some way to fix my current issue then I’m looking at swapping out the Google network and buying a newer ASUS router as the primary and using my current RT-AC68U as a node (backhauled via ethernet) and turning the ASUS wifi back on! I also have a spare NetComm N600 Dual Band and was wondering if I use it on one of the floors – again, backhauled via ethernet. Would that work?
Alternatively, the Zen Wifi looks interesting, using the 68U as a node on one of the floors (Zen 2 pack + the 68U over the three floors).
And finally, if I use a router as a wifi node (backhauled via ethernet) can you still use the LAN ports as a switch?
Your input would be greatly appreciated!
Regards,
Gav
Happy to have you, Gav. First of all, take another pass at this post — take your time! I noted you asked questions that I already addressed. I hate having to repeat myself…
What you have right now is a double NAT. (Read the linked post before continue!) And the Google system is quite terrible because (among other things) you can’t turn it into an access point — you can only do that with a single unit. (Google incorrectly calls this mode “Bridge” by the way). That said, your best bet is swapping it out with a different system. Since you have the RT-AC68U, you can get a few more units more and use them in an AiMesh setup. Basically, you can use any dual-band AiMesh broadcasters. The Blue Cave or Lyra Trio is a great choice. Or you can go with Wi-Fi 6.
Alternatively, you can also use the RT-AXC68U with (non-Asus) access points (or routers in access point mode.) In fact, you can reset the Google system and set up each unit individually as an access point (“bridge” mode). That will work, too.
You have a great chance of making an excellent hone network there — I love the fact you have a Synology NAS server. Take your time and get things done right!
Thank you Dong.
I’ve reread the article, plus the Double NAT and also your Lyra Trio review! I must admit, I did skip over some of the content in my first read which clearly showed in my questions!! I’ll be heading down the swap-out road (Google for Lyra with ethernet backhaul) and repositioning my 68U. It’s the slightly cheaper option to get me into the world of AiMesh’ing. If all goes well, I’ll look at replacing the 68U in time (business case will need to be submitted to the Secretary of Internal Affairs!!!!!).
Many thinks for drawing my attention back to your articles!!
Cheers,
Gav
Sure, Gav. Have fun! 🙂
Great article. Thanks for the updates. I have a GT-AX11000 set up as my primary router with a wired connection to a AX92U set up as my node. The issue is that, although it is set up as, and the node shows a wired backhaul connection, the node allows non-ax capable devices to connect to the 2nd 5gh band. What I want is for that 2nd band to be a wifi 6 band that only ax devices can connect to. I do have the UI settings set for that 2nd band to only allow ax connections. It is driving me crazy trying to figure out why the node allows non-ax connections to the second band. I have all three separated with different names/passwords so know that the non-ax devices are still connecting. If the node is taken out of the equation the AX-11000 does not allow non-ax connections on that 2nd band. Any ideas on how this can be resolved? Thanks for any insight you can provide. I do have the very latest updates installed on both.
The real question is, Paul, why did you ALLOW the non-AX devices to connect to the you-want-to-be-AX-only band? (They can’t by themselves if you don’t enter the password!) What are you trying to prove? Isn’t the point of separating the bands as different Wi-Fi networks so you can segment your network ON PURPOSE? But to answer your questions, from the technical point of view, some routers might just automatically allow legacy devices to connect for backward compatibility reasons — devices not being able to connect is MORE of a problem for a router than keeping the AX band exclusive. Also, you can’t change the Wi-Fi settings on the node, and you’re using a mix of different routers.
My suggestion is: Take your time. Read. Pay attention. Try to understand how things work. Don’t assume anything.
Thanks for the response. I get that I can exclude non-ax devices by not connecting them to begin with. The “why” of it is I was excited to move into the wifi 6 world but then, after upgrading, was not seeing any significant difference in speeds on the 5ghz-2 ax only band versus the 5ghz-1 band with the ax capable device (which was the only one connected to 5ghz-2 at the time because I did not think any other device could or would connect because they were not ax capable). This made me wonder why I was not seeing the expected speed increase and in fact was seeing pretty much the same speed as my other non-wifi 6 devices were getting on the 5ghz-1 band. I was just fooling around with a non-ax device when I discovered it would, in fact, connect to what I thought was a dedicated wifi 6 only band. I love the asus routers and have great coverage and speeds where ever I need it, but am just not seeing any increase of any significance for my investment into wifi 6.
Yes, I understand. Read my previous reply again. And then this post. Make sure you really read it. https://dongknows.com/wi-fi-6-explained/
Quick question on DFS – assuming I use 2 same routers (dual band or tri-band) that offer DFS, and mesh them with a WIRED backhaul: How does aiMesh behave? I.e. can I specifically frequency per node, or if DFS radio change is triggered, does each node respond to it individually to find a new frequency (in DFS spectrum) ?
Thanks!
I mentioned that in the post, Dan. You can’t control the Wi-Fi settings of each node individually. That’s determined by the router unit.
I have just installed an RT-AX92U mesh with a router and additional node using a wireless backhaul. Performance is very good, but I do get the occassional drop-off which is especially noticed by my son when playing games.
I’m trying to bind his PC to a specific node. Would you know the difference between: (a) Binding a device to a particular node in the Client List on the ASUSWRT homepage and (b) Adding a device to the Roaming Block List in Advanced Settings/Wireless page.
They sound pretty much the same to me.
Thanks!
I think the issue with occasional disconnection has something to do with the DFS channels used in the backhaul, Andrew. More on that here. The text of (a) and (b) explains the difference, I don’t know how to explain it further. 🙂
Hey Dong! What a great post!
I have to update my home network and I have a big bunch of doubts about what should I do.
I have an AC68U and I was considering buying another Asus Router to mount an AiMesh network.
I don’t have the chance to wire the nodes so the backhaul will be wireless.
So the question is, in 2021, with Wifi 6, tri-bands routers, etc. Is it worth to invest more budget and go for a tri-band system (because of the wireless backhaul) or a wifi 6 system?
Or should I go with an AC86U because it is a good partner for my “old” AC68U and I am not going to see too much difference in terms of performance?
I can do the effort with the budget if I am going to get much better performance with a newer combo.
Any advice? Which AiMesh combo would you recommend if I decide not to use the AC68U?
Thanks a lot!
That depends on your Internet speed, Eddy. If you have sub-400Mbps, I’d say go with the RT-AC88U. More here.
Thanks Dong!
Ah, I forgot to mention that, right now I have 600Mbps symmetric, that in few weeks will be upgraded to 1Gbps. Based on that speed, what would you recommend?
Thanks again!
Read the post again, Eddy. And this one, too. You then can make your own decision.
Dong, ASUS just pushed an update for AX11000 and ZenWifi AX systems.
Can you tell us how that impacts performance? These articles are amazing and gave me confidence to buy my AX11000 and (6) ZenWifi AX nodes.
I can from a 8 node velop system and this is just SO much better.
4 of my ZenAX nodes are Ethernet back haul and 2 nodes are wireless.
The updates are to make the system fully support AiMesh 2.0, Justin.
Hi Dong,
As always, appreciate the thorough reviews and details.
I have a pair of Asus XT8, and while the coverage and speed are great, the reliability is awful. For the first 6 months or so I was having problems with devices dropping or unable to establish a DHCP lease, and I would have to reboot daily, or several times a day, to regain connectivity. That appears to have been fixed in the last firmware update, but ever since that last update the primary node drops internet connectivity daily, or several times a day; it start looping on and offline for up to 15 – 20 min (led cycles from blue to green to white and back again), even devices attached to the ethernet ports stop working. My ISP and the gateway are up the whole time. I have contacted ASUS support the only thing I am told is turn my ISP provided gateway into AP mode (or the Asus nodes in access points). That is the fix for all problems according to Asus, DCHP lease issue- use AP mode, instability and dropping connectivity – use AP mode. I’ve never had to use AP mode with any previous routers, including past mesh systems, do you think using AP mode will magically fix this issue?. This problem didn’t start until after the last firmware update, and Asus support is no help. Have you or any of your readers had this issue and found a resolution, or have any suggestions? I have seen online that this is not an isolated issue, others are reporting it, it really makes me doubt the quality of Asus and all their products now.
Thank you
It can be a lot of things, Lou, but a double NAT setup is generally not a good idea and can create unpredictable scenarios. That said, check out this post on the matter. And for the disconnection, this post will help, too.
I had the same issue and removing “double NAT” helped. I had to put ISP router into bridge mode. Everything is OK now.
Dong, would you recommend using two AX88U or a pair of AX6600 for the best coverage and performance? And in case I need an additional in the basement.
It’s unclear what you’re talking about, Antonio. AX6600 is a standard, it doesn’t represent a specific model. Generally, it helps when you don’t get lazy in asking questions. But the Asus RT-AX88U is a great choice.
Sorry for not being clear. I was comparing the options of getting a set of Asus XT8 or two-three separate AX88U to build my new Wifi6 MESH home network. I also need to consider adding a third router if 2 nodes are not enough for the coverage as I need to cover 3 floors and a garden. In China, I can buy XT8 as pairs and also able to buy single units, therefore, I could use more than 2 nodes regardless of which model. Of course, this is a major upgrade, so I would like to get the best performance and try to get the most seamless roaming experience. Thanks.
And I will be using wired backhaul setup for all nodes. Thanks.
Check you this post, Antonio. https://dongknows.com/mesh-wi-fi-system-explained/. I’d go with the dual-band Asus.
Great review!
Could you give us some information and tips please?
We have a 4 level big stonewalled house and had 3 separate (WiFi)routers on a wired network.
We had a bad WiFi connection in most of the levels. Wired connection were very good of course.
Now that we are working and learning from home the WiFi connection is no longer stable.
So we needed to upgrade out home network.
We just bought 3x the Asus ZenWiFi AX nodes and a 1GB switch.
We Installed the Asus ZenWiFi AX as Router/Aimesh and all connected wired via a switch.
The switch is placed behind the first node/router.
We do not use smart connect and have the 2.4 and 5ghz bands manual split with default settings.
All of the other settings are also default.
The WiFi is better now, but we think it could be more excellent by tweaking some settings.
Could you please help us or give some suggestions of the settings to adjust?
For example:
– Use smart connect or split bands?
– Aimesh priority auto or wired?
– (It looks like the second 5 GHz band is not available when we set wired; firmware issue?
– Best or featured settings for the 2.4 Ghz band?
– Best or featured settings for 5-1 Ghz band?
– Best or featured settings for the 5-2 Ghz band?
– Others settings to tweak or try?
Thank you in advance
Eric V
A few things, Eric:
1. Update to the latest firmware, keep the settings as default as possible.
2. Unhide the 5GHz-2 band and make it anew network with it. It’ll be a separate 5GHz only network that you can use for whatever.
3. Turn Smart Connect for 2.4Ghz and 5GHz-1.
4. AiMesh wired priority. (You don’t need to do anything here, check each node to make sure it’s using wired backhaul. It’ll say it in the AiMesh section. If not, well, make sure your wiring is good.)
5. Configure QoS according to you needs.
6. Don’t mess around too much.
Hi Dong,
Thanks for your great advices.
We will try to re-install the3 nodes, with default settings.
Eric
Sure, Eric. Good luck! 🙂
Hi Dong.
Thank you so much for such a great post and review.
I am debating if the AIMesh would make sense for my 1 floor flat, which is essentially a very long rectangle (about 60ft long) with 5 rooms to go through between the 1GB fiber drop point (on the side of rectangle) and the furthest room. And a long corridor Unfortunately… no cabling in the house
Despite your recommendation to use tri-band for mesh, it looks from your chart of Wifi-6 satellite performance that a solution with 2 RT-AX88U out performs solutions with ZenWiFi AX XT8 or RT-AX92U
Any solution you would recommend to cover my elongated house? With currently only Wifi5 clients.
A. A single router AX86U or AX88U
B. A pair of AX86U or AX88U in Mesh
C. A pair of RT-AX92U
D. A Pair of ZenWiFi AX XT8
Thanks for the advice !
Go with C or D, Leonard.
The AX92u is the best wifi mesh solution on the market.
The good news is its already configured to get the absolute best performance. People run into trouble when they start following tweak guides, many of which give incorrect information.
This mesh will give your clients between 300mb/s – 500mbs of stable wifi. However you must leave everything on default, including the wifi channel selection.
I’m not sure about the best, but it’s one of a good one for sure, especially now with the latest firmware that supports AiMesh 2.0. I decided to review it a 2nd time and that’s something.
Hi,
I have an RT-AC5300 (located on second floor house) – looking to add an AiMESH node to cover a dead spot\low bandwidth area in the basement opposite side of house. I have sufficient coverage of the house except this one spot. Moving the RT-AC5300 is not really an option.
Is the RT-AX92U the best option if I plan to use a wireless backhaul?
I understand this will be WIFI 5 only, but the thinking is that once the RT-AC5300 dies (if it will – its 6 years old) I would replace with a WIFI 6 router down the road.
-Mike
No, Mike. You should use Wi-Fi 5 hardware. I’d recommend the CT8.
Hi Dong,
Thanks for the advice. One question – I was only planning to add a node to the RT-AC5300 as this is in my home office and has a number of devices connected to it (printers, NAS, etc) – plus it is working well for my needs.
I really just need to get a better signal to the one corner of the basement – that due to the distance only gets 5Mbps (if it connects at all – from 360Mbps)
The CT8 seems to only be available in 2 packs here in Canada @ $449 CAD. Where as I *could* buy another RT-AC5300 for $359 to accomplish the same thing (if I have read all of your posts correctly) that just seems really bulky.
Was hoping just to add a node at a mid point between the RT-AC5300 and the corner of the basement.
Based on your posts (which are great info by the way) it seems I should be looking for a Tri-band version if I plan to have a wireless backhaul.
The RT-AX92U’s run $229 CAD here which is why I mentioned that one… Just wasn’t sure if that was the best choice based on all of your other articles…
-Mike
No, it’s not the best choice. It might work, but chances are it will not work reliably. Asking the same questions in different ways won’t make what you wish for come true, Mike. 🙂 You might be better off going with a dual-band Wi-Fi 5 router. That’s not ideal either (no dedicated backhaul) but still better than using 5 and 6 together that way.
It is true, I was wishing for a simpler solution, but I do yield to your expertise. I am new to the AiMesh setup – but I did learn a lot from your articles and detailed product reviews. I almost impulsively bought a RP-ac1900 as they go for $159 but after reading your articles found this was not a good solution due to it being dual-band. I am (a little bit) wiser now – appreciate the input and keep up the good work!
Hi, Dong-
I am yet another person praising your excellent work and effort. Thank you!
I recently upgraded my Comcast service, download speeds around 700 Mbps over a hard wire. But using my old Asus RT-AC87U routers, my wireless speed didn’t improve much.
Based on your articles, I bought two Asus RT-AX86U routers. One is upstairs, one is downstairs. They are connected by an ethernet cable. I want to add the Zen units if this works.
I set up AiMesh, and both routers allow speeds 400 to 550. Great!
Here’s the rub: I use a SonicWall appliance, which assigns IPs within my internal network. This is absolutely necessary for my work. When I try to disable DHCP server in the Asus web interface, I get this non-specific message:
If you disable DHCP Server, your AiMesh router’s Wi-Fi connectivity will be affected.
Do you want to proceed?
I have had several calls with Asus support, and they tell me if I disable the DHCP server, AiMesh may or may not work. No specifics, unfortunately.
So I see three options:
1. Change the second Asus to an AP, and lose the AiMesh features, including expandability (although I could add the Zen as AP only)
2. Disable SonicWall DHCP server and set up manual addresses in the Asus interface (if this is possible; might be a lot of work)
3. Try to disable the DHCP in the Asus web interface, and take my chances.
I thank you in advance for your advice!
3.
Use your Sonicwall as your main router and then follow the scenarios detailed in this post, Scott.
Dong – great article. Your site is SO informative! I wish I knew networking a little better. I’ve held out on WiFi 6 waiting for something like Zen Wifi’s AiMesh. But before I go off and purchase it, is the following a feasible scenario (the way I read in your article, seems like it should be).
1. I start today with purchasing and setting up a primary + node ZenWifi XT8 WiFi 6 pair
2. When ASUS eventually releases a primary AiMesh supported WiFi 6E router, i upgrade to THAT 6E router as the primary and switch the two XT8’s to nodes. Theoretically, that gives me the upgraded 6Ghz band (within range of that primary router) and the whole house coverage remains at 2.5/5Ghz. True?
3. By the way, not sure if i saw this answer, but how does wired backhaul work with two + nodes and a primary? Does this setup just use the normal LAN ports of the primary router to link to the WAN port on each of the nodes?
Thanks, Chaz
Hi Chaz,
1. Go ahead.
2. Don’t make any assumptions on Wi-Fi 6E for now. But check back soon. My take is it will be tricky and you should only use a Wi-Fi 6E router in a wired backhaul setup. That’s because it has three DIFFERENT bands — there’s no dedicated backhaul.
3. Yes, you can use more than two nodes via wired backhauls. In fact, almost as many as you want. I’ve tried 6 or 7. You can also use switches in between the router and node(s).
4. Take another read at the post. It seemed to me that you skimped it. 🙂
Hi Dong,
Thank you for the in depth explanations, it helps me a lot in purchasing an installing an AiMesh system (RT-AC86U router of which 2 LAN ports are occupied by 2 ZenWiFi CT8 nodes, positioned in opposite corners of my house). It works as a Mesh system but contrary to your explanation, AiMesh 2.0 didn’t free up the backhaul WiFi channel, also not after turning on “Ethernet Backhaul-mode”. Moreover, the Web interface warns that the nodes aren’t suitable (message popped up first time after AiMesh optimalization). My experience is thus that not all AiMesh 2.0 features are available to ZenWiFi type CT8 (probably due to its Qualcomm CPU?). Can you confirm please, or do you have a tip for me?
That’s to be expected, Rob. You’re using a mix of tri-band and dual-band (not a good idea). Read the post again, the tri-band section, and pay some attention. 🙂 Also, no, AiMesh 2.0 is not available full to all hardware, at least for now. I mentioned that in the post, too.
Do you mean that in order to free up the CT8 nodes’ backhaul WiFi channel in AiMesh “Ethernet backhaul” mode, I should swap my Asus dual-band router (RT-AC86U) by an Asus tri-band router? I’m now considering a RT-AX92U: same CPU (speed) as RT-AC86U & cheaper than a XT8. FYI, I don’t want a CT8 as router, because I read in other posts that its CPU slows down dramatically i.c.w. professional VPN router s/w. And I don’t mind AiMesh adjusting the wireless signal of a WiFi6 router to the WiFi5 nodes.
Thank you for your patience and attention, much appreciated 🙂.
Thanks Dong
Have you tried GT-AX11000 as a main router and 1 RT-AX92U as a Node vía Wireless mesh?
I have the GT as a main router now but I want to extend my range and I am planing to buy the RT due they are tri-band and I have more than 30 clients (some of them wifi 6) I want to run a wired mesh system but I don’t want to spend too much money in other GT-AX11000.
Do you think it will work?
Thanks again for all your words, it helps a lot for those who are new into this Ai Mesh thing, like me.
Yes, Pablo. That’ll work well. But note that in this case, the RT-AX92U is pretty much a Wi-Fi 5 node, from the clients’ perspective. Check out the review for more.
I too have the Get-ax11000 and am currently using the older ac3100 as a wired node in my son’s room. We both game fairly regularly and I have gig internet with xfinity, although it’s cable and fiber. I’m curious about how much improvement there would be to functionality if I was upgrade the wires node to the Rt-ax82u. He has a gaming computer, xbox, and smart TV all wired into the node in his room. I do love the ax11000 and just want to be sure he is adequate for what he is doing in his room.
Giving out the rooms, applications, users, what you want, etc., only works if you have somebody standing next to you, Bryan. It’s important to know what you’re talking about, even when asking for help. Read the post again and pay attention. You’ll be able to figure things out yourself. This post on mesh, in general will help, too. Better yet, check out this post on routers in general. Take your time! There’s no easy way to get the networking done right. Read these posts with an open mind, don’t make any assumptions.
Thank you for the quick response Dong! I appreciate your advice and links to the articles. Apparently I had some typos in my question and wanted to apologize for that. While I consider myself capable, I’m not a network genius. I’ll continue to look over your posts to make sure I get the appropriate compliment for the RT-ax11000 router in my living room, to have in my son’s room which I ran a wired backhaul to. I guess I was just trying to get an opinion or advice on one, example ax3000 or Rt-ax82u, and whether it was best to setup for access point or mesh. Again, appreciate you response and hope you continue writing these excellent pieces.
Sure, Bryan.
Hi Dong
Happy new year.
I have been reading your article with great interest and it has been very helpful. It’s just a great article. Thanks. It just inspired me to go for the Asus AiMesh. As I want to have a smooth and even covered WiFi.
Therefore I reasonably bought an Asus RT-AC88U to go for AiMesh so I don’t have to bother turning on and off my WiFi on my cellphone when I’m walking around the house. My fiber internet comes into my house in the basement in the center of the house. From here I have 8 wired connections to my rooms in the basement, the 1st and 2nd floor which fits the RT-AC88U great as it has 8 LANs. I want to go for a solution where all nodes are wired. The problem is that the WiFi coverage from that room is very bad as the walls are thick why the RT-AC88U router’s WiFi potential will largely not be utilized. My second thought was to place it on the 1st floor as that is where I need the best WiFi coverage and:
1) To use my current Ausu RT-AC3200 as a router without WiFi together with a switch in the basement and then put the RT-AC88U as a node on the 1st floor and in addition put a node on the 2nd floor and one in the basement (ex RT-AC68).
2) To buy a Router without WiFi (eg Ubiquiti EdgeRouter ER-10X) to place in the basement and then put the RT-AC88U as a node on the 1st floor and in addition put a node on the 2nd floor and one in the basement (ex RT- AC68).
3) To use RT-AC88U in the basement and then buy 3 new Asus AiMesh routers as nodes (ex two RT-AC68 and one ??? for the 1. floor).
A) After reading your article as well as the subsequent comments and answers, I am a little in doubt as to whether the first two thoughts are possible solutions? And can you explain in a few words if it’s not a good solution. As I am missing that in the main article.
B) Furthermore does ASUS ZenWiFi AC Mini CD6 fit with the RT-AC88U in a AiMesh setup?
At the moment I’m running a setup with 1. Router in the basement (TP-link) and 2 routers in AP mode one on the 1. floor (Ausu RT-AC3200) and one on the 2. Floor (TP-link). I know none of them supports Mesh/AiMesh and that’s the problem as I have to turn on and off my WiFi on my cellphone as I am moving between the floors.
Thanks again for a great article.
Looking forward to hear from you.
Take another read, Johan.
1. The RT-AC32000 doesn’t support AiMesh.
2. That’s not how AiMesh works. You need ALL Asus hardware.
3. Generally you can use different AiMesh routers together.
Again, give the post another read, and also check out this post for more.
Dong,
Curious as to your thoughts relative to the best configuration to handle coverage across a 4,200 sq. ft., 2 story home?:
1) Mesh system (Google WiFi w/ 3 nodes- all backhaul wired)
2) Same as #1 but with a Wireless node included in the mix (only three spots in the house have Ethernet connection availability)
3) Netgear Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 router with an Asus RT-AC66R as an AP (wired, use WAN connecting to the Nighthawk)
4) Same as #3 but purchase a new router (possibly one of the newer Asus you have recommended and use the Nighthawk and AC66R as APs)
5) Another, superior setup?
Priorities would be coverage, stability, and speed. Would also like “hand-off” capability (devices automatically switch to the fastest signal depending on current location) but don’t believe those protocols are available in any of the routers listed or the devices owned.
Thanks!
Pick one of these dual-band sets on this list, Howie.
Dong – I want to set up a Wifi 5 mesh network in my home. However I need 7 LAN ports at the router in the garage, located in one corner of my property. And in the other 3 corners where I plan to install each node, I need 2 to 4 LAN ports.
My thought is to set up an AiMesh network with an Asus RT-AC88u (8 LAN ports) running Merlin firmware as my main router and a wired backhaul to 3 Asus Blue Cave (4 LAN ports) mesh nodes (purchased second-hand).
Are there other options (router with 8+ ports / nodes with 3+ ports) that I have failed to consider?
And is it okay to run an AiMesh network with the main router running Merlin but with 3 nodes that are not Merlin compatible?
Dong Ngo, I just came across your site a few weeks ago. As I mentioned
above I spend way to much geek time playing,discussing Asus routers and firmwares on other pages, and chat. You are one of the few sites doing
reviews that actually understand what your writing.
Good work!
Hi Dong, I am considering buying another Asus router to try out AiMesh but i have a small question. I am currently on a 400 MB speed from my isp. If i wirelessly connected the 2 routers (Aimesh), should i expect my internet speed to cut in half for the node (200 mb)? or it is more routers peak speeds that will be cut in half ? (Main router RT-AX86U)
Thanks
You probably mean Mb (megabit, not megabyte). I spend way to much time on the asus router forums, asus irc chat,etc. If you buy a decent router you shouldnt lose much speed. But that also depends on how good the signal is between them. Wired mesh is always better, but obviously alot more work. I wouldnt go for anything below a ac86u, another AX Router would be great as they would talk to each other with wifi6. New firmware is being worked on (you can run beta now) for AIMESH 2.0. Its pretty cool, im running it on a AX86u (main) , 2 AC86us, and 2 AC68Us.
I second this. Thanks for sharing, Robert.
Hi, it’s was great reading and I wanted to setup an Ai-mesh. I setup rt-ac86u as my main router. Any router recomended to setup as node Ai-mesh with a small foot print but no compromise on performance. Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers
Damien
For your case, Damien, you can try the Blue Cave or another RT-AC86U unit. More in this post.
Sorry meant Mb, yeah would be looking at ax router since my main one is ax probably (ax58u) but my main issue is speed. Sadly, i can’t connect them via ethernet and i heard that with a wireless connection, it will cut in half for the node. Is it the routers peak speeds of the router or my download speed that will be affected ?
It’s Mbps, and no chances are it will not be cut in half, Karim. The RT-AX86U can probably handle your Internet in full. But of course, that varies based on the distance between devices, what you use as nodes, and how your home’s layout is. So you can’t count on that. The only way to make sure you get the fastest speed is via using wired backhaul.
thanks for the info, will that be the same scenario with an eero pro, zenwifi or an orbi in this case ?
Read this post in its entirety, Karim. And also this one. You need to do your homework before asking questions. 🙂
Picture of the new AIMESH 2.0 stuff, its a game changer in mind.
https://i.imgur.com/DJlRYMm.png
An update to my issue. I’ve used WiFi Analyzer and found the new node (second AX92U) put 2.4G and 5G-1 together. My original setup is 3 distinct names: ABC, ABC5-1, ABC5-2, and adding the first AX92U node preserved the Tri-band perfectly. However, the second AX92U, despite repeated reset and reconnect, shows only ABC and ABC5-2 so that made me think somehow it dropped ABC5-1. But using WiFi Analyzer it shows it’s emitting 5G-1 under the name of ABC instead of inheriting the name ABC5-1. So my my main router (AX11000) and first node shows 3 distinct WiFi names, but the second node only shows 2 (with 2.4G/5G-1 together under the name ABC). I did NOT turn on Smart Connect (couldn’t anyway hardware reset and then immediately added to Aimesh), and shouldn’t Aimesh force the main router settings on the node?
Weird, just weird.
You want to use the default setup for the backhaul band first before changing anything (not recommended). In other words, reset your entire mesh and it up from scratch.
Thanks Dong,
I figure that is the last step to try. Thanks for your help. I’ve returned the AX92U. Do you think ZenXT8 will be better, or the exact same problem will persist? I’m trying to not reset my entire mesh…
Thanks
It’ll be better. Just make sure you set up the whole thing and don’t worry too much about speeds — you’ll never get the number you want if you believe in the specs or advertisement.
Thanks Dong! Exactly as you’ve said, ZenXT8 meshed in with absolutely ZERO problems, and it’s a true WiFi6 Tri-band so I get WiFi6 5G-1 when I’m close to it. Had I know AX92U was only giving WiFi5 (after Aimesh) I would of never bought it but use ZenXT8 instead.
Thanks! You are the best and keep it up, your website has helped millions!
To other interested. I have Asus AX11000 has main router, with ZenXT8 and AX92U as nodes. I’ve tried AX92U as a second node but it kept giving me problems so I’ve returned it for a ZenXT8, and ZenXT8 meshed in as second node instantaneously with zero problem.
ShGuy
Sure, Theo. That’s a pretty cool setup you got there!
Hi Doug,
Great review. I have one problem. I’ve got AX11000 as router and added AX92U, it worked great. But, when I got another AX92U to expand the Aimesh, there is no signal for 5GHz-1. The new node would only broadcast 2.4 and 5GHz-2 bands. I’ve tried multiple resets to all routers, hiding and unhiding 5GHz-2, didn’t work. Help?
Hi Dong,
I am so glad I found your website here. I am trying to set up a mesh system in a 4000 sq ft home. Currently, there is an Asus Blue Cave that is providing ‘ok’ wifi signal throughout the entire house for most applications, until streaming was attempted upstairs…I’m looking to upgrade the system to an AX86U and hope that will be enough. If it’s not enough, I will likely get another AX86U. Ethernet was not wired in the house. How much of a performance hit will be noticed if I have to resort to two dual-band routers for Aimesh vs having started out with a tri-band? I’ve looked into the AX88U and the AX92U, however the reviews for the AX86U is significantly better than either of those two and that’s why I feel more comfortable sticking with the AX86U. The people I am setting this up for are not in the least bit tech savvy, so I really want something that is very stable and more or less maintenance free (not requiring multiple reboots, multiple attempts to tweak settings, etc). I want a set and forget solution. What are your thoughts? I would say the most intensive thing that this internet will be used for is streaming Hulu, Netflix, or Prime.
Thanks!
Ned
That depends on your Internet speed, Ned. My guess, from the fact that you’ve been using the Blue Cave, if a single RT-AX86U doesn’t cut it, a set of two (wireless or wired) will do. Go for it!
Hi Dong,
Great article, lots of really good information that is difficult to find anywhere else.
I have a question for you. I currently have an AC88U and I’m thinking of upgrading to the AX88U. To handle some minor range problems that I have currently, I was also thinking of operating the AC88U in a mesh system with the AX88U as the main router.
I can see that you’ve recommended to use routers of the same WiFi tier but these two are different. I was wondering if you know the level of penalty of operating a system like this? Would the network, while having greater range, perform worse to the point of it being better to just not use mesh at all and run only the AX88U?
Thanks,
Conor
That will work, Conor, and work very well if you have wired backhaul. With these particular two, I’d recommend putting Merlin on them first.
Thanks Dong, much appreciated.
Sure, Conor. 🙂
Hi Dong,
I have wired ethernet connection at my place, and I’m intending to get the RT-AX56U as my primary router, and either the XT8s or more RT-AX56Us as my node.
1) Does the RT-AX56U support wired backhaul?
2) If I use the XT8s as my nodes, will the inferior primary router be the limiting factor in the wifi setup?
3) Does this setup make sense? Please feel free to suggest a better/ more efficient setup
Thanks so much!
You should skip tri-band hardware if you have wired your place, Joshua.
1. Yes.
2. You shouldn’t use the XT8, but the XD4 instead.
3. It’s better to use a more powerful router as the main, like the RT-AX86U or RT-AX58U. But you can start with just the XD4.
Hi Dong, thanks so much for the advice! In that case, would it make sense if I go for the RT-AX86U as the main router, and use 3 XD4s as nodes?
Yes, Joshua, if you need that many hardware units.
Hi! I’ve been seeing your articles on google as I’m searching to a solution to my problem. Thanks to u I now have more idea on wifi.
I have a smart home setup with about 50 smart lights and after adding the other devices it is about 70-80. My apartment is just 1300sqft with almost no blind spot. I’m not sure if mesh is the answer, I was told that mesh can support more devices. But I also read that wifi6 can support more devices (my smart lights are not wifi6). I just bought a 3 pack Dlink covr 2200 triband with dedicated wireless backhaul but it is AC.
Now, I’m wondering if I should stick to the current one, or return it to get Asus XD4 that is AX but without the dedicated backhaul? My internet bandwidth is 1ghz max.
Thanks in advance!
What you were told were (largely) incorrect, Keith. More here. As for Wi-Fi 6, this post will help, too. Happy to have you here. Hope you’ll stay. 🙂
Thanks for this great article! Please comment on using some less expensive AiMesh models: I was thinking of getting a RT-AC66U B1 as my primary router and connecting a RP-AC1900 via ethernet to reach my garage and daughter’s room with wireless. My internet is less than 200Mbps, so I’m thinking I wouldn’t need the more expensive equipment with higher speeds. In case the north side of my house still doesn’t get adequate coverage, I thought adding another RP-AC1900 there would do it (again, with an ethernet backhaul), all for around $300. My old dual-band linksys EA6350 is failing and never reached the two extremities of my house well anyway — and doesn’t seem to handle the number of devices my family is using either (esp. with work-and-school-at-home). Does my “newbie” plan make sense? If the RT-AC66U B1 is ill-advised as a primary, perhaps the RT-AC86U for a better match? Thanks!
For that budget and the wiring, get the XD4, Tim.
Hi Dong,
Had a question for you: I bought two Asus RT-AC5300s to setup in an AiMesh, and one of them shows a manufacturing date of 2019 and the other is 2020. Would there be any difference between the two? Should I return one to make sure they are both from the same year of manufacturing?
Thanks!
Nope, Singh. They are the same.
Hi
I am wondering if anyone has been able to use the dual WAN function for ethernet backhaul?
My story: RT1900P with a busted/fried WAN port, have been using Dual Wan and Lan 1 port with no issues for a year or so. It’s getting a bit unreliable, so got an AX3000 to use as the main router. I’d like to use the “old” RT1900P as an AIMESH node, but the WAN port is bad. I have Ethernet drops to use a wired backhaul. The AIMESH setup defaults to Wifi instead of wired because it is looking for a plugged in working WAN port. I can’t figure out a way to tell the AIMESH to look at the ethernet line plugged into LAN 1 port. The 1900P is powerful and would be great supplement for the “dead” areas in my home. Right now, I have it set up as an wired Access Point (LAN 1) and it is working just fine, but AIMESH would be cooler!
