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Forum Discussion
EX8000 - stability issues
Hi all, I've got the EX8000 running firmware 1.0.1.232 connected to an Asus GTAX-11000 on ASUS WRT Merlin 386.2_6. I've got both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz range extension networks turned on. The ...
Your screen shot told us nothing as all the important parts where missing. not sure if you did that or if it appears like that.
One thing I recommend with the EX8000 and a solid router is to disable the 2.4ghz "extending"
You can still use the 2.4ghz but it ensures that it uses just the dedicated 3rd band for the backhaul.
Reason I recommend this is the 2.4ghz is sensitive to interference/drops. And when it has to go router----extender and then extender----devices, the chances of drops increases.
Plus it lets you use a different channel from your primary router to help prevent interference as well.
So I'd try factory resetting the ex8000 and during the install process (using the installation assistant), uncheck the "extender 2.4ghz" network. again it'll still work but will only use the dedicated backhaul.
and then just ensure your 2.4ghz networks from the router and the extender are on seperate channels so they aren't interfering with each other.
Thanks for the reply, plemax . The previous screenshot is how the EX8000 appears when it gets into this unstable state.
I did coincidentally do a factory reset today after my initial post in an attempt to eliminate some bogus configuration as the source of my issues. I've attached a new screenshot of the EX8000 after factory reset, before it gets into it's weird state.
I'm not sure I understand your suggestion about disabling the 2.4GHz extended network and it's connection to the backhaul. I take it you want to force traffic only through 5GHz extended --> 5GHz router. Is that correct? I can think of two scenarios this helps validate -
- Issues with 2.4GHz connections (either to router or devices) put the EX8000 in some state that breaks the 5GHz but don't break the 2.4GHz connections
- Issues with 5GHz connection to router mean that the EX8000 falls back to using the 2.4GHz connection as a backhaul instead.
Are these what you are thinking might be going on? I've had a look at the LEDs on the front when it's in this weird state. From the manual, it says the "throughput" LED would turn off if it were using 2.4GHz for the backhaul but I haven't obseved that.
I'll give it a shot (disable 2.4GHz entirely) and will see what happens. If this fixes the problem then theres some serious bug in the firmware that has it falling back to a slower band without giving any indication of it anywhere.
EDIT - no idea why my images aren't working, annoying. Attached one directly.
It could also be because you're using channel 100 for the backhaul. If you're in an area with active radar, the router might be going from dfs channels to non-dfs channels and back. That can cause drops/stability issues. Its also possible during those periods that its falling back to the 2.4ghz.
Another thought is your 2.4ghz is only connecting at less than half the potential link speed. It makes me curious how far away the extender is from the router and whats between the 2? 2.4ghz tends to broadcast further and through more materials than 5ghz but it seems like your 5ghz is fairly solid.
- oh and photos have to be approved by a moderator before they show. versus just adding them as the link as you did.
The majority of neighboring networks here are 2.4Ghz, so I'm assuming that interference is the main reason for the slower link speed. Even sitting in the same room as the router, I wasn't getting faster than 300Mbps link on the 2.4Ghz band and usually slower than that. I hadn't worried much about it since the 5Ghz works fine.
The distance between router and extender is around 20 to 25 feet. I'm living in a Victorian house with brick walls and heavy plaster. I've attached a simple diagram so you can see how things are positioned. The scale is only an approximation, but this is roughly how it's all laid out.
I tried a bunch of different channels + setting on the router yesterday, both on the 2.4Ghz and the two 5Ghz bands but I couldn't get faster link speeds than what was already there. In the end I set everthing on the router to automatic, which I never usually do but in this case it's working fairly well.
I only bought this extender last year, but I had an older Asus router at the time. Now that I have this one which supports Wifi 6 I might replace this extender with an AiMesh satelite that handles Wifi 6 on the backhaul and just walk away. I'm hoping some configuration setting will fix this, but I've never had a piece of wireless hardware that required as much tinkering as the EX8000.
brick and plaster are close to 2 of the worst materials for blocking wifi.
Usually when I find people with those types of homes, I advise them to find a way to hard wire in access points/extenders.
The plaster/brick makes the wireless connection unstable and unreliable. Some can get it working but most struggle.
To hardwire it you can investigate moca adapters (ethernet over coax), powerline, or even running a few runs of ethernet (if you own the home). Sometimes the cost is offset with much better stability. Plus if its hardwired, the cheaper mesh systems (dual band mesh) can be hardwired in and function as well or better than the triband mesh systems.
But if you've got it working, great. If it stuggles with stability, I'd look into hardwired connections for your access points.
