[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: RT-AX86U Pro received data that was not requested by device

I'm not sure if I completely understand what happened but I'll try to explain:
From my understanding, the Traffic Monitor will record all incoming data and show where the traffic went by wired, 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz. In this one instance it showed that the router received over 350GB of data over a two hour period that had no corresponding distribution to any other devices on the network. That's almost as much data as I use in three weeks that went nowhere. I got in touch with Asus and they had me file a report. I haven't heard back from them yet. In fact my ISP (Shaw/Rogers in Canada) doesn't even record that I received that much traffic. Does anyone have any idea what may have happened or do I not understand wht the monitor is showing? Thanks.

[Assistant]
Do you have the latest firmware?
Recently asus routers have had a vulnerability, which when exploited gives symptoms that include this one. The latest firmware is patched for this.

Everything is up to date. 3.0.0.6.102_34336. Unless there is a newer one.

Chulamin said:
Everything is up to date. 3.0.0.6.102_34336. Unless there is a newer one.
It's strange that you're seeing this. Did you factory reset and manually set back up from scratch (no restore) after flashing?


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Example script for guest network

I just got the TUF AX4200 (3.0.0.4.388_33506-gb8edbc3Revert) and was about to set up guest network, but unfortunately I saw that its not possible to set up guest network with my own specified Ip-range, nor was it possible to reserve ip-adresses for specified devices (MAC-adress). Also I wanted to specify one or two ethernet ports to be on the guest network only.
Since this router does not support merlin fw, is it possible to scrip this on the original fw?

Does anyone have an example script I could start with?

What I want is basicly a guest network (wifi 2.4 and 5GHz + 2 ethernet ports) with a custom ip-range, that is isolated from my main network (devices within the guest network should be able to comunicate with eachother). I only have this router and it is in router mode.

Thanks in advance!

[Assistant]
See this:

[OpenWrt Wiki] ASUS TUF-AX4200
openwrt.org

Thanks, but was hoping I could stay on the stock fw, just with some scrips to set up the guest network instead of using the gui.

What you want to do won't survive reboot on stock Asuswrt.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Upgrading from RT-AC68U: RT-BE88U or RT-BE92U or other?

So i've finally got 1gbps fiber at home a few days ago. I had been running 100/20mbps cable, and ADSL even before that. It was around the time I bought my Asus RT-AC68U 10 years ago. Solid unit, been running Merlin fw with AMTM/Diversion/FlexQoS modulesONT as bridge mode->RT-AC68U->Devices and other access points around the house (old routers)Poor thing however can't handle 1gbps on WAN port, it's limited around 500mbps in best case scenario, CPU are pegging hard with all this load and in summer it's definitely gonna be worse when it's going to be overheating.Thus it's the time to upgrade it now.I've researched a bit and came to these options:
RT-BE88U:
Pros: 2x10gbps ports, one of them SFP+ (although i don't have current use for it), 2.6ghz quad cpu, 2gb ram, 4x4 steam, 8 lan ports, Merlin fw available and stable
Cons: 330eur, too wide to fit to the same location without modifying things, no 6ghz, 1 usb port
RT-BE92U:
Pros: Cheaper at 265eur, 6ghz, 10gbps wan for future proofing, same cpu i believe but downclocked to 2ghz (could be possibly overclocked with merlin), narrower so it fits in the same location
Cons: No merlin fw yet or even confirmed planned (but i am confident it will), 1 of lan ports is shared if you want to use dual wan, unstable Asus FW as of writting, 1gb ram, 1 usb port

-Third option? Some older Asus router or other brand with other custom FW? I don't think it's worth it, at the moment i already have 2 devices that support wifi 6E, back when i bought the RT-AC68U i didn't even had 5ghz devices yet. Lan wise, i only have 2 devices with 2.5g. What do you think?

[Assistant]
AX86U Pro. Do you really want to be a beta tester for WIFI 7?

Given my experience with WiFi 7, and the availability of kit which can make use of it, go for WiFi 7 if you have money to burn. If you have kit which supports 6E, buy something which can handle 6E well. When that router goes to Silicon Heaven then you might consider WiFi 8 or whatever follows that because either other kit will have gone bang, or you've got the money to incinerate on whatever's the latest and greatest at that time.

Save your money for wine, women (substitute as necessary), or a new GPU! Order may or may not be significant

I jumped on the BE92 when my WAN port on my AX92 was having issues.
I’m very doubtful that you will see Merlin on the BE92.
The MLO implementation is not stable on the BE92. I get less than 24 hours with MLO on before all wireless connections become unstable and I have to hard power cycle.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: 5g uplink but cabled

I’ve just replaced a failing RT-AC86u with a RT- AX88. I’ve re-added the nodes but they are using 5ghz uplink instead of wired. I’ve spent all afternoon trying to sort it out and I’m loosing my mind.

The 3 nodes are RT-86u x2 and a RT-68u.

Thanks

EDIT
I’m a massive idiot, Ethernet backhaul was turned off in the RT-AX88

[Assistant]
is the backhaul setting on AUTO or Ethernet (wired) ?

When asking for help use correct full model numbers.

Avinitlarge said:
I’ve just replaced a failing Ac86u with a AX88. I’ve re-added the nodes but they are using 5ghz uplink instead of wired. I’ve spent all afternoon trying to sort it out and I’m loosing my mind.

The 3 nodes are 86u x2 and a 68u.

Thanks

EDIT
I’m a massive idiot, Ethernet backhaul was turned off in the AX88
Click to expand...
The system should auto detect the Ethernet backhaul. It is not necessary to enable Ethernet Backhaul mode nor to change the Backhaul Connection Priority or Preferred WIFI Uplink AP.
In fact, if an AiMesh node which is wired suddenly switches to WIFI, there may be something wrong with the Ethernet.
Auto AiMesh node settings are best...


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Asus AImesh Node MAC Address Zeroed Out

Hello Everyone. Ran into a bit of an issue that I can't solve, but hoping somebody here could offer some suggestions. My wife bought me an Asus RT-BE88U router and I went through the normal setup process to set the router up as an aimesh router, no problems. I then added an RT-AX92U as a node and had zero issues. I then attempted to add my RT-AX88U router as a node and the MAC address keeps showing that it is zeroed out and will only connect as a client, not part of the network. Another odd thing is the RT-AX88U router still attempts to connect to the network via wifi, even when it is hardwired. Having done various troubleshooting operations, I can always get the RT-AX88U to work as primary router, but never a node. Any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful.

Things I've tried:
ensure firmware is up to date
hardwired all routers
removed the RT-AX92U and only attempted to add the RT-AX88U
made RT-AX88U primary router
reset all routers
hard reset using WPS all routers

[Assistant]
After resetting this RT-AX88U - do the LEDs for 2.4GHz and 5GHz come up? Do you see the default open SSID networks?

Feels like a hardware issue with the AX88U... yet it works as a route(?)

OE

Thanks for the reply. Yes, works as an aimesh router and can add another router as an aimesh node. Most recently I've added the RT-AX88U as a repeater, no problem. The only mode I cannot get it to is an aimesh node. I'm starting to feel like this is an issue with the firmware or compatibility issue between the RT-BE88U and RT-AX88U, because I have no issues with either of them and the RT-AX92U.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Lost My AiMesh

I have an RT-AX88U-Pro for my AiMesh Router and an RT-AX88U for my AiMesh Node. Both running on their latest version of Merlins firmware. Now it's at 3004.388.8_4.
Last month I set the AX88U as AiMesh Node and it was working perfectly. I could unplug it and move it to different locations and it kept reconnecting as an AiMesh Node. It showed in the router GUI and mobile app consistently. Then I setup WAN Aggregation and was getting the WAN Aggregation 2Gbps connection but lost the AX88U AiMesh node. I need the AiMesh Node more than a 2Gps ethernet because I rarely use ethernet. I removed the WAN Aggregation and tried to get the AX88U AiMesh Node back. The AX88U-Pro detects the AX88U and says it is set as the AiMesh Node after setup but it does't show in the GUI or mobile app like it did before. Every time I check the network Map there are no clients connected to the AiMesh Node. It does show up in the Network Map client list but it is reporting no Tx Rate or Rx Rate activity. I do notice that during AiMesh setup...when it finds the AX-88U router, it doesn't have a MAC address. Its always (00:00:00:00:00:00). When it says it was successful there is a MAC address assigned to it. Please see the screen shots attached.
I've followed all the steps of resetting the AX-88U and keeping it at close to the AX88U-Pro. I've tried setting it up with the ethernet cable to WAN port. I tried setting it up through the mobile app and every time it tells me the setup was successful but the AiMesh Node is not there. Did I break something by setting up WAN Aggregation? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Assistant]
7ravler said:
I have an RT-AX88U-Pro for my AiMesh Router and an RT-AX88U for my AiMesh Node. Both running on their latest version of Merlins firmware. Now it's at 3004.388.8_4.
Last month I set the AX88U as AiMesh Node and it was working perfectly. I could unplug it and move it to different locations and it kept reconnecting as an AiMesh Node. It showed in the router GUI and mobile app consistently. Then I setup WAN Aggregation and was getting the WAN Aggregation 2Gbps connection but lost the AX88U AiMesh node. I need the AiMesh Node more than a 2Gps ethernet because I rarely use ethernet. I removed the WAN Aggregation and tried to get the AX88U AiMesh Node back. The AX88U-Pro detects the AX88U and says it is set as the AiMesh Node after setup but it does't show in the GUI or mobile app like it did before. Every time I check the network Map there are no clients connected to the AiMesh Node. It does show up in the Network Map client list but it is reporting no Tx Rate or Rx Rate activity. I do notice that during AiMesh setup...when it finds the AX-88U router, it doesn't have a MAC address. Its always (00:00:00:00:00:00). When it says it was successful there is a MAC address assigned to it. Please see the screen shots attached.
I've followed all the steps of resetting the AX-88U and keeping it at close to the AX88U-Pro. I've tried setting it up with the ethernet cable to WAN port. I tried setting it up through the mobile app and every time it tells me the setup was successful but the AiMesh Node is not there. Did I break something by setting up WAN Aggregation? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

The missing MAC address is a problem. I'd install stock ASUSWRT on the node, Hard Reset it, and try adding it again from within the main router webUI.

I assume you Hard Reset the main router ASUSWRT-Merlin firmware before configuring it.