You can use a LAN port of a node to connect it to the main router, Sunil. It just will take a bit longer to settle, so give it a minute or two after you plug the cable in. So here are the steps:
1. Reset the RT-1900P.
2. Hook it up as a wireless node.
3. Hook it up to the router via a network cable using one of its LAN ports.
4. Wait a bit.
@Dong Ngo, Thanks so much. I tried like you said, and it’s been over an hour, but the RT1900P node stays with the wireless backhaul. On the main AX3000 page, where I can manage the node, under “Connection Type” it says wireless, when I click on it to change it, the following message pops up: “If you want to hardwire your AiMesh router and the AiMEsh node together, please connect your RJ-45 cable to the LAN port of the router and the WAN port of your AiMEsh node. The AiMesh system will automatically switch to an Ethernet backhaul.”
So it looks like I can not use the LAN port at all for AiMesh. Staying with Access Point mode for the RT1900P and using the LAN port is not that much of a downside for now, only when I have a wifi issue and I have to run upstairs and manually turn off the radio and start troubleshooting.
Again Thanks! and if you have any other ideas, please reply.
I guess that’s how it is with that particular model. Oh well. Yeap AP mode is the way it is.
ssh into the router with broken wan port (install merlin if needed).
run nvram show|grep wan . look at the settings for dual wan. Set it up, like
it was before it became a node. nvram set wan-whatever-setting=”value”
then type nvram commit.
Pretty much anything on a node can be done via command line just like the main router.
Dong, I have an AX86U as the primary router and an AX82U as a node. I have a wireless printer and not all PC’s on the network can see it. I think it is because the printer may be connected to the primary router and the PC in question is connected to the node. Any suggestions to fix this? Also, when plugging via ethernet to the router, I cannot get an IP address which is strange. Roaming is enabled and set to -70db.
@Ezra Litton, Dong, these are connected via wired backhaul.
@Ezra Litton, When I set up the printer via wireless connection, the printer sees TWO SSID’s so I assume it it seeing each the node and the router.
Looks like you might have some rouge SSID somewhere, Ezra. Try using a new Wi-Fi network name on the RT-AX86U with Smart Connect turned on.
@Dong Ngo, Ok will try that. The SSID’s it sees are the identical name so that is odd for sure. Thank you!
I am thinking of upgrading my Tp-link Deco M5 2 pack with a combo of asus wifi 6 routers.
Do you think it’s worth it to go for the aimesh xt8 or a combo of either of the following will do the job:
1) 2× Asus Ax88U
2) 1× Asus Ax88U & 1× ax86U
I have gigabit internet and the house is 3 story and with the current system I am having some speed and signal issues. My budget is upto 500 usd, and I have no issue tinkering in the advanced settings.
Also open to other suggestions.
That depends on if you have wired your home, Taimour. Check out the tri-band section of this post.
@Dong Ngo, I do not have the ability to easily wire the home. I am not sure if just the 1 router will be enough as they are more powerful then the Deco M5 units which are ac1300. Would you suggest maybe starting with just a single AX88U unit to see coverage?
No, a single Wi-Fi 6 router generally won’t have the same coverage as a 2-pack Wi-Fi 5 system, unless you can place the former more in the center of the place. But yes, you can start with the RT-AX88U.
@Dong Ngo, Okay I appreciate your input on this and suggestions. I guess I will start with the single unit placed somewhere central and see how that goes.
Also really do appreciate your site it’s been a huge help in seeing the many options.
Sure, Taimour. 🙂
I have an RT AX 88U router which I am very happy with. The wifi 6 speeds are terrific. I want to add more coverage to my garage (3700 sq foot home) and was wanting to add a RT-AC66U_B1 in mesh mode to do this. Obviously it is not a wifi 6 router but I do not need wifi 6 in my garage. If I use the 66U will I still get Wifi 6 in the main part of my house from the 88U and wifi 5 in the garage area or will adding a non wifi 6 router to create a mesh system disable wifi 6 and the 88U will just broadcast wifi 5 along with the 66U? Hope this makes sense! Thank you!
Your question makes sense, Maxx. It will not disable Wi-Fi 6 but chances are your RT-AX88U will work in a compatible mode, unless you have a cable to link the two. But it might already be working in that mode anyway since I’m sure you have Wi-Fi 5 clients in the house. Your suggestion is not ideal but give it a try.
The 66u_b1s are known to not be the greatest for mesh. I have 3, that
im finally ditching. Id look for a newer model if your doing wireless aimesh. OR, you can buy all mine 🙂
Look at snbforums.com asuswrt , youll see alot of complaining.
Yeap, those are a bit old and underwhelming.
Dong, excellent!
I did not find any comments or suggestion in how vpn can be used in AiMesh.
I have an RC-AC5300 where I installed nordvpn. It is working great. I have the house CAT6 wired so this router in in the lan but it is not close to the Viasat modem. Of course to take advantage of router/vpn all the clients are wireless, the wired clients need to run their own vnp app.
My plan is to buy a second RC-AC5300 and connect it between the Modem and the wired lan so the whole lan both wired and wireless has VPN.
You would wonder why I do have the RC-AC5300 between the modem and the lan, and the problems is if I want to use the wireless connection I am too far from this router.
Q To use AiMesh/vpn is OK to have 2 RC-AC5300 or you have a better suggestion. The AiMesh will have a wired backhaul.
Thxs again Dong.
Drop the VPN subscription, Teruel! Why (the hell) do you use it at home? More here.
@Dong Ngo, Thank you. I read your VPN link, excellent. Sometimes I use European servers to watch European channels that are only geophysical bound. But of course may mainly use for security and your link explains well many of my false assumption.
Finally thanks again for your article about AiMesh, it is basically a complete tutorial.
Sure, Teruel. 🙂
Due to my frequent Malaysian Telco Wifi disconnections, I have my Asus RT-AX88U dual wan on, cat6 to a TP-Link Archer MR600 on 4G sim card only, as a failover, which works well. However this Archer MR600 could not act as a switch when I cat6 it to my Sonos setup.
The Sonos still shows on the Asus as Wifi connected.
Do you think an ASUS 4G-AC68U can act same as above, cat6 ethernet to the main Asus RT AX88U as a dual wan failover and at the same time act as an Asus mesh repeater/switch.
Will my Sonos, or any notebook PC Ethernet to this 4G-AsusAC68U show up as a wired connection on the Asus RT-AX88U?
Thank you.
Trying to kill many birds with one stone. 😅
No, Kaynis. You can only have one router in a setup like that, and only the router can be the party that gets access to the Internet.
Hi Dong, connecting from —-Norway!
I have a question regarding setting up a mesh system that could max out the wifi-card on my Macbook Pro (3×3). My internet connection is 1250/50 and my network now consists of two ZenWifi XT8 but as I have been reading your tests i figured out they dont have a 3×3 signal/antenna(?) and therefore the maximum internet speed will be wirelessly 600Mbps +-60mb. Correct?
That is why I am now considering upgrading with a new Asus router to work as my new router and use the other two XT8 as nodes (no cables only backhaul). Is it possible to buy a tri-band Asus router that has 2×2 3×3 and 4×4 that will give my Macbook Pro WiFi 5 computer about 850Mbps connection as long as I am connected to that router? Like this one: Asus RT-AX92U? I am mostly in the living room where the main router would be set up.
The reason I would like to keep the WIFI-6 stuff is because I might in the future upgrade to the M1 Mac that comes with wifi6 support. I see that the Asus RT-AX92U does not support WIFI 6 in wireless mesh so maybe the Asus GT-AX1100 would be a better match?
Hello from San Francisco, Magnus. Hope you’re staying warm! 🙂
Yes, the GT-AX11000 is definitely an excellent fit. Note though, you still might not get full Internet speed at the end device.
@Dong Ngo, it is way too cold here! :/
I checked up the prices and I will probably end up not buying it…whoops!
Mixing in a 2-band router would probably not be a good fit for the XT8 but could it work if I connected (for example AX86U) wired to the first XT8 node. Then the second node XT8 would be connected wirelessly to the first xt8 in the chain?
Thank you for the fast reply
Dong thank you for the great content and for maintaining this discussion!
I have an AX86U as a node to an AC88U. I was holding out to get the AX89 and use that as the router and switch the AX86U to be the node. However the AX89 can’t be found and I am considering using the AX86U as the main router and adding the pair XT8. Can I connect these via wired back haul and once I do that will I have issues since the XT8 is tri band? Would I be better off adding two AX3000 instead of the XT8?
Either of these scenarios I would be taking the AC86U out of the system.
You want to get dual-band broadcasters as nodes, Ezra. Since you have wired backhaul, Wi-Fi 5 ones are fine.
I have to add at least one more device to get best coverage. So, maybe I could add either the AX3000 or the AX5400 and use the AX86U as the main router? I thought about getting the AX88 and using it as the main and the AX86 as one of the nodes but since AX86 has the 2.5 WAN port it seems like that should be the first router. So 1. Is AX86U preferrable to AX88U (I don’t need 8 LAN ports). 2. Assuming I add at least one more device to use as a node, is the AX3000 or the AX5400 better? Thinking of getting the AX5400 just because it looks cool, but for the extra money I could either save and go AX3000 or spend a little more and add a second AX86U. The third and last node I will use the AC88U since it seems like that is preferred set up.
I currently have a Blue Cave and am looking to create an AiMesh network. Second router suggestions? RT-AC68U seems like the best candidate based on price. I have extensive ethernet connections through the house, so wired backhaul should work fine, right? I appreciate any thoughts you may have. Thanks!
You’re right, Shahid. You can use either as the main router and the other as a node. YOu won’t be able to restore the settings of the Blue Cave to the RT-AC68U (or vice versa), though.
Hi Dong.
I currently use AiMesh with two routers, and it works for me.
I’d like to add nodes.
Does Asus provide dedicated low-cost AiMesh nodes without having to use an entire expensive separate router as a node?
The only one I’m aware of is the RP-AC1900, Martin. I haven’t tested it though. It’s best to use it via a wired backhaul.
I did see that when searching.
I also saw a couple little range extenders that claim to be AiMesh Compatible if used with an AiMesh router, such as this. Or a newer one on Asus website for WiFi 6: https://www.asus.com/Networking-IoT-Servers/WiFi-6/All-series/RP-AX56
That’s what I’m hoping for, just don’t know if they really work or have decent range.
I’m on the older technology (AC1900) at the moment, so maybe I’ll give that older version a shot.
By the way, I used to watch CNET a lot years ago, and enjoyed your knowledge, and especially your humor very much!
Glad you found me here, Martin.
Use the one I mentioned earlier and make sure you have wired backhaul. A wireless setup will work but far less effective in terms of speed. Good luck!
FYI – I tried this AC1200 (RP-AC55)
It’s perfect for me, just a little plug-in for under $50 that provides easy connections to devices upstairs and a doorbell camera that’s not near the router.
It’s AiMesh-ready by default from the factory, just power it up near my RT-AC1900-type router and wait about a minute, then add it as an AiMesh node.
Then move it to an upstairs outlet, and good-to-go.
In fact, no need for two routers, just the main router and this device.
I’m sure I could add more if needed.
It has a port for wired backhaul, which would configure automatically, but I don’t have the wiring.
So I’m sure LAN speed is not great, but I can’t tell and I’m happy just to be able to connect those other devices without having them drop off.
So I would say a very cost-effective (if not high-performance) mesh solution is an RT-AC1900, and one or more of these RC-AP55 nodes.
That’s great! Glad it worked out, Martin. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for the great article! Very helpful!
I have just one question, related to combination of Wi-Fi 5 + Wi-Fi 6.
My intention is to use 1x RT-AX56U as a primary.
And 3x ASUS RT-AC52U B1 as a nodes(Really big old house without chance of wired connection…)
It is clear from your article that all devices using AC52U will get Wi-Fi 5 only, but devices nearby AX56U which is the primary router, will get also only Wi-Fi 5?
Thank you very much for your time!
The RT-AC52U doesn’t support AiMesh, Ondrej. Your intended setup won’t work.
Stupid me, I copied wrong name…
This is the one I have in my shopping cart ASUS RT-AC57U v3…
1x ASUS RT-AX56U
4x ASUS RT-AC57U v3
I think you’re better off getting the XD4 in the place of the 4x RT-AC57U v3, Ondrej.
I have an Asus 5300 in almost the center of a large single story with the 5ghz2 as a dedicated backhaul. I have blue caves on both ends of the house. For some reason one blue cave is connecting through the other blue cave. Is there a way to force them to stay connected to the 5300main router and not utilize the other blue cave for backhaul? Hard wiring backhaul is not an option for me at this point, maybe when I get some time this spring.
No, you’re mixing tri-band and dual-band routers. There’s no dedicated backhaul (it’s not being used at all that is — read the post’s tri-band part again!). If things are working out right now, that’s about the best you can get out of the current setup until you get your home wired.
Dong,
You have presented a lot of information, and I appreciate it greatly. The nagging question that I have is which is the better combination: two ZenWifi XT8 units or two RT-AX86U units? I have wired backhaul. The cost is roughly the same, or at least close enough that it is not a factor. I have seen conflicting recommendations from you, but perhaps they were situational. In your article, you have said that the ZenWifi is the best wifi 6 mesh system available, but I have also seen you recommend RT-AX86U over ZenWifi in the comments section. Is the RT-AX86U really a better unit overall with wired backhaul, or are they roughly equal? Would you mind providing a brief explanation of why you think one is better than the other?
This post and the reviews answered you questions, Jon.
Hello. Thank you for your informations…
I have a question…hopefully you’ll can provide me with clear and complete answer.
I have an asus RT-AX58U setup as primary aimesh node and a RT-AC68U as satellite node. I use a cable backhaul to link both.
This works perfect so far except that I cannot use an external drive connected to the USB of the satellite. Otherwise wifi performance are good, the fact that I can manage both node in the app and web interface is really nice and raoming is also good.
My question now…what would the pro/cons to use the satellite no longer in mesh mode but as access point…should the wifi performance be even better? Will I still be able to get the centralized management of both nodes in the app and web interface? Will I be able to use the external drive connected to the USB of satellite? what about roaming? will this setup will be 2 different SSIDs or 1 like in a mesh?
Thank you very much
Check out this post for AP, Ark. The answer is no, you won’t get everything. 🙂
thank you…but would it be possible to get the information for each points I mentionned?
peformance
centralized management of both nodes
use of external drive connected to the satellite
roaming, 1 or 2 SSIDs
just some more indebth answers would help to clarify my understanding…thank you
You’re asking me to repeat myself, Ark. All of those points have been answered in the posts. Here for example. I spent a lot of time saying everything in great details, would love it if you do the same. Take care!
So I have two ZenWiFi AX nodes and I really like them. Very stable and excellent connections.They are connected wirelessly with 2 thick walls in between (on the 5G-2 band). I notice that sometimes the satellite falls back to using the 2.4G band as back-haul. Of course the cool thing is that the routers are able to use dynamically different bands as wireless backhaul.
What I don’t like of the Asus solution is that some settings are only available in the (phone) app, and some settings are only available in the web-interface. For instance: in the app it is possible to ‘group’ devices to a person, and restrict the person (parental controls, for instance no gambling). A very nice feature, as I can block my child in one click on all devices. In the web interface I can only see separate devices and not the link to a person. It gives strange situations in the app: when trying to add a device to a person, who only has 2 devices registered, you can get the error “Only up to 16 devices supported”. This references to the fact that you can only have 16 devices registered in total for parental controls. It took me some time to understand.
On the other hand: in the web-interface I can setup dual-WAN (which is really a great feature as I also have a spare 4G router, now configured as fallback WAN). This option is not available in the app. So I am switching all the time between app and web-interface.
Hey. I bought the ax 11000 as my main and I have 3 Ax6100 through out house. My main router is in my addition which is separated by a brick wall into the main house. I put main in addition because that’s like my gaming room. I did hard wire to one of the Ax6100 and the rest interact wirelessly. Any tips on getting better performance or the best solution for me. Its about a 3000 sqft house with 2 additions total that are separate by brick walls..
Since you have one with wired backhaul, chances are things are pretty good right now. If possible, connect the rest of the RT-AX92U units via network cables and you’re all set.
Hi,
I have an ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000. I am looking for another router (Wifi 6 and preferably tri-band) via AiMESH. Please advise if Asus AiMesh AX6100 Router (RT-AX92U 2 Pack) is good choice or shall I add another ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000. I liked the ZenWiFi-AX-XT8 but not clear that if I add it do I need to make my Zen wifi router as main router and use ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 via AiMESH or both Zen wifi router can be simply added via AiMesh and keep ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 as primary router.
If you have wired your home, Sachin, either of the two you mentioned will work. If not, the RT-AX92U is like having Wi-Fi 5 on the client side. You can use either as nodes, keep the GT as the main router.
Hi
I bought a RT-AX88U as my main router. This router has not enough signal stenghth on 2.4 and 5Ghz to cover my whole house. I want to buy a second unit to extend the signal strenghth and still keep the max wifi performance. My current thinking is to add a RT-AX92U cabled via a switch that is also used by other systems. Is this the best choice? will i loose features or capabilities advertised for the 88U (such as wifi 6)? Thank you for your response.
No, Fred, since you have wired your home, I’d recommend a dual-band AiMesh router, so get the same unit, or the RT-AX58U, RT-AX82U, or RT-AX86U.
Hi Dong,
First of all thank you for the fast response! Although i have wired my home there are still many wireless units around. The wired units can all be connected to the 88U, so i need the additional unit solely for the wireless signal. Forgive me if i do not understand but if I look at the 58U (Ax3000) is the wifi performance not noticable slower if you move around the house and signal picked up by the 58U?
thanks
I was talking about the wired backhaul, Fred. Please read the post again, don’t skimp over it. 🙂
Hi
Understood, i hope. The wired backhaul and not mixing tri and dual band are the main recommendations. I try to work thru all the material again, but still feel unsecure about choosing the right combination. You did not mention the new Zenwifi AX mini (duo set) to set up a mesh. Is that a better solution to ensure much better coverage, even if it does not match the performance of for example the 58U? And will i wire both units? Is no problem but i do not know if it makes sense.
You can use the AX mini as nodes of the 58U being the router. Like I said in the post, using wired backhaul gives you more flexibility in terms of hardware combos.
Hi Dong,
Great post and analysis!
I’ve a two-storey house and have a AC86U already as a router. I’m getting low/poor wifi on the upper floor so I’m thinking of creating a Mesh.
I understand it’s best to pair with another AC86U to have a great mesh. For a lower price point, which other Wifi 5 router(s) will you recommend?
Thankyou.
Technically, Leo, you can use any AiMesh router. It’s best if you use wired backhaul. But if you don’t really need top speed, any other dual-band Wi-Fi5 one will do.
I already mentioned on your AX82U review how I’m planning to wire an AiMesh node to my AX82U and use another node wirelessly. The main router is on the first floor, and the node(s) will be on 2nd floor.
Is it possible to wire an AiMesh node to another node? The plan is to use 2 nodes on my second floor.
Or since you mentioned about switch on this AiMesh review, is it possible to wire 1 cable from my router to the 2nd floor, use the switch to connect to 2 nodes? Will this work?
Sorry if this has been mentioned. Thank you for all your reviews.
Since “An AiMesh system has all the features and settings of the primary router” is there any reason not to buy an entry level ASUS Router for the node?
If I connect a wifi 5 router as a node to a wifi 6 router will all of the wifi be wifi 6?
The post covers your questions, Paul. And no, all will be Wi-Fi 5 is more like it.
“All will be wifi 5” – So you’re saying that the wifi 6 router is downgraded to wifi 5??
No, but the effect is like that, Paul. Check out my other post so you’ll have better ideas, like this one.
Thanks for the great article(s). I appreciate your help and patience with my questions. I’m trying to update my wifi to wifi 6 and you’ve been a great help!
Hi, and thank you for the fantastic articles and reviews!
I would like to create an AiMesh network using a WiFi 6 (AX series) device as the primary router, and one or more WiFi 5 (AC series) devices as nodes.
I’d like to save some money in the short term by using less expensive WiFi 5 nodes (until I upgrade them later to WiFi 6), but not if this is going to lead to a lot of problems/headaches/time spent on solutions, which I would like to avoid.
I read your article carefully a few times, and I know that you recommended keeping the devices matched, but I also read in a previous response that you posted (on August 15, 2020 at 9:15 am), that AiMesh networks will work with a mix of WiFi 6 and WiFi 5 devices.
My questions are:
1. Did you experience any connectivity issues when transitioning from a WiFi 6 session on your primary router to a WiFi 5 session on your nodes when you were conducting your tests?
2. Should I expect to run into any annoying or odd problems if I mix things up?
3. Is AiMesh just using the available radios on the nodes to extend the mesh network, but using the primary router to manage all aspects of the sessions?
Keep up the great work!
The tricky part is the backhaul link, Frank. It’s always a hit or miss when you mix two Wi-Fi standards. Clearly, when that works, it’ll be Wi-Fi 5, so the Wi-Fi 6 router will need to work in the compatible mode. Depending on the routers you use, chances are things will work, just not ideal. If you use wired backhaul, though, then the issue is minimal, if at all.
I have set up a mesh using AC88U as the primary and the AX86U. I have noticed devices connecting then disconnecting. I am not sure why. Both routers are using latest firmware and are connected via wired cat 6. They are in different rooms but on the same floor. I have had the set up for about a week and didn’t notice until today. I have had this happen on a PC and an iPhone XS. When I use the app I see both routers active with devices connected. No more than 10 devices currently in the house as we are not fully moved in yet.
You’re mixing Wi-Fi standards, Ezra. The only way it works well is when you use wired backhaul. Read the post again. 🙂
I have the node (AX86u connected via Ethernet to the Primary (AC88u). I’m using Ethernet cable from a lan port on the AC88U connected to the Wan port on the AC86u. Isn’t that the correct way to create the back haul?
That’s correct wiring. You want to use the AX router as the primary, though.
Dong,
Thank you for the wonderful writeup. I am not a tech person and can understand much of what you are explaining. We have a 3600 sq ft home with 2100 sq ft on the main floor. On one side of the home is my office with the modem and our rt-ac5300. Performance in that room of course is fine. On the other end of the home is my husbands office, and he has a difficult time playing any online games. A wired backhaul is not the easiest to achieve.
In between the two offices is one of our nest doorbells (outside on brick) that constantly drops signals.
I would appreciate your input as to what equipment to use for an aimesh system. Should I upgrade my rt-ac5300 to the gt-ac5300 and use my current rt-ac5300 as a node in my husband’s office? I appreciate and look forward to your input. I am trying to look for a smaller footprint in his office, but want the best performance throughout the house. Thank you, Regina
Your assessment is correct, Regina, for a *wireless* setup.
Dong, thank you for your prompt reply. Is there anything small that I can use in the basement (ie Litter-robot connection that keeps dropping) like the new ax1800 or will that not work because it is dual band and wifi 6? I appreciate your input and expert analysis.
Thank you again, Regina
I can’t be that specific, Regina. Check out this post and related ones.
Doug,
Great review !
Two questions:
– is it possible to configure the mesh so that it is a bridge or not a “router” in order to use it behind another combo router/modem which provides the routing/NAT functionality toward internet? It would be either a ZenFi AX or AX1100.
– Can the ZenFi AX8 be configured in a wired mesh so that the 5Ghz-2 band is visible and useable by client devices like the AX1100?
Thanks
1. That’s called the “access point mode”, Alex. And yes. I mentioned that here.
2. Yes, I also mentioned that here in great detail, check the Tri-band part.
Doug, thank you.
Just wanted to make sure I did understand properly.
In term of overall performances (thruput/coverage), which tri-band solution (AX1100, Zenfi AX8, etc.) would you recommend for a wired mesh of 2 for a house of ~3,500sq.ft?
The name is Dong, Alex. I’d recommend this post.
Sorry about the typo Dong 😔
Thank you for the recommendation 👍
No worries, Alex. And you’re welcome! 🙂
Doug, great review indeed, I have a few questions.
1. Is it possible to setup a mesh and have the main “router” or mesh system being configured as a bridge so that there is no routing/NAT on the mesh system? That would allow to have the mesh system behind a combo modem/router such as a comcast business gateway. Would this work with either a ZenFi AX or AX11000 mesh?
2. With the ZenFi AX, is it possible to use the 5GHz-2 band for wireless clients in the case of a wired backhaul? I believe you said that this would work with a AX11000 mesh right?
1. Yes, I mentioned that in this post, that’s called the “Access point mode” by the way.
2. I also answer that in this post, in great detail. Check out the Tri-band part.
Great article Dong!
Could you help me choose efficient and cost effective solution for my home network.
I have a house with 5 floors of residence + 1 floor of maintenance. I have ISP modem on maintenance floor with Cat6 running to all 5 floors from this maintenance floor. Each floor’s of 2300sq. ft. The entire house’s on automation with app. 100 lighting automation circuits, 50 IOT devices such as IP cameras, security, sensors and 50 personal devices such as mobiles, PCs, TV, etc . I’m planning to install a WiFi6 mesh system with smooth handoff and multi gig support for a long lasting solution.
A router can be placed on maintenance floor, connected to a gigabit switch and further 5 nodes connected to this switch. So, which model shall I proceed with? I’m looking for something which is a true mesh network with extensive and easy customisability for a home network.
*Note gaming isn’t a preference as such
Thanks
Get the RT-AX86U as the main router and a set of XD4 as nodes, Parth. Note: You won’t have the Guest network feature (at least for now.)
But, a single XD4 nodes claims to cover only 1,650sq. ft. While each floor’s 2,300sq. ft. Also, I’m looking for something that could offer guest network too.
Thanks
Impossible considering you want a low-cost solution. You can’t get everything. Check out this post and figure things out yourself, Parth. https://dongknows.com/how-to-pick-the-best-wi-fi-router-for-your-home/
Thanks. In the case, if I extend my budget then what options for a viable mesh network do I have?
If the Guest network is super important, go with the Orbi Wi-Fi 6.
Also, since i’m having a wired backhaul. What would be better a mesh network with all nodes(main router + nodes) as RT-AX86U or XT8? Will I be having same customisability and guest network if all nodes as either of the two.
Thanks
I answered all those in this post, Parth. Read it!
Hi Dong – firstly, many thanks for writing such an informative and interesting article, it’s much appreciated. I had a couple of questions 1) I was hoping to build an aimesh network with a gt-ac5300 as the main router. What would be your suggestion for the best so node with this setup a) if I was to use a wired connection and b) for a wireless connection between the main router and node? Also I was planning on connecting a backup device to the node and carry out nightly backups from a NAS drive connected to the primary router. Would I be able to access/control a usb device on the aimesh node (sounds from you article as if I may not be able to do this?). Maybe I would be better connecting a NAS to the aimesh node instead of a usb drive?
There are answers to your questions in the post, Ian. Do me a favor, read it again, and pay a bit of attention. You won’t get a different answer from me just by asking the question directly. 🙂
Thanks Dong, I’ve done my homework and read the article again – still learning more each time I read through, but there are a few things I am a bit confused with. If I physically connect a PC directly to the LAN port on an aimesh node, and enter 192.168.50.1 or router.asus.com, does it bring up the web page for the primary aimesh router (rather than the page for the node)? It sounds like once aimesh is set up, the router takes over the nodes and you get a single view of everything (except the USB port on aimesh nodes, which is disabled).
I also mentioned that in the post but yes, you’ll get to the main router even if you enter the IP of the node.
Planning to use an RT-AX88U as router, and single XT8 as node. I’m wondering if I can use one of the radios on the XT8 node just for backhaul, or is AiMesh not flexible enough to do that with a 2 radio router? I’d like to try the AiMesh functionality, even though I have MoCA to use the XT8 as in AP mode.
Thoughts on whether this might work well with AiMesh?
Thanks!
AP mode is the way to go, in this case, Doh. Else you won’t be able to use the XT8’s 2nd 5GHz band at all. More here. But an AiMesh setup will work well, too, just make sure you upgrade the XT8 to the latest firmware first (one of the old versions has a bug that causes the wired backhaul not to work.)
Hi Dong,
Thanks for your answers, I have 1 last but a bit complicated question:
the vdsl modem is located in a closet. I also have ethernet port in each room which provides connection to modem’s lan ports. For example, if I connect the main unit to an ethernet port in my room, then connect the second unit in same way in another room, is it possible to have a wired-mesh system?
I’m not a native English speaker, hope that I could explain the situation well.
Thanks again for your effort.
First of all, thanks for those grate articles!
I want to setup a mesh system with ax86u and ax56u. Is this combination fine?
Second question, is it possible to use the lan port instead of wan?
Thanks again
Yes, that combo will work, especially if you have wired backhaul. And yes, you can use a LAN port on the node, though the WAN is better as backhaul.
Thanks for the explanation. can you give more detailed information about wan/lan situation?
There’s nomore details on these to give, Cagri. If you want to know what they means, check out this post.
Thanks for your answers, I have 1 last but a bit complicated question:
the vdsl modem is located in a closet. I also have ethernet port in each room. For example, if I connect the main unit to an ethernet port in my room, then connect the second unit in same way in another room, is it possible to have a wired-mesh system?
I’m not a native English speaker, hope that I could explain the situation well.
Thanks again for your effort.
Here’s the diagram, Cagri: Modem -> (WAN) router (LAN) -> other wired devices. You can’t put anything between the modem and the router (other than the network cable, which can be of almost any length). By the way, English is not my mother tongue, either. 🙂
Hi, we’re going to be moving into a 6,750 sqft house plus garages. I’d like to have full coverage throughout the indoor space (Tesla in garage) as well as the pool and backyard areas if possible. What do you recommend for that type of large property? Thanks!
Impossible to answer your question, Howard. You should start with this post.
Hi Dong,
So glad I found this page, super helpful how you break down some of these features from Asus.
I’ve had 2 RT-AC68U’s (one main router, one as hard-wired AP) for quite a few years, without having upgraded the firmware to the latest version supporting aimesh. Have more going on in the house now with myself/kids working/schooling from home. I upgraded the firmware and find it much more useful to understand what devices are using the most bandwidth etc. Also now have support for the mobile app which is fun to play around with.
I configured Aimesh and it seems to be working as advertised, with wired backhaul… but the prior setup seemed ok too. I assume with Aimesh it is more actively managing client handoffs between the router/node, and managing whether a client is connected to 2.4 vs 5Ghz.
Turning on Aimesh hasn’t changed the fact that there are some low-reception zones in my house. Part of the issue is I have the main router in a closet with the modem and some other peripherals (NAS etc.) to just have them out of the way. It is in the center of the house in the basement, but still the signal strength is fairly low.
I’m considering adding another node to the current 2x RT-ac68U setup. What would you recommend? I’m really just looking for better overall coverage within the house, and I have some options to locate a node that I think will achieve that (with wired backhaul). Speed/bandwidth of the existing setup really isn’t an issue.
Happy to have you, Tim. Since you have wired backhaul, just get another RT-AC68U. But if you want you can use a better router as the main router, like the RT-AC86U, or even the RT-AX86U. Those will give you more features. As for AiMesh vs AP mode, among other things, the former allows you to change the Wi-Fi settings just at the router units, while with the latter, you have to manually change that at each AP. Hope this helps.
Sure, that would be the safe play, definitely wouldn’t have any compatibility concerns. But the RT-AC68U is getting a bit old, isn’t it? Just wondering if I should be investing in something a bit newer, future-proofing if you will… while still maintaining compatibility with my existing hardware.
Would it work to use the following wired network path? Cable modem to switch to two ai mesh routers. Or does the primary router have to be directly wired to the secondary router?
No, Greg. The modem has to connect directly to the router. You can use a long cable but that’s about it. If you use a gateway (and not a modem — more here) then yes, you can use a switch in between but then you’ll have a double NAT setup.
Hello
As I have AC68U router as main which has been running for 6 years. It’s also connect to AP RE450 via lan as 2nd wireless access point in 3rd bedroom which has 20cm thick concrete room & another gigabit hub at 2nd bedroom for wired network.
I wanted to know which router to buy as main router AC or AX ?
The AC68u to be as a aimesh node or ap connect to backhub via wired lan to main router.
As have 15-20 devices connected. All the walls are bricked also one room is thick concrete wall where the AP is. The main router is at Kitchen open space to living room.
At 2nd bedroom I get no 5G signal from main router,only 2.4G getting -71dBm, can get 5G signal from AP at -65 dBm.
Main bedroom can getrouter 5G at -71 dBm & AP -68dBm.
So what are the best router to suit for better signal range through the whole home.
Thanks
Since you have wired backhaul, Daniel, you can get any other dual-band AiMesh routers. I’d recommend the RT-AX86U if you want to move to Wi-Fi 6, but the RT-AC86U will do, too.
Thank you for the article! It’s very helpful and I just bought the Asus ZenWiFi AX8 last month. It’s been good. Just a note, I am able to update firmware on Asus mobile app without going through desktop web download flash process.
Yeap, Andy, the mobile app is better with firmware updates. However, don’t mess too much using the app, you might create issues inadvertently.
Hi Dong,
1st of all I love your articles!
I have a situation at home that drives me crazy. I have bought RT-AX88U and it seems to have very weak signal. Standing 1m away from it and using Samsung Note10+ with WiFi Analyzer I see -38dBm on the 5GHZ and -41dBm on the 2GHz4 channels. when I move away for about 7-8m (~24ft) I am loosing another 20dBM. It is open space and it seems odd. What do you think?
I am also considering creating aimesh. The house I live in (rented) has an U shape. Living room is on one arm of U on the ground floor and offices and sleeping rooms are on the floor above in the other U arm. The 20dBm drop of signal is on the path that follows U shape from my AX88U located in the living room toward the “bottom of U”. The aim is to have new node that would cover the upper floor. Wired back-haul is very difficult to achieve as landlord objects. What would a good partner device for the AX88U? My aim is to have preferably both 5GHz and 2GHz4 signals in the office and sleeping rooms. I am also rather excluding another AX88U. Potentially I would rather go for ZenWiFi 6. Though I am not sure if this routers are as powerful as AX88U in terms of advanced features (must have req for me is two Open VPN tunnels one with Nord VPN and another to different house to extend LAN with another subnet [on a side note I would love Asus to include Preshared Key site to site VPN in their Home solutions]).
A couple of things, Piotr.
1. dBM is NOT linear, it’s logarithmic, so the difference in numbers doesn’t mean much. More here. You need to do a real test to know how the connection speed truely is.
