A 4000 sq feet home using dual-band router/mesh/extender system?... It is not sufficient. You may need to go for a tri-band or more mesh system, with at least two mesh nodes.

I have successfully installed 2800 sq feet (base) 3-story house, with the new Asus ZenWIFI AX (two=pack, tri-band, WIFI6) which should theoretically cover 5500 sq feet area. It is using the 5GHz-2 as the wireless backhaul between the main router ZenWIFI AX (master bedroom, 1st floor) and the second ZenWIFI AX node (living room, ground floor), both of them are just above/below each other in top-view position. This configuration is sufficient to cover the ground and the first floor but it is not enough for the second floor and corner areas. It can achieve almost half of the 500 Mbps Unifi package.

However, due to many thick walls to penetrate (too many rooms and levels, the main ONU is located on the first floor in the master bedroom). I still had to add two extra nodes, using the existing ASUS RT-67U routers to cover areas with the weakest signal strength (guest room on the second floor and the areas in the study room), adjusting the RT-67U nodes at the best positions possible due to their dual-band capability.



This post has been edited by eclectice: Jun 22 2020, 03:32 PM

I installed the system for my neighbor's home and performed the WIFI connection stability and speed at 5GHz only for every room in the house. But, I didn't check properly the roaming issue after finished the installation. So far, my neighbor didn't complain about anything and had learned to use the ASUS Router app to block the kids.

This post has been edited by eclectice: Jun 22 2020, 03:36 PM

In actuality, when it means up to 5500 sq ft for ASUS ZenWIFI AX (two packs), it is a maximum of 2750 sq ft area per ZenWIFI AX node. So, if the floor area to cover is 2800 sq ft, it is going to have an issue at the far corner sides. That is why in my case, the ZenWIFI nodes can still cover the ground (2800 sq ft) and the first floor (2800 sq ft) only because I put one node for each floor but none for the second floor (ASUS ZenWIFI AX package only has two packs). Therefore, I topped up the second floor with the RT-AC67U units at optimum positions to sync AiMesh config for all nodes.


https://www.asus.com/Networking/ZenWiFi-AX-XT8/

In your case for ASUS ROG GT-AC5300, I've tried to find from the website any mention of 5000 sq ft, but it only mentions 2500 sq ft area.


https://www.asus.com/my/Networking/ROG-Rapt...C5300/overview/

But, If you have two GT-AC5300 units, you can put them side by side with a distance of 10m or at an optimum position between each other over the wireless overhaul in AiMesh configuration to cover a floor area of 5000 sq ft. But, the throughput loss and latency will be scaled geometrically for the wireless backhaul configuration, subject to the RF signal constraints.

https://helpcenter.engeniustech.com/hc/en-u...-Best-Practices

This post has been edited by eclectice: Jun 24 2020, 08:24 AM

https://www.asus.com/my/Networking/RT-AX86U/

The SIRIM database shows AX86U has been approved on 9 June 2020.



You can buy it at the online shops.

I have checked one link below saying it is original and imported but I am surprised to see its SKU # 1076488005_MY-2964370134, showing the "MY". Maybe Malaysia unit, perhaps?

https://www.lazada.com.my/products/asus-rt-...qoscQF&search=1

Maybe wait a few weeks to see it appears at any brick-and-mortar shops.

This post has been edited by eclectice: Jun 24 2020, 09:01 AM

What is wrong with the current one?

I can't say much about the actual area covered by Asus AX-3000 and Asus AX86U since Asus doesn't state anything. Since you have stated that AX-3000 suffers from the dead spots, it means it could not cover a 2000 sq ft floor area by itself.

But, I can say the Asus ZenWIFI AX (XT8) 2-pack mesh system (currently priced around RM1859 in June 2020) is proven to be a good solution for reducing the dead spots for a base floor area of 2750 sq ft per node. It is stated 5500 sq ft on the website but it means the total area covered by two ZenWIFI AX nodes (1router, 1 satellite/node). So, in your case, it is more than enough for the 2000 sq ft. area; too much exactly, so it is quite excessive in my opinion.

In reality, it really does justice for any floor area less than 2750 sg ft. per node. But, if your floor area is more than that, it will still have some dead spots or weak signal strength at the far corner-sides of the area. I found that iPhone 11 could take advantage of the WIFI6 standard during my 5GHz tests.

Maybe, you can go for the cheaper ZenWIFI AC (CT8) mesh system (priced around RM12xx in June 2020) which covers a total of 5400 sq ft or a 2700 sq ft floor area per node. But, it doesn't support the latest WIFI6 standard (of course since it is AC system) and the WP3 encryption.

Blacktubi did ask me about the roaming stability of the ZenWIFI AX (XT8) but I didn't take the chance to verify the issue that seemed to occur on his review of ZenWIFI AC (CT8).

Update:

I just notice that you can control the roaming threshold to help Asus ZenWIFI decides which clients should disconnect and try to look for a better node. It is called the Roaming Assistant, accessible through the router's website interface and available for each band. It may be a little bit technical but you can play around with this setting to find the best roaming stability for the devices, subject to how you position the AX nodes and the RF interference in the house. The current default is -70 dBm for 5GHz band but you may try -50 dBm if it helps.



AiMesh does provide a How-To guide on how to position the nodes. https://www.asus.com/microsite/AiMesh/en/how_to.html

This post has been edited by eclectice: Jun 30 2020, 04:43 PM

If it is not the issue with the Let's Encrypt transition from V2 to V3 cert protocol (since Asus has updated the firmware to support this transition quite a while already for its AC routers): I think either your current Let's Encrypt cert has expired or its DDNS cache needs a flush. Just reboot your router to get a new cert or recache the DDNS. It happens to me every time the cert expires or the DDNS cache not working. The usual symptom, I will face difficulty to access my router using DDNS remotely with its ASUS Router app or website the next time if I don't properly log out.