OE

I did not hard reset the main ASUSWRT-Merlin router.
I will install ASUSWRT on the node and try again.

7ravler said:
I did not hard reset the main ASUSWRT-Merlin router.
I will install ASUSWRT on the node and try again.

You should start over and recommission your network, imo... Hard Reset the ASUSWRT-Merlin firmware router and configure it from scratch. Make sure the ASUSWRT firmware node is Reset/Hard Reset before adding it to the AiMesh.

FW Reset FAQ

Reset button/webUI Restore/node removal clears settings in NVRAM; reboot restores fw defaults from CFE

Hard Reset via WPS button/webUI Restore+Initialize also clears data logged in /jffs partition

Then any subsequent troubleshooting will be more productive and not required due to improper installation of the firmware.

OE


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Can someone review my network setup - Is the Zen a better router? Image attached

Image Link

Currently using 2 ZenWiFi Pro ET12 as a router/mesh network, but I'm missing merlin and adguard as these aren't supported. I have an old RT-AX86U that has merlin already, does it make sense to use it as the router and connect the ET12's as mesh nodes?

[Assistant]
Why not just set the ET12 WAN DNS servers to AdGuard servers. If you have an AdGuard account you will get the same protection.

I could but I wanted to use Adguard Home as a DNS server and wanted to make use of the 86U that was collecting dust.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: dropbear[...]: Login attempt for nonexistent user from [External IP]

Hi.
I have BE88U with firmware Merlin 3006.102.3.
A week ago I started noticing the following events in its log - ... dropbear[...]: Login attempt for nonexistent user from [External IP]
The standard ADMIN password and name have long been changed to complex ones.
The standard port 22 has been changed. SSH access is open only from LAN.
I tried to connect via SSH from external IPs, but I could not get such an event in the log and connect either.
How is this possible and where to look for a hole in my security?
I searched for similar cases on the forum, but the most useful advice is a complete reset of the router.
I don't like it and I want to first find a hole in the existing security and first close it.

[Assistant]
It's been happening to me as well recently. Looks like someone running a SSH brute force attack against you, and what you are seeing is the login attempts. I would highly recommend that you shut down any external SSH access and make sure that you are not using a username/password to log into your router via SSH. That's about all you can do. You can also keep track of the IP addresses and configure the router to drop anything that comes from those addresses.

jeff29922 said:
It's been happening to me as well recently. Looks like someone running a SSH brute force attack against you, and what you are seeing is the login attempts. I would highly recommend that you shut down any external SSH access and make sure that you are not using a username/password to log into your router via SSH. That's about all you can do. You can also keep track of the IP addresses and configure the router to drop anything that comes from those addresses.
Click to expand...
External SSH access is closed.
That's why I'm surprised by these messages in the logs.
Maybe there are a lot of attempts and every hundredth one reaches dropbear.

When you say "[External IP]" is that literally what it says or is it shorthand for various different IP addresses? If it's the latter could you show us a few of them, it might provide a clue.

Is there anything relevant showing under System Log - Port Forwarding ?


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Wireless router mode or Access Point mode for second router?

I'm not a fan of AiMesh, I prefer to select the router I connect to myself.

What are the pros and cons of having my second router in Wireless router mode vs Access Point mode?

What turns me off Access Point mode is that I can't see the IP address from what I'm told unless I download Device Discovery. On reading the forum, I hear Access Point mode is more stable?

[Assistant]
Muscless said:
What turns me off Access Point mode is that I can't see the IP address from what I'm told unless I download Device Discovery.
Yes you can see its IP address. If you configure the AP as a DHCP client it shows up just like any other DHCP client. More typically though you would configure it with a fixed IP address, either statically, or manually through a DHCP reservation. In either case you know what the IP address is because you defined it.

Muscless said:
I'm not a fan of AiMesh, I prefer to select the router I connect to myself.

What are the pros and cons of having my second router in Wireless router mode vs Access Point mode?

What turns me off Access Point mode is that I can't see the IP address from what I'm told unless I download Device Discovery. On reading the forum, I hear Access Point mode is more stable?
Click to expand...
I have been experimenting with Mesh for the past several months and after using APs for ten years and I am coming to the conclusion that Mesh is more marketing hype than benefit. Clients don't always seem to pick the correct router or mesh node to connect to and if you are using the same SSID on both radios then when the device connects or stays connected to a more distant radio it may end up switching to 2.4 Ghz band which may reduce the potential throughput. While there are numerous router and mesh settings that can get around some of these challenges it probably is just as easy to manually assign specific devices to specific SSIDs on either the router or AP and be done with it.

If you can afford/need commercial grade APs with their more sophisticated controllers, then that is probably the best solution if you have lots of mobile devices moving around your space though I have no personal experience with this type of setup.

IMHO currently consumer grade routers and nodes work maybe at best OK in a mesh setup.

What are the pros and cons of having my second router in Wireless router mode vs Access Point mode?


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Issues with Guest Networks on TUF-AX5400 AiMesh System

Hi!

I have 2 TUF-AX5400 routers: one main router which acts in AiMesh Router mode and the second one which acts as an AiMesh node (Both of them connected via cable). I'm having two issues that I can't seem to solve, and I would appreciate any help.

There is an option to create up to 3 guest networks for each band type (e.g., for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). For the first guest network of each band, there is an option to set "Guest network on AiMesh" -> All AiMesh nodes, which makes the first guest network also available on the AiMesh node. However, for the second and third guest networks, there is no such option, and they are only available on the main AiMesh router. How can I make the second and third guest networks also available on the AiMesh nodes? I'm trying to create a "guest network" for the IoT devices which are located near the AiMesh node and not near the main AiMesh router.
For the IoT devices, I would like to set up a guest network where the wireless users of this guest network can see each other but cannot connect to clients on the regular network (e.g., clients outside of this specific guest network or clients connected by cables). Is there any way to achieve that? It seems that guest networks cannot see each other.
As a personal note, I'm disappointed with the AX-5400's options. It seems to lack many features that were available on my old TP-Link consumer routers, such as VLANs and more options for guest networks.

Thank you

[Assistant]
You may have had a solution (via scripts) if you had an RMerlin-powered Asus router (but even then, it is not likely).

With stock firmware, you can only do what is exposed on the GUI.

The TUF-AX5400 does not supports RMerlin, Its a shame ASUS did not implemented Guest networks as all other brands.

TUF-AX5400 is supported by gnuton’s fork of Merlin: https://github.com/gnuton/asuswrt-merlin.ng
May not help with extending the other guest networks, though, not sure.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Ethctl for lan port? Can't find interface name

I have an ax3000 v2 that isn't supported by asusmerlin. I have an issue where one of the lan ports keeps dropping from 1gbps to 100mbps randomly. I have to either reboot the router or replug the cable. Its good for a while before it drops again. Not sure if its cable, switch, or passive poe injectors I use through this cable. The cable is in the wall so its too hard to replace. I have to use the passive poe injectors to power the switch in a remote location.

I want to try out this script a user posted to automatically renegotiate the port when it detects it at 100mbps. However I can't find the port / interface name for this lan port for use with ethctl. Eth0 is wan, eth1 looks like one or both of the wifi radios. Doesnt look like its eth2 or eth3. When I try to specify a port, I get ioctl SIOCGQUERYNUMPORTS error back or in the case of eth0 and eth1 it says there are no sub ports.

This is what I get with brctl. Ipconfig command not found. Even when I unplug and replug the cable, nothing shows in the system log.
Code:
AX3000_MAIN:/# brctl show
bridge name     bridge id               STP enabled     interfaces
br0             8000.08bfb852c258       no              eth0
                                                        eth1
                                                        eth2
                                                        eth3
                                                        wl0.4

Does anyone know how I can find out the lan port and change it with ethctl? Or is it even possible on official firmware? Thanks!

[Assistant]
kakashisensei said:
I have an ax3000 v2 that isn't supported by asusmerlin.
An FYI, the TUF-AX3000 V2 is supported by Gnuton's fork of Asus-Merlin.
GitHub - gnuton/asuswrt-merlin.ng: Extends the support of Merlin firmware to more ASUS routers
Extends the support of Merlin firmware to more ASUS routers - gnuton/asuswrt-merlin.ng
github.com
Release - Gnuton - Asus Merlin 3004.388.8_4-gnuton1
GNUton's Asus Merlin changelog Date: January 11, 2025 Release: 3004.388.8_4-gnuton1 CHANGED: VPN killswitch will now only be active if the VPN client itself is enabled. If you stop/start the client yourself over SSH, you need to also update the enabled/disabled nvram setting. FIXED: Security...
www.snbforums.com


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: How do I access the Asus router settings using Linux Mint?

Hey guys, it's been a while...

So, here's what's going on. Over the last couple years I've switched from Win to Linux Mint. I kept my old ASUS / RT-AX86U (AX5700) router that was configured under my old Win10 system and pretty much forgot about it, until now.
I've been having some WiFi coverage issues in the house and wanted to check some settings. Well, when I tried to find some guidance I hit a brick wall. Everywhere I searched, EVERYWHERE, I was unable to find anything about it.
Since I've retired I'm not the sharpest tack in the box so maybe I'm missing something...

At this point I'm guessing the only protection I have is the built-in Linux firewall settings. Why hasn't this ever come up before, least no where I've searched?
OK, this is the time for someone to point me to it and make me look like an idiot...

Thanks

[Assistant]
Open browser, browse to router IP address? (default gateway address from ifconfig / ip route)

hiptech said:
Hey guys, it's been a while...

So, here's what's going on. Over the last couple years I've switched from Win to Linux Mint. I kept my old ASUS / RT-AX86U (AX5700) router that was configured under my old Win10 system and pretty much forgot about it, until now.
I've been having some WiFi coverage issues in the house and wanted to check some settings. Well, when I tried to find some guidance I hit a brick wall. Everywhere I searched, EVERYWHERE, I was unable to find anything about it.
Since I've retired I'm not the sharpest tack in the box so maybe I'm missing something...

At this point I'm guessing the only protection I have is the built-in Linux firewall settings. Why hasn't this ever come up before, least no where I've searched?
OK, this is the time for someone to point me to it and make me look like an idiot...

Thanks
Click to expand...

I'm not really clear what the issue, since the title is about reaching the routers config page, but the text in your post doesn't mention this at all.