2. Get another RT-AX88U (or any dual-band AiMesh) and place it at the bottom of the U. But a 2-pack of the ZenwiFi AX, or RT-AX92U will do too.
3. VPN is more tricky than you think. More here.
Hi Dong,
1. I know it’s log10 (I am electronic engineer working in Cyber for years with little love for EM fields). I think it is still very low to have ~-40dBm just 1m (3.2ft) away from the signal source, isn’t it? I would expect something in the range -30dBm to -25dBm.
2. 2xAX88U is about 650EUR bit expensive; 2xZenWi AX us about 400 something, so way better. The thing is that nobody does any comparison between non mesh features, so hard to say how they would fare (better or worse in the areas of interest).
3. I have no problem with VPNs, just with their buggy implementations 🙂 Obviously I am more accustomed to pro equipment but I can handle home grade and OpenVPN, no worries there.
Got it, Piotr. If you choose to use the RT-AX88U, it supports Merlin firmware which is MUCH better for VPN. Try it. You can use a RT-AX3000 with it.
Hi Dong,
I have ordered ZenWiFi6 set and RT-AX58U. I will compare and post the results.
Cheers 🙂
Hi Dong,
Thanks for the article and explanations. I have a question regarding whether adding a rarely used AiMesh node via non-dedicated wireless backhaul will slow down my main router’s single 5GHz band? I have a RT-AX86 as a main router on the 2nd floor of my house, which is linked via wired backhaul to the other side of my house with a RT-AC86 in AP mode. This gives pretty good coverage but it’s weaker in some parts of my fairly long basement. I get good 5GHz signal on one side of my basement from the RT-AX86, and I was thinking of using a spare RT-AC68 in the basement as an AiMesh node to get better coverage in the basement. However, it’s not a place that is frequently used and I did not want to slow down the single 5GHz band on my main router. Will maintaining the connection with my rarely used AiMesh node in the basement via 5GHz wireless backhaul have much of an effect on overall 5GHz throughput on my main router?
Yes, XT. It basically has a permanent active client, which is the node. More on a routers bandwidth on this post. https://dongknows.com/how-to-pick-the-best-wi-fi-router-for-your-home/
Hi! great post!!….wondering if you can help:
I have a 3300sq ft house…I re-purposed phone jacks to be ethernet (luckily they ran cat 5e!)….I currently have 2 AC86u’s running using wired backhaul aimesh…have about 80-90 devices connected….and have gigabit Xfinity…I still don’t get a very good blanketing of wifi in the house because of many walls and stuff….if I were to add another aimesh node, is it best to stick with a wifi 5 asus router and run it as a node? or should I get a wifi 6 model and make it the main router, and the 2 ac86u’s as the aimesh wired backhaul nodes?…i also have one of those tmobile routers but don’t think it runs aimesh anymore…should i run it as just a wired AP, or is it best to stick to just aimesh? THANKS!
You definitely need another hardware broadcaster, Jimbo. More on that here.
Hi Dong, I’m having terrible trouble with my ASUS / AiMesh setup and I am hoping you might be able to help me… Based on reviews/discussions, I purchased 3 AC-RT1900P routers to blanket my home with good wifi. I have the main router upstairs and two nodes (wired backhaul) downstairs at opposite ends of the house. When I am stationary, things work well for the most part, but my issue is with wireless calling on my cellphone. Whenever I move around the house I drop calls, or there is a delay of silence when I can’t hear anything. Often times the wifi will drop me to the cellular network and will not simply transfer me to the node with the strongest signal. It’s really annoying and I am at a loss as to what to do. I’ve tried using the normal ASUS firmware with AiMesh and Roaming Assistant turned on, I’ve tried using Merlin in both AiMesh and AP mode. I’ve also experimented with turning Roaming Assistant off. Nothing seems to work. Just lots of dropped calls and/or cutting out. I tried adjusting the signal strength down to 60 for Roaming Assistant, and that made “Microsoft Teams” on my laptop unusable. The machine would keep disconnecting me from the closest node and defaulting me to the main router upstairs. Putting it back up to 67 solved that issue, but I still have the cellphone Wifi Calling problem. I have QoS turned on also. I have a 600Mbps connection and can get over 300Mbps consistently when running a speedtest anywhere in my house. Should I sell my ASUS routers and get something else? Please help me 🙂 Thanks, Matt.
You need to stop moving around, Matt. No system, even the most expensive one, can support Wi-Fi calling as you move around. When hand-off takes place, there’s always a brief disconnection.
I never have any problem roaming while on WiFi calling using my Orbi system either wireless backhaul or wired backhaul. I believe most mesh systems or access point systems with a controller should handle WiFi calling while roaming without any issues. Dong, are you saying the Asus mesh systems don’t do that? Plenty of others do.
Orbis are actually the worst in this regard. You’re just prolly within the coverage of a single hardware unit.
I’ve actually used separate access points which aren’t controlled by a controller in the exact same locations as the orbis and the WiFi calling drops happened all the time when roaming. We use WiFi calling daily and never have any problems with it’s the orbis no matter where we go and we have almost 5000 sq ft covered by only two orbis.
That’s great, but generally, in my XP, Orbis are not as good as others in terms of lags. Also, discontions will happen in a hand off, but different clients will experience that differently.
Hi Dong, I can handle the 3 seconds of silence, but what really annoys me is the dropped calls. When I turn Roaming Assistance off it’s totally useless, with it on, it seems to be OK, but I will open get dropped calls. I think it has something to do with the -dBm setting. Is there anyway to measure my dBm signal in different parts of my house? I know where the trouble spots are. I can shut off one node at a time and see what the signal strength is of each of the trouble areas. This will tell me how to set the value. Conversely, I didn’t feel like I had this issue with my old Google Wifi. My speed sucked, but I never dropped wifi calls when walking around my home. Would going to back to stock firmware from Merlin help?
Merlin will help, Matt.
I have your fix my friend. I had the same issue where roaming between routers would cause a brief period of network silence. From wifi calling to scrubbing through a youtube video while walking around.
To fix your issue, you will need to disable “NAT Acceleration”. Log in to your router, go to Lan, then to the Switch Control tab. In there you will have the option to change “Nat Acceleration” from Auto -> Disable. Go ahead and test if roaming now no longer causes the silences as well as maintains Wifi Calling staying activated. You can google what NAT Acceleration is if you care to find out. disabling it will not cause any issues in itself. The only thing that might happen is an ever so slight decrease in speed if there are many devices downloading a bunch of data at the same exact time. My case: I have 300 down, 10 upload from my provider. I have about 60 devices on the network. I have had no issues in my experience.
Good luck!
Hi,
I needed to upgrade my wireless router due to an increase in Smart Connected devices so, after reading many articles on your site, I went with an ASUS GT-ax11000 as the main router with an ASUS RT-ax92u as the satellite in a mesh configuration. My house is wired with coax and cat5 to all the main areas but the cat5 cables all terminate in the furnace room in the basement under stairs with metal runners. I have a gig switch at that location. I wanted to do wired back haul and didn’t want the connection limited to a gig from the switch so I purchased a set of paired MoCA 2.5 endpoints to handle the back haul. I came out of the multi gig port on the ax11000 through the MoCA 2.5 system and into the wan port of the ax92u. Everything is running stable. It was a little more expensive but I didn’t want to limit the speed of the satellite node.
I am wondering though how to check if I’m using the 160 MHz channel?
Thanks,
Tom
A couple of things, Tom:
1. MoCA can’t give you a faster speed than 1 Gbps, Tom. No matter how fast the endpoints are claimed to be, the speed is limited by their Gigabit network port (as well as those of the routers). So definitely return those, you’re neutering your network for no reason.
2. Gigabit backhaul is fine since it’s full-duplex and Wi-Fi is half-duplex, (so is MoCA). Again, NOTHING can beat network cables, and CAT5e is fine. It can deliver THE SAME speed as CAT6.
4. Your setup certainly is NOT working in 160 MHz channel. That’ because the majority of devices you have at home don’t support this channel width. That said, don’t worry about it.
5. In your case, using tri-band routers is not necessary, but you can turn the 5GHz-2 band into a separate 5 GHz-only SSID. In this case, by the way, you can set it to work exclusively in 160 MHz channel width for supported devices.
Thank you for your reply and the informative articles.
The new MoCA 2.5 are full-duplex (confirmed with the company) but you are correct that the network ports are only 1 Gbps so I could just use the hardwired cables and go through my switch saving myself some money.
I realize tri-band and WIFI 6 are not necessary at this time but since I needed a new router I figured it would be best to prepare for the future instead of updating now with a dual-band mesh arrangement and then updating again in a couple of years to tri-band.
I have to figure out what all the settings are in the AX11000 to make sure it is set up correctly. My initial setup was just to follow the basic prompts.
Cheers!
Sure, Tom. Good to know that the latest MoCA supports full-duplex. But nothing can be a real network cable.
AMAZING write up, thank you. Can you still use wired lan ports on an aiMesh Node like you would in media bridge mode for non-wifi clients? I’m planning to use my ac1900 as a mesh node and get a zenwifi for my new router. Sorry if I missed this somewhere in the comments
Yes, and I mentioned that in the post, Dave.
Quick question hoping you can help. Currently have 2k square foot home with ax11000 and modem on other side from kids room and master bedroom. Having some issues since we have about 20-30 devices on network usually. What’s best option to pair with the ax11000 being the main router? Can’t do wired backhaul so would probably need matching triband router
You can try another GT-AX11000 unit or the RT-AX92U, Andrew. But generally any other AiMesh router will work.
I couldn’t figure out how to post a question… But I am going to set up a mesh system. I have moved to a larger home (two floors) total about 3800 Sq feet. I was looking at the AC88U or the AX3100. I know this is wifi 5 vs wifi 6, but most if not all my clients are wifi 5 anyway. I will connect them via ethernet back haul. I can’t seem to find any comparison of wifi 5 mesh and wifi 6 mesh or direct comparisons of these units. If there is one, I apologize. But, if price is the same, which of these would serve better for range? I think the speeds should be fine as I will still connect my primary PC’s via gigabit ethernet.
You should go with the RT-AC88U, Ezra. There’s no direct comparison since they are of different Wi-Fi standards, but you can check the Wi-Fi 5 number of the RT-AX3000 against those of the RT-AC88U.
In the article you mentioned when using wireless backhaul it was best to keep with the tri-band routers. If I used a dualband router would it decrease network performance? I’m trying to get better signal across the house so open to not just the aimesh but anything that helps boost the performance of the ax11000 I have.
That’s right, Andrew. More here. Dual-band will work but not as well as tri-band if you want the best performance. Getting your home wired is always the best, though (and use dual-band in this case.)
I’m in the market to finally upgrade my RT-N66U; probably with an AC 2900.
I realize that the 66U is not AiMesh supported, but could it be effectively utilized as a node in an AP Mode? It would be wired.
And how difficult is it to set up AP Mode? (I’m not a tech novice, but I’m no networking guru by any means.)
Thanks.
It would, Skip. And that’s super-easy. Just set it up as a normal router (like it currently is), now log into its web interface. Go to Administration -> Operation mode -> Access Point mode. Now, connect its network port (any) to your new router. That’s it.
That’s excellent! The 66U has been a workhorse, and seems to still be chugging along – just a bit long in the tooth. If I can continue to utilize it, all the better. Thanks, very much, for the swift response. Much appreciated!
Sure, Skip. Have fun!
Hi Dong,
I’ve read many of your related post to Ai-mesh and XT8, but I still need some advice from you pertaining to WiFi coverage for my 1.7k sqft single-story rectangular-shaped non-hardwired apartment.
Currently I only have a Asus RT-AC87U placed at my living area which is one end of the apartment, and I faced slight signal dropping issues 2 bars signal after 13m 2 walls Away in my toilet, and almost losing connection after 15m 3 walls in my 2nd room. So my 3 rear rooms with at least 3 walls away near the other end of the apartment is losing connection at most times unless we are lucky, but speed is very slow as well even if it is connected. My 2.4ghz speed test within 3m from my router is only clocking in at about 80-100mbps even though I have a 1gbps network to my apartment. 5ghz speed test at around 200mpbs only.
So I’ve decided to upgrade to wireless mesh. I’m not sure if the XT8 will be sufficient to solve my issue as it is 2 pack only and I can only place the node in my 1st room i.e 1 wall at about 10m away as this room will have decent signal. Or I should get the zenmini 3pack or even the Deco X60 to serve the purpose of coverage but at the expense of drop speeds due to 2nd node in place. Do note that besides wired connection to main router, I can only rely on full wireless network and wireless backhaul throughout my apartment.
Appreciate your professional advice, Thanks!
A couple of things, Jay.
1. The 2.4 GHz band is generally slow. Even new routers won’t give you much more than 100 Mbps.
2. Depending on how you test, the number you see might be that of the client and not the router itself, since the speed between a pair is that of the slowest party. More here.
3. Walls are ALWAYS problematic. Some types of walls can block signals up to 100 %. More here.
That said, the 2-pack XT8 will be better than the RT-AC87U for sure, that’s not to mention you can still reuse it as an additional node. How much better depends on how you arrange the hardware units. More on that here. So I’d say go ahead with the XT8 (or even the CT8 if you want to save). After that, keep in mind that you likely won’t get 1 Gbps to your end-device. Good luck! 🙂
Hi Dong thanks for the thorough review and article super helpful. I currently have a GT-ac5300 and am looking to add on a tri-band ai-mesh node. I was leaning towards the rt-ax92u as it seems like one of the most cost effective options, but I saw some mixed feedback on other sites if it would be compatible. I also saw your guidance of not mixing AC and AX routers. Would the 92U work with the GT-AC5300? Would it be better to get a RT-AC5300 or spend even more on the GT-AC5300 (which seems a bit overkill)? Any other things I should consider.
Thanks in advance
They will work but chances are they won’t work well together, Paul. Stay with Wi-Fi 5 or get your home wired and use dual-band nodes.
Thanks for the quick reply and for confirming my fears, I’ll stick to wifi 5. Going wired is pretty challenging given the house set up but something for the future. Do you think the gt-ac5300 would have a noticeable performance win over the rt-ac5300?
No, Paul, they are very similar in Wi-Fi performance. If you don’t care about gaming, go with the latter.
Great article!
I am looking to get a second 86U as a wireless aimesh Node on my 3rd floor.
One thing I did not see mentioned, can the open LAN ports on the AIMesh Node still be used when participating as a wireless node? I understand you may not get top notch speeds as its still a wireless node but this would be greatly beneficial for a few devices without wifi(or outdated wifi options).
Is there any speed gain when hardline to a aimesh node over Wifi or at that point would it be the same?
Thanks Dong! Great stuff.
Yes, Ragz, I did mention that in the Auto Sensing network port part of the post. The speed, in this case, will be the same as when you connect a *wireless* client directly to the router unit.
Hi Dong
We are now supporting distance learning with two work-from-home parents, plus three kids running day-long zooms on my wifi. I currently have a RT-AC88U as my router that is connected via ethernet to my modem. I want to purchase a 2nd router to setup as my first node and enter into the AiMesh world. What router should I purchase to be the first node? Please note that I have a 3500 sq ft house and my RT-AC88U is in the downstairs corner of the house. The dead zone is in the upstairs, opposite corner of the house, where I’d like to place the node.
Leveraging speed tests, I get ~320mb/s when standing next to the router and ~30mb/s when standing in the dead zone. How can I increase the dead zone speed closer to ~300mb/s?
Do I purchase the same RT-AC88U router again and set it up as a node. This is not the economical choice. Or should I purchase a RT-AC1900 and set it up as a node. I will set this node up wirelessly and it is not in any location to be hard wired.
I’ve already determined that I should stick to dual band and wifi 5, since the RT-AC88U is both dual band and wifi 5.
Thanks for any insights!
We’re about the same as you, Brian (OK slightly better — only two toddlers). So, I’d recommend getting your home wired, maybe with just one cable. After that, you can get another RT-AC88U, or an RT-AC86U, or even a RT-AC68U and you’ll be OK. If you want to go full wireless though, any of the mentioned routers will work but cut the speed of the node in half. For more, check out this post. Hang in there!
Dong – Thank you for the quick reply. I don’t think wiring my house is an option. Therefore, if we stick with wireless, why do you recommend cutting the speed in half and how do you do that?
Also, knowing that I’m staying wireless and that I have an existing RT-AC88U, should I look at buying one of the ones you recommend above; or should I look at upgrading the entire mesh to ASUS ZenWifi AC3000, 2pk. It comes with tri-band (vs I currently have dual band) and it comes with wifi 6 (vs I currently have wifi 5). I’m not wanting to invest an entire day of reconfiguring to only receive a slight uptick in performance so which is the best option from an labor ROI perspective? Thanks again, this has been very helpful!
It’s called signal loss which always happens with dual-band mesh systems. More on that here, Brian. The ZenWiFi AC3000 is NOT Wi-Fi 6 (any that has “AC” in its name is not Wi-Fi 6.) I’d just go with another dual-band router for now. But the XT8 will be better overall.
Thanks Dong for all the great content and articles. Wanted to get your opinion on two directions. I have a 3600 sq ft single story house with about 30 clients consisting of entertainment, smart, & security (none Wifi 6 yet), 1Gb connection, and am currently running only the ASUS RT-AC86U which hasn’t been horrible. Looking at upgrading and future proofing for 6. Read your articles on RT-AX86U, XT8, & AiMesh. Very interested in going to AX86U based on performance results both on 5 and 6 and then using my existing router as either a mesh or hardwired node (house not currently hardwired). If understood correctly, are there risks of meshing the 5 & 6 models? You stated that hardwiring is extremely beneficial in strength and reliability, in my scenario, would hardwiring resolve the issues of having the 5 & 6 models paired and would a powerline extender work almost as well or is directly hardwiring the best practice? Planning as I won’t be hardwiring in Phx anytime soon. The 2nd route is the XT8 but I read its drawbacks and if I read correctly, didn’t perform as well with Wifi 5 and many of my clients won’t be upgraded anytime soon. How would these two scenarios compare? With scenario 1, I have the option to upgrade my node to 6 when it makes sense – either direction, would be in about $500. A lot here, but if you could weigh in and help me sort it out and provide other facts to consider, would greatly appreciate it!
I’m surprised you think the RT-AC86U is horrible, Ryan, though, yes, your place is a bit too big for it. I’d recommend you start with this post. It seems there are some wrong settings somewhere. Those IoT devices are the worst.
Hi Dong. I live in a 5500 sqf house with 3 floors. I place my main router on the 3rd floor. I have wired connections throughout 3rd and 2nd floor. No internet problems. But on the 1st floor signal suffers. Poor signal and unstable. I currently have one AP on the 3rd floor and 2 APs on the 2nd floor. I can’t put an AP on the 1st floor as there’s no ethernet wiring in that floor.
What do you recommend regarding the 1st floor problem Dong? Thank you so much.
That’s too specific yet never specific enough, Albert. I can’t answer that question. Check out this post and figure things out yourself, since you’re there. 🙂
Before I can figure it out myself, my question is this: for AiMesh node with wireless backhaul are they able to communicate with each other when placed on different floors? You wrote recommended distance between nodes is 12 meters with walls, or 23 meters with no walls. Can i assume walls also applies to floors? 🙂. If they can then my thought is to place an AiMesh node (wired backhaul to main router on 3rd floor) then another AiMesh node on the 1st floor backhauled wirelessly to the node on 2nd floor. What do you think Dong?Thank you so much.
You need to place the node (satellite) at a place where you have at least decent signal from the router unit (ideal) or from another node (no so ideal). More on that in this post.
Sorry. I realize I’m not being very clear in my description. Let me clarify. So my idea is:
1. Asus RT-AX58U as main router on 3rd floor
2. RT-AC86U as AiMesh node on 2nd floor (wired backhaul)
3. Then get a Lyra for the 1st floor node backhauled wirelessly to RT-AC86U on the 2nd floor.
What do you think Dong? Thanks!
You don’t want to use a tri-band (Lyra) in the mix, Albert. For one its the worst router, also it’s 3rd band will not be used at all. Again, just to be clear, I can’t go into specifics since I’m not there.
Also, if you actually read the posts in their entirety, you’ll already know the answers. This is my last reply to this thread.
Hi dong. I have an RT-AC86U which cannot connect to the internet. If i’m lucky it connects for 2 minutes. It’s very very unstable. But it works well as an AP. My question is
1. can i use this an AiMesh node? Wireless or wired backhaul? Because i read for wired backhaul you’ll need to connect to the WAN port. Will it work?
2. Is it feasible to repair the router? It’s out of warranty.
Thank you .
Albert,
1. Yes, either will work but wired backhaul is the best. You can use any port but it’s recommended you use the WAN port. If you use the LAN port, it might take a bit longer (up to 5 mins) to establish the connection, during this time the entire network might be offline.
2. If the WAN port is broken, chances are you can’t. If not, try putting Merlin firmware on it.
My current setup is an AC3100 for the host and an AI mesh node of an AC5300. I’m looking to start using WiFi-6, and so am thinking about replacing my main node with an AX11000, and retain the AC5300 node. Will this set up be compatible? I’m not sure how wifi 5 and wifi 6 routers interface with each other in an AI mesh node
Yes, it will work, Bill.
Hi Dong,
I’m still considering going with either wireless access points to some parts of my house or going with a mesh system like the AIMsesh, but one of the things that I “think” is different between a wired Mesh vs wireless access points is the channel overlap. In other words, all the nodes/devices on the 5ghz would be on channel 36 and all of the 2.4 ghz would be on channel 6 just to give an example of what I’m talking about. I would think wireless access points all setup on non-overlapping channels would provided better performance than a Mesh system with multiple nodes all on the same channels.
Do you know if the AIMesh system uses the same 2.4 and 5 ghz channels for all nodes?
Thanks!
If you leave the settings at Auto (which you should) the channels will change depending on the environment on each unit, Sean. If you put them in manually, they will (likely) remain the same across the mesh (not a good idea). But you can find out quite easily. More on that in this post.
Thanks Dong for the quick reply.
I believe the Orbi will use the same channel across all mesh nodes. Are you saying the AIMesh system will use different channels for each mesh node if their is interference at that node location? That’s pretty cool.
Yes, Sean, when you leave the settings at Auto.
That’s cool and that used to not be the case according to a another forum post. If the auto setting allows this, why can’t I manually set each node to whatever channel I want?
You can, just not on each unit individually — you can’t configure a node directly in an AiMesh setup. But isn’t the best performance what you actually want? 🙂
Thanks again for your advice. Yes that makes sense and I definitely want the best performance. 😀
I like the idea of having the nodes in a mesh or wireless access points on different channels from each other. If they are all on the same channel, they do have some overlap on the channel causing some congestion but I know I’m being picky here.
I’ve considered Going with access points running with a controller to manage them, but most of the tp link and Ubiquiti access points are all ceiling mounted and I don’t want to run wires up to the ceiling. I already have wired my home using standard wall jacks. The ceiling mounted access points have the best performance when on a ceiling or placed strategically on a wall, and I want to place them on a table instead. There are some table mounted ones but they are either too expensive or not capable of being controlled by a software or hardware controller.
Of course, I could just keep my current Orbi rb50 system which is great but I’m antsy to tinker a bit more. 😀
I hear you, Sean. Orbi doesn’t give you much to tinker with, though. Keep that in mind.
Thank you for a thorough review.
I have a 9000 sq ft house and am looking to do a wifi only mesh upgrade. Somehow, I have gotten better than you would think coverage using a nighthawk xr700 with two ex8000 extenders perfectly placed. I was thinking of upgrading this with 4-6 zen wifi routers in a wifi only mesh system, or using 4 zen wifi xt8 and an ax 88u as my the main node. Your review above makes me think sticking to the same routers through the aimesh is the best option. I’m trying to get the best combination without having to tear down walls and do wiring.
What I am looking for is better coverage at the margins of the house, and more flexibility of where I can place the satellites. One ex8000 is placed where i need an ethernet connection, and i have sacrificed significant mbps by putting it there.
Also, can aimesh routers be daisychained? I am okay with it loosing speed further out as some places only need 3-4 mbps. Asus makes it seem like they can but then they don’t come out and say it.
For a home that large, Adeel, running network cables, at least for a part of it, is a must. Tri-band hardware helps but setting them up in a daisy chain topology is never a good idea. That said, what you have right now is about as good as can be in terms of speed.
No, A. But you can try putting Merlin firmware on those unit. That will help work the kinks out.
Thanks for a comprehensive dive into Asus’ AI Mesh. My main router is the AC-RT88U and I’m thinking of getting something else to create the mesh but don’t want to spend too much because my house isn’t too large, and the only reason I need a mesh is that only one part of the house suffers dropout. I was thinking of getting a single Lyra Trio. Would love your feedback or alternative suggestions.
The Lyra Trio will work, David. It will work really well if you have wired backhaul. You can keep the 88u as the main router.
My house isn’t huge, but being tri-level I have dead spots from the central router.
The Asus Lyra mesh is only $99 for 3 refurb units on Amazon right now. Could it be coupled with Asus Blue Cave ($136) to get a 2-band/3-band combo, something like the Synology RT-2600ac/2200ac pair? I realize Synology has more Pro features, but I’m not so sure that I need them.
Elsewhere, you mention that “in a wireless mesh setup, the RT2600ac will create a virtual 5 GHz network that works only as the backhaul band.” Can these Asus pieces be tweaked to do that?
Don’t use the Lyra, Bob. It’s the worst among Asus routers. And no, Synology has a different way to deal with mesh than Asus. That said, go with the Synology. You can use just a couple of MR2200AC units. They are a bit constrictive in network ports but the Wi-Fi will work out well.
https://dongknows.com/synology-mr2200ac-router-review/
I just got my new modem (Moto MB8600) connected to Comcast. I’m starting with one Synology MR2200AC. Internet performance is vastly improved over the stock xFi gateway (Arris TG1682G). I had a lot of problems with intermittent data flows and am very happy with the change. I’ll add a second MR2200AC if it becomes necessary. Thanks for the solid advice.
That’s a great modem, Bob. Thanks for sharing. And you’re welcome! 🙂
Hello!
I have just setup a new AIMesh system using a GT-AC5300 and RT-AC3100 that I recently acquired. I understand the issues with mixing bands, and have the GT is the primary and I’m using wired backhaul to the 3100.
I already had all three bands setup on the GT individually not with Smart Connect as it has been my primary router for a few years. Am I correct in assuming the 3100 will offer the 2.4 and 5.1-1Ghz SSIDs backhauled to the GT, and the GT also the 5.1-2GHz for any device in its range in this configuration?
I wasn’t sure if I should turn on the Smart Connect or leave it as is.
Thanks!
Bob
If you use wired backhaul, Bob, then the RT-AC3100 will not use any of its bands as backhaul. In your situation, you can use Smart Connect, however, the 5GHz-2 band of the GT-AC5300 will likely be available as a separate SSID.
Thanks. The 3100 is wired. And the 5Ghz-2 band is also available as you said as a separate SSID. It’s labeled as backhaul in the GUI fwiw, but I can connect to it np.
Could I add a Lyra Voice AC2200 as a wireless mesh node and then use the 5Ghz-2 band as the backhaul?
I think the way my house is layed out there is still one spot that might have a need…and that would cover everywhere.
Thanks,
Bob
Yeap, that’s how it works, Bob. And yes, you can use the Voice as a wireless mesh node. It will automatically use the 5GHz-2 as the backhaul.
Hi Dong,
I’ve been experimenting with a setup in a new home. The home is wired with CAT6 an unmanaged switch.
I recently purchased the 2 pack of the ZenWifi XT8. Setting those up with my 1Gbps connection was impressive. I got 500-700mbps both ways in most of my testing throughout the house. That was with a 2020 iPad Pro which supports WiFi 6.
My problem is I don’t want to keep one of the XT8 units near my media panel. I have an ASUS RT-3100 in my old house that I was thinking I could keep in the media panel. I don’t need to use Wifi at all on that unit. I just want it to be a router and manage the PPPoE and vlan tag with CenturyLink. It will then be the uplink to my 8 port unmanaged switch that wires the house.
When I set this system up via AiMesh. My top connection speeds dropped down to below 200mbps. I confirmed I had smart connect disabled. This is even with the 2.4ghz + 5 Ghz radio disabled in the professional tab.
Is this a lowest common denominator problem with AiMesh and WiFi 5 vs 6? Is there anyway to utilize the AiMesh system to backhaul to my 2 XT8’s and have them exclusively provide WiFi 6 bands?
If I set the 3100 up as a standard non AiMesh router and disable WiFi I still have to figure out some wiring/port scenarios to do the backhaul between the two switches. Not as clean as the AiMesh would have been.
I’m also questioning if I should just return the XT8’s and get the 3 pack of ASUS AX Minis? I think I could live without the switch ports on the XT8’s. The mini’s don’t have the 160hz band though according to your review so feel like I’m capping myself? Or is that not important with a wired backhaul?
The main router determines most aspects of the AiMesh system Brent. So it’s not a good idea to use the oldest router at the position. But yes, getting the XD4 is a good idea. You can even get a combo of the RT-AX86U (as the router) and the XD4 as nodes.
Wow thanks for the super fast reply and confirming what I thought. Allows me to move forward with things faster.
Per your review, although the Mini’s do not support the 160mhz it doesn’t seem to restrict performance and even gets faster than the XT8 in some of your tests. Is the 160mhz band used mostly for the 5ghz backhaul channel that minis don’t include?
If I got 500mbps plus with any device I think I would be happy enough, even with the reduced management features of the XD4. Now I just hope I can fit it in my media cabinet.
Love the site. Miss you Cnet videos! Will recommend this site to anyone looking for detailed reviews.
Cool! Good luck, Brent. 🙂
Good article. I certainly appreciate this website. Thanks!
We are in the midst of an extended power outage, and also no cable, so I’ve been running our network off of my Android phone thethered via USB to the RT-AC66R. which all of a sudden makes me want to always have an ASUS router. So maybe I just do as you say, get a new AIMesh capable headend router, and move the RT-AC66R to my wife’s office. I have another AP on the main level in old school AP mode, so maybe I really don’t need a real mesh system for now. Thanks.
Good to know, Kenny. I actually never thought of that. Stay safe!
It seems that I won’t be able to use my RT-AC66R as it’s too old to upgrade to AIMesh (correct me if I’m wrong). I would like to do this on the cheap if I can, and I’d like the main router, plus two satellites. I have a wired Ethernet on each floor. On the 3rd floor, I’d love a pass-through situation, whereby the wired Ethernet connects to the satellite, but I can still plug my wife’s computer via Ethernet. Any recommendations? Would these do the trick.
Since you have wired your house, you can still use the RT-AC66R in the access point mode, Kenny. Just set it up as a normal router, then change the Operating Mode into “Access Point” then connect its WAN port to your main router. That will give you similar effect as AiMesh. And yes, the one you linked will get the job done. You can also put Merlin firmware on it, too.
Dong – amazing site and incredibly insightful/thorough analysis – thank you so much for your efforts. Here’s my issue:
I have a 4000sqft 3.5 story brick house, and elected to go with full tri-band mesh setup — Asus GT-AX11000 as primary router with AI mesh setup for a RT-AX92U node. Although I will eventually use wired ethernet for backhaul, I went with wireless backhaul to start while we are still getting settled in the house. Generally very impressed with signal quality and throughput throughout house (I have 500Mbit fibre into house). One issue that has been popping up is with Sonos and Airplay wifi connectivity to various tvs and speakers (all bot within last year). It has worked seamlessly at times, but other times I’m not able to connect. When I check on things from the Asus Router app, it appears like issues arise when one of the devices is connected to the node at a time when the device looking to stream is connected through the primary router (or vice versa).
Is this a common issue? Any ideas on how to prevent this from happening? I have latest firmware updates applied to each router as well as the speakers and tvs.
***Please note that I followed your suggestion and changed the name on the 2nd 5Ghz network — so it is not dedicated for wireless backhaul — doesn’t sound like this should be causing my problems but I mention just in case it is a factor
Any ideas appreciated!!!
Apparently not insightful enough since you still have questions, Geoff. 🙂
In your case, most of the time is the IoT devices’ fault. They are rigid in terms of what Wi-Fi settings they can work with. That said, use your Wi-Fi settings in a compatible mode (or you can use a separate network for them, use one of the Guest networks but turn on the Intranet access — more here.) Name this network simple both in the name and the password. Make the name something sort with just a few letters, no number, spaces, or special characters (like “DKT” and NOT “Đông Know Tech”) and the password a string of numbers.
Don’t use the app, use the web interface instead.
Thanks Dong. I am setting up a simply-named guest network with intranet access this weekend (using the web interface, not app;). Is the idea that all my problematic IoT devices (smart TVs and Sonos) use this Guest network exclusively? Now what about the devices doing the steaming – will they also need to be on this guest network all the time to avoid hiccups, or can I leave on regular wifi? Thx!
Generally, Darling (I couldn’t help it! :)), you don’t want your IoT devices to be isolated (some might not work). So if you use the Guest network for them, make sure you turn on the Intranet access. Streamers that do NOT stream from a local source (like your NAS server) can be isolated, else they need to be part of your Intranet, too. More on that here.
Hey Dong, first let me say that you have one of the best sites out there for wireless solutions. I have a question that maybe you can help with. I purchased a zen wifi ax system that is giving me a lot of trouble and Asus support can’t figure it out. The main issue is that the node doesn’t seem to connect with anything but the couple wired devices I have near it. Everything else connects to the main router no matter how poor the signal or slow the speed. Unfortunately I have no option for a wired backhaul at this time so I guess no AP mode. Do you have any tips for improving this? I’m open to suggestions on either network or client side. I’m at a loss and currently regretting not just buying one powerful router (especially since neither Newegg or Asus will refund me so I’m out almost $500 if I can’t find a usable solution).
Thanks in advance!
I’d recommend you update the system to the latest firmware, then reset it and set it up from the beginning, Stephen. After that, refrain from making too many changes, see how it works before further customization, and do that one step at a time.
Thanks. Follow-up question: Since (A) is non-mesh, can it be set up as an access point without being wired to the main router? Or maybe more generalized: can any of these nodes be AP’s without being wired? I didn’t know you could do that. I thought (probably wrong) that was the whole point of Mesh — you could have multiple “AP” nodes without having to wire them.
