CAX80 / EAX80 Mesh Operation

[phaney0530]

Hi!

I have a CAX80 / EAX80 that I am trying to configure for mesh operation, however, I am not having much luck and am getting to a point of major frustration and was hoping someone might be able to offer some assistance.  I have called Netgear technical support numerous times.  They are good and all, but it seems like problems continue to surface/re-surface, and I'm not getting anything more than band-aids for solutions.  I have had the CAX80 for a number of years and have used it with a pair of EAX15 extenders with marginal success.  I thought that by upgrading to EAX80 extenders (i.e., something more compatible with the CAX80), I might have better luck with connectivity, bandwidth and mesh operation.  When I initially set up the EAX80, it seemed to install and configure seamlessly.  After a week or so though, I noticed a drop in bandwidth; not being able to "see" peripherals (i.e., printer, TV, etc.); zero mesh performance (i.e., not switching iPhone connectivity based on relative proximity to CAX80/EAX80) and duplication in connected items between CAX80 and EAX80 (i.e., both CAX80 and EAX80 connected to the exact same things, TVs, iPhones, etc.).  I have rebooted, unplugged, etc. the EAX80 and CAX80 multiple times which seems to help marginally, but then the aforementioned lack of performance seems to always be resorted to.  I have changed the location of the EAX80 moving it further away from the CAX80 to see if that would help with reducing any confusion/redundancy between the the CAX80 and EAX80, but it really didn't seem to change anything.  I paid quite a bit of money for all of this hoping for a seamless mesh solution, but I can't get there.  If anyone has any thoughts/suggestions, I would greatly appreciate hearing them. Thanks!

[FURRYe38]

CAX80 doesn't have a 3rd radio for any wireless backhaul MESH operations, thus no actual MESH support will be seen here. 

[plemans]

a couple things. 

1. What is the firmware on the CAX and the EAX?
2. When you say performance degrades, a little more details helps. What speeds do you actually get? Is the device with performance issues connected to the CAX or the EAX? Is it connected to the 2.4ghz band or the 5ghz band?

3. The CAX and EAX support 160hz wide channels in the 5ghz band. These bands are DFS channels and this isn't always the best if you're by an airport or have weather stations. Try setting your routers 5ghz speed to "up to 2400mbps".

4. When performance degrades, log into the extender and get a screensnip of its status page.It'll show you what its connection back to the main router is. It might be worth hardwiring a pc/laptop into the extender and the router and testing the speeds. That'll help tell you if its a extender issue or a router issue. 

[phaney0530]

Thanks for the reply.  So I can't say that I even come close to understanding all of the nuances of a "mesh network", but based on "Netgear marketing", it seems like there should be a way to configure the CAX80 and EAX80 so that they will work together a bit more seamlessly?

[plemans]

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@phaney0530 wrote:

Thanks for the reply.  So I can't say that I even come close to understanding all of the nuances of a "mesh network", but based on "Netgear marketing", it seems like there should be a way to configure the CAX80 and EAX80 so that they will work together a bit more seamlessly?

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The router isn't a mesh router but the EAX is a mesh extender. What we consider a "true" mesh network has a dedicated backhaul between router---satellites (extender) and the router is controlling the extender. This system doesn't have that. I'm not saying it won't perform as well as a true mesh system, but it's a little more picky as the router isn't managing the satellite. 

[plemans]

forgot to say when you set the "up to 2400mbps" speed on the router, select either a lower 36-45 or higher 149-165 channel. those aren't dfs channels. 

[phaney0530]

Thanks for the response!

1. I don't know what the firmware builds are per se, but I have updated to the latest for both within the past week.

2. The device that I am using to gather metrics on is an iPhone 15.  When connected to the EAX80 and standing right next to the EAX80, 1) download speeds have dropped from 450 MBPS to 120 MPBS at 5 GHz and 2) I can't "see" my printer  anymore.

I will try your suggestions - thanks!

[phaney0530]

Got it - thanks!

[phaney0530]

Thanks - that helps.  If this continues, is there a system you could recommend?

[plemans]

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@phaney0530 wrote:

Thanks for the response!

1. I don't know what the firmware builds are per se, but I have updated to the latest for both within the past week.---Try logging into both devices and looking at what versions you're on. the automated process doesn't always update to the latest. 

2. The device that I am using to gather metrics on is an iPhone 15.  When connected to the EAX80 and standing right next to the EAX80, 1) download speeds have dropped from 450 MBPS to 120 MPBS at 5 GHz----could be the dfs or it might have auto switched to the 2.4ghz. Its a mesh extender meaning it combines the 2.4ghz and 5ghz channel. the only way to tell is either disable that feature, log into the phone and check, or log into the extender and check what band its on. Not sure how to look on an Iphone.  and 2) I can't "see" my printer  anymore.----when you setup the printer, go into the router and "reserve" its ip address for the printer. It its changing bands or from router to extender, it'll get a different ip address. And then the phone won't see it unless its reinstalled on the phone. 

I will try your suggestions - thanks!

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[plemans]

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@phaney0530 wrote:

Thanks - that helps.  If this continues, is there a system you could recommend?

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Lets spend a little time troubleshooting. Thats literally the best AX combo device and extender netgear sells. they should be pretty solid in performance. 

[phaney0530]

Okay, I will see what I can do (not very good at this stuff).  Thank you!

[phaney0530]

That's really good to know.

[plemans]

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@phaney0530 wrote:

Okay, I will see what I can do (not very good at this stuff).  Thank you!

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No worries. If everyone was good at it, there wouldn't be a need for a forum.