Kitz Forum
Computers & Hardware => Networking => Topic started by: banger on March 15, 2021, 10:27:02 PM
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So I have a second hand Asus RT-AC68U on the way so I can create a whole house mesh wifi system. There are a few weak spots in my home wifi so I will try this experiment to see if I can close up the weak spots with two routers in mesh system.
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Good luck! And please keep us updated as to how the experiment progresses.
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Will do. I am a bit concerned about the RT-AC68U that is on the way as it has 'lost' its original PSU and has a 'generic' one but seller assures me it is perfectly functional.
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It arrived early and is working fine. Setting up was a little tricky as it had very old firmware on it and according to the MAC age database was made in 2015. So lots of swapping of cables, updating firmware and pairing and I am up and running. Uplink is on the 5ghz band and connecting at 850mbps and getting 200mbps file transfer speed between upstairs and downstairs PC across the link.
Clients seem to prefer to connect to the newer router (2020) upstairs except for one amazon speaker which has connected to the downstairs node. Wifi eh?
(https://i.ibb.co/kqBy1DJ/Screenshot-2021-03-16-ASUS-Wireless-Router-RT-AC68-U-Ai-Mesh.png) (https://ibb.co/r50tsp3)
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I hope you double-checked the voltage on the replacement PSU. One my Zyxels came with a replacement PSU without them mentioning it, made it really unstable as turned out it was 10V instead of 12V. Even worse if its over-voltage as it likely would still work for a while but eventually fry itself.
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I hope you double-checked the voltage on the replacement PSU. One my Zyxels came with a replacement PSU without them mentioning it, made it really unstable as turned out it was 10V instead of 12V. Even worse if its over-voltage as it likely would still work for a while but eventually fry itself.
Yes checked the voltage, 19v.
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Yes checked the voltage, 19v.
That's a rather odd voltage level but, I assume, that is what you were expecting to see.
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That's a rather odd voltage level but, I assume, that is what you were expecting to see.
Yes most Asus stuff runs at this voltage.
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Could you SSH/Telnet in to your RT-AC68U's and run the following command
nvram get clkfreq
There's a few different hardware revisions of the 68U as shown in the link below, with differing CPU clock speeds, though I believe all the UK versions are the same.
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac68u-rt-ac68p-rt-ac1900-rt-ac1900p.35759/
john@asus:/tmp/home/root# nvram get clkfreq
800,666
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Could you SSH/Telnet in to your RT-AC68U's and run the following command
nvram get clkfreq
There's a few different hardware revisions of the 68U as shown in the link below, with differing CPU clock speeds, though I believe all the UK versions are the same.
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac68u-rt-ac68p-rt-ac1900-rt-ac1900p.35759/
On the 2015 version it is 800,666. On the 2020 version it is 1000,666. Is that of use?
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Yes.
Your 2020 model has a 1000MHz CPU and 666MHz RAM.
It's only 800MHz on the 2015 model, like mine.
I recommend using the newer model as the main router as it's more powerful.
I usually overclock mine from 800/666 to 1000/800.
I haven't set this since my last factory reset though.
They run hot sometimes. I have 2 fans on mine.
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Thanks for that tip. I have seen those fans on ebay.
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Well been running for a few days and it seems nice and stable. No drop outs and my Alexa has been broadcasting radio with out drops.
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Thank you for the update.
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No sooner had I posted and the node (2nd hand AC68u) stopped transmitting (after 6 days uptime). Factory system reset and more testing needed.
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Wifi dropped again at midnight on the node which meant the backhaul 5ghz also dropped. Might have to go back. I have spotted another RT-AC68U but this one is unused and in the original box so have struck a deal with the owner. Should arrive next week.
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(https://i.ibb.co/LYyVLg8/Screenshot-2021-03-25-224753.jpg) (https://ibb.co/q78Ttgd)
Experimentation with Asus Mesh system continues.
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So the Dining room RT-AC68U is going back for refund as it is unable to maintain a wifi connection. Wifi switched off after 20 hours then came back on but no good for streaming. The other (bedroom) is now in the dining room and seems rock solid so I will just use the 2 in a mesh system. Pretty much whole house coverage which is what I was aiming for.
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Now trying Merlin Custom firmware 386.2 on both mesh routers. Lots of tools to play with and seems stable after a couple of hours uptime.