It’s not an AP unless it’s wired to an existing network, Geoff. In other words, when you call a Wi-Fi broadcaster an AP, then the wired notion is implied. More on that here.
Hello. Thanks for a VERY thorough write-up. I wanted to ask your opinion about best way to set up my hardware.
I have:
A) RT-AC1750-B1 (non mesh)
B) RT-AC86U (mesh)
C) Two “Blue Cave” AC2600 units
I have a wired connection from location of cable modem / router to back of house. Currently running (A) and (B) this way, with (A) as main connected to cable model and (B) as an AP via the wired connection.
Now wanting to add the two AC2600’s as additional wireless mesh nodes.
Any suggestions here?
I’m suspect that the first (based on your article) is: Move the RT-AC86U to the be the main one connected to cable modem. Then, probably replace the RT-AC1750-B1 with one of the AC2600’s. Then use the other 2600 wirelessly. And just get rid of the AC1750-B1 ?
Or is it OK to leave the non-mesh as the main, which would put the AC86U in a wired config as an AP, driving the mesh connection to the two wireless 2600’s ? Would that create a problem with overlapping signal from the mesh-capable 2600’s to the main non-mesh at front of house? Will they handoff OK?
Thanks
You can always use A as an access point (if you need another broadcaster), Geoff. Use B as the main router unit. Use the rest as AP or mesh node. Cable as backhaul is recommended. Hand-off is always hit or miss.
After your thorough review I took the plunge… got the GT-AX11000 paired with RT-AX92U running AiMesh for the first time via ethernet backhaul. Seems to be working alright, but not sure if related— my VPN client on the router cannot seem to connect to my VPN provider (NordVPN in my case). Before I bought the AX92U and ran the AiMesh I had no problem connecting the AX11000 to my VPN to enable all connected devices to work through it. Is this a known issue? Thank you!
I’m not aware, Tuxisman. It should work. Prolly the settings.
Thanks Dong for a great review.
I have the following setup:
ASUS RT-AX88U as the mesh router at 192.168.1.1 and
ASUS RT-AX86U as the mesh node at 192.168.1.18.
I have them meshed via an Ethernet back haul and so far they are working well together.
When I try logging into the GUI of the mesh node it redirects me to the GUI to the RT-AX88U.
Is this meant to work like this? I am not supposed to log into the node directly once it is part of the mesh?
If I reset the dBm value on the mesh router, will this be replicated on the mesh node?
Thank you.
That’s how it’s supposed to be, Domenic. I mentioned that in the post (shortcomings part). And yes.
Thanks! I’ll give it a shot later and test the speeds out. Currently my desktop (wifi6 enabled) in my room is far away from the main router position, and couldn’t benefit from the 5G network. Hoping to see that I can get wifi6 in my room now
Hi Dong Ngo,
I have a ASUS RT-AX58U(wifi6) and a RT-AC86U (wifi 5).Both are dual band and I’m currently using the 58U as the main router. Now I can get wifi 6 bandwith when I’m near it (58U), but I’m wondering if it is possible to swap things around? Say to use the 86U as the main router, then use 58U as the aimesh node. Will I then get wifi 6 when i’m around the 58U?
In any case, Y, you can get Wi-Fi 6 speed when you use a Wi-Fi 6 client and connect it to the RT-AX58U, Y. And yes, you can switch their position around. Keep in mind though, in a wireless setup, the speed of the node unit (the extender) will be cut in half. More on that here.
Dong, nice article and helpful tuning point on signal hand-off between nodes. I would note that sync’ing the nodes was more of an adventure than I expected with a 5300 and Zenwifi AC where I only got it to work when using ethernet cable between units (upgraded to latest firmware for all with reset); it never worked with wifi even though signal was great and units were right by each other. Another thing Asus should put in their Aimesh FAQ on when things don’t work.
Noted, and mostly agreed, Rob.
Allen Lai: I can tell you that dual RT-AC1900P routers with AiMesh and Merlin firmware have worked very well so far for me in two different homes I’ve set this up in. The routers can be bought more affordably than some of the newer ones but they are great performers. I’m using wired backhaul for the AiMesh node in both cases I’ve bought these for.
still going smoothly. I am planning to do the same. Do you run merlin on the nodes too or just the router
Dong, what a brilliant review and “how to”. Informative and real world which is so important for people who want to go into things with their eyes open. Thank you SO much.
I’m about to embark on my 3 yearly home network upgrade, the $AU is not great bow days and being semi retired cost is a factor. I have a large two level home, I run a full domain with all the associated servers and have foster kids (5 currently) which adds up to 10 or more hardwired desktops and servers, a couple of games consoles and who knows how many mobile devices at any one time so I need plenty of routing power and good wifi coverage and dead spots have been an issue at times. I’ve been running multiple APs but it’s clunky.
After your great work here the plan is to install a RT-AX88U as the primary router and two RT-AC66U-B1 as nodes with wired backhaul. I realise it’s not going to be plug and play buts that’s all part of fun right?
Regards
Ari
Happy to have you, Ari. Your setup will work well. I’d recommend trying Merlin firmware on those, too. Have fun! 🙂
Ahhh right.
I am struggling to choose between the ZenWifi AX XT8 and two RT-AX88U for a wireless backhaul mesh. The main reason being your reported speeds for Wi-Fi 5 clients connected to the satellite. The AX88U boasts 615 Mbits at 40ft while the XT8 is at 403 due to the XT8’s 5GHz-1 being 2×2; About a 25% drop. While the 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 client performance is about equal, all of our devices are 2×2 and 4×4 Wi-Fi 5. I don’t know how much of a real-world effect this difference would have. It’s unlikely there will ever be more than 1 bandwidth hungry device connected to the satellite.
Currently, two RT-AX88U would cost $620 and a set of XT8 is $450. $170 difference. I am also considering the CT8 since it has very similar numbers to the XT8 for Wi-Fi 5 clients but for $330. However, the satellite may be a bit further than 40′ from the primary router and I know the backhaul over Wi-Fi 6 4×4 will help overcome the distance.
In your AC-XT8 review, you report 792 Mbit for a Wi-Fi 6 client at 40 ft. Here you report 826 Mbit for a Wi-Fi 6 client at 10ft from the satellite router which is 40ft from the main router. How is this possible? The satellite router is a Wi-Fi 6 client (of the main router) at 40ft, right? Presumably this would mean it would have a speed of ~792 Mbit. So how is it possible to deliver a higher speed of 826 Mbit to its clients?
I think I am missing something there.
That’s because we only have 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 clients for now and the backhaul connection between the broadcasters is at 4×4 Wi-Fi 6, Mike. More on that here.
I’d like to stay within a <$500 budget, so I was thinking of getting the RT-AX88U as the primary router and the RT-AX58U as the satellite. Together, it comes out to around $489 ($310.68 + $179). Thoughts? Would you recommend a different combo?
That works, Allen. But two of the latter will be even cheaper, no? The point is it depends on what you want/need. More on that here: https://dongknows.com/how-to-pick-the-best-wi-fi-router-for-your-home/
Now I’m really confused because the AC68 and AC86 each have two filters, one for each band, with the option to allow or disallow based on mac.
Thank you so much, Rocky, I’ll check that out!
Susan – see my set up (Dong’s recommended mix) – GT-AX11000 (beast) as primary router along with XT8 as two nodes. Consider XT8 devices as nodes. And an extra XT8 few weeks later or so.
Update on Zen XT8 with GT-AX11000 (as primary router) – almost 10 days of continuous network with zero downtime, stable internet throughout the house and seamless switching between nodes. Super happy with the set up and thanks to Dong. He is the Tech Guru!
When the prices come down and the units become more available, I want to add an extra node of xt8.
Current firmware versions appear to be stable at least with my wired backhaul.
Thank you, Dong, for all this information. I am very grateful for your knowledge!
We have an Asus ZenWifi AX XT8 pair, working well, but our house is L-shaped and multistory, with many stone, brick, and metal obstacles, so we are still having trouble getting wifi to certain corners and I’m interested in additional nodes. Do I understand you correctly that it would be best to select another ZenWifi triband product (and should it also be WiFi 6?)? If so, this seems to limit me to the XT8 and CT8 models (the AX mini is dual band). I assume adding another XT8 would be the simplest route, but I’m wondering if the less expensive CT8 will work just fine–can you advise? Thanks again.
It’ll work, Susan, but unless you use wired backhaul (in which case the Mini is great!) mixing Wi-Fi standards in an AiMesh system is generally not a good idea.
I may very well be confused regarding backhaul but earlier you also noted under AiMesh’s shortcomings:
“There’s no way to manually set a band of your liking, 2.4GHz or 5GHz, to work as the backhaul.”
What I’m wondering is if using the MAC filter to restrict a device(s) to 2.4 or 5g would work?
I don’t think you can use MAC filter for individual bands, Figaro. So when you do that, the mesh likely will stop to work.
Now I’m really confused because the AC68 and AC86 each have two filters, one for each band, with the option to allow or disallow based on mac.
I haven’t done any exhaustive tests on this, Figaro. So don’t take what I said earlier as something set in stone. But in my experience, using MAC as a security or access control method is very unreliable. More here. https://dongknows.com/mac-address-all-you-need-to-know/
Working like a charm now – thanks again!
Sure, Paul. Glad it worked out.
Thank you Dong. Your responses are greatly appreciated. Day 2 and still no connection issues or lags or downtime etc. Working flawlessly.
I think having a wired backhaul is probably removing some of the issues others are reporting about connection losses, lags on AiMesh infrastructure.
AiProtection takes away half my WiFi speed. Is that how its supposed to work?. Another thing is how do I get rid of all those Offline devices that I no longer have in the Asus Router app? I managed to delete them on the Web UI but not on the app. Thanks Dong and have a great day
Nope, that shouldn’t be the case, Peter. And I’m not sure how to do that. I don’t use the app at all. I’d rather use the mobile browser and the regular interface instead.
Hi Dong – Rocky here. I received my Zen XT8 last evening and set up it as two nodes to my GT-AXC11000 creating Aimesh. Since my whole house is wired, I connected the nodes to the router directly using a wire. Updated the firmware on all. So far, the connection seems stable but its only been 12 hours.
For security – Disabled UPNP, WPS, changed default admin and password names, changed default LAN IP, and not connected to Trend Micro given their questionable data collection for QOS etc.
Questions:
1. On the Aimesh page, I clicked on each node and under the connection priority type, removed Auto and clicked “Ethernet” for each of the two nodes. Is this now a wired backhaul?
2. The second 5 Ghz band – I have unhidden it and chosen the option of “AX Mode only” /”Wifi 6″ – it works but then I notice that my old laptop with N mode wifi also connected to it. So, am I missing anything
3. Any specific setting I should do to make Wifi more streamlines – I saw a Smart Connect enabled and clicked on it and it took me to a page with a lot of jargon. Anything I should do here.
4. Would it make a difference in one of the nodes speed if I connect the 2.5 Gigabit port on ax11000 to one of xt8 nodes. I did this but then the nodes was showing as wifi and not wired for some reason
5. Also, i did not create a separate 2.4 and 5 ghz channels. Just one SSID for both. Is this a good idea.
Thank you.
Hi Rocky,
1. Yes. You’ll also see a wired icon next to each node on the list.
2. That’s probably because the AX-only mode doesn’t propagate to the nodes, or it’s just wrong reporting of the interface.
3. Nope, just ignore those.
4. I haven’t tried that but stick with the Gigabit port for now.
5. That’s fine. You do have the 3rd band separate, that’s enough.
I just want to say thanks again for this great guide and information. I’ve setup an AiMesh network now using the latest ASUSWRT-Merlin firmware release with two Asus RT-AC1900P routers. I like the single interface for both devices and seeing the devices transfer to the closer/strong signal router right in the GUI. With Merlin supporting AiMesh as of last year there is no longer any reason to pick between the stock firmware to get AiMesh, and going with the more functional Merlin firmware.
I had the same problem and adressed it to Asus, also the backhul degraded itself to 2.4. An engineer contacted me soon and offered a beta firmware with a fix. Installed and now I have the star topology steady as a rock ánd on wifi6 (5.2 ghz). He said next firmware the fix would be incorporated
Rats! I hadn’t clocked that the RT-AX88U was only dual band. Had I known that at the time I would have spent the extra £80 and got the GT-AX11000… however I’ve just noticed that I can return my RT-AX88U up until the 31st of July. Amazon to the rescue! Thanks Dong…
Sure, Paul. 🙂
Hi, and thanks for the very comprehensive review.
So I took the plunge bought a RT-AX88U a couple of months back which has been working great.
However we’ve just moved to a bigger house in the lsat week and a half, so I got a twin pack RT-AX92U to use as an AiMesh system (intended to run over wi-fi) with the AX88U connected to the modem. The set-up seemed very easy via the ASUS Router app, but I’m finding that when my devices connect via the 92U’s they seem to intermittently lose internet connectivity. It was actually better when I switched them off!
Where do I even start to try and figure out what’s wrong?
As I mentioned in the post, Paul, it’s not a good idea to mix tri-band and dual-band in a wireless setup and is a terrible one when you use the dual-band as the main router in this case. (Read the post again). You can try using one of the 92U as the main router. Or better yet, get your home wired and get a couple of dual-band AiMesh routers.
I have a tri-band Asus AX89X router as my main router and want to set up in an IMesh network using a dual band ASUS AC88U as the slave node using an Ethernet backhaul . Is there anything I have to adjust on the AX89X for this system to work well?
Thank you
Dong, that’s great info. I have an Aimesh setup in a small building. I have 1 router and 4 nodes – all are RT-AC68U models. I notice that the nodes just seem to randomly connect to another node instead of the node closest to it. Is there a way to configure them so that the nodes will connect in a linear formation? For example: Router sends signal to the 1st node that node passes the signal to the next closest and so on. I can see on my Asus Router app on my phone that the nodes are not connecting to the node that would serve it best and in some cases, it connects to a node that’s the farthest away from it. Thanks.Jim
Hi Jim. What you want to do is not ideal. More on that here. In a wireless setup, you want the star topology, not the daisy-chain (linear) one.
I have a RT3100 and want to add another router as a node (satellite). Any recommendations for something under $100?
Also, are the LAN ports in the back of the node active? I have a device that will be near the node that has to be hardwired for internet.
There’s a list at the top of the post, Joe. Pick one that fits your budget, or you can get a used/refurbished one. And yes, you can use the network ports in the entire mesh as mentioned in the post.
Great posts, thanks for all the ASUS advice so far in helping me with my purchases of new network equipment t to wifi6. My question is that if the Ethernet backhaul connection is a max speed of 1GBS on a gigabit connection from a ASUS AX6000 router to another ASUS router to create the AiMesh system, is there any point in the node router being able to deliver more than 1GBS via its Wi-Fi? I’m looking at the AX3000 router over the AX1800 router as a second node and am thinking the AX3000 would be a waste of performance in the set up as the most I could ‘feed’ into it would be the 1GBs from the Ethernet backhaul? I’m I missing something here? Would there be a be if it of the AX3000 over the AX1800 as a node point when using a Ethernet backhaul connection? Thanks in advance for your comments.
A wired connection is MUCH more reliable than a wireless one, James. You can read more about that in this post. And eventually, we’ll move to multi-gig wired connections.
Hi, found out what the problem was, it was the firmware on the main router rolled it back to previous firmware and its now working. Thanks for the reply though.
Hi, I have a gt-ax11000 as the primary router as soon as I add a zenwifi ct8 as a node the asus app no longer works. Its says its doing it ie rebooting router, but nothing happens. Any ideas please.
Thanks Andy
Restart your phone, maybe, Andrew. But honestly, I don’t use the app. I only use the interface. You can use the interface with the phone’s mobile browser, too, much better that way.
Thanks for the response. i will try to rearrange the hardware and see what happens.
Again, thank you!
Dong, Thank you for this amazing detail. I have been following this page for some time and finally pulled the trigger on a AiMesh system. My main router is an RT-AX56U and I recently purchased two RT-AC66u_B1 units. I have everything setup from following your walk-through.
My other issue/concern is some of my Nest cameras are still showing 1/2 bars of signal strength when connected. I have reset the cameras thinking it was still connected to my main router and its still an issue.
The odd thing is out of 36 wireless devices – one B1 has two devices and the other has 11 then my main is handling everything else.
Ideas?
It’s impossible to tell, Geoff, form the information you gave. That depends a lot on how you arrange the hardware. Also, I have zero experience with the RT-AC66U_B1 in an AiMesh setup. But you can try this post and related ones.
Hi Dong. So here is the setup I have: 2 GT-AC5300 Tri Band Routers. Now, a couple of things. The main router I am using (as the “Control Router”) is not in the best place, but I have no real choice. It is in my office (bedroom 3, I suppose). It is at least in an open space away from my Desktop and Laptop, and on a sturdy desk. My house is what you would call “Medium Sized”…not sure about the square footage, but I can find out. Anyways, the second GT-AC5300 is oh 15-20 feet away in the living room connected to my consoles and my Dish network Hopper. The XBOX ONE X and PS4 Pro, and a Nintendo switch are all connected to the node router with ethernet cables, but the connection between the source and node is still “wireless”. So, I am not the most tecnical guy on this stuff, so please bear with me. My XBOX One X…when I do the speed analysys on it, goes from a low of 326 to a high of 650 mps. I have used two different “WiFi Anaylzers” to figure out the best consistent channel and the green bars on the router node page of ASWRT show full 4 green bars. So it looks like the connection from the node is as good as it can be. My question to you (sorry if I gave way to much detail here)…is, with comcast’s 1Gig service, what would you expect say the Mps to be on say my XBOX ONE X…the other console connected is a PS4 Pro, it varies from say 127 mps to a high of 230 mps. I have NO idea if this is what I am supposed to be getting, or if I should be getting more. I am sorry this is a long message, I know you are a busy person, but if you could take the time to just let me know if this sounds right, or I am doing something wrong…I would very much appreciate it.
PS. By the way, I thought about doing a “wired Connection” to the GT node, but I would be using power line adapters. My house has “looped Wiring” and so I am unsure if that would or would not interfere with said powerline adapters, any thoughts on that?
Again, any help would be great, just whenever you get a chance. Thanks very much Dong:)
Devin Leonard
The distance is not as important as the stuff you have in between the routers, Devin. More here. Also, it’s generally not a good idea to use the internet to test your Wi-Fi speeds. More here. I’d be more concerned if you have bad online experiences, don’t get too hung up on the numbers.
Okay, thanks for your info re: requiring a single main router to connect to the ISP. I was hoping AiMesh would be a suitable replacement/upgrade to my aging OpenMesh/CloudTrax wireless ‘g’ (OLD) mesh that was capable of dynamically routing traffic across 8 notes and multiple ISP connections. Really liked the ‘self healing’ aspect (i.e. if a node went down, it would find another path within the mesh to reach the outside world)
Sure, Tuxi. That type of feature is generally only available in enterprise-class mesh systems.
First time considering AiMesh– does the tech allow for different nodes within the same AiMesh to connect to different internet sources (ISP)? I know I can dual-wan on a single unit for load balancing, but I’m thinking of plugging in different nodes into two separate ISP internet sources within my same house.
No, Limbo. You can think of AiMesh (or any home mesh systems) as a single router plus some extenders. Everything is handled by the router unit, other units are just there to expand the network.
Dear Dong Ngo,
Should I get Asus Zenwifi XT8 or get of AX58u/ax56u combo aimesh? This is for a double storey house. Does the 802.11ax really make a difference? Or just get the Deco M9 plus without 802.11ax will be just as good? Main applications are web browsing, video/music streaming and some gaming. Appreciate your inputs. Thanks so much!
Cheers.
I think you might do fine with the ZenWiFi AC CT8, Willie. But read this post to have a better idea of what to get for your situation.
I have been using Asus router and access points for many years without an issue. For roaming assistant, I usually set the values around 70dBM.
Last year, I changed to Asus AIMesh, and found it is not very stable, sometimes devices disconnected. AIMesh still needs roaming assistant, but it can only be configured at main router with one fixed value. I prefer to have different value on router and nodes, so, after 2 months, I changed back to Access Point mode. (main router kept in AImesh mode, does not matter).
After reading your review of AIMesh, I decide to give it another try last week. And after just 3 days, I had to changed back to AP mode.
I guess the main issue is that under AIMesh, router and nodes are sharing the exact same control channel, devices interfering with each other.
With AP mode, I can customize each individual nodes channel, avoiding conflict with my neighbors channels.
Most people choose AIMesh are tech-savvy, and they can handle most settings, I assume mesh network works for those who are not familiar with router setting. Anyway, they still need to configure the main router, which is the most challenging task.
Your observation is on point, Brian. Thanks for sharing. AiMesh generally works better when you use the same routers or routers of similar specs.
Bugger, missed that. So I’m really limited for a tri-band wireless mesh setup to another 5300 then?
Maybe I can find another one for a decent price…
One more question if I may. Why are there so few tri-band routers? Is/was it just overkill?
And would two 5300s perform better then say the AC88U and say the AC1900 extender? I’m guessing yes.
Thanks again for your time and insight!
You sure? Both Amazon and Asus websites say it is tri-band.
https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RTAC3200/
I haven’t seen a reason for using the GT in router mode, so no doublet NAT. My firewall is in IP Passthrough on the ATT gateway. The firewall and a Pi-hole server does all routing, DNS and DHCP.
Sorry, I thought you meant the RT-AC3100. The RT-AC3200 is a tri-band router but it doesn’t support AiMesh, so it’s kinda irrelevant.
I have another question for you. AIMesh mode vs AP Mode STA roaming. I know this also heavily dependent on the client if they support 802.11k/v/r/. Have you tested roaming hand-off between AIMesh and AP Mode? Mostly how well each mode handle WiFi VoIP.
Dong – Thanks for all your effort! You clearly know your tech!
I’ve read through most of this and wanted to confirm my suspicions.
I have the ROG GT-AC5300 (got a great deal on it, otherwise I would not have purchased it, very $$), that is in AP mode. I have an OPNsense firewall as my main router. My house is a split level and the GT is on the lowest level in the center next to the stairs, so the signal can reach most areas.The GT has worked great as an AP, and I haven’t had any real wifi issues. But with the pandemic we are using it much more in all areas of the house. While it reaches everywhere, there are some areas where it doesn’t reach well.
If I want to setup a mesh system, I don’t see setting up a wired backhaul realistically, so am thinking I need to be looking at a tri-band router as it would be a wireless system. The most cost effective tri-band router seems to be the RT-AC3200.
Have you by chance tested the GT-AC5300 and the RT-AC3200 together?
AAIMesh is also an option in the router menu, even though I have it in AP mode. Should the GT be the primary, RT the node?
Any insight is most appreciated!
Neill
The RT-AC3100 is not a tri-band router, Neill. It will work with the GT-AC5300 in an AiMesh system, but it’s not ideal unless you can run a network cable to link the two. You should get the RT-AC5300 instead. You should use the GT as the main unit, for your setup, check out this post if you’re thinking of a double NAT setup.
Dong, looks like you have a LOT of experience with the AIMesh. I have a question that I couldn’t find an answer from anywhere else.
I am planning to use 1x RT-AX89X as the main router and 2x RT-AX88U as Nodes (Or I might end up using 3x RT-AX88U). Do you happened to know if the RT-AX88U in AIMesh Node mode loses the Link Aggregation support?
Yes, I don’t think you can use LA in a node unit, Johnny.
How to setup roaming block list in AiMesh? I put the MAC number of device in the main router, than these devices only connect to main router. How about those devices should be connected to a node, but I cannot not edit the configuration page of a node. Thanks!
MAC filtering is always at the router level, Brian. That’s where the DHCP server is. Also, it’s not effective, many devices can now automatically change its MAC temporarily when connected to a new Wi-Fi network. More on MAC here.
Dong, Thanks for the instructions (enjoy some coffees on me). I now have my 5300 set up as the router and the 86U as the node. Both are on the most recent firmware, and both were factory reset. I saved my 86U settings in case I wanted to copy them over to the 5300, but I didn’t have any complex or time consuming settings to worry about and I wanted to start from scratch to avoid any setting mistakes I may have made. Anyway, the setup went smoothly enough. I’m now set up with a wireless mesh network using Smart Connect.
However, Smart Connect has some curious results. First, I have a lot of smart devices (Google Homes, Kasa smart switches/plugs/bulbs, garage door opener–getting a stable and reliable connection on all of these is what drove me to a mesh network) and there were a lot of minor connections issues with the multiple bands/single network setup of Smart Connect. The smart switches/bulbs/plugs required a few tries to get them to connect properly, and the Google Homes kept telling me to disable access point isolation on my router (which was obviously not enabled). I never had this issue with these same routers when set up with an individual SSID for each frequency band. In the end everything got connected and working.
Now the only issue I have is with how Smart Connect works. According to the GUI (both in app and in browser) it appears that all 2.4GHz clients are on the 5300 (router) and only 5GHz clients are on the 86U (node). Also, when I perform speed tests on the 5GHz connected devices (laptop or phone) I am not getting quite the speed that I was when set up without Smart Connect, and I don’t get quite the speed I did on 5GHz when I first set up the mesh network in 2018 (with the 86U as the router and the 5300 as the node–I could get 70-90Mbps up/down on the node). I have a fiber 150Mbps connection, and when connected to 5GHz previously (a few days ago without Smart Connect or Aimesh) I could get the full speed up and down when within 10 feet of the router. Now no matter where I’m located within the house I get 50Mbps when connected to 5GHz, and only on the node. I can stand right next to the 5300 (router) and my phone/laptop will stay connected to 5GHz on the 86U (node) 40 feet away. My wife and I can lay in bed next to each other on our phones, 10 feet from the router–her S8 will stay on 2.4GHz on the router and my Pixel 2 XL will stay on 5GHz on the node 40 feet away.
I guess my question is, is this normal and the expected way for Smart Connect to work? I don’t necessarily need the full 150Mbps at any given time, but I like to know I can access the full speed I pay for when I do need it without having to connect an ethernet cable to the router. Also, I know I can tweak some Smart Connect rules to possibly change it to work as I’m assuming it should, but do I need to? It just seems odd that the router would carry 20 2.4GHz clients and no 5GHz ones, while the node carries 10 5GHz clients and no 2.4GHz ones. Previously (2018), it seemed like they “shared the load” much more evenly as far as number of 2.4GHz/5GHz clients on each. I’ve done a few days of periodic google dives into Smart Connect, and it seems there are many people lost in the weeds with it. Some say they left the default settings with no complaints, others claim they had to heavily tweak the rules to get the results they were looking for. My setup should be fairly basic. Just streaming devices, tablets, smart devices, and a couple computers doing light work. I would think the default rule settings would serve me just fine.
Anyway, again if you could point me in the right direction I’d appreciate it. I’m just not sure if I’m worrying about something I shouldn’t, and that maybe Smart Connect is working fine–or if the discrepancy in 5GHz speed and number of 2.4GHz/5GHz clients on each router/node requires some rule adjustments to get straightened out.
Current Smart Connect Rules (set to default): 2.4GHz / 5GHz
–Steering Trigger Condition
Enable Load Balance: No / No
Bandwidth Utilization: 0% / 0%
RSSI: Greater -62 dBm / Less -82 dBm
PHY Rate Less: 0Mbps / 0Mbps
PHY Rate Greater: 0Mbps / 0Mbps
VHT: A11 / A11
–STA Selection Policy
RSSI: Greater -62dBm / Less -82dBm
PHY Rate Less: 0Mbps / 0Mbps
PHY Rate Greater: 0Mbps / 0Mbps
VHT: A11 / not-allowed
–Interface Select and Qualify Procedures
Bandwidth Utilization: 0% / 0%
VHT: A11 / A11
–Bounce Detect
Window Time: 60 seconds
Counts: 2
Dwell Time: 180 seconds
I’d recommend stop using Smart Connect, Aaron. Use 2.4 for your IoT and the 5 GHz for the rest. You mix tri-band and dual-band, thing will not work as you might think.
Hi Dong,
I have an ax11000 with 2 XT8s as mesh nodes.
I have a device wired in to one of the mesh nodes on a 1GB link but wanted to bond 2x 1GB links together, do you known if this is possible on a mesh node? The ax11000 has the option but being the central router it is nowhere near the device I want to bond.
Thanks for the great writeups and reviews, current setup wasn’t cheap but definitely the best combo, and I’ve tried lots of Asus routers over the past few months, in various configurations.
That’s not possible, Adam. 1Gbps wired backhaul is plenty.
Hi Dong!
I would like to ask if i can access the router or use the app from outside the network without using dyn dns? My isp is using cgnat so ddns dont work well. Does the app connect like decos or synology?
Thanks for the great article!
No, Dino. And that’s a good thing. You can ask your ISP to open a port for your router’s web management.
Dong,
I’ve been following your advice for years now. I still have your cnet articles about home networking from back in 2013 bookmarked for when I don’t feel like explaining it to relatives.
Anyway, I’ve been following the updates on this article for a couple years now. I have a wireless mesh setup, so I went with your early suggestion and paired an RT-AC86U as the primary router with an RT-AC5300 as the node. It worked great for the first few months. My node was connecting to the router over a 5GHz band and broadcasting 5GHz at great speeds and I was getting 5GHz at every corner of my house and at ok distances out to my yard. Then one of the firmware updates (can’t remember if it was router or node) just broke everything. Devices started dropping intermittently and the node started only connecting to the router over the 2.5GHz band. I would perform some reboots and reflash the firmware and it would seem good again for a day or two, and then it would quickly degrade back to garbage. I tried multiple factory reboots and network rebuiIds, setting up the mesh network from scratch over and over, but it never came back to normal. I gave up and just used the 86U by itself (mainly because the 5300 is a monster that my wife didn’t want in our bedroom). Every once in a while I boot up the 5300 and update the firmware in hopes that my mesh system will work again, but it just doesn’t. Now the node connects to the router via 5GHz, but it only picks up 2.5GHz clients, and even those have connection issues. It also makes 5GHz mostly unusable.
It appears that you don’t suggest this setup anymore, as you’ve stated that, “First, for best performance, definitely consider tri-band routers if you intend to have a wireless AiMesh setup. And in this case, it’s best to use tri-band hardware throughout, both as the primary router and node(s).” Is this because, as you later mention, “Using tri-band nodes with a dual-band primary router will result in no dedicated backhaul band at any hardware unit, and you’ll likely make no use of the nodes’ 5GHz-2 band?” Really, I would just love to get my mesh system back up and running. Can I make it work wirelessly (wired not an option) with the hardware I have, or do I need to purchase another tri-band router to make this work? I’m open to any suggestions to get my mesh network back. I appreciate the years of informative articles, and I appreciate any advice on this long and wordy hail mary.
Thanks for the on-going support, Aaron.
Yeap, at one point, Asus updated AiMesh, and using a dual-band router with a tri-band node is not a good idea anymore. It should still work, though, just slightly different from how it used to be. That said, here’s what you should do:
The parts in () are related, consider them together.
1. Update both routers to the latest firmware — Google their model and “firmware” then download the firmware and update manually.
2. Remove the RT-AC5300 from the AiMesh, that will reset it, too. This effectively dismantles your current AiMesh setup.
3. Reset the RT-AC86U to default settings. (If you have lots of network settings, you can make a backup of the RT-AC86U first.)
4. Set the RT-AC5300 as the primary router. (You can restore the backup file of the RT-AC86U on this router to save yourself from having to program everything from scratch). Check to make sure this router works as you’d like a standalone router. You can use Smart Connect, which combines all three bands into a single network. (Now backup the RT-AC5300’s setting, reset it again and then restore it from that new backup file. I know it seems redundant, but you should do it if you have restored the settings form the other router on it.)
5. Now add the RT-AC86U as a node.
That should fix it. Good luck!
Dong, thank you so much! That makes perfect sense now. However I have a cat5e connection for a wired backhaul. I have a Netgear R7800 X4S and an EX8000 and I am fed up with their firmware, lack of support and the connectivity issues I am having and want a real mesh system. But I want it to be very configurable so I think AiMesh is ideal for me. I have 1Gb internet service, but most of my devices that need fast speed are wired (with the exception of one laptop). Do you think a pair of RT-AC86U or RT-AC88U would be a good fit? Both are 4×4 5Ghz and 3×3 or better on 2.4GHz. Or do you think with 1Gb service I should drop the major $$$ for a pair of AX routers?
I’m confused, why wouldn’t he want the AX92U. It is a tri-band WiFi 6 router. Does it not support wired backhaul or have some other issues?
Also, why is the RT-AX92U shown in the Wi-Fi 5 performance chart? The Wi-Fi 6 chart has the RT-AX92U (Wi-Fi 5 Client), but doesn’t show it with a Wi-Fi 6 client. It makes me think that maybe the RT-AX92U listing is in the wrong chart. Thanks.
I’ve also included the RT-AX92U in the round-up of Wi-Fi 5 mesh systems, too. Read the review, you’ll find out why, Shane.
I had a closer look. I’m super green with PoE so I really need to do my own research. The questions are indeed answered and the MacOS question is moot given that it’s browser based interface. Thank again for the input!
Thanks for the prompt feedback! I got it set up last night and it seems to be working and covering the house well. The AC5300 is a couple years old so that is sunk cost. I could return the AX11000, but I’m eager to be ready for WiFi 6. Plan at this point is to eventually replace the AC5300 with a more feature limited WiFi 6 tri-band router once they come down in price.
Additional question about the Asus setup. Do you see any reason other than development cost for Asus not to offer the 2nd 5 GHz network as part of the mesh to users employing a wired backhaul?
On the TP-Link solution…
1) I’m not sure if my main switch supports PoE. I’d have to do some research. It’s a Netgear ProSafe Plus 24-port switch through which all of the ethernet ports in the house are run.
2) I run MacOS exclusively in the house. Does the TP-Link solution you suggested support MacOS for the setup?
Thanks!
-Pat
Read the review again, Pat.
1. The TP-Link APs each comes with a PoE injector, meaning you don’t need a PoE switch to use them. Again, I mentioned this in the review.
2. Honestly, only Apple can answer this question. I don’t recommend Apple stuff. But chances are it will work, just like any other solution.
Hello Dong
Great arcticle which has helped me alot, I am using a AC5300 as my main router and have CT8 as my nodes in a star pattern.
1. one of my nodes keeps dropping to 2.4ghz uplink type on a daily basis, how can i resolve this and i get regular 1 – 2 min disconnects.