Still here goes - to connect to your router:
It sounds like maybe you don't know your router IP, so on Linux Mint, open a terminal, and type "route -n"
See the Gateway entry in the top row, that's your gateway IP (192.168.50.1 very likely, but double check)
in your browser type the above IP hit enter and one of two things will happen:
1. you get a login screen (go ahead and log in)
2. it won't find a website there. If so, try https://192.168.50.1:8443 <-- adjust that IP as necessary but keep the :8443 at the end. This is if you enabled access over https.
Got a login screen? Great, go log in.

None of those things should be impacted by your firewall, but you can double check in terminal :
sudo ufw status verbose

You'll need to see what's there.

Good luck, hope some of that helped.

In case it didn't please do the following in your next post:
1. Clearly describe what you expect to happen
2. Clearly describe what happens instead
3. Ensure you list all the steps necessary to reproduce the problem so we can follow along and see where issues maybe.

What about simply http://www.asusrouter.com ? Works with any LAN IP.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Does Asus No Longer Support Speed Test Servers in Perth WA?

For the past two days I've noted that when checking the internet speed, either via the Asus app on my phone or on via router login on my PC. it now only shows servers in Adelaide. For years Perth servers have been shown.

As the distance from Perth to Adelaide is nearly 2,700km ping results are worthless. Why has this changed?

If I use the Ookla Speedtest app or website direct it still shows Perth servers but not if I access it via an Asus piece of software.

Has Asus got issues with Ookla or is it just another cost cutting exercise resulting in degraded customer service?

[Assistant]
Tattz The Bear said:
Why has this changed?
Ask Ookla. The test application is developed by them, and the server list is pushed to the router by their own servers.

Thanks RMerlin. I have asked the question of Ookla as both my ISP and Asus cannot work out what is causing it.

Tattz The Bear said:
Thanks RMerlin. I have asked the question of Ookla as both my ISP and Asus cannot work out what is causing it.

Try cloudflare's speedtest - it's better as it tests more over time...

Internet Speed Test - Measure Network Performance | Cloudflare
Test your Internet connection. Check your network performance with our Internet speed test. Powered by Cloudflare's global edge network.
speed.cloudflare.com


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Upgraded from GT AX6000 to BE96U

So I was having issues with my GT AX6000, my neighbor had a Tuya smart device that was constantly trying to connect to my AX6000 (10 times a second) for an unknown length of time. I found the mac in logs, downloaded the app and saw it was unregistered. My neighbor then registered the device, I did a factory reset holding WPS button and all should have been well.

My issues of webpages loading slowly persisted. I then swapped it out for a BE96U and wow what a difference. Everything is snappy quick now via hardwired or wireless.

Why is this? I thought the GT AX6000 is still very capable?

I do have 2.5 gigabit down and about 300 up. Is that just too much bandwidth for the AX6000 to handle, or did the constant pinging take a toll on the CPU over time?

[Assistant]
Take a toll over time? No.

You should have used the Wireless MAC filter to block that Tuya Smart device. I've had the same "problem" with an unrregistered Tuya device for some time. Just blocked the MAC and no more issues!

bbunge said:
Take a toll over time? No.

You should have used the Wireless MAC filter to block that Tuya Smart device. I've had the same "problem" with an unrregistered Tuya device for some time. Just blocked the MAC and no more issues!
I did that, and changed my SSID to hidden and changed network name after reboot.

I think something was genuinely faulty with my GT AX6000 as throughout the day it would progressively slow to a crawl


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Asus RP-N12 extender

Hi all, I have a Fritzbox 7530 as main modem+router and an asus RP-N12 connected via lan cable to connect first floor.
SSID from fritzbox is different than the extender one.
Sometimes I have to physically restart the extender. I loose internet connection (not wifi), I cannot enter the extender web console so I can only reboot it loosing log.
Now I configured remote server log on the extender so I'm not loosing logs.

I'm not having the issue now but I see a lot of "unexpected" log lines from the extender:
Code:
Mar 23 07:28:25 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x6033001C=0xf
Mar 23 07:28:27 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x60330030=0x2be
Mar 23 07:28:27 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x6033001C=0xb
Mar 23 07:28:29 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x60330030=0x447
Mar 23 07:28:29 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x6033001C=0x12
Mar 23 07:28:31 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x60330030=0x52f
Mar 23 07:28:31 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x6033001C=0x9
Mar 23 07:28:34 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x60330030=0x3ee
Mar 23 07:28:34 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x6033001C=0x10
Mar 23 07:28:36 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x60330030=0x4c3
Mar 23 07:28:36 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x6033001C=0x12
Mar 23 07:28:38 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x60330030=0x33d
Mar 23 07:28:38 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x6033001C=0xb
Mar 23 07:28:40 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x60330030=0x35d
Mar 23 07:28:40 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x6033001C=0xb
Mar 23 07:28:43 192.168.1.2 kernel: 0x60330030=0x338

Any idea if something is happening?

Thanks

[Assistant]
Hi, did u happen to figure out what was wrong with your repeater?
I have the same model used as an AP for some security cameras and recently it started to lose wifi connection to the cameras (i can still access it through the LAN connection and the log says the exact same thing). After restart it works again... for a while.

I know it's an old post, but maybe u managed to fix it in that time

Thanks


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: AdGuard DNS is now pre-installed in all ASUS Wi-Fi 7 routers

Not sure i've seen this posted at all on here?

ASUS, a leading router manufacturer, has integrated AdGuard DNS as a built-in feature in all of its Wi-Fi 7-compatible models. This enables users to enhance their online security and privacy effortlessly, without requiring additional configurations or third-party apps.

AdGuard DNS is now pre-installed in all ASUS Wi-Fi 7 routers
ASUS has integrated AdGuard DNS as a built-in feature in all of its Wi-Fi 7-compatible models. This enables users to enhance their online security and privacy effortlessly.
adguard-dns.io

[Assistant]
The feature's apparently been there for some time (since sometime mid last year).
[Wireless Router] How to set up AdGuard DNS with an ASUS router? | Official Support | ASUS USA

Edit to add: For example the Integrated AdGuard DNS was added to the GT-AX11000 Pro firmware in June of last year.
Release - ASUS GT-AX11000 Pro Firmware version 3.0.0.6.102_34713 (03 June 2024)
New features for ASUSWRT 5.0 -Kid's Network: Easily create a separate SSID for children's devices. Integrated AdGuard DNS offers advanced protection options, including service and website blocking, query logs, tracker blocking, and ad pop-up Ad blocking. For more details, please visit our FAQ...
www.snbforums.com
And to the ZenWiFi XT12:
Release - ASUS ZenWIFI XT12 Firmware version 3.0.0.6.102_35186 (2024/07/12)
3.0.0.6.102_35186 50.09 MB 2024/07/12 [ New features ] -Kid's Network: Easily create a separate SSID for children's devices. Integrated AdGuard DNS offers advanced protection options, including service and website blocking, query logs, tracker blocking, and ad pop-up Ad blocking. (More details...
www.snbforums.com

A company of unclear origin with unclear privacy policy. Asus firmware has so many problems (including security ones), and they add another point of failure. Shame.

Volt said:
A company of unclear origin
The company is Russian and one of the best in what they are doing. Don't mix technology with politics, please.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Guest network VLANs not isolated from main VLAN on Asus routers

Tested on RT-AC86U(asus-wrt 3.0.0.4.386_51955) and RT-AX53U(asus-wrt 3.0.0.4.386_69086) both factory reset for good measure and simply connected to dynamic IP from modem.

The first red flag that comes up is that, immediatly after activating the respective first 2.4ghz and 5ghz guest networks with Access Intranet disabled, one can successfully ping 192.169.101.1 and 192.169.102.1 from the main network(192.168.1.0/24) via a wired connection. Either I'm misunderstanding VLANs or this should not be the case as clients of VLAN1 have no business talking to the gateways for VLAN501 and VLAN502.

Second, after following the excellent guide on this forum, devices connected to ports I assign to VLAN501/502(e.g. PVID 501, 501 untagged) on a managed switch are getting served the proper subnets, their internet works etc. However, I can successfully communicate with them from 192.168.1.0/24 wired either to said switch(PVID 1, 1 untagged) or directly to router. Now, seeing as subnet masking should not allow this, I'm thinking that the router is actively routing traffic between 192.168.1.0/24 and 192.169.101.0/24 and 192.169.102.0/24. Sidenote: figuring that this is a routing issue, I tried blocking said traffic via Network Services Filter, but that had no effect.

Third, and this may or may not be related: when first connecting a device to any guest network(be it one of the VLAN based ones or the secondary ones, which I gather are firewall based) it gets detected as a new device on the network by my AV suite network inspector. After that first connection, isolation seems to work as one cannot communicate with guest devices. Seems odd though that they would "leak" to the main network for a brief period.

I really don't know what's going on here. Maybe it's faulty asus-wrt firmware(both are on that nov '24 emergency update that Asus released for a lot of routers, including ones that are EOL like my RT-AC86U). Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding VLANs, as I've never messed with them or managed switches before.

Can anyone with an asus-wrt 3.0.0.4.386 router please test my findings if you have the time and inclination? Thank you!

[Assistant]
As a troubleshooting step, does the issue persist if you use Guest Network #2 or Guest Network #3? Asus treats Guest Network #1 slightly differently due to AiMesh.

bennor said:
As a troubleshooting step, does the issue persist if you use Guest Network #2 or Guest Network #3? Asus treats Guest Network #1 slightly differently due to AiMesh.
The main issue is about Guest Network #1 and VLANs and therefore doesn't apply to Guest Network #2 or Guest Network #3. I've only mentioned the latter on my third point, which may or may not be related to the main issue.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Need to replace my RT-AC68P router...suggestions please?

I have owned this router for 10 years and I have tried every method out there that I know of to reset it but I cannot connect to the router via WI-FI or rj45 port.

What is a great spiritual replacement for this? Wifi signal strength/distance is a priority and I want to be able to use Merlin with it.

Thanks!

[Assistant]
If you want to continue with Asuswrt-Merlin on the new 3006 base - the lowest priced model is RT-BE86U.