This post has been edited by eclectice: Dec 22 2020, 03:24 AM

It is pretty hard to say; maybe same symptom but a different issue as you are using a AX router, mine and that guy are using a AC router (RT-AC88U and RT-AC86U). I assume you have installed the latest RT-AX92 firmware 3.0.0.4.386.40451

This post has been edited by eclectice: Dec 24 2020, 10:48 AM

Have you recently changed the domain name you put for asuscomm.com? It could be an issue with the ASUS DDNS service which ties your last used domain name to your router and it is unable to update the latest info. Try to contact Asus support to release your last used domain.

Yes, it is the purpose of VPN, creating a local virtual network, and bringing the local network end-to-end inside a private tunnel. I guess, as long as the VPN doesn't use our created *.asuscomm.com DDNS but a different domain, it will be fine. I also bet you can use other VPN solutions besides ASUS Instant Guard VPN (seems to use IPSec) to achieve the same solution.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/asus-inst...lic-beta.66814/

After the firmware is upgraded, it auto reboots. Why?

5GHz-2 wireless backhaul is not supported on RT-AC88U (if this is not a typo between AC and AX). You can just use the AiMesh connection between RT-AC88U and ZenWIFI XT8 nodes since I have set such a setup before. In my setup, RT-AC88U is the main router with my 800 Mbps broadband package. You can try one of the ZenWIFI XT8 to become the main router, connect it as a true Mesh system with its sibling node and later pair it with RT-AC88 as an AiMesh unit.

In either setup, you will only get the power of a tri-band WIFI connection of around 3XX Mbps at 40 feet distance (if your broadband package is 300 Mbps and above). If you really want the full bandwidth close to your subscribed broadband package, you better go with a wired backhaul.

This post has been edited by eclectice: Mar 11 2021, 08:26 PM

I previously reported on installing a pair of Asus ZenWIFI XT8 using WIFI backhaul in a three-story, two-linked house next door. If one is placed on top of the other (main node above/below the other node at each level), it can cover up to two stories. To address the third, you can utilize the ASUS router and connect it using AiMesh, or you can purchase another XT8 and connect it as another node. In the case of my neighbor, he had one pair of Asus AC68u from the prior installation, so I linked them using AiMesh.

The primary node in this configuration has the fastest WIFI speed from his Unifi 500 Mbps, while the secondary node has half the WIFI speed but still has a good speed. The Asus AC68u with AiMesh connectivity performs similarly to the latter. However, it is entirely dependent on the position of connected devices from each node and whatever barrier the signal from each node needs to pass through.

The best position is still the center of each story area of the house.

This post has been edited by eclectice: Jun 7 2022, 09:57 AM

You should put each unit outside rather than inside a closed space like any other routers in the market. It needs proper ventilation. Keep checking the fans from time to time.

Make one of the XT8 devices your primary router, connecting to your ISP. Then, add AX3000 as an AiMesh node.

This post has been edited by eclectice: Jun 7 2022, 04:25 PM

Too lengthy to describe. You can find it here

General:
https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1045754

Ethernet backhaul
https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1044151/
https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1044184/

This post has been edited by eclectice: Jun 8 2022, 09:35 AM

I'll simply give my configuration...it appears to work OK with the Asus ZenWIFI XT8...basically, it's the same settings page as your Asus router, except for the DNS Privacy Protocol setting and DNS Filter mode.



You should get this result when performing the secure DNS testing with Chrome browser Version 108.0.5359.125 (Official Build) (64-bit).

You can enable ECH in the chrome://flags setting.



chrome://flags setup for Encrypted Client Hello (ECH)



Current ECH status in the Chrome browser: https://chromestatus.com/feature/6196703843581952

More about ECH https://blog.cloudflare.com/encrypted-client-hello/

The reason why I get orange (?) mark for the Secure DNS result is because I've changed my default Secure DNS provider in my Chrome browser settings.



You will not be able to use the Secure DNS setting if your Chrome browser is administered by your workplace.



www.thegamer.com appears to be compliant with the most recent TLS domain configuration:



This post has been edited by eclectice: Dec 29 2022, 12:35 PM

I finally noticed that, unlike ZenWIFI XT8, ZenWIFI XT12 does not offer the DNS-to-TLS setup. In my last post, I mentioned helping someone with this setup for his TUF Gaming AX5400.

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2651405/+14940#




https://www.asus.com/product-compare?Produc...esh-wifi-system

This implies that XT12 users must rely on their browser's DNS-to-TLS setup rather than their XT12 if they want to use Secure DNS features.

It is not a significant concern because XT12 is intended for corporate network configuration anyway, and network administrators may wish to manage their own Secure DNS setup in their firewall/proxy settings.



This post has been edited by eclectice: Jan 13 2023, 05:28 PM

Thank you, Blacktubi. Yes, they should double-check everything they post on their website or they will lose a customer due to a confusion

What do you think: should it make a difference if I combine ASUS ZenWiFi XT9 with ASUS ZenWiFi XT8? I'm thinking about buying and using ASUS ZenWiFi XT9 as the primary system and two existing XT8 units as nodes.

This post has been edited by eclectice: Jun 6 2023, 01:19 PM

Even so, the key question is: can we mix ZenWIFI XT9 and ZenWIFI XT8 units because the main difference is in the 160 MHz bandwidth component, whereby XT9 is wider than XT8? I just need your technical point of view about this.