2. I have not reset the AC5300 when setting up the mesh, would you advise i do this and redo the system for more stability?
3. Should i use the AC5300 as my main router or the CT8
4. I dont have dedicated wireless backhaul enabled as the 5.2ghz signal seems to be stronger with faster speeds, would you advise i dedicate this anyway?
Thanks
Asif
1. See 2.
2. Yes, reset and set up from scratch.
3. Either way is fine.
4. You need to leave this band alone in a wireless setup. Keep it as dedicated backhaul the way the system wants it to be.
Thanks so much for the quick reply Dong.
I have it setup as an extender, but I was wondering if it can be setup as a mesh. Netgear describes the EX7500 as a “ Tri-Band WiFi Mesh Extender”… is there a special “Mesh” setup.
And More broadly, does the mesh system work with devices from different manufacturers? Or do you need devices only of same brand?
Thanks,
That was just a marketing tactic. There’s no specific setup called “mesh” on that one.
Generally, you only achieve a real mesh system using hardware of the same vendor. There’s been talk about a new standard called EasyMesh but it hasn’t really come to fruition yet. Vendors don’t seem interested.
This is fantastic information. I got a new GT-AX11000 to replace my RT-AC5300. I was hoping that would improve coverage across the house, but the quality of connection further away (upstairs) from the AX-11000 actually seems to have degraded.
I’d like to use the AI Mesh feature for better coverage upstairs and am considering moving the AC5300 up there to do this.
Here’s the issue. I have an Untangled u50 box that I use as my router as I really like the parental controls. I’d like to continue using this as my router and use both Asus products as access points.
Any issues with this setup?
Main Floor (and most clients): AX11000 in Access Point(AP) mode / AiMesh Router in AP mode
Upstairs (fewer clients): AC5300 as an AiMesh node
That will work, Pat, but I think it’s a waste to use those router as access points. If you can run network cables, you can get a few TP-Link business APs or something similar, instead.
Hi Dong,
We’re renovating a 4-floor house with thick concrete walls and floors. We have run ethernet cables throughout the house, and included ports in the center hallway on each floor for a mesh setup with wired backhaul. My problem is that the internet comes into a corner of the basement, which is where all the network cables terminate, and I think that means I will need 5 routers (1 main in the basement corner, and 4 in each floor hallway) because the network cables are not linked directly between the 4 node points, but I don’t need the additional router.
1) Is there a non-wifi router that can link with wifi routers and act as the main?
2) Would it make sense to run an additional cable between the basement node point and the basement corner? That way I could connect the modem to the main router in the hallway, and then the second cable (from the main router back to the corner) to the other three routers via a switch.
Once I figure out the topography, then I can sort out what equipment to install, although I’m leaning towards Asus based on your articles.
Thank you for the help, and for providing so much good information!
Randy
Hi Randy,
Most home routers are Wi-Fi-enabled these days. You can always turn the Wi-Fi part off. But for your situation, I’d recommend getting a full-feature routes, like one from Asus, and a few access points like the ones in this review.
The other question is too specific for me to answer. I’m not there, but for more, you can check out this post.
Good luck! 🙂
Hi Dong, congrats for your fantastic website, a well of knowledge.
Question: is it possible to setup Asus aimesh (RT-AC88U) to work with other mesh devices (eg, Netgear EX7500)?
Thanks,
Pato
Thanks, Pato. And yes, you can treat a mesh system like a router, so it’ll work with extenders, etc. But I generally don’t recommend extenders, though. It’s an easy way to extend the signals but not the speed. More on that here. Your particular extender is slightly better since its a tri-band.
Hello ! Thank you for your continuous insight to the Asus router mesh system. My brother being a network admin isn’t a fan due to their lack of support of https parental controls and domain blocking. However I found that if you look hard enough you can find solutions to minor inconveniences everywhere ( I am using OpenDNS for that unless there is a better suggestion?). I have been an Asus router user and fan since 2011 (N66R/U) and have never come across anyone who gives so much info about the products I already own and have tinkered with for many hours throughout my days. I run the two tri band routers in my small home connected through ethernet. AX11000 and RT5300. I was using Merlin’s for awhile before I opted to utilize mesh and wanted to keep it simple stupid. Open DNS hasn’t given me any issues but I also disabled Trend Micro security just in case not wanting a tug of war issue. I am glad you covered the Asus router app and how it is better capable of updating AiMesh firmware. The low star ratings scared me away for a long time but you convinced me otherwise. I was scratching my head every time I would try to update the node through the web GUI on my desktop and eventually gave up. Then I ran across this page. I need to follow your work on all the platforms I am very impressed with your in depth trial and errors that you share with us the readers ! I am now following you on any platform I can find you on LOL. THANK YOU !!!
Thanks, Joe. Glad you’re here. I agree with your brother. But at the same time I think the ineffective Parental Control is a small sacrifice. Asus routers offer a lot of it’s quite understandable that they can’t deliver on all fronts. But if you have time and are willing to work at what you need, you’ll note that they are far superior to others (while far from perfect, too.) Networking is a complicated thing.
I am getting 500Mbps near my single router and around 150Mbps in my bedroom. If I add an AiMesh node in my bedroom, can I expect better than 150Mbps speed after adding one?
No, you need to add the node *near* your bedroom, Peter. The node needs to be in between your bedroom and the main router. More on that here.
Hi Dong, good article there and I definitely learnt a lot on AiMesh.
I am now looking at setting up AiMesh for my place and I was hoping you could comment on my setup plan.
I currently have a RT-AC88U (great device for the past 4 years) and is looking at getting a new Asus GT-AX11000 （as part of the plan for my broadband).
I was wondering if I used the AX11000 as the primary router while connecting to AC88U via wired backhaul, would it be a feasible setup?
I am thinking of getting AX11000 mainly to use the wifi 6 feature to maximise the speed of my mobile devices and since I have an old AC88U, I was thinking why not use it as a mesh device to increase my WiFi speed in my living room.
Looking forward to your hearing your opinions on this.
Cheers!
Yes, Bryant. With a wired backhaul, almost any combo is a feature setup. Good luck! 🙂
Hi
Can u please elaborate more when u said
Certain routers combos can be buggy On the Asus WiFi mesh . Do u mean software or hardware ??
I bought the combo and at first everything was perfect after two firmware upgrades problems started. The base and the mesh nose are connected to internet but the devices connected to mesh cannot access internet.
After raising a tech support ticket , Asus suggested sending the equipment for evaluation. I send them the logs ….
I appreciate more input from what you heard or tested when you said Certain routers combos can be buggy…
Thank you very much
What I meant was that certain routers don’t work well together, especially in a wireless setup, Moe. And generally, that’s always software issue.
Hello Dong,
Thank you for your website. I’ve read all your posts about Aimesh but I can’t decide what I should buy to enhance my network. I live in a quite big old house with thick walls. For the moment I use :
– 1 RT-AC88U as main router on the ground floor,
– 1 Netgear wifi repeater on the 1st floor,
– 1 Devolo Magic2 (PLC) dedicated for the garden and for another small annex building.
Unfortunately today I have 3 different wifi networks and can’t walk around the house without being disconnected all the time. That’s why I was thinking of adding some more Asus hardware and create a strong Aimesh network.
I will use Ethernet wired backhaul within the house : 4 cables go from the RT-AC88U to 4 rooms. But in the annex building I must use wireless mesh because I can’t pull a cable there.
So here are my questions 🙂
1. Should I keep the RT-AC88U as main router or is it worth enhancing to wifi6 with RT-AX88U ? I don’t have any Wifi6 material yet but my next smartphone will be wifi6 certified for sure.
2. I want to add 2 remote nodes (wired). Is the RT-AX92U ok for that ? I can buy it at the moment at a good price in Germany ($160 for one unit). Or is there a better option than the RT-AX92U ? I’d like to avoid compatibility issues and I know you’ve tested many Asus models.
3. For the 2nd building and the garden I need a last node. This one should be linked wirelessly to the previous one (RT-AX92U or something else you advised me). In this building when I check with my phone I don’t get a better connection than 175 Mbits donwload link in wifi 5GhZ. Is that enough to add a new node, or should I stick with my PLC Devolo ? (the Magic2 synchronises up to 450 Mbtis but I won’t have mesh and still2 different ssid)
Thank you again
Greetings from France
Salut, Sebastien!
Generally, extenders are no good. But in your situation, you can configure it to have the same Wi-Fi name and password as that of the router. That will help a bit. Also it might have Access Point mode, in that case connect it to the router using a network cable. That will help a lot. More on extenders vs. APs here.
1. It will make much of a difference, if at all if you get the RT-AX88U. But it doesn’t hurt to do so.
2. Since you have wired backhaul, there’s no need to get a tri-band router. So a few dual-band routers will do. And the RT-AX92U (as well as the Lyra, not the Lyra Trio) is among the least stable AiMesh I’ve seen. You can make it work but it might take quite a bit of tweaking.
3. I’d stick with PLA until I can run a network cable.
3.
Hi Dong. Awesome articles. Very insightful. Here’s a question for you. I have a 3 story home. 4000+ sq feet. Google fiber in the house. The google WiFi is shut off and i use a ASUS RT-AC68U as my main WiFi router. The router is on the main floor in the middle of the house. The house is also wired. I have a wired connection from the ASUS router that runs to the basement panel where i have a netgear gigabit switch that handles all the wired connections. WiFi throughout the house is acceptable. We just got an outdoor projector that we stream movies on with a fire stick and the coverage gets a little spotty when I’m out on the patio or in the driveway. So I have been thinking about a mesh setup. Newegg has a refurbished Lyra 3 pack for $170. Seems like a good deal. Here are my questions.
1. I have read that I can set up the Lyra as nodes to my main RT-AC68U. If I do this do I have to place a Lyra next to the AC68U and leave it wired or can I just place it elsewhere in the house once the mesh is established and it’s connected as a node?
2. Since my house is wired I feel I should use Ethernet backhaul. Here’s my concern. The places i would put the nodes already have other devices plugged in to the Ethernet. In one case a Mac and in the other case an Xbox. If I connect the node to the Ethernet and connect the device to the node via Ethernet do i still get wired speeds?
3. Assuming that I have no issue with the Ethernet connections does it matter where I locate the nodes? Do they still have to be 30 feet or so from the main hub or the closest nodes or can I locate them anywhere?
Those are my questions. I appreciate your insight and opinion if you think this is a good solution!
Thanks, Mike.
1. No, you can get away with connecting the node’s WAN port to the router. Make sure all routers using the latest firmware though.
2. Yes.
3. No. You can place them however you want, you can also daisy-chain them. More on that here.
Got it. Thank you again. It seems that from reading and looking at videos. The ASUS Roaming Assistant signal or adjusting power levels could be critical to a client connecting with the ‘best’ access point or router.
Sure, Mike. Yes, that’s the most tricky part, but I’d say if the speed is OK at the time, don’t get too hung up on to which hardware a client connects.
Is it okay to purchase and use some older ac routers as remote access points? NetGear AC1750 and/or TP_Link AC1200 as AP to the central AC86U?
Yes, Mike, an AP will work with any router and vice versa. You won’t have a true mesh system but it’s close. More on that here.
Thank you for this. I’ve got a setup where I just added the XT8’s and was thinking of adding the ax11000 as the main with those as the satellites. My basement is wired and my upstairs is not, so Tri-Band is important. I will probably test this still because I’m a glutton.
i have 2 x AC68U (wifi5)which i connect via Aimesh wired backhaul. The wifi speed from my node is as good as the speed when i measure next to the main router (about 200Mbps up down on 5Ghz signal)
If i upgrade my router to AX58U (wifi6) and reuse my AC68U (wifi5) as node using the same wired Aimesh setup, would the node’s speed be faster becos of the better main router? Or it would fall down to wifi speed which is around 200Mbps?
It’ll be the same, Adrian. But I think your node should deliver faster speeds than that. More on how to test it here. Don’t use an app or the Internet speed to test your router.
Hi Dong, do you know if I setup AiMesh without an ethernet backhaul whether I can use the switch ports on the satellite device to connect hard-wired,non-WiFi devices?
Totally yes, Sonicbee. I mentioned that in the part of this part of the post, the Auto-sensing port part.
Also, is it better to invest in the future and purchase a main like AX-88U? However, I don’t need the speed. I have a single highspeed provider and uplifts on service are expensive. I have seen the ac86u is excellent for broadcast power and VPN. Two things important to me. You have set me on a good track. I apologize for the other main post instead of threaded.
You need to answer that question yourself, Mike. Technically, either will work fine for a very long time.
Thank you Dong! I should not have said ‘I have the money’. My wife approves tech but she knows that I care and will splurge for the right stuff at that knee of the tech $$ curve. Amazing the TP-Link AP is about $58 each where I live. Interesting your lean towards AP instead of AiMesh. Do the AP use a different SSID? How will a client device know when to choose AP 2.4 or 5 or switch to the main router 2.4 or 5 if same SSID name? I thought AiMesh was great for small networks and handles that so well. I suppose I could get a few used RT-AC66U B1 and use as access points — that may be money thrown away. $138 each may be overkill for the ac68u. I have a primary area downstairs. Would it be best to have ac86u upstairs main area coverage, aimesh ac68u in downstairs main area, and then use two TP links in bedroom and small in law area. I’ve been using N66U for 7 years with merlin and it has been solid. Though only 40Mb down on usually 2.4G in the bedrooms and nearby outside. I suppose I need to study more on how AP handoff and setup should be. I am very techie and have setup repeaters and AP in the past but only for temporary use. I have not studied using same SSID or separate for things. Peace.
Yes, using AP means you’ll have to program each manually (and use the same network name and password among them as that of the main router). But that’s one-time work and it’s worth the savings. More on using APs vs. Mesh here. And more on how to set up your system here. Only use can figure out the specifics, Mike.
Hello Dong, What a fabulous article and your kind replies. You may have answered this and I have already read significantly. I have a 2 floor house with significant in floor duct work etc between the two main floors. 2200 sq feet on each floor with garage. I have an older RT-N66U router that it is time to upgrade.
I was thinking an RT-AC86U on the main floor in my office, and then on the other end, I need a remote node near the bedrooms, and and one downstairs. What is best performance for the money in the remote nodes? We have an inlaw quarters downstairs.
Using Comcast at 300Mbps down and 10 up.
I was thinking ac86u as main router, and then perhaps 2 ac68U (bedrooms and downstairs), and perhaps making the N66U an access point in our in law quarters.
Any commentary or recommendations? I have money but I really like to be price performance conscious. If there is a better central router I should splurge for and cheaper remotes that is fine.
I have a wired house from when I built it. I could do all the backhauls via ethernet.
Thank you kindly for any responses.
Since your place seems very large and lots of thick walls, Mike, wired backhaul is a must. That said if you want a reliable affordable setup, I’d recommend getting the RT-AC86U as the main router and two TP-Link access points (you can skip the controller). You’ll need to program the APs separately but the setup will work very well.
Or you can also use other AiMesh routers as nodes, but that’s a lot more expensive.
Hello,
I recently purchased an Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 for my Gaming/Wifi needs. I quickly discovered the need for AiMesh. Which router would you recommend I pair up with the AX11000? If possible, I would like to add another tri band router. Thank you!
This depends on your needs or if your house is wired with network cables. But, generally, anther GT-AX11000 will do, Jose.
Hi Dong. For about a year now I’ve had a pair of RT-AC86Us set up in an aiMesh network. Generally, I find it works very well, but there are the occasional issues. Every couple of weeks or so, I find that devices are connecting to the wrong router/node and not handing over as they should. I have discovered that the way to solve this, is to go into the web interface and change the dBm setting in the Smart Connect rule. For example, mine is normally set at -58dBm, so I change it to -59dBm, for both the 2.4 and 5 networks, save the changes and all works well again. Well, it does for a week or two, until I have to go and change it back to -58dBm for it to work properly again!
If I were to take the plunge and upgrade to a pair of ZenWiFi AX XT8s instead, do you think it’s likely that they will just work properly all the time, or am I likely to still have to faff about every now and again to get the things to work as they should?
Thanks…
A quick answer is no, Gordon. What you’re experiencing is just the nature of Wi-Fi so there’s no guarantee that a more expensive set will work better in this regard. It might or might not. Generally, if the speed is fast enough for the application at hand, don’t worry too much about what unit the client connects to.
Hello Dong, stumbled upon your website while searching for solutions to my issue of not being able to connect node to AiMesh. Have learned a lot in the last 45 minutes. We just purchased the Asus AC3000 Zenwifi pair to improve coverage in our 3 story home. Wifi connections have been cutting out on video conferences in my office on 3rd floor so looking to get more stability. The zenwifi pair synced fine. Old setup was Asus RT-AC66U B1 router with Netgear extender located in office. Looking to use the AC66u as a node but zenwifi can not find AC66U node. I have upgraded firmware to 385….., reset settings to factory default, and selected the operational mode on the AC66U as node. Any thoughts on what I may have overlooked? We upgraded to Gig internet service and our ISP provided a panoramic modem/router. We have no use for the router piece of the ISP provided hardware, but do not think we can deactivate it. Could the ISP router be creating noise/conflicts that is causing the network to drop? Appreciate any insight you can provide. Thank you!
Glad you’re here, Lynn.
You should read this post, it applies to your situation.
About the RT-AC66U:
1. Upgrade the RT-AC66U to the latest firmware (download it from Asus’s website and perform manual upgrade).
2. Reset it to default factory settings.
3. Use a network cable to connect its WAN port to a LAN port of the ZenWiFi router unit. Now perform the AiMesh setup. That should work. After that, you can remove the cable and place the RT-AC66U where you want.
Hello Jay, Did you ever buy your 68u? I have one for sale, almost new if interested. Its currenty connected to my 86u and works with wired or wireless aimesh backhaul without issue. I just determined my place isnt really big enough to warrant a second router
One other question – Now that I have one of my three ASUS RT-AX92U units in wireless router mode, is there a way I can set the IP addresses of the two mesh nodes?
You can use the IP reservation of the router unit.
Unfortunately, Optimum has their own page override the UBEE native settings at 192.168.10.1. I cannot get to make adjustments.
Optimum Online came today and claims to have put their router (UBEE) into bridge mode. However, it is still working in double NAT despite their claims. Any idea how I communictae this to the ISP. Their internal information maitains the router is set to bridge, but here is the tracerouet to 8.8.8,8 and it is clearly doing a two local hop thing:
1 rt-ax92u-11a0 (192.168.1.1) 1.954 ms 1.592 ms 1.643 ms
2 docsis-gateway (192.168.10.1) 3.410 ms 3.532 ms 2.892 ms.
Tell your ISP to make their UBEE router work like a modem so that your router gets the WAN IP directly, Perry. But you can log into that gateway using the 192.168.10.1 IP address and change it yourself. I believe it’s the Gateway -> WAN -> Operating mode section. (Note: I edited out your WAN IP address in your question. Don’t give that out too easily!)
Hi, first of all have to say this is a great website. Many thanks for that!
Now, to my questions:
1. I have presently configured RT-AC88U as main router with two CT8 as AI mesh nodes. Would it be more advisable to take CT8 as main and RT-AC88U and the second CT8 as nodes? Would that be better for configuring AI mesh?
2. one of the CT8 (at home office) nodes sometimes changes from connection to main RT-AC88U to the other (closer) CT8. When that happens, video conferencing (Teams, Windows 10) becomes instable at the home office location and drops frequently.
3. I do have an old RT-AC68U as spare and am not using it as I believe it would drag down performance of the rest of the system. Is that a correct assumption?
Many thanks!
Glad you’re here, Marc.
1. No, the current setup is fine.
2. Yes, that’s to be expected. You need to place them in a way so that they use the star topology. That’s a must if you want to reduce lag.
3. No, it won’t drag the system down. At most, devices connecting to it will have slower speeds than when connecting to there nodes.
I posted a question earlier but have since answered my own question, so thought to share it. I have the asus ax11000 as my main router and pair of asus xt8 nodes, set up using AiMesh. I can confirm the first 5ghz channel on the ax11000 is restricted to 80mhz when paired with the xt8’s (I was hoping the router would broadcast 160mhz with the nodes at 80mhz but that is not possible). Also the nodes join individually, not as a pair.
As for gaming, having the ax11000 as the main router actually makes this worse if you have an Xbox. With the xt8 as the main router the Xbox has an open NAT. When you set up the ax11000 as the main router the NAT becomes strict (when wired, open when wireless) on the Xbox. I’ve tried various trouble shooting but it remains strict when on a wired connection.
In my limited experience I would only recommend AiMesh if all your routers and nodes are the same make and model. If you mix you will gain some features, lose others and encounter new problems. In conclusion the xt8’s gain the software benefits of the asus ax11000 and the ax11000 loses its hardware advantages over the xt8’s when it is used as the main router.
Thanks for the input, Darren. You’re right. But I’d also say that AiMesh is hit or miss depending on the combos. If you use wired backhaul, it tends to work much better when you mix different routers. Speaking from experience. 🙂
If I use the ZenWiFi AX (XT8) to create a mesh WiFi in my house, can I hang a guest network off of one of base unit’s Ethernet ports? An older, pre-AImesh, unit, RT-AC87R, will be at the other end of the Ethernet cable.
Yes, Stephen. You can also consider using the RT-AC87R as the first router and your ZenWiFi AX as your main router in a double NAT setup to keep your home network even safer. More on that here.
Similar question. I have gt-ax11000 with a wired main house. I have an unwired cottage. I want to plug one router into the wired part of the house closest to the cottage for a wired backhaul. Then a second router purely acting as a mesh in the cottage using the 5 ghz backhaul. This should give me max speed to the cottage which is only 10-15 feet away but through two concrete walls.
Should I get ZenWifi AX for tri0band or go with two cheaper dual band?
Since you already have the GT-AX11000, the ZenWiFi AX makes more sense, Einar. Using tri-band routers in a wired home is a bit of a waste (it doesn’t hurt), you do have the option of creating a separate 5GHz band exclusively for Wi-Fi 6 clients, however, which is nice. And yes, you can mix wired and wireless nodes together in a system.
Really great content. I’ve been looking for the information on AiMesh and came across your website. This is definitely the best one. Thank you so much.
Looks like you beat me to it! 🙂
Okay… wanted to give the setup several days to be sure, but bottom line (at least for my setup),
Merlin version 384.17 works perfectly using AiMesh…
I had no issues upgrading both my ASUS RT-AC5300 and RT-AC1750-B1 to Merlin’s latest firmware. To upgrade the 1750, you have to use the Merlin version for the AC68U.
I now have “unbelievable” bandwidth in nearly every corner of my home, way way better than before with only the RT-AC5300.
When I say unbelievable, you have to understand my situation.
I live on a mountaintop in the middle of the Pike’s National Forest in Teller County, Colorado (on the outskirts of Woodland Park). Because our neighborhood is on a granite mountain outside of any incorporated area other than a large rural county, there is no cable or fiber anything that comes to our neighborhood. We barely have decent phone service and the fastest phone (I assume copper) to our neighborhood is around 25Mbps! My house has no landline to the property at all, so the only internet options are Satellite (can’t wait for the Musk interweb universe!) or microwave / LTE antenna service!
Bottom line is that my local county ISP’s best speed offered over antenna is “up-to” 75Mbps, which, of course, I feel lucky to get even 50Mbps out of that considering the mountain terrain and massive pine trees everywhere around my antenna.
SO, with my RT-AC5300 connected to very slow internet which also has a lot of built in latency thanks to microwave antennas, I have my office on one end of my house and my AC5300 on the other end. Long story, but this is an older house, and not built with the Internet in mind. Running CAT-5/6/anything else highly unlikely…
In my office, I was getting anywhere from 1 Mbps to occasionally 8 or 9 Mbps. Whereas at the router, I could get a fairly solid 25 to 30Mbps and rarely up to 50.
Now that I have set up the AiMesh with the RT-AC1750-B1 in my office, I am now getting around 30+Mbps in my office, and I am not even sure why since I do not have Ethernet backhaul and the 1750 is only dual band… I have multiple devices in my office such as a Dell XPS laptop running Win10, a Raspberry Pi 4B, and a Roku… all telling me I’m getting 30-35Mbps download speeds using the ISP’s speedtest, Speedtest.Net, speedtest-cli on my Pi, etc.
Finally, if you read Merlin’s detailed notes on AiMesh, he explains that he uses the stock ASUS AiMesh, since it is proprietary binary and ASUS does not share the code. For those who use Merlin’s firmware, there are a lot of reasons why and they are listed on Merlin’s site. It is the same as the ASUS firmware with quite a few additional tweaking options, and he tends to keep the internal software like Nano editor, OpenVPN, and several other things more up-to-date than that in the stock ASUS firmware. He has also greatly enhanced options available for running OpenVPN on the router in either Server or Client mode. I moved to Merlin when I decided to run VPN to NordVPN on the router and wanted to tailor my network routing to go around the VPN for certain things. I’ve been running Merlin for years now and have not had any issues on the AC5300.
Thanks for the input, Dave! 🙂
Hi, I’m contemplating using a asus ax11000 as my main router with a pair of asus xt8’s as nodes. I have a few questions which I haven’t been able to find the answers to. If the ax11000 is broadcasting both 5ghz bands at 160mhz then how will the xt8 respond to that, as the 1st 5ghz band can only go up to 80ghz?
Also will the xt8’s join AiMesh as a pair or do they need connecting one at a time?
Thanks.
Hi! I just recently got ATT fiber 1000 in my 2k sq ft home. I am torn in between getting a mesh zen wifiax or a single gt-ax11000. I have a mac desktop without access to a wired network that is around 25ft away from the router. Which would deliver a faster speed for my mac- zenwifi ax node where connected via ethernet on the mac or wireless signal from the gt-ax11000?
Thank you for all the info you provide us.
I don’t know what your Mac is Russel, but at that distance, the GT-AX11000 sure will deliver faster speeds. Basically, if you have used a single router/gateway before and that worked, the GT-AX11000 will suffice. But if your previous single router didn’t deliver enough coverage (I’m not talking about speed) then you might need a mesh. In that case, consider the ZenWiFi if you intend to have a wireless mesh. If you have wire backhaul, then get the GT (or the RT-AX89X or RT-AX88U) and another dual-band AiMesh router.
I have asus RT-AC3200 router, If I buy a new router which supports AI mesh, will I be able to use the AI mesh with my old router RT-AC3200 or I have to buy two routers which support AI-Mesh
All routers involved need to support AiMesh, Ravi. The RT-AC3200 is one of a few that don’t. But you can use it in an AP mode if you have wired backhaul to archive a similar effect in Wi-Fi coverage.
Two questions: (1) Can you comment on the advantage of conneting 3 units with “mesh” as opposed to making 3 AP’s? and (2) assuming I can deal with the port forwarding, what do I lose by using double NAT? Does it affect network speed?
You can find the answer to the mesh question here, Perry. As for double NAT, this post will help. But no, speed is not effected, and you actually get a more secure network out of it.
I hate to use double NAT because I will lose the ability to port forward and access my system from other locations. If I make each RT-AX92 an indpendent AP, don’t I lose the “Mesh” functionality? If I call each wireless network by the same name, how does the handoff work from AP to AP? When I have tried this in the past, my wofe has connected o the weaker AP and gotten angry.
You’re in a pickle, Perry. I think you should use double NAT but set up the port forwarding twice for any server applications. For the router interface remote access, you can forward the remote management port form the gateway to the IP of the router. It’s a bit of work but that works.
Hi: I have three RT-AX92 units. I have used them for 2 weeks now with minimal issue. The base usnit is a mesh AP and the other two are mesh nodes. My provider, Optimum Online, provides their own router that I could not bypass so it does DHCP. I have a wired backbone for all the units, and they are set in auto mode. Yesterday, one of the Rt-AX92 units acted up. First my speedtest result went from consistent 900 readings down to 600. Then it gave a weird error message about a filter and speed went to 10 ish. After that, it stopped working entorely. I could get the computer to work perfectly if I took the wired connection off the RT-AX92 and attach to PC, but the AX92 was stuck connecting wirelessly and did not maintain good connetion at 5gHz to the mesh AP node (and woudl get slow). I finally have the third unit working in AP mode – so off the mesh with the other two AX92’s functioning as its own network, wired. Any attempt I make to make this a node brings down this part of the network. I have no idea what happened or how to fix. Ideas?
Try using them in a double NAT mesh setup, Perry, or all as three separate APs.
I’ll be finding out today. I’ve been running Merlin firmware on my RT-AC5300 for at least three years now and it works excellent. But I stopped upgrading when he moved to his new-generation firmware a while back. So I’ve been stuck at release 380.xx for almost two years.
Today, I am upgrading to the new gen firmware (384.17 was released last night just after I posted my comment above!), and I’m implementing AiMesh (hopefully!)
I have an RT-AC1750 B1 that’s been gathering dust in a closet for a while. My understanding is this is just a souped up 66U/68U. So I’m upgrading both routers to the latest Merlin and setting the 1750 as an AiMesh node in an upstairs bedroom where I do a lot of tinkering with various models of Raspberry Pi with not so good bandwidth coming from my AC5300 in the kitchen downstairs and on the other end of the house. I’ll let you know how it goes for me after I’ve used AiMesh for a while on Merlin.
Personally, I have always found Merlin’s firmware to be better than the stock ASUS firmware because he fixes known (and unknown) bugs in the ASUS version and also keeps the Linux internals at a newer level of software (like OpenVPN for example). Not sure if you knew that ASUS takes updates from Merlin and vice versa.
Following.
Actually, Merlin added support for AIMesh in July of 2019 in release 384.13. Current release of Merlin for most ASUS routers is 384.16
Interesting. I’ll check that out. I can’t imagine it’ll work well, though, but it’s worth a try. Thanks for the input, Dave.
Dong,
Thank you for the fast reply and suggestions. Is there any from Netgear that you would recommend that may suit my needs better? Going to start pricing these and see whats available near me.
Thanks again,
Brett
Hi Dong,
I hope you can give me some advice as i am a novice to all of this and reading and reading but having trouble deciding on what to do. I currently have a Asus RT-AC1900P and am looking to add another router. Unfortunately it will be hard to run any Ethernet cables at all ” without a lot of work ” so strictly WiFi.
We run 2 PS4’s ( 1 downstairs and 1 up ), multiple PC’s ( 2 gaming ), and a handful of wireless devices. Most of the time 2 gaming systems at the same time.
Would you recommend dual or tri band and maybe a recommendation of what router along with the best way to mesh my RT-AC1900P. I am looking for the best performance i can get whether a stand alone or mesh setup.
Thank you,
Brett
Wireless mesh is never good for gaming, Brett. For your case, get the Asus GT-AX11000 or the GT-AC5300 and another RT tri-band router as the node (if need be).
Dong, thanks for your reply. What about using this AsusWRT-Merlin firmware that I’m seeing people talk about? Have you used it with the Asus routers you’ve personally worked with? Tried it with AiMesh enabled? https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/about
You can ONLY use AiMesh with Asus firmware.
Hi Dong,
Wow thanks for the great review!
I am currently using 3 Asus ROG GT-AX11000 in Aimesh mode with CAT7 Ethernet as the backhaul and they’re connected to a central Gigabit switch.
I live in a rather large 3 storey house and I have the routers placed in the center of the house in every storey. I am happy to report that it has been working very well so far and I’ve yet to discover any dead spot in the house.
Lately, I’ve upgraded the switch to a multi gigabit as I want to take advantage of the 2.5G port of the router and I recently have a NAS installed so with 2.5G connectivity I can benefit from faster speed transfers from my other wired devices who is also running on multi gigabit connection.
Now, as for the other 2 nodes of the AX11000 where I am using the wired backhaul, in Aimesh mode it has to be plugged into the dedicated WAN port for it to work. I’ve tried plugging it in to the 2.5G port and it doesn’t work. When I do so, the nodes immediately uses the wireless as the backhaul.
It is unfortunate the location where I placed the router I only had 1 physical cable pulled to it, hence I cant take advantage of the 2.5G port on the rest of the nodes. And it makes no financial sense for me to just install a 4 port multi gigabit switch at the location of the nodes router so that I could plug another cable to the 2.5G port.
I am wondering if I plug the LAN cable to the 2.5G port on my 2 nodes, and have the nodes uses wireless backhaul for Aimesh, would the nodes then instead use the 2.5G connection for transfer rather than the wireless backhaul instead?
I’ve yet to try this and I intend to do so, but if you’ve had any experience in this I’d be happy if you could share!
Sure, Chang. Generally, you need to wait for a bit, like 2 mins, for a LAN port as backhaul on a node to take effect. But I haven’t tried your setup myself.
Dong, would you say the Asus firmware has advanced to a point where you would recommend using it over 3rd Party firmware like FreshTomato? If I understand correctly there are now features of these routers, such as AiMesh you’ve described here, that are only available if you use the stock Asus firmware. Is that correct? Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
As a single router, you can use whatever firmware you’d like, Mike. But for AiMesh to work you must use stock firmware. And I’d say Asus’s firmware is among the most advanced in home routers.
Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, I’ll have the GT-AC5300 as my base router and I’m deciding between another GT-AC5300 or an RT-AC5300 for the mesh node. It definitely won’t be a wired backhaul but I will be plugging an xbox one-x into the node unit.
That works, Steve. Have fun!
Thanks for this fantastic and informative article! I just got a GT-AC5300 and I’m planning on using that as my primary router but I’m not sure what I should get to be the remote node. I obviously want good coverage and speed but I definitely want to make sure the ‘smart WiFi’ feature works so I don’t have to broadcast separate 2.4 & 5 GHz channels. I currently have an AC68U but that doesn’t seem to support that feature. I’m deciding between the RT-AC5300 or another GT model. Is there any performance disadvantage of going with the AC vs the GT?
Thank you!
You just need a tri-band router. I think you mean the difference between RT and GT. GT is a model for gamers, and it’s only applies to the router unit. As a node that makes no difference. What does is tri-band if you use a wireless setup – so the RT-AC5300 is a good choice. If you use wired backhaul, a dual band router, like RT-AC86U, will work, too.
I’ve just installed my Asus ZenWifi AX, works great so far. But, whatever I do, the connection between main router and node is a single green line: 5GHz-2 uplink. It does NOT use the ethernet link, also not with the short supplied wire.
I’ve tried three different cables.
I’ve tried connection-priority ethernet in the settings.
No luck.
What can I do to fix this?