Home | Asuswrt-Merlin
www.asuswrt-merlin.net

Almost guaranteed no new router will have 10+ years of support. RT-AC68U and variants were an exception.

ukiltmybrutha said:
Wifi signal strength/distance is a priority and I want to be able to use Merlin with it.
On this forum's close sibling the ASUS RT-AX86U scores the best range.

dlandiss said:
RT-AX86U

RT-AX86U is two generations old hardware now, locked on 3004 firmware and perhaps 1-2 years before EoL.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Tutorial How to use VLANs on your non-pro Asus router with 386 or 388 code (no scripting required)

With 386 and 388 code base, you can make use of two built in VLANs (plus the main LAN VLAN 1) to further segment your wired and wireless network, even on non-pro models.
This definitely works in router mode on all models that support AIMESH and these code versions. From what I have seen (but haven't tried), it does NOT work in standalone AP mode, you will not have the option to enable LAN isolation (and thus create the VLANs) but still need 100% confirmation on that. It does work with Aimesh slave/nodes as long as you have a master router set up, these VLANs are definitely on the WAN port, so you can put the switch inline with that (in that case your uplink to main router and downlink to the AIMESH node must have all 3 or 4 VLANs configured as described below). I believe the VLANs will also be on the LAN ports too but again need confirmation on that. Even in wireless backhaul mode the VLANs should be there on both wireless and wired.

Ensure you have one of the code versions above (either Asus stock or Merlin) installed. If you are upgrading from 384 or earlier, good idea to hard factory reset and start from scratch, not from a backup. In fact that's a good idea for any code upgrade.
Enable guest wireless 1 (must be #1) and set access intranet to "disabled". Note this is the stock or Merlin Asus guest VLAN config. Does not work with Yazfi as far as I can tell.
-If you only need one VLAN, you can pick either 2.4 or 5ghz, if you want two, enable them both. Technically an additional SSID can slightly hurt the performance of your wireless, usually negligible, but if you just need one probably use 2.4G so as not to impact your higher performance 5G. However I have both enabled and no noticeable impact, even with SSID broadcasts on, so may as well just enable both for future use/flexibility, even if you don't need 2 now.
-If you do not need guest wireless and only want this for wired (or to feed another wireless AP) you can set the SSID to any random name (that isn't in use around you) and check off to "hide" it. You can even shut off the wireless radios if you need no wireless at all on the main router.
Hit apply, and when finished applying, reboot router.
Now all LAN ports (and WAN port on Aimesh Nodes) will have vlan 501 (2.4ghz guest, subnet 192.168.101.0/24) and/or 502 (5ghz guest, 192.168.102.0/24) tagged on them. Normal devices plugged into these ports will ignore those tags and just use your main LAN VLAN 1 as always, so for main LAN devices you can plug right into the router LAN (or the external switch on VLAN 1).
Get a switch with VLAN support. Netgear 5 port GS305E is typically around $20 and TP-Link 8 port TL-SG108E is usually around $27. Of course you can get larger switches for more money too, just make sure they are "smart" switches with 802.1Q vlan support.
Connect one port of that switch to any LAN port on the Asus (on Aimesh nodes, can use the WAN port too). Usually you'll use either the first or last port on your switch and the asus for this, those are the unofficial "uplink" ports on any switch. Note on Asus routers with 8 ports, stick with LAN ports 1-4 for the uplink.
On your switch, set that port to have VLAN 1 untagged, VLAN 501 and/or 502 tagged, PVID set to 1
The rest of the ports (or at least ones that won't be linked to another VLAN aware device) set to a single vlan, (1, 501, or 502), UNTAGGED. Choose the VLAN based on what network you want the port to have access to - VLAN 1 will be on your main LAN, 501 and/or 502 will be on your guest network(s).
Set the PVID of those ports to match the same VLAN as step 8 above (1, 501, or 502).
Your wired devices will now be in the respective VLAN/subnet and isolated from your main LAN (and also isolated from wireless devices in that same guest network)

Few notes
-If you have a tri-band router (5ghz-2) you will likely also have a VLAN 503/192.168.103.0/24 if you enable guest on that band. You can make use of that as well if you want.
-You cannot set DHCP reservations or modify the DHCP scope for the 192.168.101 and 192.168.102 subnets without doing a script (fairly easy script though). May be possible with YazDHCP, not sure.
-Two wired devices in the same VLAN on your switch will not be isolated from each other so they can communicate (but they will be isolated from main LAN and wireless devices in that same guest vlan).
If you want two "guest" wired devices to be isolated from each other, put one in 501 and one in 502.

If you want to feed a downstream AP, there are a few options:
-If using AIMESH, set the port facing the AP the same as the uplink port from the router - vlan 1 untagged, vlan 501 and 502 tagged, PVID 1. That will allow aimesh to work. (Include 503 also for tri-band routers). Of course you can just plug it directly into the Asus router too if you have enough wiring.
-If using just a standard AP, decide which VLAN/subnet you want those devices to be in, and set that port to the corresponding VLAN ID and PVID (no tagging), all wireless clients (and physical ports) on that AP will be in that VLAN. Again if you want it on VLAN 1 then you can just plug it directly into the Asus if wiring is in place.
-If you use an AP with VLAN support you can do similar to aimesh, VLAN 1 untagged, VLAN 501 and 502 tagged, PVID 1, then configure the AP SSIDs into the respective VLAN(s). Plugging directly into the asus is an option here too.

If you want to feed a downstream switch from this switch, basically the same as an AP above. You can send all 3 VLANs with 501 and 502 tagged just like the uplink port (assuming that downstream switch is a smart switch with VLAN support) or just put the port into one VLAN (untagged) and that downstream switch will have all ports in that VLAN.

In addition to above you can still use guest wireless 2 and 3 but it will only work on the main router, you can't add it to the switch to put wired devices in them or feed them to another AP, etc. They use VLAN 1/main subnet along with firewall rules to isolate them off the main LAN, not VLANs, totally different setup. It is possible to use scripting to move them around but that is not the intent of this post.

More advanced things are possible with scripting such as:
Allowing certain traffic to flow between VLANs, such as letting guest print to main LAN
Disabling isolation so wireless clients on the guest can see each other (and also the wired devices)
Changing the subnets on those VLANs, the DHCP scope, lease time, adding DHCP reservations, etc
Again, out of scope of this post though.

If you want more flexibility in the GUI or to configure ports on the asus into specific VLANs (or you need more than the 3 VLANs), you can check out Fresh Tomato. It only supports certain router models, and the GUI is pretty complex and aimed at more advanced users, but it gives a lot of options for VLANs.

[Assistant]
Thank you @drinkingbird for the detailed HowTo!
I can confirm it works very well as you described it.

To add few more details, I have in the middle a switch Cisco SF302P with 2 trunks ports (tagged) in between the Asus router and the Netgear switch.
I confirm that on the TV connected to the Netgear switch I receive IP addresses from VLAN-501 in the range 192.168.101.X served by the Asus router.

TV --> Netgear switch -> Cisco switch -> Asus router -> internet

I also have a TP-Link Outdoor AP connected to the Cisco switch trunk port and the TP-Link Guest-WiFi recognizes VLAN-501 and receiving IP addresses in the range 192.168.101.X served by the Asus router.

Note: I am note sure if it is very intuitive for the steps 8 & 9 described above, on the Netgear switch for the ports that you want VLAN-501, be sure that you have that port with PVID=501

DiliMe said:
Thank you @drinkingbird for the detailed HowTo!
I can confirm it works very well as you described it.

To add few more details, I have in the middle a switch Cisco SF302P with 2 trunks ports (tagged) in between the Asus router and the Netgear switch.
I confirm that on the TV connected to the Netgear switch I receive IP addresses from VLAN-501 in the range 192.168.101.X served by the Asus router.

TV --> Netgear switch -> Cisco switch -> Asus router -> internet

I also have a TP-Link Outdoor AP connected to the Cisco switch trunk port and the TP-Link Guest-WiFi recognizes VLAN-501 and receiving IP addresses in the range 192.168.101.X served by the Asus router.

Note: I am note sure if it is very intuitive for the steps 8 & 9 described above, on the Netgear switch for the ports that you want VLAN-501, be sure that you have that port with PVID=501
Click to expand...

Same for TP-LInk and many others, you have to specify both the Outbound and inbound VLAN on the port. The PVID tells the switch what VLAN to put incoming untagged frames into, and the main 802.1Q VLAN setting for the port tells it what to send out the port (tagged, untagged, which vlan if untagged, etc).

Basically on a trunk port (a port that carries any tagged VLANs) your PVID will always be 1.
On access ports (no tagging, connecting normal devices like a PC or dumb switch) your PVID should always be the same as the VLAN you assigned to the port.

There is a separate discussion that can be had regarding not using VLAN 1 at all, a common security practice in the enterprise environment, but not really an issue in the home environment and would require some extensive scripting on the Asus to change that VLAN ID and tag it. Essentially in that design you pick a native trunking VLAN (say, 666 or 999) and it is only used as the untagged "control" VLAN on trunk ports. Then you use tagged custom VLAN IDs for all your "real" vlans, so like 50 for LAN, 501 for Guest 1, 502 for Guest 2. That's overkill and way outside this discussion since it would be major changes to the Asus and again, not really a concern in the home environment.

Works great on firmware 388.2.2 on my AX85U! Drinkingbird helped me in another thread


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: VPN Director - stock asus firmware.

Hi,

I bought Asus rt-be86u last week and I want to force all devices on my network to use the dns server provided in the wan tab by the router. Is there a way to force it on stock firmware as opposed to feature called vpn director on merlin firmware?

Regards,

[Assistant]
If you are talking about running VPN client on the router and forcing your LAN clients to use the router's DNS servers under stock Asus 3006.102.x firmware. Then see the stock firmware's VPN Fusion section.
[Wireless Router] How to set up VPN Fusion(VPN Client) as Internet default connection? | Official Support | ASUS USA

Depending on what kind of VPN client one sets up they may have an option to configure the DNS server (option).

PS: One may also have to configure the router's LAN > DHCP Server > DNS and WINS Server Setting's two DNS fields to match the router's WAN DNS fields.

Sorry maybe i misunderstood what vpn director does.

What i meant is there a way to force all clients that are connected to router to use only dns servers provided in wan section exclusively? So for example if i set custom dns server in windows lan section i will be disconnected?

Are you using VPN? If so are you configuring a VPN Server on the router? Or are you configuring the router to be a VPN client (aka VPN Fusion on Asus stock firmware) where it connects to a remote VPN server?


