[Ragul]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Do you use 1 gbps connection ?

No 150mbps. WiFi bitrate shown will have lot of overheads and represents multiple devices talking to the Internet at the same time. Actual data throughput would not exceed 130mpbs. At least with 802.11ac my Wifi speedtest can achieve that much even from next room. With 802.11n router it was hard to get more than 40-60mbps in speedtest from the same location in next room.

[atulsian]

Originally Posted by manim

well, I need to do something new and exciting to keep myself from NOT going crazy during this lockdown!

Attachment 2156777

Some packages/options you can play with;

1) Adguard Server for network wide AD blocking and tracking.

2) SQM for setting up QOS (Quality of Service).

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by atulsian

Some packages/options you can play with;

1) Adguard Server for network wide AD blocking and tracking.

2) SQM for setting up QOS (Quality of Service).

I can vouch for both of them in fact, especially the SQM one in terms of real world benefits. SQM has maximised my internet experience by many folds. The network wide Adblock is doing a great job as well. For the ones who like something to fiddle with, OpenWRT is definitely the way to go. It definitely keeps the tech enthusiast in me satisfied

[hondafanboy]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The Orbi is not a modem so it doesn't have VDSL port or GPON port for optical fiber.

The orbi works with the modem provided by Airtel. You need to connect the airtel modem to orbi using the LAN cable and disable the wifi in airtel device.

Hi Vid6639, Et al,

I have this Orbi RBR20 wifi router, that I have connected to Airtel's Huwaei modem through an ethernet cable ( Airtel Modem ethernet port -> Internet port (yellow) on RBR20). Orbi app detects the router and confirms that the cable is connected. However the next step which is " connecting to internet" is not going through. After couple of minutes I get the message on the app that " no internet connection" . Using the advanced setup->ISP login option I also tried using PPPoe user name and password ( got them from airtel) but still it shows "no internet connection". Just checking to see if you ever encountered this problem or know if anything needs to be changed in Airtel modem before attempting to connect this external router to it. Since the internet is working using the stock airtel modem, their support has no idea why RBR20 is not able to connect to it or shows no internet. Any thoughts ?

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by hondafanboy

" no internet connection" . Using the advanced setup->ISP login option I also tried using PPPoe user name and password

If you are going to use the Huawei as router, then you'll have to give it's IP address as gateway in your Orbi. Also, you'll have keep it in AP mode, if you are going to connect Orbi in the LAN port. Have you configured Orbi in such a way?

Also, assign Orbi an IP that is in the range of Huawei router range.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by hondafanboy

Hi Vid6639, Et al,

I have this Orbi RBR20 wifi router, that I have connected to Airtel's Huwaei modem through an ethernet cable ( Airtel Modem ethernet port -> Internet port (yellow) on RBR20). Orbi app detects the router and confirms that the cable is connected. However the next step which is " connecting to internet" is not going through.

Is Orbi configured as DHCP router mode? Since you are using Airtel modem and that in turn is connected to the internet, you need to set Orbi as a normal wifi router.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by hondafanboy

I have this Orbi RBR20 wifi router, that I have connected to Airtel's Huwaei modem through an ethernet cable ( Airtel Modem ethernet port -> Internet port (yellow) on RBR20).

This guide should help :

https://kb.netgear.com/31218/How-do-...n-access-point

[binand]

Originally Posted by hondafanboy

I have this Orbi RBR20 wifi router, that I have connected to Airtel's Huwaei modem through an ethernet cable ( Airtel Modem ethernet port -> Internet port (yellow) on RBR20). Orbi app detects the router and confirms that the cable is connected. However the next step which is " connecting to internet" is not going through. After couple of minutes I get the message on the app that " no internet connection" .

You are probably trying to do L2 negotiation from your new router, while the Airtel default router is already doing it. Your new router must have a WAN-side setting which essentially says "don't do any extra stuff". Activate that and you should be fine.