Definitely double check the wiring and equipment in between the two, Stefan. Also, use the WAN port on the node unit.
Jojo
No I didnt – only thing is working fine is wired connection – I connected UTP cat. 5E both routers and now in every place at home I am getting max speed possible. If you can wire 2 routers – do it will see much different.
Hi, do you know between Asus Aimesh AX6100 RT-AX92U and Asus Zenwifi AX (XT8), which one is a better choice?
That depends on your needs, Dawn. Read the reviews and you’ll come up with your own conclusion. 🙂 But, generally, I’d go with the latter.
Hi, I’m in the same case, when I connected my second Mesh router I’ve only 90-100Mb/s, Piotr, have you resolved ?
Done – Excellent article and I learn a lot.
I’m currently using AC88U as my primary router and AC68U as node. Recently, I signed up with a new network provider and the deal come with a new AX92U (2 packs). Should I change my primary router to AX92U or remain using AC88U as router? I will use other routers (AC88U, AC68U and the second AX92U) as nodes if I change my main router to AX92U. Are these routers compatible with each other (wifi5 & wifi6)? All nodes will be connected through Cat 6 cable. Thanks. Andy
Yes, Andy. Since you have wired backhaul, it will work well. If you use the 92u as the main router, make sure you manually change its 5GHz-2 band to a new SSID for Wi-Fi 6 only clients. That band likely won’t work well with Wi-Fi 5 clients as you will notice.
Hi Dong,
Thank you so much. I’ve read your articles a few times including all the comments. Definitely one of the most insightful and complete articles I’ve seen on the internet when it comes to AIMesh and networking in general.
Currently have a single AC88U and looking to expand into AIMesh after moving into new 2500 concrete condo here in Singapore. Have 1Gbps fibre and can accommodate a wired back haul.
Looking at the following scenarios:
1. Getting either another AC88U or AC86U.
2. Getting a AX86U.
Questions:
1. Do you recommend I get a new AC86U and make it the new router or should I get a new AC88U as a node?
2. If I get the AC86U, I understand that it would make the better router with the AC88U as the node. But the AC86U would have a slimmer profile on a desk in my office which based on the wiring has to be a node. Would you say the performance trade off is marginal or enough I should sacrifice the profile and have 86U as router?
3. The main reason I am considering the AX86U (even though the price is almost double here) to pair with my AC88U is that my Oculus Quest 2 has Wi-Fi 6. Would I see that much of a difference in performance utilising Wi-Fi 6 on the Quest 2 vs Wi-Fi 5?
4. There’s a slight chance that one corner of the condo may get a weak signal even after adding a node. If so, what would be a value for the performance additional node?
Many thanks from Singapore!
Alan
Since you have wired backhaul, Allen. You can get *any* dual-band router you want. It’ll work out well. You might want to set up the mesh from scratch.
Thank you so much, Dong.
For the AX86U, if I set it as a node to the AC88U (understanding that it would be a better router), would the node still be broadcasting Wi-Fi 6?
Likely not unless you use wired backhaul.
Dong – looks like you are expert of aimesh
May I ask why after making aimesh network – my speed went down so bad? One touter asus AC88 will get almost max. 250MB/s, when I connected in mesh Asus AC-1900U, I am getting only 90-100Mb/s. Is it normal in any cases?
Thank you for your response in advance
Many things can be the cause, Piotr but in your case, that’s likely due to signal loss. That’s true with any dual-band wireless mesh systems.
Hi Dong,
Many thanks for your article – incredibly helpful. I followed your guide with my 2 x RT-AC68Us configured for AiMesh. The firmware is current on both as of 12th April 2020 (3.0.0.4.385_20253). Backhaul is via Ethernet. On the AiMesh node I see clients attaching (roughly 30-35 out of the 96 or so clients). Then after 30 seconds or so the clients as reported in the primary router’s web interface (and the Asus mobile app) go to zero on the node and on then on the primary. After another 30 seconds or so the client nos. start to build again on both the primary and the node before again dropping instantly to zero. This cycle repeats endlessly. Connectivity on the network is disrupted so I believe the disconnections being reported are real. If I disable the AiMesh, connectivity to the primary is fine and clients remain connected. Any observations you might have on the problem would be gratefully received.
You can find a video of the issue here – https://photos.app.goo.gl/fW9z6yy2TxtQFyjE6
Never seen this, Neil. Try keeping the roaming assistance value at default, and/or maybe use an older version if the firmware.
THANK YOU & THANK YOU again!! I’ve read it now I’ve set aside the next 5 hours to attempt it. Took almost a whole hour to get a response? I can’t answer the front door that fast. You are my…Geek God; I hope that’s PC.
You’re welcome, David. 🙂 I actually just updated the post with a few extra screenshots to make it easier for you. You might want to refresh the page (Shift + F5). Have fun!
Hi, I’m a “techtard”. I received an ASUS RT-AC 5300 for Christmas and managed to get it working! Almost as difficult as rebuild my transmission on my Chevelle in 1967. Well my grandson thought I needed more so he bought me a GT-AX1000. I’ve read everything you’ve written but how do I “add” this via AImesh? I guess my biggest concern is do I have to go through setting up the new 1100 as “main new” then add the 5300 as a node. Or is there a way to copy ALL my work from the 5300 to the 1100? Kind a like plug n play?
Thank you for everything even if you don’t answer this question…you are outstanding!
My hats off to you, sir. I tried rotating my MDX’s tires at home once and it took me most almost two hours, half of which spending on figuring out how to open the nut locks without understanding the idea of a nut knock.
That said, the answer to your question is yes. You can add the GT-AX11000 (it’s an awesome router) to the GT-AC5300. I wrote the instruction in the 2nd “How to set up an AiMesh Wi-Fi system” part of the post. I used some different routers in the example, but all AiMesh routers (both of yours are) share the same process. For your case, you can start from step #3 and add the GT-AX11000 as a new “node” of your system.
Dong,
I ave a AX-88U and a AC-88U and plan to connect into a AIMESH network. My modem is in the basement in a large home. The majority of wireless connections will occur to the node which I will likely place in the main level (kitchen). Is it better to connect the AX-88U to the modem as the higher speced unit, OR place the AX-88u as the node being it will provide the most connections and has WIFI-6
Thanks
It probably won’t be much of a difference, Matt. What WILL make a big difference is that you use a network cable to connect the two vs. using them wirelessly. If the latter, consider a tri-band set.
Thanks, I got it set up with wired backhaul and it seems to be working pretty good. I also have a netgear AC2200 Wifi Range Extender. Is there any issues with using that in conjunction with the mesh system. I thought of putting it in the garage to round out the house. Not sure if another Asus router is needed, just happen to have the extender.
Dong,
Excellent article! Hoping you can offer some advice for my setup. I work from home and my cable modem is in my office at the far end of a 2700 square foot home. I have a single cat 6 run to the center of the home. I have placed my new ROG GT-AX11000 in the center of the home. I have 40+ devices connected to my network. The signal in my office is ok for my MacBook (work system), but my gaming system and lights have intermittent connectivity issues. In addition I have issues in my bedroom as the signal is going through a brick wall (fireplace). I’m considering either purchasing a second GT-AX11000 or a 2 pack of the AX6100s.
Option 1
Place a GT-AX11000 in my office as the primary router and use the cat 6 for the backhaul to the other GT-AX11000.
Option 2
Leave the GT-AX11000 in the center of the home and place an AX6100 upstairs (to add signal) and place the second AX6100 as close to the office as the system will allow. This would use the second 5G wireless as a backhaul.
Is it possible to connect the modem to the AX6100 (node) in my office and then use the cat 6 run to connect to the GT-AX11000 (primary) then have the second AX6100 connect via WiFi?
I’m open to any other suggestions. The only purchase at this stage is the initial GT-AX11000 router.
Thank you,
Joe
Go with option 1, Joe, but you can use a dual-band router there, so the RT-AX89X or RT-AX88U will do. But you can also use a Wi-Fi 5 router, like the RT-AC86U. But if you want to go with Optoin 2, mixing wiring and wireless in an AiMesh sytem is fine, and you can get just one RT-AX92U for the wireless node, as long as it connect to the GT-AX11000 directly.
Hi Dong,
A question I can’t seem to get straight with ASUS please: I have a mesh setup using an AC RT-5300 as the anchor and two 1900Ps as nodes. Should I use a single SSID and enable Smart Connect across the mesh… or leave Smart Connect off and assume that because I setup a mesh all will work for the best? It’s confusing to other people in the house to have one SSID per band and half the time they end up on the SSID that I suspect the mesh uses for backhaul (is that the 5G-2 band btw?).
Thanks!
In your case, Max, the 5GHz-2 band on your anchor router will always be on its own, no mater if you use Smart Connect or not, which you should use. I actually mentioned your situation in the post.
Hey Dong, I just recently started following you’re website and I remember you from CNET. Thank you for the insightful articles, it has been by far the best I have read on networking thus far. I do have a question for you. Mid last year, my 802.11n router died on me and I replaced it with the ASUS AX11000 router which I feel has been somewhat of a mistake. It works really well but I unfortunately have a very long home and this router is located one side of that home…so you can imagine the other side of the home gets little to no reception. Now I wish I purchased the Zen AX but it wasn’t out when I needed a new router. I am curious what your thoughts are on my scenario. Should I try to sell my AX11000 router on ebay and replace with the Zen AX or add on a AiMesh Node. The problem with the AiMesh Node from the articles that I have been reading is that I would need another tri-band AX router so that I can have dedicated back-haul that will support AX which means I am buying another AX11000 and lets face it…its super expensive. That is another 300 dollars which I do not want to spend. Any thoughts on my predicament?
Glad you’re here, Mike. I feel you. Yes, getting another GT is a bit over the top. Using a dual-band AiMesh router will work for your situation, even though it’s not ideal. That said, you can get a used RT-AC86U or AC68U or Blue Cave. You can find quite a selection of them on eBay. But swapping the GT for a 2-pack AX set is a good idea, too.
Hey Dong, great write up. I have one question, I currently have an ax88u and was wondering if I should stay with ax or is ac ok for an aimesh node? I’m between the ax58u and the ac86u. Is there a huge difference between the two when paired with ax88u?
It better to go with the AC86U, Kevin. It’ll be a lot faster.
Hi Dong and Clem – thank you for taking the time to reply with your advice and recommendations. i will give the Zen XT8 a trial run and see how that works.
Hi Joe,
Due to the high cost of the Asus routers, if possible, I would recommend buying one and testing out Asus’ aimesh implementation. A couple of posts down, Dong acknowledged some of the issues I had with iOS devices. Very frustrating (pretty much show stoppers) issues. I went all in with Asus and am past the return period, so experimenting with other mesh implementations is to costly for me.
I did have some luck with specific settings which seem to have made the system much more usable. I meant to message Dong the changes I made to see if they make sense to him. Nonetheless, I shouldn’t have to spent so much time searching for a solution and then happen to stumble on a forum with someone’s recommendations to get the Asus aimesh to work as one would expect. It should just work out of the box…
Yeap, you’re right, Clem. Asus mesh needs works. The company tries to offer too many things…
Hi Dong – most excellent review, thank you. I currently have xfinity gigabit internet, ARRIS – SURFboard 32 x 8 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem, and an ASUS Rapture GT AX-11000 as my main router. I am thinking of added on some nodes to make a mesh system, bc my smart devices (ring doorbell, arlo cams) occasionally loose signal. My residence is 2200 sq ft, and 4 floors – the main router is on floor 2. So, i would like to add 2 nodes, on floor 1 and 4, to reduce interruptions. I wonder if you could make a recommendation: Should i get another 2 AX-11000’s, or would the ZenWiFi AX 6600 mesh be good enough? i have about 15 smart devices, and other usage is for streaming movies, internet browsing, and virtual conferences/ facetime. I just want something strong and reliable so my devices don’t cut out. Any recommendations on nodes would be greatly appreciated. thank you! joe
You’re welcome Joe. Since you already have a tri-band router, I’d recommend a 2-pack of the ZenWiFi XT8 and use them as nodes. Note, though, that, for now, the XT8 caps at 867 Mbps for Wi-Fi 5 clients in a wireless setup. But that’s more than fast enough because your broadband connection is shared between devices, so it’ll never get to 1Gbps at one individual device anyway. Also, you might want to reset the GT-AX11000 before setting it up as the primary router in an AiMesh with the other two. Alternatively, another two GT-AX11000 will also work, and deliver the best performance, if you can stomach the cost.
Been using an rt-ax88u with rt-ac86u as a node since Sept 2019 with great results. I also have Metronet fiber 1Gb service.
Dong,
I have an RT-AX88U 6000 as my main router. I bought aRT-AX58U as the node. Hooked it up as instructed and worked ok. However, the node keeps disconnecting and re-connecting, disconnecting, etc. I took it back and got a different one. Same thing. I do not have them wired with a ethernet, however when I do that it still does the same thing.
If you noted, Tracy, I haven’t posted a review on the RT-AX58U. That’s to say I don’t have any experience with it. But it is indeed a budget router designed to work more as a single router.
Here are what you can try:
1. Make sure both routers have the latest firmware.
2. Reset the 58U and try to hook it up again.
If that doesn’t help, maybe you should return it, or contact Asus and give them an earful. 🙂
-Dong.
Hi Dong, thank you for another great review! I have a quick question: Does Ai-Mesh or any other Mesh WiFi work well in Linear (i.e., daisy-chain) topology? Thanks again.
Sure, Jonathan. Generally, daisy-chain is never good for a wireless mesh system (it’s totally OK if you use wired backhaul, however). But if you use a tri-band system, the daisy-chain setup is more tolerable. In the end, it’s all about the speed you need. If you just want to share a typical Internet connection that’s not faster than 200 Mbps, it doesn’t really matter. If you need a specific recommendation, check out the ZenWiFi.
Dong,
Holy Moly – I’m starting research on mesh systems, wish to beef up my home system and I ran across your site. wow I am impressed with the in-depth reviews, writings, and tests… I just wanted to give you some kudos that your work is really top notch..
thanks!
Thanks, Rory. And you’re welcome! 🙂
Great write up! I have an aimesh setup at home. My main router is a RT-AC68P, while the other two AI Mesh nodes are RT-AC68U. All three routers are connected via ethernet (ethernet backhaul). I have roaming assistant set to -70. I have a ring door bell 2 (don’t get me started on that) reporting an RSSI of -66, so I’m afraid to lower the roaming assistant to -60 or -65. My main motivation for going the mesh network route is to avoid the constant hiccups/disconnects when walking around the house while Skyping/Facetime, etc.
I had already setup the aimesh network prior to finding your website. Thankfully my setup matched your advice/recommendations – so no changes necessary.
My main issue is I still have hiccups/disconnects when using Skype or Facetime. It is especially frustrating on iOS (12 or 13) devices. It is hit or miss. Sometimes the switch occurs without incident (perhaps a very brief pause in video). Most of the time, Skype or Facetime will report “bad connection” and eventually disconnect. A quick look at the iOS network setting reveals that the iPad (in this case) is no longer connected to the network at all! I guess no surprise because the roaming assistant disconnected the iPad. When I manually try to reconnect to the network, it prompts me for a password (that’s odd, it should have saved it). When I type in the password the iPad reports the password is incorrect! Only way to recover is to restart the iPad or forget the network and then reconnect.
With android devices, there is still a hickup/pause when switching mesh nodes, but at least it reconnects after a few seconds (still not seamless – but at least it doesn’t drop the call entirely).
My experience is so frustrating I’m constantly looking out for deals on Linkysys or Google’s options.
My main question is if you have experimented with iOS devices and android devices. Do you by any chance have similar issues to what I’m experiencing above.
thanks
Hi Clem. I’d say that happens a lot to Apple’s products. For some reason, iDevices are behind others in supporting 802.11r/k which is required for seamless handoff to work well. Also, even when working well, seamless handoff doesn’t guarantee smooth real-time communication, so what you experienced with the android devices was close to the best you’d get. That said, check to make sure your routers have the latest firmware. After that, maybe back up the main router’s setting, reset everything to default and set up the mesh from the beginning. Leave the dBM at default and see how it goes, or you can restore the setting fro the backup file.
Hi, Dong. Thanks for this. I added an RT-AC86U to my existing, older, updated, excellent RT-AC68U, and initially added the new/better router as a wired access point using the same SSID. Coverage was fantastic. Later, I turned on AiMesh, and reversed their locations to make the stronger 86U the router, according to instructions. Performance and coverage are not as good. the AP/node location is best for coverage, but the router is in a corner basement office near the DSL modem. I am tempted to turn off AiMesh and restore original configuration. What do you advice? Nick
Use AiMehs but reverse the order, Nick. Right now you put the best router at the place where nobody can use it.
I am a newbie to aimless and I am wondering if I put a network adapter card ( PCE AC88) in my desktop, can I use that as my second router. I have one router already (AC-RT3100) which works really well but I am moving to a larger house and will need to expand my wireless range. If not I was thinking of getting another router to match the one I have. Please help. Thank you in advance.
Yes, you totally can turn your computer into a hotpot, Steve.
Goodmorning Dong,
I noticed a comment which express that in order to become Wifi 6 certified the XT8 needs to support WPA3 (among other things of course). In AiMesh the XT8 doesn’t support WPA3
Is Asus planning to support for WPA3 in the AiMesh mode? I find support for WPA3 quite important seeing that security is becoming more and more important nowadays. If not most important.
All Wi-Fi 6 routers from Asus have already or will support WPA3, Marcus. It’s just a matter of firmware updates. Its AiMesh feature doesn’t work with WPA3 yet, though, so the XT8 will not work with WPA3 if you use another router with it. As a pair WPA3 will work.
Thanks Dong 😀
Sure, Ian. 🙂
Hi Dong,
I have a AC86U and its great although I lose signal in the far corners of my house so have just purchased a pair of the new Zenwifi CT8’s to use as AIMesh. The CT8 will be the router and one of the nodes and I’m wondering if its ok to set up the AC86U as another node or if this would mess things up as its only dual band and I can’t use wired backhaul at all without my home looking a mess with wires everywhere!!
Any advice would be useful as I’d like to use all three devices if possible to give me the best coverage but could sell the AC86U if its going to mess up the two CT8’s.
Thanks, Ian
No it won’t, Ian, as long as you don’t place it in between the other two.
Thanks Dong. That’s what I had done at one point and placed the router in the DMZ to try eliminating the double nat situation. Problem is that you lose some FIOS TV capabilities like viewing the DVR flicks on your iPad. I’ll try again with the latest firmware and let you know how it goes. BTW is the AC88U a better device to place as the main router with the 86u as nodes or should I make one of the 86u the main router? I understand the 86u is the newer of the two routers even though its a lower number.
You can use the routers (as a mesh or not) in the AP mode, Cuong. That will solve your issues.
I tried AIMesh and it is the most unreliable piece of software I’ve ever come across. Random restarts, random de-auth, dhcp stopping working, randomly stopping forwarding traffic. Honestly, I’d not buy Asus in the future.
Thanks for the input, Craig. Btw, I edited out your colorful language. 🙂
Anyone having issues with the XT8 node and router units turning themselves off? This is my second pair having returned the first one. Firmware updates have not fixed this either.
Hi Dong, I have a 6500 sf home and tried running a FiOS quantum gateway as the main router with an AC88 (primary mesh AP) and 5 AC86U (nodes). They’re all connected using wired backhaul. Usually after a few days, the devices would start to drop off a lot of connections and have to be rebooted. I finally gave up trying to get the AiMesh feature to work and reconfigured them all as plain old access point nodes connected by Ethernet. Do I have too many nodes? What’s the real advantage of AiMesh vs using them as plain access points?
I think that’s because you use the system in an AP mode. Try using the AC88U as in the router mode. You can have the system as a double NAT or you can configure the Fios to work as a modem (more here.) Using the node as regular APs works fine but you’ll have configure each individually, and you might have a lot of interference. So here’s what you should do:
1. Upgrade all routers to the latest firmware.
2. Reset them all to default
3. Set up the AC88U as the main AiMesh router.
4. Connect the AC86U to the router (or switch) using their WAN ports (you can daisy chain them)
5. Set them up as an AiMesh system.
That will work well.
Your information has been very very helpful. I’m more tech savvy than the average person but you have enlightened me much more. I have 1 gig internet through AT&T and wired in it works as advertised getting almost 1G up and down on my desktop. In terms of wi-fi, I’ve been using the Netgear RBK40 mesh setup and really have not had the best mesh experience (Just recently disconnected it and went back to the standard AT&T wi-fi modem) It seemed like the speed was good for a few days and then boom it would be very spotty. Also they dropped connection way too much for my liking and made my streaming buffer a lot so overall I have not been impressed with mesh. After reading up on the Wi-Fi 6 standard and so much on AiMesh, I just purchased the AX-11000 and a pair of the AX92U (before I knew more about the XT8) I also have a pair of TP-Link AV2000 Powerlines that I run to my PS4 and Apple TV in the deep corner of a room that was having trouble getting wireless signal. What would be the best setup here? Also, should I return the AX92U to switch them out for the XT8 to complete the AiMesh setup or am I good with the AX92U?
Hi Mem. The RBK40 is definitely NOT for the Gigabit-class internet. It’s for something of 100Mbps or slower. You don’t want the AX92U, either (I’m testing it, by the way, and will publish the review soon). You want a Wi-Fi 6 system or a 3×3 Wi-Fi 5 system that supports wired backhaul. So yes, the XT8 will work well for you, but I highly recommend running a network cable to link hardware units, when possible.
Dong, yesterday I tried to add an Asus AC1200 Repeater, but as an AIMesh Access Point using the AIMesh enable firmware. I got it setup, connected as a node to the my Asus 3100 main router. It appears to work, and started accepting clients, but the clients on the 2.4 band started freezing up and overall made the entire network buggy and unstable.
Not sure if this combo is buggy or if the factory settings just need adjustment.
Dong, Have you had any success using the AC1200 with wired backhaul as an AIMesh Node (acting as an access point)? I like the product is only $55 on amazon, and want to use it to get WIFI access on the street in front of my house.
You shouldn’t use repeaters (extenders), Dave, if you want good and reliable performance. But if you have to, use them in Access Point mode when possible. That will work. More on that here. And yes, you can use the device AC1200 in AiMesh with a wired backhaul.
Hi Dong!
A million thanks for your thorough article on AiMesh.
Just moved from a nice wooden house to a nice concrete house meaning that my awesome GT-AC5300 isn’t enough to fix the WiFi. Got hold of a pair of RT-AX92U for a reasonable price. Question is which one to use as the primary router and how the nodes will behave regarding backbone transfer speed.
Will the two AX units have a higher transfer speed, leaving the AC with lower speed or will the entire Mesh use AC speed?
Sure, David. For a concrete house, it’s best to use wired backhaul. If that’s not possible, use the GT-AC5300 as the main router. It won’t make much of a difference the other way around in terms of speeds but you sure will lose a lot of features.
Hi Dong,
How many nodes can I use in AiMesh System
There’s no hard limit, Ronnie. I’ve used like 10 but just because I ran out of space to place the routers. Generally, if you use dual-band routers, you shouldn’t use more than 3, though.
Thanks for the info! On the node, can you utilize the ethernet ports. Let’s say my wifi router is downstairs and the node is upstairs near my PC. Can the mesh still work, while plugging the Node’s ethernet into the node vs WiFi?
Yes. Read the entire post. That helps, Anil. 🙂
Hi Dong, any idea if getting 2 x Asus AC86U and setting up as AiMesh will be better than Google Nest Wifi (Router + point) in terms of stability, speed, reach? SNBforum seems to have a few posts on stability issues in AiMesh, not sure if its old firmware though.
Sam, with AiMesh you’ll ALWAYS have to deal with firmware issues. Depending on the combo, you might have more or fewer issues. That’s because it has SO much more to offer. The only way to have almost no issue with AiMesh (as well as any other mesh systems) is using wired backhaul.
If you drink beer, you can think of Google Wifi as Budwiser, you know exactly what you get each and every time but then the only thing worth noting is the number of restroom visits. AiMesh is like a local craft IPA. 🙂
Hi! I’ve got hardwired AC5300 with to AC68U nodes – about a year or so as mesh. It has worked well (mostly, some updates not so much…). However, the last couple of months the wifi is starting to struggle. Normally fine the beginning of the week. Reboot normally do the trick, but it seems it is escalating and now asks for password quite often, but usally wifi signals just drop out. I update the router and nodes through the app.
Firmware main: 3.0.0.4.3854_81219-g78687a (updated status)
Nodes firmware: 3.0.0.4.385_10000-gd8ccd3c (updated status
Appreciate any nod to the right direction 🙂
I feel you, Stan. Here’s what you can do.
1. Back up the setting of the router.
2. Reset the router to default factory settings.
3. Set up the router and restore the setting from the backup.
That should help. Better yet, and if you have time, just reset the entire system and set it up from scratch.
Hey Dong, thanks for the review. I got a AIMesh system I’m am generally happy with it. The one feature I’m missing is extending the Guest network. You mentioned that ASUS is planning to add support for that in 2019. I can say that this did not happen for the RT-AC68U. Is there any news on an update which enables this?
The last time I talked to them, they told me they were still working on it. So your guess is as good as mine, Markus. 🙂
Just updated my set of RT-AC68U which are in an AIMesh system. I can confirm that the guest network is now available on all of the nodes (with firmware version 3.0.0.4.386_40558 and after changing the “Sync to AiMesh Node” setting to “all).
Props to ASUS for providing the update for a seven year old device!
Nice! Thanks for the update, Markus! I’ll check this out.
Hi Dong I have two ASUS RT-AC68U routers which I am about to install as mesh but also have a Netgear AC1900 Dual Band WiFi Mesh Extender, Model EX6400, and a Netgear Powerline WiFi 1000 (PLW1000v2 and PL1000v2) available. Is it a good idea to use an Extender and/or Powerline devices in a mesh installation?
It’s not a good idea to an extender with a mesh, Gary, though you can. The powerline kit can be used as a backhaul for the mesh. It’s not better than using a network cable but better than wireless, especially if you have a lot of walls. More on that here.
I have an ‘odd’ situation, and I can’t seem to find a correct answer. My ‘home’ network is broken into 4 VLans and on 3 of them I have individual wifi access points that each transmit their own separate SSID. I have a rather large house, so depending on where I am some of the access points are better than others – so I would like to get a mesh system that can handle 3 separate (actually prefer 4) SSIDs and VLAN each segment off to the correct network – is this even possible with ASUS AIMesh – or do I need to stay with 3 separate/individual access points?
No, Chris. The AiMesh doesn’t include those capabilities. You might want to look into the UniFi Dream Machine. I haven’t had time to test out the UDM’s mesh yet but I’m pretty it will work well.
Kind of a novice as networking goes. Previously, I wanted to expand my network which included 2 Rt-AC68u routers in an Aimesh network. I wanted to add an RT Ac 86u as the main Asus router. When connected, neither 68u would receive the 2.4 ghz signal. I promptly returned it for a replacement. The replaced item when received and installed did not work either. Same problem, a weak or non-existent 2.4Ghz signal. I returned it as well. Is there a chance that I can make this combo of routers meld to form a working aimesh system? 2 Nodes(RT AC68U) + Asus Master (RT AC 86U)
They should work, Jay. I actually tested AiMesh with the same setup. I’m not sure what you meant by “neither 68u would receive the 2.4 ghz signal”. Something is missing there.
Appreciating the hard work you put into your site and detailed information you present. It’s nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same outdated rehashed information. Fantastic read! I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.
I have three RT-AC1900P routers. One set up as primary and two as nodes. My question is, does AiMesh work as daisy chain hops. As in. Can I place node one 40-75 feet from the main router and node 2 another 40-75 feet from node 1? Or do I need to have both Node 1 and Node 2 within 40-75 feet of the main router. I’ve been noticing an issue where it’s not handing off to node 2, when Im standing right next to it, 100 feet from the primary router, but only 50ish feet from the Node 1
Yes, but you don’t want to use that topology if you can avoid it (unless you can use network cables to link the hardware units.)
Hello Dong,
I have the Asus AC3100 as my router (bought 2018). My home is around 4400 sq/ft. I am debating on a mesh system as Im using the other side of my home now. I recently bought (yesterday) the ASUS 1900p at best buy because my signal drops on my labtop when in a “dead-space”. I have about 20 devices connected to my network. (TV’s/lights/locks/computers/thermostats/cameras).
Should I:
A.) make the ac1900 the node and “extend my signal” with aimesh?
B.) return it and purchase a Tri band?
C.) Purchase a Mesh system?
A should do, Jay. It works even better if you can link the two together using a network cable.
Hey Dong,
I just purchased an Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 to add to my network, and I already had an Asus RT-AC3200.
Right now I left my RT-AC3200 as the primary router upstairs connected to the modem and have the GT-AX11000 downstairs connected by ethernet.
Current Router Modes:
RT-AC3200 in Wireless router mode (Default)
GT-AX11000 in Access Point(AP) mode / AiMesh Router in AP mode
1) Does it matter which router is the primary router?
AKA would there be any benefit in having the GT-AX11000 as primary router?
2) How do the different modes for each router compare?
Should RT-AC3200 be in Access Point(AP) mode? Any benefit in having GT-AX11000 in Wireless router mode / AiMesh Router mode (Default)? Or in AiMesh Node mode?
I have a lot of smart devices and would like for all of them to “talk” to each other. Please advise! Thank you!
-Michael
The RT-AC3200 doesn’t support AiMesh, Mike. In your case, you should use the GT-AX11000 as the router (default) and the RT-AC3200 in the AP mode. Set both to have the same Wi-Fi network name(s) and password(s) and you’ll have a decent network. You might not have a very robust handoff but things should work well.
Hi Dong,
I have a mesh system with an AC68U as the main router, a second AC68U wired for ethernet backhaul, and a third AC1900P router in AIMesh mode. My question is, do the routers work in a daisy-chain fashion, or does each extra node need to be connected to the main router? i.e, I seem to have trouble getting the wireless node to connect unless it is placed near the main router, it registers as offline if is only put near the secondary wired node. It’s a very large house and I’m trying to have 3 zones of Wi-Fi coverage with the third zone extending to a planned Nest outdoor camera up at the end of the driveway, and I’m having a lot of trouble making it work. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
You need to configure the router that uses wired backhaul as an AiMesh node, too. In your case, it doesn’t matter to which other two devices, the router or the 2nd wired node, the third router connects, but yes, it will work in the daisy-chain. Again, make sure you have one Main AiMesh router, and two AiMesh Nodes FIRST, before placing the nodes as you wish.
Hi Dong,
I’ve had a mesh system with hardwired backhaul for about a year (direct wire between units no switching). In the last week, I had connections to the mesh node (ac68u) start showing “connected no internet” on my phones.
Last time a reboot of the router seemed to clear things up. Now it’s doing the same thing. I rebooted the router and both mesh and router are showing wireless as working, but I can only connect wirelessly to the internet on router.
Connecting to the mesh node still said “connected no internet” (signal strength on the mesh node is -26 dBm from where I normally sit). From the mesh node the ASUS app says “failure to connect”.
Logging into the router shows firmware 3.0.0.4.384_81049-gbd61205 on both nodes, with no connections to the mesh node. So the Router seems to be seeing the mesh node, and when I turn the mesh node off the router see’s the mesh node and reports “offline”. The wireless lights are all on on both devices.
After repeated rebooting of the mesh node, the node finally came up normally. I can’t figure out why the system would be acting this way, I thought it might be a firmware upgrade, and some discussion in SNBforums indicated it might be the case but they are years old.
The logfile from this morning is showing a TON of similar entries.
Sep 12 13:11:53 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(386): eth2: Deauth_ind B3:F1:DA:B3:23:2D, status: 0, reason: Class 3 frame received from nonassociated station (7)
Sep 12 13:11:53 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth1: Auth B3:F1:DA:B3:23:2D, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
Sep 12 13:11:53 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(449): eth1: Assoc B3:F1:DA:B3:23:2D, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
Sep 12 13:16:10 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth1: Auth E0:3G:49:F1:A8:11, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
Sep 12 13:16:10 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(449): eth1: Assoc E0:3G:49:F1:A8:11, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
Sep 12 13:16:10 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth E0:3G:49:F1:A8:14, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
Sep 12 13:16:10 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(449): eth2: Assoc E0:3G:49:F1:A8:14, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
There is nothing hardwired to the mesh node but the backhaul.
Really hoping this is not a bizarre hardware failure, therefore I’m hoping it’s a firmware issue.
If you know anything about this I would really appreciate some help!
I believe you since it has happened to me, too, the past two days, and I use the latest routers. If you have a setting backup file, just retore the router and it will fix it. If not, make a backup and do a restore. I know it doesn’t make sense, but somehow that worked, for me at least. I have contacted Asus on the issue, and hopefully, there will be a permanent fix or explanation.
Saving and restoring did seem to solve the issue. Then I looked for a manual update and it looked like a more recent manual update existed.
”
Version 3.0.0.4.384.81049
2019/09/05
ASUS RT-AC68U Firmware version 3.0.0.4.384.81049
Bugfix
– Fixed block internet access problem when clients connected to AiMesh node <- This seemed important
"
So I tried applying a manual upgrade on the router and the mesh unit (router is ac68P and mesh is ac68U), I applied the specific upgrade for each even though they had the same MD5 hashvalue. The GUI reported an update date of
"Updated : 2019/06/27 04:03" which was the same as before I manually updated both devices.
This seemed to cause all wireless to fail (maybe should have left it alone!) .
So I removed the mesh unit, rebooted the main router and that seems to be working for now.
I have a saved .cfg from prior to manual upgrade and after. When I get more time or ideas I might try more.
Would gladly issue a bug report as this must be affecting more than I.
thanks!
John
Sorry to hear. Asus is looking into it.
Hi Dong, I have a situation that I’ve planned over and over again but wanted your technical expertise input. The basic question I have is: Can I turn a non-aimesh Asus router into a wired Access Point connected to an Aimesh Primary router? I have two physically different locations I want to have wifi connectivity. Building A has the AC5300 in Aimesh router mode. I have the Asus RT66U (a non-Aimesh router) in Building B. If I made the RT66U into an Access Point with the 2.4 mghz band with the same User Name and same wifi password as the Aimesh Primary router in Building A, and did the same with the 5.2 bandwidth, can it physically connect to Aimesh Primary router and operate as a fully functioning Access Point? Without actually doing all this I have the feeling that the RT66U cannot be used as the Access Point in an Aimesh network, but maybe there is a workaround.