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: VLan ssid/guest network on aimesh node

i am using AX88U Pro as my main router. i have seperate network set up for kids devices and cameras etc another network (i used the new Guest Network Pro to set all this up). I want to buy one or two aimesh nodes added to network so that i can have better access to wifi at the back of house.
but i have just discovered that non of the zenwifi products acturally can do Guest Network Pro so non of the seperate SSIDs i created for kids and cameras etc won't be broadcasted to any zenwifi products if i buy one?? am i missing something here? any suggestions?
or should i look at some other company's products like Unifi?

[Assistant]
Not exactly true. I have an AX86U Pro and have an IoT WIFI set up on the 2.4 GHz band. The IoT WIFI does go over to my AX86U. With that said, It does not do the 5 GHz on the IoT guest. It may do another "guest" WIFI on the 5 GHz band but I have not tested it.
Your best bet would be to get another "Pro" router such as the AX86U Pro. That will do better than the AX86U or another non-pro router.
Ethernet backhaul is best as well...

StickyStig said:
should i look at some other company's products like Unifi?

If you have wired infrastructure - sure! You'll get total control over your network. See my signature. Very easy to setup as well with built into UI help and external links if you need more information, including use case examples.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Solved AIMesh support for Guest Network on Nodes

Hi all, I've got an AIMesh network set up with an AC86U as the root, and then two AC68Us as nodes. I noticed today that I can't access the guest network unless I'm in range of the root node - it seems it's not being replicated on the nodes.

I had a quick google, and see that Asus added the functionality to "Sync to AiMesh Node", so I thought I'd just enable that. But the option doesn't appear to be there for my nodes.

.

Is this feature not available on Merlin? Or is it something new (I'm on v386.9 for all 3 nodes at the moment). I can't see any mention of this feature in the release notes/changelog.

[Assistant]
Actually, never mind. I just realised it's because I have two guest networks, and that option is only available on the primary guest network.... Solved!

webreaper said:
Actually, never mind. I just realised it's because I have two guest networks, and that option is only available on the primary guest network.... Solved!
Hi, my setup is an RT-AX88U as the main router, 1 RT-AX86U, and 1 RT-AX86U Pro as nodes. I only have 1 guest network but cannot connect to the guest network on any node.

Is there anything else you've found that may help?

No, all of my nodes run the guest network just fine. Best to open a new thread in the forum.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: My Problem with Asus Routers

CES is coming up in a week. We are expecting new Wave-2 Wifi7 routers to be announced then. However, they take 8-9 months to appear in the market for consumers to purchase them after announcement. The support is 4 years from the date of announcement. So when majority of people get their hands on the new routers, they are kinda semi outdated and have reduced firmware update lifespan of 2-3 years. When routers are costing $500-600 and not something you would replace every year, doesn't it make sense to have 7-8 years firmware update schedule?

I feel jaded by this and might flock to enterprise gear or Ubiquiti where updates are more than 5 years.

I am sure some people will still defend this "Fast Fashion" release schedule of Router industry, but I would still like to hear your thoughts on this.

[Assistant]
I am so glad I left the consumer router market. My MikroTik and TP-Link Omada APs are so much better, both in performance, stability, and virtually (for me) bug-free operation, at least I haven't come across something not working or not as intended since my switch to these platforms. Firmware updates are for both regular as well. If you wanna get serious about your network, IMO people should look somewhere else than consumer stuff.

If it were "My Problem", I would buy the other gear I wanted and not waste time complaining about my problems online.

OE

From a technology perspective, most hardware is already outdated by the time it hits the market. Any 'enthusiast' who cares about having the latest and greatest networking tech will be replacing hardware long before 5 years. By the time any new tech becomes mainstream, routers with those specs will be down in the low-mid budget price range. 3 years after that, consumers are going to want/need whatever new tech has trickled down to devices at that level. This just follows the same pattern as any other tech.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Optimize AMPDU aggregation; tested and results

I hate to do this, but see my original thread https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/67814341 as apparently, SBNForums, don't support threads over 10K characters, which mine exceed 14K... Lemme try to cut this in half though... Reposting here as although I'm a DPR regular, I am an infrequent over here, and the discussion is much more appropriate for SNB...

Part 1

Hypothesis: Enabling AMPDU optimization may improve network efficiency with a majority of AC-enabled (of interest) clients present in my network

Background:

Router: Asus GT-AX6000 running 3.0.0.6_102, centrally located in low-voltage closet downstairs

ISP: AT&T Fiber 1GB offering, AT&T Router-Gateway plugged into 2.5GB port on Asus in bridge mode with 2.5GB NIC (CAT6 Cable) on Asus allocated to WAN (permits above 1GB data, otherwise utilizing default WAN port on GT-AX6000 results in 1GB "cap")

Synology NAS DS224+ running DSM 7.2.1 with Single NIC used (CAT6 cable) plugged into 1GB LAN port on Asus w/16GB RAM added; Dual Seagate 18TB EXOs in RAID1

WiFi Clients: 2 iPhone SEs (v3), 1 2019 15" MacBook Pro, 1 2020 iMac 20" aka "Atlantis", 1 Hades Canyon NUC (2x2 802.1AC capable) aka "Carolina Reaper", 2 TCL series 4 TVs (802.1AC dual-band capable), Apple Watch (2.4GHz), Neato BotVac D5, ADT smart panel, ADT smart doorbell (2.4GHz capable), Canon G620 Printer (2.4GHz)

Test Clients and Wireless Readings, from closest to farthest in physical proximity to router:

“iMac 2020” 2.4GHz

RSSI: -30 dBm

Tx Rate: 216 Mbps

“iMac 2020” 5GHz

RSSI:-49 dBm

Tx Rate: 1300 Mbps

…

“MacBook Pro in the Kitchen” 2.4GHz

RSSI: -30 dBm

Tx Rate: 216 Mbps

“MacBook Pro in the Kitchen” 5GHz

RSSI: -48 dBm

Tx Rate: 1170 Mbps

…

“Carolina Reaper” 2.4GHz

RSSI: -54 dBm

Tx Rate: 145 Mbps

“Carolina Reaper” 5GHz

RSSI: -65 dBm

Tx Rate: 468 Mbps

…

“MacBook Pro in Corner Rm” 2.4GHz

RSSI: -56 dBm

Tx Rate: 173 Mbps

“MacBook Pro in Corner Rm” 5GHz

RSSI: -68 dBm

Tx Rate: 390 Mbps

…

Testing Regimen:

iPerf3 installed via Docker on local Synology NAS DS224+ for local-iPerf3 performance benchmarks (not subject to WAN/ISP/distant-end variance)

Client based benchmarking shell script that leverages:

iPerf3 to measure bandwidth (TCP mode)and jitter (UDP mode) to Synology NAS iPerf3 Docker Container

Ping to measure local latency (Synology Virtual IP) and remote latency (CloudFlare IP ie 1.1.1.1)

Speedtest-CLI with hard-coding server number into script (broadcast/geocentric servers "rotate"; requires ensuring available server "up" or rotating hardcode server and re-running tests to keep results aligned between tests); remote bandwidth measurement

Script runs in 10x loop and aggregates and averages results to reduce sampling error rate

Repeat test on each band (2.4GHz, 5GHz) on all clients under test with AMPDU optimization enabled, and disabled within same timeframe to mitigate WAN/ISP/distant end loading variance (to mitigate time of day loading variance)

Observations:

When family was utilizing Media Server functions on my local Synology NAS (also running iPerf3 container for this benchmark), iPerf3 bandwidth benchmark impacted significantly (down 400Mbps from 780Mpbs in one instance) and local-latency impacted significantly (up ~100ms from >10ms). Had to re-run tests without Media Server on Synology in use for accurate results
Speedtest-CLI available / detected / broadcast servers "rotate". Ensure you utilize hardcoding a server number into the script with Speedtest-cli (can print via speedtest-cli --list) so that results to distant end are repeatable. 5 servers at a time are presented. Ensure you run same band and same client against same server with AMPDU optimization enabled, and then disabled for reliable results
2.4GHz band testing caused significant disruption to my nearby wireless SNES classic 2.4 GHz controllers. Had to re-run tests when kids weren't playing to avoid frustrated children.
The wife running the microwave negatively impacted 2.4GHz results. Had to re-run 2.4GHz tests when she used it as I could see performance regression in real-time.
I had to personally supervise these tests even though they were-script driven so I got to see the results of each test as they came in, even though I'm presenting the 10x aggregated and averaged results, I discarded the tainted results but did observe them in real-time. From both the tainted and untainted data, I would say generally speaking there is a slight bandwidth improvement with AMPDU optimization enabled, and a slight latency increase when enabled which was expected on both fronts. However, 2.4GHz seems to experience significant increase in latency and jitter when enabled compared to 5GHz which only saw minimal latency performance hit in exchange for additional bandwidth.
Data Collected:

Device/Location: MacBook Pro Kitchen Band: 2.4GHz

AMPDU: Enabled

Throughput (Mbps): 131.13

Local Latency (ms): 9.37

Download Speed (Mbps): 139.38

Upload Speed (Mbps): 119.47

Internet Latency (ms): 15.18

Jitter (ms): 0.64

Device/Location: MacBook Pro Kitchen Band: 2.4GHz

AMPDU: Disabled

Throughput (Mbps): 137.74

Local Latency (ms): 9.53

Download Speed (Mbps): 133.30

Upload Speed (Mbps): 131.36

Internet Latency (ms): 20.15

Jitter (ms): 0.88

Device/Location: MacBook Pro Kitchen Band: 5GHz

AMPDU: Enabled

Throughput (Mbps): 699.45

Local Latency (ms): 8.32

Download Speed (Mbps): 380.25

Upload Speed (Mbps): 305.28

Internet Latency (ms): 14.21

Jitter (ms): 0.19

Device/Location: MacBook Pro Kitchen Band: 5GHz

AMPDU: Disabled

Throughput (Mbps): 702.13

Local Latency (ms): 7.27

Download Speed (Mbps): 63.35

Upload Speed (Mbps): 45.08

Internet Latency (ms): 14.73

Jitter (ms): 0.26

Device/Location: MacBook Pro Corner Rm Band: 2.4GHz

AMPDU: Enabled

Throughput (Mbps): 35.02

Local Latency (ms): 9.87

Download Speed (Mbps): 58.13

Upload Speed (Mbps): 94.66

Internet Latency (ms): 15.67

Jitter (ms): 1.44

Device/Location: MacBook Pro Corner Rm Band: 2.4GHz

AMPDU: Disabled

Throughput (Mbps): 32.00

Local Latency (ms): 10.45

Download Speed (Mbps): 45.34

Upload Speed (Mbps): 77.28

Internet Latency (ms): 14.87

Jitter (ms): 2.63

Device/Location: MacBook Pro Corner Rm Band: 5GHz

AMPDU: Enabled

Throughput (Mbps): 189.90

Local Latency (ms): 8.66

Download Speed (Mbps): 240.47

Upload Speed (Mbps): 130.47

Internet Latency (ms): 15.34

Jitter (ms): 0.48

Device/Location: MacBook Pro Corner Rm Band: 5GHz

AMPDU: Disabled

Throughput (Mbps): 179.28

Local Latency (ms): 8.47

Download Speed (Mbps): 215.62

Upload Speed (Mbps): 122.65

Internet Latency (ms): 14.96

Jitter (ms): 0.50

Device/Location: “Carolina Reaper” (Hades Canyon NUC w/BCM94360NG, 2x2 802.1AC) Band: 2.4GHz

AMPDU: Enabled

Throughput (Mbps): 42.44

Local Latency (ms): 6.45

Download Speed (Mbps): 38.26

Upload Speed (Mbps): 21.15

Internet Latency (ms): 11.63

Jitter (ms): 2.16

Device/Location: “Carolina Reaper” (Hades Canyon NUC w/BCM94360NG, 2x2 802.1AC) Band: 2.4GHz

AMPDU: Disabled

Throughput (Mbps): 29.02

Local Latency (ms): 4.03

Download Speed (Mbps): 39.95

Upload Speed (Mbps): 31.01

Internet Latency (ms): 13.91

Jitter (ms): 1.34

Device/Location: “Carolina Reaper” (Hades Canyon NUC w/BCM94360NG, 2x2 802.1AC) Band: 5GHz

AMPDU: Enabled

Throughput (Mbps): 258.74

Local Latency (ms): 3.96

Download Speed (Mbps): 219.92

Upload Speed (Mbps): 211.88

Internet Latency (ms): 10.05

Jitter (ms): 0.28

Device/Location: “Carolina Reaper” (Hades Canyon NUC w/BCM94360NG, 2x2 802.1AC) Band: 5GHz

AMPDU: Disabled

Throughput (Mbps): 280.34

Local Latency (ms): 3.73

Download Speed (Mbps): 231.19

Upload Speed (Mbps): 240.77

Internet Latency (ms): 10.03

Jitter (ms): 0.25

Device/Location: “Atlantis” (iMac 2020) Band: 2.4GHz

AMPDU: Enabled

Throughput (Mbps): 145.48

Local Latency (ms): 12.38

Download Speed (Mbps): 140.81

Upload Speed (Mbps): 135.88

Internet Latency (ms): 18.98

Jitter (ms): 1.18

Device/Location: “Atlantis” (iMac 2020) Band: 2.4GHz

AMPDU: Disabled

Throughput (Mbps): 151.77

Local Latency (ms): 11.39

Download Speed (Mbps): 139.52

Upload Speed (Mbps): 144.83

Internet Latency (ms): 14.05

Jitter (ms): 0.54

Device/Location: “Atlantis” (iMac 2020) Band: 5GHz

AMPDU: Enabled

Throughput (Mbps): 733.40

Local Latency (ms): 5.85

Download Speed (Mbps): 362.92

Upload Speed (Mbps): 415.32

Internet Latency (ms): 11.96

Jitter (ms): 0.22

Device/Location: “Atlantis” (iMac 2020) Band: 5GHz

AMPDU: Disabled

Throughput (Mbps): 746.16

Local Latency (ms): 5.97

Download Speed (Mbps): 349.03

Upload Speed (Mbps): 377.59

Internet Latency (ms): 12.31

Jitter (ms): 0.23

[Assistant]
Part 2...

After reviewing the data, my initial personal conclusion mirrors my own preferences, there is a slight hit on latency and jitter across the spectrum, in exchange for a bit of additional bandwidth, I was going to rule summarily that Optimizing AMPDU aggregation should remain disabled (default), period. But, then I decided to feed the data to ChatGPT, for kicks and grins as it’s going to in theory be more objective in weighing the metrics than a biased human...

And here’s ChatGPT’s opinion of the matter:

Based on the provided data, we can analyze the performance differences between the scenarios with "Optimize AMPDU Aggregation" enabled and disabled across different devices and locations on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Here are the key points:

MacBook Pro (Kitchen)

2.4GHz:

• Throughput: Slightly higher with AMPDU disabled (137.74 Mbps vs. 131.13 Mbps).

• Local Latency: Comparable (9.53 ms vs. 9.37 ms).

• Download Speed: Slightly higher with AMPDU enabled (139.38 Mbps vs. 133.30 Mbps).

• Upload Speed: Higher with AMPDU disabled (131.36 Mbps vs. 119.47 Mbps).

• Internet Latency: Lower with AMPDU enabled (15.18 ms vs. 20.15 ms).

• Jitter: Lower with AMPDU enabled (0.64 ms vs. 0.88 ms).

5GHz:

• Throughput: Comparable (702.13 Mbps vs. 699.45 Mbps).

• Local Latency: Lower with AMPDU disabled (7.27 ms vs. 8.32 ms).

• Download Speed: Significantly higher with AMPDU enabled (380.25 Mbps vs. 63.35 Mbps).

• Upload Speed: Significantly higher with AMPDU enabled (305.28 Mbps vs. 45.08 Mbps).

• Internet Latency: Comparable (14.73 ms vs. 14.21 ms).

• Jitter: Lower with AMPDU enabled (0.19 ms vs. 0.26 ms).

MacBook Pro (Corner Room)

2.4GHz:

• Throughput: Slightly higher with AMPDU enabled (35.02 Mbps vs. 32.00 Mbps).

• Local Latency: Lower with AMPDU enabled (9.87 ms vs. 10.45 ms).

• Download Speed: Higher with AMPDU enabled (58.13 Mbps vs. 45.34 Mbps).

• Upload Speed: Higher with AMPDU enabled (94.66 Mbps vs. 77.28 Mbps).

• Internet Latency: Comparable (15.67 ms vs. 14.87 ms).

• Jitter: Lower with AMPDU disabled (1.44 ms vs. 2.63 ms).

5GHz:

• Throughput: Higher with AMPDU enabled (189.90 Mbps vs. 179.28 Mbps).

• Local Latency: Comparable (8.66 ms vs. 8.47 ms).

• Download Speed: Higher with AMPDU enabled (240.47 Mbps vs. 215.62 Mbps).

• Upload Speed: Higher with AMPDU enabled (130.47 Mbps vs. 122.65 Mbps).

• Internet Latency: Comparable (15.34 ms vs. 14.96 ms).

• Jitter: Comparable (0.48 ms vs. 0.50 ms).

Carolina Reaper (Stationary)

2.4GHz:

• Throughput: Higher with AMPDU enabled (42.44 Mbps vs. 29.02 Mbps).

• Local Latency: Higher with AMPDU enabled (6.45 ms vs. 4.03 ms).

• Download Speed: Comparable (38.26 Mbps vs. 39.95 Mbps).

• Upload Speed: Lower with AMPDU enabled (21.15 Mbps vs. 31.01 Mbps).

• Internet Latency: Lower with AMPDU enabled (11.63 ms vs. 13.91 ms).

• Jitter: Higher with AMPDU enabled (2.16 ms vs. 1.34 ms).

5GHz:

• Throughput: Lower with AMPDU enabled (258.74 Mbps vs. 280.34 Mbps).

• Local Latency: Comparable (3.96 ms vs. 3.73 ms).

• Download Speed: Lower with AMPDU enabled (219.92 Mbps vs. 231.19 Mbps).

• Upload Speed: Lower with AMPDU enabled (211.88 Mbps vs. 240.77 Mbps).

• Internet Latency: Comparable (10.05 ms vs. 10.03 ms).

• Jitter: Comparable (0.28 ms vs. 0.25 ms).

iMac (Stationary)

2.4GHz:

• Throughput: Slightly lower with AMPDU enabled (145.48 Mbps vs. 151.77 Mbps).

• Local Latency: Higher with AMPDU enabled (12.38 ms vs. 11.39 ms).

• Download Speed: Comparable (140.81 Mbps vs. 139.52 Mbps).

• Upload Speed: Slightly lower with AMPDU enabled (135.88 Mbps vs. 144.83 Mbps).

• Internet Latency: Higher with AMPDU enabled (18.98 ms vs. 14.05 ms).

• Jitter: Higher with AMPDU enabled (1.18 ms vs. 0.54 ms).

5GHz:

• Throughput: Comparable (733.40 Mbps vs. 746.16 Mbps).

• Local Latency: Comparable (5.85 ms vs. 5.97 ms).

• Download Speed: Higher with AMPDU enabled (362.92 Mbps vs. 349.03 Mbps).

• Upload Speed: Higher with AMPDU enabled (415.32 Mbps vs. 377.59 Mbps).

• Internet Latency: Lower with AMPDU enabled (11.96 ms vs. 12.31 ms).

• Jitter: Comparable (0.22 ms vs. 0.23 ms).

Summary of Findings

5GHz Performance: Generally, 5GHz provides significantly higher throughput and lower latency compared to 2.4GHz, as expected due to the higher frequency and wider channels available in the 5GHz band.
AMPDU Aggregation Impact:
o MacBook Pro (Kitchen): Significant improvement in download and upload speeds on 5GHz with AMPDU enabled.

o MacBook Pro (Corner Room): Moderate improvements in throughput, download, and upload speeds on both bands with AMPDU enabled.

o Carolina Reaper: Mixed results; 2.4GHz shows improved throughput but increased latency and jitter with AMPDU enabled. 5GHz shows slightly lower performance with AMPDU enabled.

o iMac: Minimal differences in throughput and latency on 5GHz. On 2.4GHz, slight regression in throughput and increased latency and jitter with AMPDU enabled.