Yes, you can, it will work just like any access point — don’t expect seamless hand-off and there might be bad interference. You can even use the second router in router mode (not access point mode). The result is that devices connected to the 2nd router won’t “see” those connected to the first router, but all of them can access the Internet.
Hi Dong, I am using an Asus RT-AC86U as my main router downstairs and an Asus RT-AC68U upstairs. Both of my routers are updated with the latest firmware; however, my AC68U often disconnects intermittently and I lose internet connection. Have you heard of this happening with Asus AiMesh routers?
You might want to reset the RT-AC68U and re-add it. Just choose to delete it from the AiMesh interface of the RT-AC86U and it will reset. That should solve it.
An update of my experiences with the AiMesh approach to Mesh systems. I posted here back in September 22, 2018, after I did a search of AiMeash networks and came upon Dong Ngo’s detailed column. By the time I found Ngo’s column I had already installed my own Aimesh system. Initially it was the primary router AC86U with second AC86U as the node. The first system worked well enough that I decided to add more nodes. This was back in late 2018 and there were still readily available used AC68U routers inexpensively since people hadn’t caught on of upgrading their AC68Us to be AiMesh compatible. I bought several of the old AC68Us for about $50 or less.
I upgraded my first system to a “second system” that now has TWO more nodes by adding two hardware upgraded AC68Us to the AiMesh capability. The second system now contains a primary AC86U as the router, a second AC86U as first node, a first upgraded AC68U as the third node, and a fourth upgraded AC68U as the fourth node. The system worked perfectly and I was able to extend wifi signal throughout my 4,000 square feet two level plus basement home and beyond.
Comfortable with the wifi strength and reach I then did what I have dreamt of for years: add wifi cameras throughout the house and beyond. After obtaining good results with Ring Always at Home doorbells I now have three Ring doorbells and one Floodlight camera added to the Aimesh system. After working out some bugs the attached Ring cameras to the AiMesh system worked very well.
In early 2019 I realized the AiMesh system was going to be taxed a lot so I decided to change the primary router of the AiMesh system to the more powerful tri-band Asus ROG AC5300. The ROG has eight ports instead of the conventional four ports to connect cat cables to, which was a great selling point. I added the ROG router in April 2019. I installed a device which shut off the power to the router and the ISP modem at the same time, but then would power up the modem first, wait a fixed ONE minute time passage to power on the router. This device allowed my modems and router to be rebooted every day at a fixed time (about 4 am local time when the internet wasn’t being used). Reliability of internet service is still buggy and a physical reboot of modems and routers will resolve those issues the best. Upon rebooting the modem and the primary Asus ROG AC5300 I found one particular node that would fail to reconnect wirelessly to the AC5300 about two out of five times. I moved that router to different locations but it still wasn’t able to reconnect as an AiMesh node about 40% of the time; when it failed to do so I would physically have to shut down the node and reboot it to a successful connection. Upon rebooting the connection was 100%. This was annoying to me so I plugged that problematic node to a wifi controlled outlet which could remotely shut down power to the outlet which supplied power to the problematic node. This solved my problem.
Once I was comfortable with the expanded Aimesh system I added Blink cameras. These are wireless cameras which uses the 900 band wavelength as a “backhaul” to communicate with identical cameras, but uses the 2.4 band to communicate outside of the Blink cameras system. Since then I have added five Blink cameras to the system. The Aimesh network is so strong one Blink camera is installed outside of my home next to my mailbox which is about thirty feet from my front door.
The combined Ring, Blink, Asus system has been working well for the last month or so. I just planned another system for my other property. A second ROG router will go into the other property and will be main router in a AiMesh system.
One little trick I learned was creating a Guest network using the 2.4 band. This Guest network is dedicated to the Blink and Ring devices. Once I hooked these cameras and doorbells to the Guest network, I then made the SSID invisible. Making the SSID invisible prevents any wifi device from connecting to it. In a way I created my own private back haul for the Blink and Ring devices. Asus as far as I know hasn’t made the Guest access part of the Aimesh network but based on what I’ve read they will do so in later updates.
Hi Dong,
Great review and inspired me to buy the Ax11000 – now I need to setup a Mesh WIFi so I can play my PS4 in the basement as well. So I have got an ASUS – AC2600 Dual-Band Wi-Fi Router – Blue/white to setup as a Mesh node and keep the AX11000 as the main router. Any hints or suggestions before I open the blue cave? Should I consider a different router as the node to get better performance?
Thanks a lot!!!
Considering you have the GT-AX11000, you might want to use the same units for your nodes, which is going to be very expensive. Other than that, the routers you mention will work fine, too. I actually use a GT-AX11000 myself as the main router and a Blue Cave as a node and they work well together. I use wired backhaul, however.
Hi Dong,
First of all, thanks for the great article. I am currently planning an AiMesh setup consisting of a router and 2 or 3 nodes. I like the idea of using Asus Lyra (the big round AC2200 version, not the trio or mini) for the nodes (because of the unobtrusive look, and the tri-band support). For the main router, I’m thinking about getting an Asus RT-AC86U or RT-AC88U. I’ll have to use wireless backhaul, but since the nodes are tri-band, a dedicated 5GHz backhaul should be possible. Am I right in assuming that since all router and all nodes support MU-MIMO, the router should have two 5GHz antennae available for clients at all times (with the other two used for the backhaul)? Do the clients need to support MIMO or even MU-MIMO as well for this to work? What are your thoughts on this setup?
Regards,
Hi Mich,
Your assumption is correct. Backhaul works by band, so one of the two 5GHz bands on the nodes will work solely for backhaul. If you use a tri-band router as the main router, during the setup, when you choose SmartConnect (which you should), the system will tell you which 5GHz and it will use for backhaul. In your case, the node will do that automatically. Most clients support MIMO (unless you have REALLY old ones), many support MI-MIMO but they don’t need to support either to work with the system.
One thing to note: The Lyra is a bit of a pickle in my trial (note that I didn’t review it), it can be a pain to set up and during previous firmware releases it wasn’t very reliable in an AiMesh setup. However, it seems it works better now with the latest firmware. That said, make sure you update the firmware to the latest before doing anything.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
-Dong.
Hi Dong, thanks for your answer. It seems AiMesh support in the Lyra is still pretty new. So I suppose the smart thing to do is wait a little longer for it to mature. Knowing Asus, it will get there eventually. I guess I’ll just start with the router and my existing 802.11n access points, and work my way up from there.
Hi Dong,
First — Love your site — always impressed by your analysis. Now on to my issue 🙂 I have a RT-AC5300 and 2 AT-AC86U in my mesh and seemed to be constantly having issues with my Sonos and Canon MF733CDW printer in terms of not seeing things! Is there some setting I need to adjust? Canon tells me the printer and my PC/laptop need to be on the exact same node for it to work…. THANKS!
Thanks, Peter. Canon is right, generally, devices need to be in the same subnet to see one another. That said, make sure you use the three routers in an AiMesh setup — one router and two nodes — and not as three individual routers. Also, reserver the IP address for the speaker and the printer. That should fix it.
Thanks. I do have them set up as one router and two nodes. My PC keeps wanting to connect to the router while the printer wants to connect to one of the nodes (both same 2.4 network). If I unplug the node that the printer likes, things work fine. Will reserving the IP lock the printer into using the router? (Sorry for the silly question!)
No, reserve the IP only makes sure that the printer will get the same IP every time. It seems your network is fine. Try updating the printer’s firmware, too. Restart it.
I just want to say THANKS! This entire post answered EVERY question I had and concern. “Blown Away” Either you a engeneer ASUS or just really freaking smart either way I am and I’m sure many are very grateful for your time and energy in answering ALL our questions
Thank U!
You’re welcome! 🙂
Hi Dong,
Thank for your extensive reviews! I’m finally about to upgrade our AirPort Extreme+Express setup in our three story row house to something a bit more up to date. I’ve been considering a dedicated Mesh system, but these newer “meshable” routers-extenders, such as AiMesh seem to be the way to go.
If you look purely at an ease-of-use and stability point of view, I.e. set-and-forget, would you rather recommend an AiMesh System based on the AC86U+BlueCave (or 86+ 2 Lyra trio), or a Synology mesh (AC2600+MR2200)?
What about longevity, I.e. presumed/foreseeable lifespan of the hardware?
Best regards,
Gus
Hi Gustav, I’d go with the Synology solution since it has fewer variations and therefore fewer bugs. (I haven’t tested the Blue Cave and Lyra Trio combo, for example). However, both should work well in long term use.
Hi Alain Dong,
Which router did you use as base in the Lyra-Aimesh tests – the -86 or the -88?
I’m considering these from a (wall) placement point of view…
/Gus
sorry…should be Hi again Dong… autocorrect acting up….
And I meant Lyra Trio+Router in Aimesh setup…not my day today…
Hi Dong,
Big fan on your articles and reviews. I currently am planning a RT-AC86U / RT-AC68U setup with a hardwire connection between them. However, I’m wondering what you recommend to connect the CAT5e wiring throughout the home that terminates in the basement – is there an switch that works best with this setup: modem -> router (main) -> switch -> router (node)?
Hey there! Thanks. That’s a great setup! You can use any gigabit switch. Just pick an unmanaged switch (most of them are — unless they are labeled as “managed”) and you’ll be a happy camper!
Wouldn’t one use the main router’s LAN ports and switching capabilities instead of an external switch?
Hey Dong, I have a mesh setup using an RT-AX88U as the main and an RT-AC68U as the node. My question is will everything still work if I activate the 802.11ax support seeing that the AC68U is not equipped to handle it? Thanks
Yes, “everything” will still work, assuming you use SmartConnect (using both bands with the same Wi-Fi network). However, you will NOT get Wi-Fi 6 speed out of the 68U (obviously). Chances are you might not have Wi-Fi 6 speed out of the 88U, either, since it works in compatibility mode. But if you do NOT have Gigabit-class Internet, or if you don’t have many Wi-Fi 6 clients (which is likely the case since nobody does), then you’re fine. 🙂
Short answer: Yes, you’re fine.
Hello, I set up 2 AC68U routers as a mesh system and it seems to be working. Should I see the internet led lit on the node to confirm wifi reception of the node? Or do I have to hit the wifi button on the node? The only buttons lit on the node are power, 2.4 and 5g. Thanks.
Don’t worry about the lights, Dave. You can check the status of the AiMesh using the Network Map in the web interface of the router. It’ll show the connected AiMesh node(s).
The ASUS AiMesh AX6600 was recently announced and I am still getting used to the AX6100 I got a couple weeks ago! Ha, I should’ve heeded your words and just waited. I do like the AX6100 though, it was so easy and painless to set up and the +15 WiFi devices throughout my house haven’t dropped connectivity so far.
But I really didn’t think a new mesh router from ASUS would come out so soon! Is this a normal trend? Or by announcing a new Mesh router did ASUS think the AX6100 was a mistake?
Hi Dong,
My Setup:
I have an ASUS Blue Cave and 3 – RT-AC68U’s Nodes. I use the BLUE CAVE as my main router and my RT-AC68U’s as Nodes about 30-35ft apart with walls between. One is hard wired to the Cave and two are wireless. Everything is at the latest firmware. Currently the BLUE CAVE is 3.0.0.4.384_45708-g6c4a2e4 and the AC68U’s are 3.0.0.4.384_45717-gadd52a8. Normally they match but the latest firmware has them out of sync. Regardless Ive been through 3 bios versions with a similar wireless disconnect issue that spreads. The Blue Cave is on a UPS and so is one of the nodes and I can rule out power blips. I can see a few other neighbors wifi’s but their signal strength doesn’t appear to be an issue we live on 1/2 acre lots and I dont believe that we are conflicting with neighboring wifi chatter but I could be wrong.
What Changed:
I began having constant problems when I introduced the Blue Cave but the problem did exist before not as frequently. About every 2-3 days I have to recycle all my routers to get both wired and wireless working again. I did just notice that 2.4ghz Roaming assistant signal DB possibly from a firmware flash or the introduction of the Blue Cave got set to -55db and I just changed it to -67 and 5ghz was set to -70 which I also changed that to -67. to see if that improves things. But that is right now I might not know for 2-3 more days if this helps..
How the problems Start:
It generally starts with my daughters iPhone 6 unable to connect to wireless (Latest IOS) then usually my wife’s wireless pc. Both hit opposite nodes which made me think this is some sort of DHCP problem. One node is wireless (Daughters area) the other node is wired (Wife’s PC). Both iPhone and pc devices are wireless. Then it hits a few other wireless devices like Alexa and eventually wired sometimes goes with it till we recycle things. Once alexa starts flashing red we know we have to recycle.
Things Ive Tried.
I have attempted to change channels but none of them seem to improve the problem.
I have replaced some of the problem Wi-Fi devices with newer Wi-Fi devices. Like USB 2.4ghz or Internal Wi-Fi with updated 802.11ac USB devices. Only one device is no longer having a disconnect issue.
I hard coded a few of the wireless devices the IP addresses on a few devices hoping that would improve things as I have heard of people saying they have problems with DHCP. It seems to have helped but its still occurring. I have not see conflicting IP addresses.
I’m also using a 192.168.50.* IP range to try and ensure were not conflicting with neighbors using the default 192.168.1.* range.
QUESTIONS:
1.) Does the Roaming assistant signal strength also apply to the nodes? On some occasions I notice that a node is offline and I’m amazed that even the wired one has done it and I’m unsure why they dont seem to re-establish or self correct without a recycle. Right now I see one node 5ghz with full bars and the second with 3 bars 5ghz. Could the node be dropping and keeping the clients on it from connecting? Might this cause some sort of cascading issue? I also sometimes see
2.) I am curious to know what settings you use for AI Protection and Network Protection? Right now I have everything green but I have read of other people having issues with some of these settings blowing things up.
Open to any suggestions as I’m at a loss. I’m tempted to go back to just AC68U’s but then the problem was weekly or bi-weekly but I also recall I set the Roaming assistant to -65 off the top of my head. Its possible my 2-3 day issue began when that got reset to -55.
Thanks,
Mitchell
Hi Mike,
Sorry, you’ve been having issues. At this point, I’d recommend:
1. Try using one of the RT-AC68Us as the main router instead of the Blue Cave.
2. Make sure you connect the wired node to the router using the node’s WAN port.
3. Resetting all of them and setting them up from the beginning.
4. Placing the nodes around the main router (or the node that’s wired to the router.)
As for your questions:
1. Yes, also the default number varies so use the one the router automatically picks as your base to adjust.
2. I have everything turned on except for Router Security Assessment where I use port forwarding and remote web management.
Hope this helps,
-Dong.
Thanks for ur reply Mr Dong , May I ask u another question , which the best modem can I use it with the Asus Router ( ASUS AC2900 ) I have Huawei HG532e Can I use it as a Modem ?
Thank you for this very informative article! I just got the ASUS AX6100 (RT-AX92U) Triband Mesh router a few days ago and was planning to use my old ASUS AC1900 as another node but it looks like it’ll be best used as the main router instead. But I think I’ll just wait until the price comes down on other ASUS Triband routers though. There’s a lot of router settings to play with and I have no idea what I’m doing, heh.
Do you plan on reviewing the RT-AX92U in the future?
Yes, I plan to review it, MT, I’m waiting to get a new Wi-Fi 6 client. For your situation, it’s a bit tricky since the AC1900 doesn’t support Wi-Fi 6. You should use the RT-AX88U as the main router instead. Using the AC1900 as the main router will work for now, but when you have Wi-Fi 6 clients, or when you have a gigabit-class Internet connection, the router will slow them down big time.
Hi Dong , Thanks for fantastic review , I have a question , can I use this router as a modem , because I don’t wanna use a modem and I want to use this router as a modem , can I Put the Wan port to the phone cable ?
No, you cannot use a router as a modem, Mansour. They are two different things completely. And no, you can’t connect the phone cable to the WAN port, they are two different types of interfaces. You can find out more about these here: https://dongknows.com/common-networking-misconceptions-explained/
Hi Dong. Thanks very much for your excellent review. I decided to take the plunge and bought two ASUS RT-AC86U and set them up as you suggested. Absolutely brilliant! I’ve had them for about six weeks now and haven’t had a single issue.
When I first set the system up, after updating the firmware on both machines, I went into the settings and noticed that the Roaming Assistant setting was set, by default to -55dBm. This seems to be quite a bit higher than you suggest. Having said that, it hasn’t caused me any issues whatsoever, all my devices seem to connect to either the router or node as I thought they would.Although I am a great believer in the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” school of thought, I wondered if you had any thoughts on this?
Hi Gordon. Thanks for your input. Don’t worry about it. That’s your base dBm number. If it works for you just leave it alone, or you can adjust it within 5 points or so either way.
Hi Dong,
Is there any way we could choose 5ghz as the backhaul? And is there any performance difference if the backhaul chosen is 2.4ghz or 5 ghz? My devices are all connected via 5ghz wireless.
Hi Nathan,
The system picks 5GHz automatically as backhaul when that’s possible. It only switches to 2.4GHz when you place the node too far from the main router. There’s no way to pick that manually, however. The fact that your devices connect via 5GHz doesn’t necessarily mean the 2.4GHz is used as backhaul. Generally, if you’re happy with the speed, don’t worry about it. 🙂
Hi Dong, Thank you for this awesome review. I have followed your reviews on CNET before and they are very well done. I am writing to find out how I can reach >600mbps WiFi speed on my Ai Mesh using two Asus RT AC86U? My current setup is pretty straight forward: One 86U (main router) is connected to modem (gigabit fibre optic internet) in the lower section of the house (I live in raised ranch styled house) and another 86U as node on the main floor. Backhaul is through Cat6a (550MHz) ethernet cable running between the node and router. I have not messed with router settings (stock router firmware which has been upgraded). The best WiFi speeds I am getting are 320mbps down and ~350mbps up. I have 1 GB down and 750mbps up fibre optic plan through my ISP. Wired connection works as expected; full speed for down (986mbps) and up (720mbps). Do you have suggestions on how I can improve the speeds to atleast ~600mbps on WiFi? I have checked my internet speed on LG G7, Dell XPS 9550 with upgraded intel AC9260 160mhz WiFi card and samsung s9+ using speed test by ookla and dslreport speed test. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks Dong.
Hi BE,
It’s very hard to get >600 Mbps with an 802.11ac router. This is because it’s more than the real-world Wi-Fi in most cases. The only way you might be able to get close to this is to use a 3×3 Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) client. Most clients (laptops, tablets etc) uses 2×2 Wi-Fi which caps at 867Mbps on paper, this means you’ll get around 400Mbps in real-world usage.
To really get Gigabit Internet in full, you’ll need Wi-Fi 6.
-Dong.
Hi!!!
Great input. Just a quick question. Can we choose 5ghz as a connection between the 2 wireless routers? Or is it automatic?
Thanks! It’s automatic. There’s a way to configure the band steering but it’s a bit vague and I have to admit I haven’t been able to figure it out completely.
Hi Dong
Thanks very much for your info!
I have three questions to ask for your advice:
1. Must setting up aimesh nodes be done through wifi, or is it possible that ethernet also works now? I know ethernet backhaul can be used, what about during the moment of setting up?
2. If i set up the main router as AP aimesh router to connect to the gateway modem-router, do the other aimesh nodes need to connect to the aimesh router through ethernet? Or is it possible both the wan port of the router and the other nodes connected to the gateway modem-router?
3. Do you know, if i have already set up 4 nodes in aimesh router mode, and now i switch to ap aimesh mode, will the 4 nodes still remain after switching?
Thank you!
Hi Bong,
1. You have to set it up using Wi-Fi. Follow my instructions on page 2.
2. You must set up the whole AiMesh system first. After that, you can switch the main router into AP mode. All of the AiMesh nodes will connect to the main router (or another node), wired or wireless.
3. Yes, see number 2 again.
Hope this helps.
-Dong.
Hi Dong, Great write up. I’ve been messing around with AiMesh as of late as well and can’t bring myself to buy purpose built mesh network hardware. Having read your blog, I’m happy to know that AiMesh APs are coming – now I just need to wait for a decent triband aimesh node APs before I can achieve full coverage. I originally opted for a cheap AC66U B1, but I couldn’t quite work past the latency/connectivity issues I was having despite placing the node in as close to optimal positioning as I could (inSSIDer heatmaps are useful) and setting roaming thresholds – gaming on my PS4 which was connected to the AiMesh node was fairly horrible.
Anyways, I just wanted to chime in to say that while the backup/restore process for ASUS routers is nice, clean and simple, VPN certificates change and so, if you do migrate, you’ll need to export the new router’s VPN configuration (not sure if anyone else noticed this).
I also wanted to hear your thoughts on the relationship between ASUS smart connect and roaming thresholds. I didn’t spend much time determining the correlation between the two since I read an article that put me off using smart connect, but imagine that with some time, and future updates, it could be quite useful.
Hi there. I think in your case, you should use a cable to connect the RT-AC66U to the main router. And thanks for letting me know about the VPN export. That makes total sense. The roaming thread hold (band-steering) of Asus router is very vague. In fact, I’ve been asking them to give me some specific guidelines on how to configure this but they don’t have any themselves. So it’s mostly trial and error. I personally use SmartConnect, though, it’s more convenient that way. 🙂
Hi Dong, after successfully connecting an 86U as an aimesh router and an 68U as an aimesh node using a wire, I streamed Spotify using wifi with full bars but it was choppy even though I have QoS enabled in Media Streaming mode. What setting should I adjust to prevent choppiness? Thanks.
That’s something to do with your Internet, not the system. Test your connection, Tony. https://dongknows.com/how-to-do-an-internet-or-wi-fi-speed-test/ and make sure you read the entire post this time! 🙂
Hi Dong, I just purchased an RT-AC86U to replace my RT-AC68U as my main router. Both units have firmware supporting aimesh. I set the new router to be the aimesh router and connected the 68U via a wire and set it up as an aimesh node. The main router is working as expected with the devices connected wirelessly to it as well as the other wired connections. However, I am having trouble getting the aimesh node to work. I have a PC wired to it and it does not have internet although the aimesh router does.Please advise.
Tony,
Make sure you set up the node using Wi-Fi before hooking it to the main router (via its WAN port). Also, make sure you update both routers to the latest firmware manually.
-Dong.
Hello Dong,
I recently purchased another RT-AC86U to run as a mesh. However, the only problem I have is that the 5 Ghz is giving me issues with or without running them together as a mesh unit. Even when I don’t use them together in a mesh setup, I still get this intermittent issue using either of them as the main router. It won’t even connect to the 5Ghz band at times, but 2.4 ghz works. I’ve tried different channels, but to no avail.
I tried contacting Asus, but they can’t help me resolve it. Any ideas what could be causing this? Thanks!
Hi Dough,
The RT-AC86U should work well. I speak from experience. That said, you can try updating the router’s firmware to the latest. If that doesn’t help, chances are it’s your client (the device) that’s the problem. Try updating the software driver (or the firmware) for the device itself.
Hope this helps,
-Dong.
Thanks for your response. All my devices and laptops, including the routers, are up-to-date. FYI…all the devices go out at the same time when there is something wrong with the 5 Ghz band. Gosh, this one is hard to figure out as to what settings might be causing this issue.
That’s a tuff cookie! I’d recommend resetting the router and setting it up from scratch. Maybe that helps.
Thank you for the review. I have a 4500 sq ft three level house and am wondering how to set up my mesh. I have to have my router in the corner of the top floor. I am also fortunate to have at my disposal three Asus routers: GT-AC5300, RT-AC5300 and an RT-AC86U.
1.Which one should I use as my main router on the top floor?
2. I am thinking that I could use an Ethernet backhaul from one node (second floor) but otherwise it would have to be wireless backhaul. What options should I consider?
Thanks!
Hi Erle,
You have a great set of routers!
a. If you can use an Ethernet back-haul from the main router: Use the GT-AC5300 as your main, then RT-AC86U and wire it to the main router. You can place the third wherever it makes sense.
b. If you cannot use an Ethernet back-haul from the main router: Use the RT-AC86U as your main router. Place the rest where it makes sense.
Hope this helps,
-Dong.
Thank you Dong. I appreciate the advice.
One more question… Should I separate the 2GHz and 5GHz bands or leave them as one? I do have a couple of legacy clients that can only connect to 2GHz band (Ring doorbell for example).
Either way will work, Erle. I’d use them as one, though, more convenient that way.
Hi Dong,
What do you think? Is it still worth it to buy Asus AC86U now since it was released around 1,5 years ago? Is there gonna be another new routers that performs better than AC86U?
Another stupid question, what is the standard ping to router with distance around 3-8 meters? I am getting 4-20ms to my gateway.
Hi Don,
Yes, it’s totally worth it, especially considering it’s more affordable now. There will always be newer and better one but you only need what work for your situation and the 86U will.
I’m not sure about your question re: standard ping. Locally, there shouldn’t be any delay at all.
-Dong.
Thanks for the answer! What I mean is when I ping to 192.168.0.1 (gateway) via command prompt, mine got time 4-20 ms via wifi with distance around 3-8 meters. Router AC68U
I am also planning to use aimesh, but I read if I use merlin, aimesh feature is gone. Is that article is still true since the article was wrote in early 2018? Also which firmware version do you recommend for rock solid result with AC86U?
Got it. That varies A LOT by the way. It depends on may factors and generally doesn’t really effect much. What you care about is the latency for the Internet speed test. https://dongknows.com/how-to-do-an-internet-or-wi-fi-speed-test/
Hi, what about my question about aimesh – merlin and best firmware version? Thanks.
Yeah, sorry, I missed that part (was using my phone and the lower part was cut off). Anyhow, you need to use Asus’s firmware for AiMesh to work. I always use the latest firmware that’s available. 🙂
I learned the hard way that the Guest Network can’t be extended to the node. But, I’m curious if it can be extended if I use the second router in repeater mode instead?
No, Melissa. If you want Guest Network, you should go with Synology Mesh instead. https://dongknows.com/synology-mesh-review/
Hello –
I currently have the Asus RT-AC86U as my only router with a 300gb service from my cable company. I want to extend my network/Wifi across my house and out to my patio. I already have a CAT6 ethernet run to where I would put the second router for creating the AiMesh and it’s in the room I access my patio from, so close. I’m looking at the RT-AC68U for my mesh node and having it hardwired to the 86U. Does this sound like the best way to accomplish expanding my Wifi network so my patio and garage have access? NOTE: Part of this is that I am installing speakers out on my patio that will run off an Echo DOT/amp set up and I want to have Wifi for streaming music.
Thanks
Yes, that will work well! Have fun, Jay!
Thank you!
I set up an AIMesh using a brand new GT-AC5300 Rapture and an RT-AC66U-B1 as the node. I only had it running for a short time before I became frustrated with the whole thing and removed it. Went back to using a Repeater instead of the AIMesh. The setup was easy, it worked as advertised but it killed my network speed both internally and from the Internet. I have a 300Mbps internet connection that I have always been able to get full speed from to my laptop (ROG G522 with Intel 7265 Wifi). As soon as the mesh was up and running the best I could do from ANY device in my home both wired and wireless was 130Mbps. My network speed from my laptop to my Server went from 75 MBps to 32 MBbs. I would have to conclude that the mesh setup may work but be aware that there are significant differences to you network speed if you use it. I was not aware it would be as bad as my tests have shown. Perhaps a newer router than the AC66U-B1 would give better performance but I won’t spend any more time or money on it. My RE650 as a repeater works a lot better.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Ron. Yes, I think with the RT-AC66U, you need to use a wired back-haul. Using a wireless setup, the signal loss will be quite significant. Also, in your case, it’s likely the 2.4Ghz was used as the back-haul.
I looked at what band was being used and found it pulled one of the 5GHz bands for the backhaul. That of course means all connections to the AC66U node would be 2.4 GHz only. I guess some of the comments from others saying use Tri Band devices at both ends of the mesh so you do not lose the 5GHz band to the Mesh. It might function OK using a wired backhaul but my whole reason for doing the network wireless is because it would involve ripping out a ceiling to feed wires. I had hoped it would perform as well as the RE650 repeater did but it was not even close, The overhead using Wi-Fi for backhaul in the GT-AC5300 must be extremely significant since using the mesh really messed up transfer rates from any WIFI connection to and other device on the network. My IP cameras could not be reached consistently from the internet (or internally). The GT-AC5300 router also stopped showing and connection speeds for any Wi-Fi device. There is no way to display the amount of data being sent to the Nodes as the stats panel seems to totally ignore the mesh node in the stats. I am very disappointed in the AIMesh experience so far.
No, the 5GHz on the RT-AC66U is still available for clients, just at much slower speeds… I haven’t tried AiMesh with this combo so don’t know what to tell you. But maybe try upgrading the firmware. Download it from Asus’s website and flash the routers manually. Maybe that’d help.
Hi Dong, I have a WiFi mesh with RT AC5300 as primary and RT AC1900 as secondary router connected via ethernet for dedicated wifi backhaul. Since past 2 days I have noticed that my two Motorola XT1575 phones constantly drop and pick up wifi connection. All other clients are working fine in the network. Do you suggest any tweaks that could be made to correct this issue. BTW – your blog in a treasure trove of knowledge! – Jai
Thanks, Jai. Try restarting the phones, and updating them to the latest version of Android available.
I recognize that running cable would optimize my speeds, but I am not yet in a position to do so. That being said, I have 1 gig internet service through my carrier and and am able to maintain reasonable speeds on WiFi. My problem is that there are more than 10 devices connected at any one time. Will I be stepping my potential speeds down by using the AC86U as the primary and the RT-AC5300 as the node over getting a second RT-AC5300?
Hi Jeffrey,
Yes using the dual band router as main and the tri-band as node will help with the speed, better than the vice versa. I don’t think you’ll need a 2nd tri-band, though that doesn’t hurt.
-Dong.
Hello, Dong. Glad to have ran across this article. I know from your CNET days you’re wisdom can be trusted. I’m helping a non-profit upgrade their wifi and am considering a couple of options – one of which is the Asus AiMesh. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with my personal Asus routers over the years. So, they currently have 3 Netgear WNDR3400v2 routers spread across the building and all have Ethernet cable to them. Looking at 3 UniFi UAP-AC-Pro’s, a Unifi USG and UniFi Cloud Key or 3 TP-Link Omada EAP245’s with the USG and Cloud Key or 3 Asus RT-AC68U’s in AiMesh. As a non-profit, cost is a huge concern. Estimated costs: UniFi @ $650, Omada @ $450 and Asus @ $330. Any suggestions so far? If we go the AiMesh route – using Ethernet for the backhaul – we should expect to get the same speeds from the nodes as at the main unit – correct? Some of the other things I’ve read about AiMesh are that it’s a bloody mess of signals not having the units work together efficiently to provide connection from the strongest signal. Is that still a concern or have the updates to AiMesh made it more cohesive? Your testing results are the first ones I’ve seen that indicate AiMesh is actually faster than something like the Orbi RBK5X systems. I’d love to jump right in to the Asus system, but I don’t want to create something that is slower than expected and that requires more regular maintenance to keep online. My personal Asus experience has been they are always online and running well, with no need for regular restarts like so many other brands seem to require. Thanks for your advice!
Thanks for your continued support, Douglas 🙂
Yes, if you go with wired back-haul, there’s no signal loss between units at all. In fact, if the office is not super huge, two units might do in this case if you can place them at optimal locations. As for the “blood mess of signals” issue, it’s just a matter of configuring the Smart Connect rules (Networks Tools -> Smart Connect Rule) and Roaming Assistance (Wireless -> Professional) using the main router unit’s interface. By the way you can also program the system to restart by itself once in a while. (Administration -> System -> Reboot scheduler).
Hope this helps,
-Dong.
I appreciate all the work you’ve put into this. I have some questions that as of yet, I’ve not seen any good answers.
I need to upgrade my network here and have what I believe is a bit different environment. My internet entry is from Comcast and comes into a metal cabinet. I presently have a ASUS RT-AC87U acting as both a firewall and in-house wireless. I have 2 AP’s, an ASUS N12 and a. Belkin AP.
What I need to do is have a network firewall/router in the cabinet feeding a mesh network that would cover my home plus a workshop about 200′ away. All devices are connected with Cat5e/Cat6 cable.
My questions are:
1) Can I load the ASUS Mesh firmware on my current router? I can’t find a definitive answer on the ASUS site.
2) I believe I need at least 2 or probably 3 AP’s to cover the house (the walls are wire reinforced plaster) with another AP out at my workshop.
How would it be best to start into this on a phased basis. I’ve looked at other vendors but ASUS and Ubiquiti are the only 2 that I think will work. I want the seamless handoff between AP’s and to speed up the existing network.
Thanks
Hi there,
1. No, none of the hardware devices you mentioned supports AiMesh.
2. You can get a few units of Synology MR2200ac to build a mesh. After that, use network cables to link them together. In this case I think you’ll need three at most to cover your property. For more on Synology mesh check out this post:
https://dongknows.com/synology-mesh-review/
Hope this helps,
-Dong.
Thanks for your reply. It did bring up a second thought. My experience has been in the high-end commercial IT world (42+ years), most of which was in the network arena.
I had been looking at the ASUS, Ubiquiti, and briefly at the Synology units. I like both the ASUS and Synology (I have a Synology 1812+ storage server already). My training and experience indicates a firewall between the Comcast input and my network but that is a problem in that most of the equipment I looked at is also WiFI capable. Am I wrong in assuming that most of the vendors do not have dedicated (other than Ubiquiti) firewall units.
All home routers has a Firewall section that you can configure. BTW, if you use Comcast, maybe you want to look at getting your own modem.
https://dongknows.com/how-to-install-your-own-cable-modem/
Among other things, that’d give you more options in terms of how you can configure your home network.
In a story large 2 story house with stairs in the middle and ISP modem at backroom at 2nd story, 1 main router will be place there and the node placed at middle of 1st floor (near the stairs).
Is it better to get AC86u as main and AC5300 as node OR both AC5300 as main and node OR both AC86U as main and node?
It’s a good balance of cost and performance to have the RT-AC86U as main and the RT-AC5300 as node. It doesn’t hurt (other than cost) to have both using the RT-AC5300 but it doesn’t help much, either. Both using the RT-AC86u will probably do fine, too, unless you have A LOT of simultaneously active Wi-Fi clients (like a dozen or more.)