Recommendations

Enable AMPDU Aggregation: For devices and locations that showed clear improvements, such as the MacBook Pro in the kitchen on 5GHz.
Disable AMPDU Aggregation: For setups where enabling it resulted in increased latency and jitter, such as the Carolina Reaper on 2.4GHz.
Further Testing: Consider additional tests to confirm trends, especially in mixed environments where results are not clear-cut.
Overall, enabling AMPDU aggregation generally provides benefits in terms of throughput and download/upload speeds, especially on the 5GHz band, but it can introduce higher latency and jitter in some cases. The decision to enable or disable it should be based on the specific requirements and performance of each device and location.

Given the data from all four scenarios, the decision to enable or disable "Optimize AMPDU Aggregation" should be based on balancing the overall network performance across all devices and locations in your house. Here are the key conclusions:

General Observations

5GHz Band:
o MacBook Pro (Kitchen): Significant improvements in download and upload speeds with AMPDU enabled.

o MacBook Pro (Corner Room): Improvements in throughput, download, and upload speeds with AMPDU enabled.

o Carolina Reaper: Slightly lower performance with AMPDU enabled.

o iMac: Minimal differences, with a slight improvement in download and upload speeds with AMPDU enabled.

2.4GHz Band:
o MacBook Pro (Kitchen): Slight variations, with minor improvements in download speeds with AMPDU enabled.

o MacBook Pro (Corner Room): Improvements in throughput, download, and upload speeds with AMPDU enabled.

o Carolina Reaper: Improved throughput but increased latency and jitter with AMPDU enabled.

o iMac: Slight regression in throughput and increased latency and jitter with AMPDU enabled.

Recommendations

For 5GHz Band

• Enable AMPDU Aggregation: The 5GHz band shows clear benefits in terms of throughput and download/upload speeds for most devices, especially for mobile devices like the MacBook Pro in different locations. The slight decrease in performance for the Carolina Reaper is outweighed by the significant improvements for other devices.

For 2.4GHz Band

• Disable AMPDU Aggregation: The 2.4GHz band shows mixed results with AMPDU enabled. The Carolina Reaper and iMac experience increased latency and jitter, which can negatively impact real-time applications. Disabling AMPDU aggregation can help maintain more consistent performance across all devices.

Overall Strategy

Given that your network supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, a mixed strategy would be optimal:

Enable AMPDU Aggregation on the 5GHz Band:
o This will provide significant performance improvements for throughput, download, and upload speeds for devices connected to the 5GHz band, particularly beneficial for mobile devices like the MacBook Pro.

Disable AMPDU Aggregation on the 2.4GHz Band:
o This will help maintain consistent performance with lower latency and jitter for devices on the 2.4GHz band, which is important for stationary devices and applications sensitive to latency variations.

Implementation

Router Configuration:
o Check if your router allows separate configurations for AMPDU aggregation on 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Many modern routers provide band-specific settings.

Monitor Performance:
o After applying the changes, monitor the network performance for a few days to ensure that the configuration meets the overall needs of your household.

Conclusion

By enabling AMPDU aggregation on the 5GHz band and disabling it on the 2.4GHz band, you can achieve a balanced network performance that leverages the strengths of each band and addresses the specific needs of different devices and locations in your house. This approach maximizes throughput and download/upload speeds where beneficial while minimizing latency and jitter where it is more critical.

Part 3...

Had to move some stuff around, here's a quote from Star Trek TOS regarding ChatGPT I'm going to throw in...

KIRK: All right, my recommendations are as follows. We send down general survey party, avoiding contact of all intelligent life on the planet's surface. The survey party will consist of myself, Doctor McCoy, Astrobiologist Phillips, Geologist Rawlins and Science Officer Spock.
DAYSTROM: Play M-5's recommendations, won't you, Mister Spock?
M5: (a male computer voice) M-5 readout, planet Alpha Carinae Two. Class M, atmosphere, oxygen-nitrogen.
SCOTT: The power's gone off on deck five.
M5: Categorization of life form readings recorded. Recommendations for general survey party. Science officer Spock, Astrobiologist Phillips, Geologist Carstairs.
KIRK: Well, the only difference in reports and recommendations is the landing party personnel. That's only a matter of judgment.
DAYSTROM: Judgment, Captain?
SPOCK: Captain, the computer does not judge. It makes logical selections.
KIRK: Why pick Carstairs instead of Rawlins? Carstairs is an ensign, no experience. This is his first tour of duty. Rawlins is chief geologist.
DAYSTROM: Aren't you really more interested in why M-5 did not select you and Doctor McCoy? Well, let's find out anyway. M-5 tie-in.
M5: M-5.
DAYSTROM: Explanation for landing party recommendation.
M5: General survey party requires direction of science officer. Astrobiologist Phillips has surveyed twenty nine biologically similar planets. Geologist Carstairs served on merchant marine freighters in this area. Once visited planet on geology survey for mining company.
DAYSTROM: Why were the Captain and the Chief Medical Officer not included in recommendation?
M5: Non-essential personnel.

Like the M5 computer in Star Trek, it doesn’t miss a beat (but it has flaws like the M5 computer, I’ll save those jokes for another time). ChatGPT correctly concluded, unlike a biased human, how about turn it on for 5GHz, and turn it off for 2.4GHz, instead of my “flawed” all or nothing thinking. Be careful them large language models, they’re getting better. It also correctly concludes, every situation is different. It depends what you’re trying to achieve. When I initially asked it for conclusions, it didn’t give me a summary conclusion at first as you can see, it gave me each client’s performance and it’s impact for each client instead of the whole (I redacted my next input requesting it to weigh the entire scenario as a whole). After, it did “think about the bigger picture” and disagreed with my all or nothing assessment. In hindsight, I actually agree with the computer here; it makes sense on paper that optimizing AMPDU aggregation on 2.4GHz is going to be more problematic; it’s inherently more susceptible to interference which is going to lead to more retransmissions which is the downside to using Optimization of AMPDU Aggregation. My benchmark data aggress with on-paper theory here interestingly enough. Just a hypothesis, enabling Optimizing AMPDU aggregation, will likely benefit 6GHz even more as it’s an even newer spectrum, with more bandwidth, and even less interference, has less range too though.

Post-testing anecdotes:

About 70% through testing, I mentally said to myself "I seem to recall seeing that the media server function on my Synology NAS could be allocated to the other unused port on my Synology NAS; perhaps connecting it and assigning the Media Server to the secondary NIC, would improve results as it would leave the network pipe to the containers open." I decided not to implement this mid-testing as this was already very time intensive running these tests and I had already repeated the testing when the Media Server wasn't in use; seemed a poor choice to change horses mid-race.

However, after the testing concluded, I attached the secondary NIC on my DS224+ to one of my spare 1GB LAN ports on my Asus GT-AX6000 and assigned the Media Server to it and ran a couple tests. I found that my latency was closer to 30ms with the media server under load on the dedicated port (not shared with the containers) indicating there is still some intrinsic latency added when the media server is also under load, probably from either the CPU or storage loading, but a far cry from the 100ms latency with both the containers and media server "fighting" over the same NIC. This is highly relevant to my day-to-day setup/operations regardless of deciding whether or not to enable Optimizing AMPDU aggregation as I'm running both a PiHole and Unbound container to improve my network posture; those containers would also in theory benefit from utilizing a dedicated NIC for the media server so when it's in use by one of my TVs, they have faster response to DNS queries from those containers on the network for browsing activity or cloud-sync operations, streaming operations, etc.

Lastly, as a human, I tend to view things in black or white, that is enable or disable AMPDU optimization wholesale, the idea of enabling it on 5GHz and disabling it on 2.4GHz was disheartening at first, however, I had also witnessed this first hand spending hours in front of these devices running the tests and getting to see both the data now presented, seeing it as it was coming in before being aggregated and averaged, and also from tests I had to frequently abort which made it through several iterations of each 10x loop, before having interference on 2.4GHz from say my wife wanting to heat her coffee, warm a lunch, a kid firing up a video from my media server which was quickly presented in the next iteration run, or a server suddenly becoming unavailable from speedtest-cli. I can say, the large language model is not wrong in it's assessment here. What's more, ideally then, it'd be nice to have my clients "roam" between 2.4GHz and 5GHz depending on distance from routing and signal strength/TX rate, to maximize these benefits of enabling Optimization of AMPDU aggregation on only 5GHz, however Apple Devices (both my iPhones and Macs) are "dumb" where they just lock unto the strongest RSSI, which in my case is always 2.4GHz, but it's almost always the slower option unless I'm either outside, or in a corner of my house where the signal is weakest so that's counterintuitive…

Perhaps it's time I revisit "SmartConnect" where both bands are presented as a single SSID and the router chooses which band to steer a client to depending upon conditions so to workaround this logic fault / limitation (and I did, up next)

#Here's the script I used, in case someone else wants to inspect, replicate, or improve upon it... In hindsight, you could run speedtest-cli --list, awk out the first hit, initialize it into the array and have it print the server used, and store these results into a file, where the script also checks to see what server was last used, before proceeding to alleviate some of the manual "lifting" for checking your speedtest-cli server isn't moving or unavailable, and have it re-run both test. You know, I could've also made this interactive, where it pauses at the end of each loop, asks for what band I'm testing, and whether AMPDU is enabled or disabled and print there results into a log that way it has a built-in wait mechanism between router tweaks... Anyhow, here's the code as I ran it...

# Define test parameters

SERVER="192.168.1.1” # Replace with the IP address of the iPerf3 server

DURATION=10 # Duration for each iPerf3 test in seconds

ITERATIONS=10 # Number of times to run each test

SPEEDTEST_SERVER_ID=1772 # Replace with your chosen speedtest server ID

PING_TARGET="1.1.1.1" # Target for the additional internet latency ping test

# Initialize accumulators for aggregated results

total_throughput=0

total_latency=0

total_download=0

total_upload=0

total_internet_latency=0

total_jitter=0

# Function to run iPerf3 test for throughput

run_iperf_test() {

echo "Running iPerf3 test..."

throughput=$(iperf3 -c $SERVER -t $DURATION -J | jq .end.sum_received.bits_per_second)

throughput_mb=$(echo "scale=2; $throughput / 1000000" | bc)

echo "Throughput: ${throughput_mb} Mbps"

total_throughput=$(echo "$total_throughput + $throughput_mb" | bc)

}

# Function to run iPerf3 UDP test for jitter

run_iperf_udp_test() {

echo "Running iPerf3 UDP test..."

jitter=$(iperf3 -c $SERVER -u -t $DURATION -J | jq .end.sum.jitter_ms)

echo "Jitter: ${jitter} ms"

total_jitter=$(echo "$total_jitter + $jitter" | bc)

}

# Function to run ping test to local server

run_ping_test() {

echo "Running ping test to local server..."

ping_result=$(ping -c 10 $SERVER)

latency=$(echo "$ping_result" | awk -F '/' ' {print $5}')

echo "Latency: ${latency} ms"

total_latency=$(echo "$total_latency + $latency" | bc)

}

# Function to run speedtest

run_speedtest() {

echo "Running speedtest..."

speedtest_json=$(PYTHONWARNINGS="ignore" speedtest-cli --json --server $SPEEDTEST_SERVER_ID)

if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then

download=$(echo "$speedtest_json" | jq .download)

upload=$(echo "$speedtest_json" | jq .upload)

download_mb=$(echo "scale=2; $download / 1000000" | bc)

upload_mb=$(echo "scale=2; $upload / 1000000" | bc)

echo "Download Speed: ${download_mb} Mbps"

echo "Upload Speed: ${upload_mb} Mbps"

total_download=$(echo "$total_download + $download_mb" | bc)

total_upload=$(echo "$total_upload + $upload_mb" | bc)

else

echo "Speedtest failed"

fi

}

# Function to run ping test to 1.1.1.1

run_internet_ping_test() {

echo "Running ping test to 1.1.1.1..."

ping_result=$(ping -c 10 $PING_TARGET)

internet_latency=$(echo "$ping_result" | awk -F '/' ' {print $5}')

echo "Internet Latency: ${internet_latency} ms"

total_internet_latency=$(echo "$total_internet_latency + $internet_latency" | bc)

}

# Run tests multiple times

echo "Starting network performance tests..."

echo "Test run started at $(date)" | tee -a network_test_results.txt

for i in $(seq 1 $ITERATIONS); do

echo "Iteration $i..."

run_iperf_test

run_iperf_udp_test

run_ping_test

run_speedtest

run_internet_ping_test

done

# Calculate averages

avg_throughput=$(echo "scale=2; $total_throughput / $ITERATIONS" | bc)

avg_latency=$(echo "scale=2; $total_latency / $ITERATIONS" | bc)

avg_download=$(echo "scale=2; $total_download / $ITERATIONS" | bc)

avg_upload=$(echo "scale=2; $total_upload / $ITERATIONS" | bc)

avg_internet_latency=$(echo "scale=2; $total_internet_latency / $ITERATIONS" | bc)

avg_jitter=$(echo "scale=2; $total_jitter / $ITERATIONS" | bc)

# Print aggregated results

echo "Aggregated results:" | tee -a network_test_results.txt

echo "Average Throughput: ${avg_throughput} Mbps" | tee -a network_test_results.txt

echo "Average Local Latency: ${avg_latency} ms" | tee -a network_test_results.txt

echo "Average Download Speed: ${avg_download} Mbps" | tee -a network_test_results.txt

echo "Average Upload Speed: ${avg_upload} Mbps" | tee -a network_test_results.txt

echo "Average Internet Latency: ${avg_internet_latency} ms" | tee -a network_test_results.txt

echo "Average Jitter: ${avg_jitter} ms" | tee -a network_test_results.txt

echo "Tests completed at $(date)" | tee -a network_test_results.txt


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: aimesh compatiblity zenwifi and expertwifi

I have two XD6 pre-synced working, added 3rd node ExpertWifi EBR63. EBR63 reset itselft to factory settings after while. XD6 shows EBR63 offline.

XD6 firmware : 3.0.0.4.388_23813-g97c4c91
EBR63 firmware : 3.0.0.6.102_44547-g878921f_380-ge752c_sec

Aimesh connected via wifi. All devices within 10-15 feet range.

Any suggestion to make the network stable.

Yasin

[Assistant]
Even though both use AiMesh at the core - this is not guaranteed to work in a long term. Different product lines with different target group, different firmware development branches with different final goal. Compatibility between them is not something Asus is after. In addition the new 3006 firmware versions come with AiMesh architecture change and your XD6 running 3004 firmware may never get this update.

Tech9 said:
Even though both use AiMesh at the core - this is not guaranteed to work in a long term. Different product lines with different target group, different firmware development branches with different final goal. Compatibility between them is not something Asus is after. In addition the new 3006 firmware versions come with AiMesh architecture change and your XD6 running 3004 firmware may never get this update.
True, I swapped the role making EBR63 as primary. AiMesh shows Satellite disconnected, wifi scan shows 2.4GHz radio still available. Ping/Telnet works on 2.4GHz.

opened case with ASUS.

Yasin said:
opened case with ASUS.

Asus never guaranteed any compatibility between ExpertWiFi and ZenWiFi anyway.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Asuscomm DDNS problems last days? (AX88U)

Hi ! Has anyone else noticed a problems with Asuscomm DDNS in the past few days?

I haven't been able to connect to my network from outside for a few last days.
There were no problems before - it simply stopped connecting to my servers trough mydomain.asuscomm.comort's
I assumed it was a my configuration issue, so I started digging into the settings, make changes of both the router and my servers...
There were many attempts, reconfiguration, changing ports, etc., certificates, etc. I even turned off all security thinking that it might be a firewall issue, etc., but no.
I cant access to any mydomain.asuscomm.comort's.

Strangely enough, all the "verification"/diagnostics were working properly. Port forwarding is done correctly (I went back to the settings from a few days ago - the ones that worked)
My IP responds, nslookup responds too, PINGs are running, ports are open, but it doesn't connect... - i.e. something was blocking me, but only through Asuscomm. Both Http & Https.

Just to clarify, I haven't even done any updates in the last few days. Neither the servers nor the Router before the problem appeared.

The culprit turned out to be Asuscomm DDNS I think...
- because after test changing my DDNS temporary to NoIP everything immediately works properly like using a magic trick.
So my LAN and router configs are fine ( was fine all the time ) It's a pity that I didn't think of it earlier because I was clearly looking in the wrong place and I wasted many hours tracking down the bug.

But maybe someone had a similar situation in the past few days?

All the best !
Nick

[Assistant]
Asus DDNS does have problems from time to time. Stay with the NoIP free service. You will have to verify it monthly but I have never had it fail me.

bbunge said:
Asus DDNS does have problems from time to time. Stay with the NoIP free service. You will have to verify it monthly but I have never had it fail me.
Monthly verification sucks in a way, what happens when you are on vacation or forget? Using Asus DDNS forever for the home alarm and at times it was a life saver
When I have issues its usually the router config, reboot router, switch DDNS On/Off, press Apply, use a new Asus host name.
Let's Encrypt works well with Asus DDNS...
I did not experience any real issues with Asus DDNS in the past.

tallytr said:
what happens when you are on vacation or forget?
I still get the email and I can still follow the link so vacation isn't an issue. It takes no longer than 30 seconds to verify following the link in that email.
Being aware of this I respond immediately so I don't forget.


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Xbox and Asus routers, unbearable lag

Router: GT-BE98, last firmware
PPPOE connection via VDSL2 modem
Use for online game on Xbox Live

I point out an unbearable latency, they are aware that adaptive qos does not work, but also with traditional Qos or off the games are unjustable. I tried to disconnect all the devices and leave only the Xbox connected but without result.

The problem was also present on previous routers, mitigated only by the use of Flexqos. But is it possible that without the use of a "mod" there is an unsolved problem for years?

[Assistant]
Do you have the modem/router (Draytek Vigor 167) in bridge mode?

Yes, same problem with another dsl modem, the zyxel vmg4005

I don't experience this at all with my PPPoE fiber connection and Ethernet connected RT68U or AX86U Pro without any QOS


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: AI Mesh not showing wired devices

I've recently purchased 2x XD4S nodes as AIMesh units to pair with my AX86u.

I cannot hardwire so I have them setup via wifi backhaul. I have plugged in devices to both units and finding that although they have a connection they don't seem to monitor/appear in my networking map in the Asus GUI. Is there anyway to troubleshoot or to get them to detect? All units are running up to date firmware.

[Assistant]
josh3003 said:
I've recently purchased 2x XD4S nodes as AIMesh units to pair with my AX86u.

I cannot hardwire so I have them setup via wifi backhaul. I have plugged in devices to both units and finding that although they have a connection they don't seem to monitor/appear in my networking map in the Asus GUI. Is there anyway to troubleshoot or to get them to detect? All units are running up to date firmware.
Click to expand...

Client listing in the ASUSWRT webUI is historically not 100% reliable... rejoice when it is, ignore it when it is not.

OE


[System] You are a professional Wi-Fi router support assistant; I will provide forum posts as background material, and you should learn from them while remaining aware that forum content may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect — when uncertain, explicitly note that you are uncertain and refer the user to official documentation or other authoritative sources for verification.

[User]
Title: Prevent access to ASUS router settings page through Access Point wi-fi connected to router.

I have ASUS router AX-88U connected to Gateway. One of the LAN ports is used to connect to an Access Point (extender). The router has been configured to prevent access to settings page through Wi-Fi. But, I can access it through Ethernet. The issue is that I can connect to the Wi-Fi from the Access Point and open the router settings page. Look at the image below from the Administration page. The Enable Web Access from WAN is set to "No". It works when connected to router. But not when connected to the access point. Anyone know how to disable this from the access point? Thanks in advance

[Assistant]
The way you have it set up it can't be done. A router configured as an access point will use the same LAN subnet as the router. Thus, any client connected to the access point, either by WIFI or Ethernet, can see and connect to any other client on the same subnet.

One way to prevent clients from connecting to the router is to set up guest WIFI #1 and set the current AP as an AiMesh node. You will still have the main WIFI on that node as well.

secCrazy said:
I have ASUS router AX-88U connected to Gateway. One of the LAN ports is used to connect to an Access Point (extender). The router has been configured to prevent access to settings page through Wi-Fi. But, I can access it through Ethernet. The issue is that I can connect to the Wi-Fi from the Access Point and open the router settings page. Look at the image below from the Administration page. The Enable Web Access from WAN is set to "No". It works when connected to router. But not when connected to the access point. Anyone know how to disable this from the access point? Thanks in advance

Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply. The AP is an extender. So, I don't think AiMesh node will work

secCrazy said:
The Enable Web Access from WAN is set to "No"

By the way, this access from WAN setting has nothing to do with access from WLAN.