Thank you for the fast response. For Ac5300, although it has 2 5ghz band, does the router auto use 1 5ghz for backhaul or it might be possible, it will switch to 2.4ghz due to stronger signal range as the distance between the router might be further with 1 or 2 wall separating them?
If that happen, then there is really no point to have 5300 as the node in my case. However if it does force 5ghz as backhaul, the using the 5300 is worth it as it free up the 2.4ghz channel. There might be some legacy devices that hoard 2.4ghz bandwidth around the node.
Is 86u broadcast signal stronger than Ac5300? If 5ghz channel is stronger with the newer 86u, then it might be an advantage to use 86u for both if 5300 does not dedicate 5ghz for backhaul. Having 2 channel of 5ghz is overkill if 2.4ghz is clog up. The Internet plan is around 500mb to 800mb.
Yes, there’s the chance the 2.4GHz is used, but only if you place the node really far from the main router. That will likely not happen if you lace the node 75 feet or shorter from the main router. Also if you have that fast an Internet connection, using network cables to connect the main router and nodes is a must. Else, you won’t be able to enjoy that speed in full.
Hi Dong,
Currently I have 2 ac68u units running on wired connection via regular AP mode. Questions:
1. Are there any benefits to switching to Aimesh or can I leave my setup alone?
2. Is it possible to add a 3rd party (ie. TP-Link) repeater to Aimesh system? Not as an Aimesh node, but just as its actual purpose to repeat and extend an existing wireless signal.
Thanks!
Hi Oli, Yes there are benefits switching to an AiMesh. And yes, you can use a third party extender with an AiMesh setup but generally extenders create more problems than they solve. You can find out more on this here: https://dongknows.com/mesh-wi-fi-system-explained/
Hello Dong.
Thanks for the great advise and help to so many of us.
Recently I upgraded my home network and purchased two routers ASUS GT-AC5300 and RT-AC5300. The GT-Ac5300 was purchased to take advantage of the new VPN Fusion that allows for selective tunneling. All devices connect directly to the internet and only my mediastreaming devices like Apple TV uses the VPN tunnel. However the official released firmware from ASUS Version 3.0.0.4.384.32799 has many issues. When you enable the VPN Fusion the internet connection drops. It only works if all devices go through the VPN tunnel or all devices directly to the internet. I tested a beta firmware from ASUS forums Version 3.0.0.4.384_44603 and it solves the problem with internet disconnects but the AIMESH functionality has disappeared. I no longer have this option under network map.
Wondering if you or other users of GT-AC5300 have experienced this problem and any advise on resolution.
Thanks for your input. Sorry that happened to you. No I don’t use the GT-AC5300. If that’s the case, chances are Asus will release a new firmware to fix that soon. In the meantime you can flash the router back to the firmware version that works.
Hello
Been looking through here, and the suggestions are so good. Thanks so much!
I’ve recently invested an ac86u as main router. I am considering getting a ac5300 as aimesh node in addition to several other ac68u nodes on other floors of my office. Would like to ask several questions:
1. Ac86u has smart connect function. Will this extend to the ac68u nodes?
2. Since ac86u is only dual band, will this waste the extra band on ac5300 as a node?
Thanks!
Sure, Bong. Glad you found them helpful. Regarding your questions:
1. Yes, that node will have the same Wi-Fi networks for both bands.
2. No, one of the two 5GHz band will be used as the dedicated back-haul that connect to the main router.
Hope that helps! 🙂
Thank you Dong!
What if i use ethernet to connect the ac5300 to ac86u? Will the tri-band ac5300 have more bandwidth for its wireless connections in this case?
Thanks very much for your advice!
Yes then all of it’s band will serve clients. Using Ethernet to connect the routers is the way to go, by the way.
Hi Dong
I have a RT-AC3200 which I have setup in the basement where my Verizon Fios comes into the home office. As you can imagine I have very spotty service on the main floor and worse on the 3rd. I want to set up an aimesh hardwire from the basement with cat from the absent to the 1st floor. What would a compatible setup be?
Hey Kevin, I totally hear you. I actually have the same issue (though I use a different ISP.) I don’t think the RT-AC3200 supports AiMesh. That said, you should replace it with one that support AiMesh. Or, just get the RT-AC68U and use it in AP mode with the existing router. Good luck!
Hi Dong
In the DMZ settings on the ISP gateway I see the possibility of selecting the Mac address / IP address of the ASUS router
DMZ On Off
Input Mode MAC Address or IP Address
Should I turn on the DMZ and associate the Mac address to expose the ASUS LAN IP to the internet.
Hello Dong
This is further to my question earlier of how to configure the Asus RT-AC86U AImesh router with the WAN IP address. I logged into my ISP Gateway, This shows the DHCP config as follows:
DHCP Server On
LAN IP Address: 192.168. 2. 254 Subnet Mask: 255. 255. 255. 0
DHCP Start IP Address:192. 168. 2. 1 DHCP End IP Address:192.168. 2. 200
ISP DNS: Off
Primary DNS: 192.168. 2. 254
It has the option of DHCP Binding where I can associate a mac address of the ASUS router to a IP address of the gateway.
Is this the means of assigning a WAN IP address to the secondary router from the ISP gateway.
Should the DNS from ISP remain turned off?
Thank You
No it’s not that part. You should leave it alone if your internet is working fine. What you want is the setting that pass the WAN IP to the LAN IP of the ASUS router. Like I said, it varies gateway by gateway, even the name of that setting. It tends to locate in the Advanced or System section. You can also the DMZ setting of the gateway if it has one to expose the ASUS routers LAN IP to the Internet. Sorry I can’t be any more specific.
Yes that should do it. After that, check for your WAN is from behind the ASUS router to see if you get it. If so you’re all set.
Great work, Dong!
Helping friends who have a two story, wide footprint house with a RT-AC68W in an upstairs office. They’re on an Xfinity internet 150 Mbps plan.
Their kids play Fortnite on a downstairs PC with wifi connection. Seems to suck bandwidth dry.
We’re thinking of using the AiMesh capability by adding a RT-AC88U, downstairs connected by Ethernet cable to the upstairs AC68U.
Any thoughts on which router should be configured as main and which should be the node, keeping in mind that the hungry gaming takes place downstairs?
What have I not considered yet or gotten wrong to this point?
Thanks,
Tim
Use the RT-AC88U as the main. You can prolly set up QoS to limit the bandwidth of fortnight if need be.
Thanks, Dong, for the rapid reply!
I have an RT-86U as the router and another RT-86U as the AiMesh node. Do you recommend using Smart Connect or having separate SSID for 2.4 and 5.0GHz bands?
By the way, I’m having a terrible issue with the latest firmware where my 2.4GHz band has erratic throughput, from 40Mbps suddenly down to almost zero at times. My Homekit devices sometimes have their connection fall off resulting in NO RESPONSE. Read online the latest two firmwares from Asus are causing this. Have you had any experience with this issue as it appears you have the same AiMesh setup.
Yes, I do.
Sorry you had issues. I haven’t experienced it with mine setup. Try restarting everything manually. That might help.
Hi Sorry to confirm. The WAN IP address that I find on the ISP gateway (84.86.243.154) should be set as static IP on the ASUS RT-AC86U (currently 192.168.2.36) on the ASUS WA-Intenet connection screen?
No, that won’t work. Leave the WAN setting of the Asus router to take the IP automatically. You need to program the IPS gateway to pass that WAN IP to the Asus router for the VPN to work. It varies gateway by gateway but all has a setting for that.
Hello Dong. Thank you for the valuable advise you have been providing on the forum. MY home setup has an ISP router gateway modem with 500mbps service. I have an ASUS RT-AC86U as primary aimesh router and RT-AC5300 as Aimesh node. The rt-86U is also setup as a OpenVPN Client.
Additionally I have another Netgear Orbi RBK50 and 2 satellites RBS50 as a second LAN that does not use VPN.
The wireless on the ISP gateway is disabled but DHCP is enabled. The Orbi is setup as access point and not as router.
Should I setup the primary AIMesh router RT-AC86U as access point or as a router? I am unable to put the ISP router in bridge mode
You should use the main AiMesh as the router and use a modem to connect to your ISP. If a modem is not an option (and you must use a gateway, which is a modem/router combo) then just connect the WAN port of the RT-AC86U to a LAN port of the ISP’s gateway. After that, configure the gateway to:
1. Give the RT-AC86U the WAN IP address.
2. Turn off its Wi-Fi.
Dong, forgot to make another comment about your thorough research.
Bought several dedicated Mesh Networks. Installed them and the wireless transmission speeds were alarmingly slow as I was expecting the speeds to be much faster because of the mesh typology. Put those units on storage as I was not willing to put up with such slow speeds. Better for me to wire a second router and use that as the node since I would get faster speeds than the dedicated Mesh Networks.
You thorough delineation of mixes of routers shows the dedicated Mesh Networks underperforming compared to AIMesh is absolutely true. Again, I wish I had read your article before I invested time and money playing around the other dedicated Mesh Networks.
Thanks for sharing your experience, William, and for the editorial suggestion. I appreciate that. 🙂
Hi Dong,
My friend is using AC86U as router and AC88U as node. He is having the problem that WiFi camera is only connected to Router which has a lower signal. Do we have any solution that could force camera to connect to node which has stronger signal?
Thanks.
Yes, here’s how:
First, make sure all devices involved are updated to the latest firmware. Check their support pages to be sure. If that doesn’t help. Do the following:
1. Log into the interface of the main router.
2. Go to Wireless (under Advanced Settings) -> Click on the Professional tab -> change the value of “Band” to the band that the cam is connected to, likely it’s the 2.4GHz.
3. Change the value of “Roaming assistant” to “Enabled”
4. Change the value of “Disconnect clients with RSSI lower than” to a different number, generally just lower it by 5 points or so. -> Click Apply.
Repeat step 4 until it works.
Hope that helps. 🙂
-Dong.
Thanks so much. I will inform my friend accordingly.
Hi Dong…
I am thinking to get RT-AC86U to pair with my old DSL-AC68U, which one do you recommend to act as a primary.Thankyou.
If you’re using DSL and don’t have a separate modem, you’ll need to use the dsl-ac68u as the main router. Otherwise the 86u is much better as the main router. I’m not sure the dsl-ac68u can work as a node though since I’ve never used one.
Hi Dong,
I am setting ROG GT-Ac5300 as the router and RT-AC86U as the node. Do you suggest to switch GT as the node to get better performance?
I am quite confused why the better performance GT AC-5300 to be the node rather than the router. But for RT-Ac5300, I understand as it has lower spec.
Yes! You’ll lose the link agreegation feature though.
Okay. I will switch AC86U as the main router and GT-AC5300 as node. I don’t use link aggregration and I wish this will improve the performance.
Meanwhile, do you suggest to have both AC86U for router and node, instead of AC86U as router and GT-AC5300 as node?
If you have a wireless setup, having the GT as node is better. If you use a network cable to connect the two, it doesn’t matter.
You know though, my home isn’t that big but because of walls I loose signal or it gets week in a shorter distance, before I actually buy a third router I am going to try to reconfigure where my main router is and see if it works. Hopefully it does and I am satisfied. Thank you .
Okay got it.. thx
Hi,
So I have 2 ac3100 right and I am thinking of adding a third. but I was thinking of getting an ac1900.
My question is and I am surprised I have heard someone ask this yet,how will the ac1900 affect the speeds considering it is a slower router?
Hi Steve! It will not affect the speeds of other routers in the mesh, though it, by itself, might be the slowest one. This means, generally, clients connect to it might get slower Wi-Fi speeds than when connected to others. In all though, chances are you won’t see a big difference because most clients don’t have the 4×4 specs of the AC3100.
4×4 specs? please explain
https://dongknows.com/home-wi-fi-explained/
You can jump right to the Wi-Fi Streams section.
Also what if I bought a ac2900? which would I want as my main router?
Read the post again, Steve. I talked about which you should use as the main router. 🙂
well.. which is a better router? the ac2900 or ac3100? and your build was an ac2900 and an ac1900 wasn’t it?
This depends on what kinds of clients you have and how many. Generally is the RT-AC86u is the latest and has more features. Overall, you won’t likely see any difference.
Thx Again, I think I may get that one, then all I need to do is backup my ac3100 and use the ac2900 for main?
Yes, you can restore the setting of the former to the latter, if you want. Make sure you update firmware for all those involved.
How-ever what?
I just wanted to emphasize on the importance of the firmware update, Mark. 🙂
Question please 😀
Well do you think that Aimesh WI-FI is going to be around in the sense more expandable than the basic mesh systems? ASUS has done a decent job building this set up and I think it will continue to expand, but is it best to have powerful system as a set up or just use the basic routers in your set up?
And in my set up if you could only have one hardwired Backhaul and the other Wireless Backhaul would you use the AC1900P or the AC3100 ?
Thank you very much for your time and help.😀
Yes, my guess is AiMesh is here to stay. In fact the company has announced plans to expand it with 802.11ax already.
https://dongknows.com/asus-announces-802-11ax-wi-fi-routers/
I’d use the Ac3100 for the wireless setup, Mark. Of course, a wired connection is always the best.
Question
How much of a difference does it make in performance when using cat5 versus cat6 in my setup? Or does it really make a difference if you are on much high band with with your service provider?
Thank you
No difference at all. CAT6 is only for future-proof purposes, really long in the future, when you get new hardware entirely.
Will the 3100 performance be better than the 1900p in a higher demand area in your opinion?
Thank you
Hi demand as in many WiFi clients, no. As in faster speed (with supported clients), yes.
I have the AC 3100 in my system and I did hardwire it, all now are connected by Ethernet cables from my AC5300.
Question would be if I choose to move the 1900 and the 3100 and switch where they are at, would it effect my Aimesh system?
Thank you
You can move them around, that won’t effect the system’s performance much, if at all.
What is the best dBm to have set for hand off with roaming assistance on?
Dong,
I have the main router set up using my AC RT5300 and the node as a AC1900P which is hardwire back haul. The 5300 is down on the main floor in my entertainment room and the 1900p is upstairs in the office and I have roaming assistance turned on, and the 2.4 band set to -55 and the two 5.4 set to -70 and that seems to work, but do you feel I need to set them differently or what app is best to see what’s the sweet spot for this setting?
Also I was thinking of adding another node to my living room because that seems to still be a bad spot for a strong signal. I have another router it’s the AC3100 that I could use in there, not sure if I can hard wire it or have to use wireless back haul.
Your thoughts please.
Thank you very much for your help! 😀
Your setup is fine, Mark. If you add another node, it’s best to use a network cable to connect it to the main router (or the other node). Make sure you update the firmware of all of them before adding, however.
Dong,
Quick question for setting up AiMesh, do the router/node have to be on the same channel? Obviously they will have to be on SAME SSID. Is it a good idea to use same SSID for both 2.4 and 5?
Also, if I have 2 RT-AC5300, I assume I can mesh those 3 bands, right?
Thanks.
The channels will be picked automatically, Mike. And yes, all SSIDs will be meshed. As for to which band a client will connect, that’s also automatic.
Great Review and instruction. I have 86u as router and rt5300 as the node. I don’t get the clients that I think I should on node. They are located closer to the node than to the main router. Is there a way to force a client to be on the node? I have 2 Nest cams that will occasionally show up on the node (they are closer) but will seem to spend the majority of the time on the main router….signal strength is lower though. I’m trying to get the most out of the Aimesh system. Would enabling Smart Connect help? Thanks!
Thanks, Brian. About your issue, check the following:
1. If the performance of the cams are OK, there’s no need to worry much but try turning them off and back on.
2. Upgrade firmware of all devices involved. For the routers, make sure you check the firmware yourself (Google them using their model number and “firmware”).
3. If you have a relatively new smartphone (like no more than 2 years old), try moving it from one router to another to see if it switches on its own (normally it takes a few seconds). If so, the hand-off works and that means the cams don’t support 802.11r or 802.11k. In this case, there’s no way to fix that, other than number #1.
Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi,
1. Do I have to run the main in router mode? Is AP mode ok?
2. For cable connection, is it ok to connect them via switch or hub?
Thanks.
1. Yes/No. 2. Yes.
ok, great.
Too bad, I have to run my main in basement. I’d like to run them on 1st floor, so I can have better coverage.
Run a cable from the basement to the 1st floor.
I have Comcast coax-cable coming in my basement, where I put the modem.
When I built the house, had 4 rooms hard wired and connected in the basement.
Currently, I have a Linksys router in the basement (wifi turned off, connecting to the modem and 4 rooms), then I put 4 Asus routers at each end (none of them are AiMesh ready!!!)
One option is to get 86u in the basement (very corned of the house) to replace the linksys. Then get a AC5300 as node on 1st floor (center of the house). Should I need another 86u on 2nd (another side of house)?
Thanks.
Thanks Dong..So I followed your advice and bought 2 ac-86u’s for AiMesh. The performance is incredible. I am getting 586/500 mb down on the satellite I am getting like 320 mb down. I get a great signal in what was problem areas. If someone is close to a micro center they have 2 ac-86u’s for 299.99 right now. It’s a very good deal.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing, DeAndre!
Deandre….I also bought the same pair of ac86u’s from Microcenter for 300 bucks. I got them yesterday and they absolutely smoke the Orbi RBK53 and the Velop 3 Pack Triband. Dong does know!!!! Thanks Dong!!!
Yes the performance is just incredible.
Yes the performance is just incredible.
So Dong….which one….a pair of Blue Cave or a pair of rt-ac86u? Mostly interested in wireless performance and mesh coverage. I have some cinder block walls in my basement that I’d love to penetrate thru with 2.4? Which pairing is better for AIMesh?
Here’s my order: RT-AC86U -> Blue Cave -> RT-Ac68U. However, if you have very thick walls, none of them might make a difference. Maybe you should think about running cables over or through those walls.
AIMESH does not play well with Repeaters . I have a 3 router AImesh system and a RP-AC68U. The repeater does connect to the AIMESH but the connections seem to roam from node to node. As an example my 5G connection to the mesh will be 500Mbs but my 2.4G connection will be 13Mmbps . Originally those values were swapped .
There is no way to lock your repeater to an individual node . Hopefully ASUS will release a repeater with AIMESH or add the functionality to the RP-AC68U.
Hello I am currently using a ac5300 as the main and a ac1900p for 1 mode, and a ac88u as another. Have a network drive on the ac5300. Should I be using the ac1900 as the main? I can hook the ac5300 and the ac1900 together with cat5 if needed. The ac5300 and ac1900 are 150ft apart and it seems to work well.
If you can hook them up using network cables, any of them can be the main router, but it’s best to use the setup you have right now. Otherwise, you should use the RT-AC88U as the main.
So i did what you said, except i did not buy the node, the range on AC86u is incredible (2.4ghz wise), 5ghz, range is obviously going to be low but other than that its amazing, will be buying a node at a way cheaper price.
Cheers! Yeah a cheaper router for the node will do.
Hi Dong,
I returned two Orbi RBK53 because of constant issues with their networks having to be re-setup after power outages. I also had a velop system before the Orbis but it seemed slower than the Netgear mesh network offering. This AIMesh looks interesting. If 400-ish dollars was a budget and I wanted to take advantage of wirelessly transmitting as much of my Verizon Fios Gigabit service as possible, which Asus routers would you recommend? I saw that the Blue Cave and the RT-AC86u are similar. Blue Cave is a bit less expensive. Any thoughts and would the AIMesh rival the RBK53 or perhaps beat it?
Thanks!
Hi Armando. You can’t get 1Gbps with a wireless setup, period. For your Internet speed, you should think about running network cables to link networking hardware together. However, a set of two RT-AC86u units will outdo any mesh of similar price. You can also try the ASUS Lyra Trio. Don’t get the Blue Cave for AiMesh yet. Though it works, I’d wait till a next firmware update before counting on its AiMesh feature.
Thank you so much, i will let you know how it goes when i go return it.
I wanted to ask you, with this AiMesh system merging two router to create one single access point, will this slow my speeds down or boost it a little bit? Currently, i just bought a Asus AC3200, does not support AiMesh but it has a tri band, thinking of returning it and getting the ASUS RT-AC88U that supports the AiMesh, and then getting another router ( perhaps the ASUS AC3100 or AC1900 that’s provided by T-Mobile, i believe you did a review on the AC1900), and merging it to get better range. I mostly need my routers for streaming on my Smart TVs, firesticks, iDevices, and mostly gaming *HIGH PRIORITY* and also 9 HD video cameras installed to view live from your phone (uses a lot of internet), don’t really care about download speeds. With the AC3200, i bought a netgear x4s mesh range extender one name access point, reading some forums i heard extenders like that slice your speeds in half and it actually did lower the speeds, once disconnected that netgear device, speeds were better. So my question is to you, 1- will the Aimesh cut my speeds down or boost a little or stay the same using a wireless connection? I know using ethernet will obviously boost it. hopefully boosts or stays, i don’t want no slow speeds and 2- will this extend range more? thinking of putting the secondary router near the wall that goes to my patio (kinda close to where the primary router is) to get range wifi outside.
Hi Oz! If you intend to connect the node to the main AiMesh router using Wi-Fi, generally you’ll lose some bandwidth. To avoid this you can use a tri-band router as the node (hence have one band dedicated as the back-haul), or use a network cable to connect the two. In any case, it’s always better to use AiMesh than using a router and an Wi-Fi extender. Hope this helps!
Now the AC3200 (tri band router ) does not accept the Aimesh technology, but in oyur case lets say you have the router i do, what would you do to extend range (POWERLINE is not a option), do you buy 2 routers the primary the best in its class and the second one gets the job done also but its not as expensive. Let me know
If I were you, I’d return the AC3200, get an AC86u as the main router and a AC5300 as a node. If you’re on a budget, the RTAC68u (or an AC1900) as a node instead of the AC5300.
If i go with your options, and connect them via wireless together instead of ethernet cables, do you think i would drop speeds but get more range or get both range and speed the same or higher? so many questions im sorry just a tech geek running out of options.
This depends on how far you put the two apart (find out more in my post). But if you use the tri-band node, your speed will be very good.
Yes i did read. What do you think of having the ASUS RT-AC3100 Dual-Band as the main router and the ASUS RT-AC86U AC2900 or ASUS RT-AC68U Wireless AC1900 Dual Band Gigabit Router as a node???
Out of the three, the RT-AC86U should be used as the main router and the other two as nodes.
Dong, very good advice. I had set up the RT-86U as the primary router and another RT-86U as the node in an AIMesh system.
Then I bought the RT-AC3100 and firmware upgraded it to the version that turned it into an AIMesh router. (The RT-AC3100 is a 4 LAN port wireless router as opposed to the RT-88U (which is basically an RT-AC3100 with EIGHT LAN ports; I don’t know what ASUS was thinking at the time). I made the firmware upgraded RT-AC3100 as the primary router and the RT-86U and noticed there was slight wireless speed degradation compared to my first set up which was RT-86U primary to second RT-86U as node.
It took some time for me to set up the new AIMesh so I’ll just leave it as is, with the slighter wireless speed. Too lazy. But I will set up a second systerm with the RT-86U as primary router and the firmware upgraded RT-AC3100 as the node.
I observed what you wrote, when setting up the AIMesh node you can’t do harwired but only wirelessly.. Also you noted you cannot address the node directly, period. All modifications to the primary router are “duplicated” by ASUS software to the node. These are observations I made trying to access the mode directly and wasting over four hours.
You certainly know your stuff. Thank you.
Is there a downside to using two RT-AC68U routers instead of a RT-AC86U/RT-AC68U setup you talk about in the article… especially with a wired backhaul?
The 86U is faster and has more features than the the 68U, Patrick (read my reviews!). That said, you’ll likely have a more powerful mesh using the 86 as the main router and even faster if you also use one as a node. If you just want to share a modest Internet connection, though, chances are you won’t see much of a difference.
Hi Dong, I recently purchased AC68P to replace my router. I am really happy with my purchase as both signal strength and speed have improved with all my wifi connected devices. I have 2 older computers in my study that is connected with 802.11g and n adapters. I would like to improve the connection speed even more so I can transfer files from those computers to my NAS which is connected to my router. My question is will I get better performance to install both computers with AC adapters? Or should I purchase another aimesh router and hook up both computers with cable to the new router and let the new router link up with the main router wirelessly. those computers are about 25ft away from my router with 2 walls in between. Connecting the 2 routers with cable is out of the question. I believe it is cheaper for me to get another AC68P than 2 AC adapters. Is there any downside to the 2 router solution?
You have a good setup there, Keith! Yes, if you get those two computers each an AC adapter, you’ll get faster speed. In this case make sure you set the Wi-Fi security to use WPA2 encryption method with AES (and not TKIP-AES). There’s no downside to getting a second router (cost aside) but no upside either, you wouldn’t get any faster speed considering the environment.
Hi, I have been using AC68U and and just bought AC86U to set up AiMesh. Have also been using TP Link powerlines adapter for upper floors of my house. Can I use these TP Link powerlines to connect to the LAN ports of both AC86U and AC68U for the backhaul purposes of the AiMesh network?
Yes you can though, as you probably already know, that’s not as good as using a network cable.
Hi Dong..Thanks for the post. I have a asus RT-68P as my main ASUS router and 2 flashed TM -AC1900 as my aimesh nodes. I am able to get stable WiFi ( after few tweaks) throughout my 2000 sq ft house but when I run iperf from a 2016 macbook pro on the second floor to my hardwired desktop (gigabit NIC )in the basement, my effective throughput is only about 100Mb/s on a gigabit internet plan. Is there any way i can bump up this performance? I saw that each of the nodes ( when they were working as a wireless AP), the receive rate was about 500 Mb/s. So I was expecting to see atleast 200-300 Mb/s wireless with aimesh.
If you have that fast an internet plan, you need to use cables to link the units together! Also make sure your desktop has a gigabit networking port. 100Mbps is about right btw since you have to factor in the signal loss, however. Most mesh systems has the “good” threshold of just 50Mbps.
Hello, thanks for advices.
Question: asus RT-AC88U has 8 network ports. If I connect 2 of them by ethernet cable and set up them as AiMesh, will all combined 16 lan ports will be on the same network (that wired devices could see each other) ?
Is it possible with this setup to combine 2 internet sources (lets say 2 LTE modems from different providers) into one internet source for home networking ?
Thanks.
Other than the WAN port on the main router, the rest of the ports will work as LAN ports. And yes you can set up Dual WAN on the main router unit to support another internet connection. Cellular can use a USB port.
Just to be sure: on master and on slave routers conected by ethernet cable devices will be on the same network ?
That’s correct! Both main router and nodes are on the same network.
Hey
I currently have an Archer 2600 setup as my main router. I have two AC68u routers sitting around. Is it possible to connect one router as an extender then second via aimesh?
Unfortunately, no, Omair. Only Asus routers support AiMesh. You won’t be able to use the TP-Link in the mix.
Hi,
Currently I am living in a 4000 sqft 2 storey home, I am considering between the Netgear Orbi Kit (RBK50) (Orbi Router (RBR50) + Orbi Satellite (RBS50)) vs two Asus AC86U with AiMesh. Which set up would you recommend more? Am a bit concerned with the dual band system of the AC86U
I would totally recommend the ASUS AiMesh. It’s best if you use a dual band router as the main and a tri- band router as the node. However, even if you use two ac86u units, the setup will be better than the rbk50. Among other things, you have the option to connect them using a network cable later on.
Thank you so much Dong. Went and bought 2 AC86U’s. Now not only does my house no longer have any more blind spots, I am able to enjoy consistently strong speeds which I was unable to previously (previously had a repeater set-up). Also, I am finally able to enjoy working in my garden patio. Plus point, the AiMesh function also enabled me to prolong the life of my old AC68U router which has a damaged WAN port as I can use it as another node.
That’s awesome!
Hi,
is there any way to only setup aimesh for the 2.4 gh only and not the 5ghz Im using a ROG gt AC5300 ROG and a RT-AC86U as a node. I only use 2.4 for wireless cameras in my house . The 2 cameras and the far side of my home have bad wireless connection. This is why i need the extra node for these cameras. I would like to keep the 5 ghz off the aimesh.
The two bands are separate, Ken, so there’s no need to turn the 5GHz off. But you can name the 5GHz band with a different name from the 2.4GHz if you want to completely separate them.
I have a RT-AC68U as my main router. I would like to add two nodes for basement and upstairs mesh coverage. Are there any small, inexpensive, attractive models that I can use as nodes (kind of like the Lyra devices)?
Not right now Tom but Asus told me that it’s planning on making the Lyra Trio support AiMesh this summer…
Excellent hands-on review. Thanks for doing the “heavy lifting” of performance testing & comparison with competition. I too am running Asus, & was considering AI Mesh. Your article convinced me: I’m getting a second Asus router.
Good call! And you’re welcome! 🙂
Yesterday, I configured GT‑AC5300 and RT‑AC5300 in a mesh setup (aimesh). First I set up the GT‑AC5300 as my main router/aimesh router node and then I set up the RT‑AC5300 as a slave AiMesh node. When I started both of them (connected to LAN and internet), they both updated automatically to the latest firmware (mentioned below). I have been testing their AIMESH functionality and the VPN functionality and they both seem to be pretty good. One thing I have noticed that having these 2 routers too close to each other can cause AI mesh to work in a hopping confused way (which is probably expected). So increasing the distance between the 2 helped with having the clients stick to the main or node. Also for the backhaul I have the node connected to the router via ethernet, which I believe they both consistently connect at 300mbps. I am pretty pleased with these 2. The cost however for having these 2 in a mesh setup is pretty high and probably justifiable on a very large home…bigger than 3000 sq feet. Hope this helps a bit for anyone considering AIMESH specifically with these 2 routers.
RT‑AC5300 Version 3.0.0.4.384.21045 released 2018/06/12
GT-AC5300 Version 3.0.0.4.384.21045 released 2018/06/01
That’s a bit overkill, Asim, but thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks Dong,
Every article I read recommends to use the strongest/most expensive router as the primary/main so I got very worried whether if I should went for double 86u or a single ac5300, now you’ve cleared my doubts (and saved me the trouble of returning it since I already ordered yesterday)
Thanks again.
Sure, Leon! Glad I saved you time! 🙂
Hi Dong, i have a unique problem (not really) but here it is.
I’m trying to setup the asus aimesh system in the new house i am moving in currently. The problem now is that all the cables and cctv and main switch and etc all have to be house in a cabinet at the entrance of the house.
BUT! Being a VERY ASIAN house, the entrance walkway is shaped like a fengshui bagua map (the bagua center is the center of the house so imagine it) so essentially even the living room next to it have very subpar signal (2 bars only if the cabinet is closed and the glass door to the living room is closed)
What i have now is an Asus RT- AC-1900 that i bought last year that was just right for the old house i lived in. So i purchased another GT-AC-5300 but am unsure what to do.
Q1: Should i place the AC5300 into the cabinet ? and move the AC1900 out to the living room or 1 of the rooms upstairs to boost the signal ? (via CAT6 lan cable in the rooms)
Q2: Or if the AC1900 is powerful enough to act as the primary/main and let the AC5300 boost the signal in the living room as the secondary/sub?
Q3: All 3 questions are the same actually, its just whether the main has to be the most powerful router or not ? mind that the entire house have lots of IOT devices and people using them, roughly 50+ and i plan on getting more up to 100+ throughout by setting up sensors and IP-CCTVS as secondary security other than the cable CCTVs.
Cheers.
Hi Sim, since you’re using a cable to connect the two, it doesn’t really matter which to use as the main router. You’ll have a fast Wi-Fi network, either way. That said, if you want to support lots of Wi-Fi devices, use the RT-AC1900 as the main router. Considering the house, that’s the best setup. Good luck!
I have both the Asus AC86U and RT-AC5300. Which one should i make the main router and the node?
You should use the RT-AC86U as the main router, Jetson. It has more features and faster hardware than the other. Have fun!
Hello Dong, I am going the same situation as Jetson. I have a RT-AC86U and RT-AC5300. I contacted Asus, and they recommended that I use the 5300 as the main router. I’m not too sure about this since the AC5300 has an older processor. His argument is that it is higher since it’s a AC5300 and that it also handles bandwidth better. I am now confused. What are your thoughts still? Thank you!
Unless you need port aggregation (combining two LAN ports into a 2Gbps connection), use the RT-AC86U as the main router and the AC5300 as the node, Doug.
the RT-1900 is a supported model. Can anyone confirm if the SRT-1900 (asus version of Google onHub) is also supported? I can’t find any clear statement if it is or is not. Thanks.
I know that OnHub, David. And no, that one runs Google’s firmware only, not Asus’. You can use it as part of a Google Wifi system.
Hi,
Did you experience the Ethernet backhaul yourself (ref. “Router and nodes can link to one another via network cables. In this case, just connect the WAN port of a node to a LAN port of the main router, or another node”).
Because accordind the my own test, the LAN port as well has to be use on the node for the Ethernet backhaul to work.
Regards,
Yes I did with two RT-AC86U units, but not with many other combinations. I guess this might be different depending on your routers. Thanks for the input, that’s good to know. I’ll check with Asus.
I checked with Asus. They confirmed what LAN and WAN ports on the nodes are auto sensing. But there might be a bug since it’s hard to check all possible combinations.
Hi!
I was considering buying another Asus router to try out AiMesh but then started to wonder what the difference really is between AiMesh and simply running an ethernet cable from the main router to another unit (set as an AP) like I have (AC88U linked via ethernet to a cheaper AC58U working as a 5GHz-only AP, and getting pretty decent [450/500Mbit/s] speeds off it [ISP is 1Gbps/200Mbps, measured on my fastest AC device – iphone 7 plus].
And having both units share the same SSID and channel on the 5GHz band actually gives me fewer drops when moving around the house (200sqft), and pretty much a steady, low latency connection (3ms).
How does the AiMesh (via ethernet) compare?
Thanks!
Yes, you can use the cable. In fact that’s the best way to deliver the fastest performance. Since the backhaul is handled by the Ethernet connection, there will be no signal loss. The AiMesh setup will still work the same, meaning you still can control your Wi-Fi network via the interface of the main router and you will still have seamless handoff etc.
Yeah, if you’ve got the ability to run copper, a cable is vastly superior to Wifi to Wifi via any Mesh network. No RF bandwidth contention, full 1 Gbps bidirectional full-duplex, and no channel crowding. Mesh is what you use when you DON’T have a cable, or can’t run one.