The alternative is a bit more more complicated - setting up the ISP router in bridge mode and doing PPP from your personal router. But this configuration allows you to remove the ISP router out of the setup and that might be advantageous in other ways.

[poloman]

I find the mesh concept mostly overrated. In my house I have seen, with every wall in between the signal drops 20-25% on 5Ghz. This is normal 9" brick wall at around 25 ft from the router. Things will be even better in 2Ghz.

I think in a single floor apartment the complaints of break in network access and poor speeds may be mostly due to weak wifi chipsets in the receiving device for which you can't blame the router.

If you have multistoried house this will be true since you have concrete roof which can block signal significantly. For such scenarios the best case scenario will be to have a Cat6 cable routed across the house rather than a mesh network. With WiFi 6 and Triband routers situation may be slightly better, but they are extremely expensive currently.

[mankuthimma]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

I got two of these Asus routers to work as mesh

https://www.amazon.in/Asus-RT-AC59U-.../dp/B07Z82WB3V

Their app is straightforward and simple as well.

Originally Posted by manim

I have shortlisted this model after days of reading reviews, watching Youtube videos, etc.

I had almost decided to go for TP-Link Archer C7 based on @Ragul's good experience with it.
While looking for it in amazon, came across ASUS RT AC59U v2. Both of them are 802.11ac which is my primary requirement. The main difference is C7 can be added to mesh using a cheaper extender, where as I couldnt find extenders for Asus, may need to buy another router for a mesh setup. C7 has higher bandwidth support than Asus, but I am not particular about this difference in numbers.


My main worry is how does Asus router perform in a L shaped layout on its own?

infact it its double L sitting back to back kind of layout in my case. I plan to my use existing old router in AP mode to cover the other L part. If it is not successful, may be I need to think of investing in another Asus router to create a mesh.


@deathwalkr, @manim, your views ?

[manim]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

My main worry is how does Asus router perform in a L shaped layout on its own?

@manim, your views

Though I was playing around with OpenWrt on my desktop and laptop, I may buy an Asus Router soon. Due to the lock-down I cannot buy now nor allow electricians in my house.

And I don't have any practical experience except for the single ISP supplied router setup I have had so far.

I plan to add more routers at various rooms in my house in future for a mesh setup. One of them could be a Raspberry Pi running OpenWrt!

So presently enjoying my time studying the fundamentals:
Text book - Computer-Networks by Tanenbaum.
Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/Behfor

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by poloman

I find the mesh concept mostly overrated. ... ... ... the best case scenario will be to have a Cat6 cable routed across the house rather than a mesh network.

I'm a newcomer to Mesh, but I think you might have a misconception of mesh. The essential concept of mesh is that, wandering around the premises with your mobile, you will remain seamlessly connected to the same LAN, even though your connection may switch from one router to another.

How about this: The best case scenario would be a mesh network with the nodes connected by Cat6 cable.

[poloman]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I'm a newcomer to Mesh, but I think you might have a misconception of mesh. The essential concept of mesh is that, wandering around the premises with your mobile, you will remain seamlessly connected to the same LAN, even though your connection may switch from one router to another.

How about this: The best case scenario would be a mesh network with the nodes connected by Cat6 cable.

Hi Thad, I have no misconception at all about mesh network. Think of this? How can you wander seamlessly from one device over air to another in a physical word? There will be always some latencies and background network management involved. Some of these mesh uses 2Ghz band for traffic control for that reason. Also some use a third band. If you have Cat6 cable routed all over your house, why you need a mesh. By the time you step up/down a stair you will be connected to the router on that floor. Is it having same SSID across the house so important?

[binand]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The essential concept of mesh is that, wandering around the premises with your mobile, you will remain seamlessly connected to the same LAN, even though your connection may switch from one router to another.

So I have a set of assorted Wifi APs that all have the same SSID and password. My Wifi clients (laptop, phones...) all connect to the strongest signal one. Is this a mesh? The APs are TP-Link, D-Link, Netgear etc. Even the Wifi hotspots of all the Android devices in my household uses the same SSID so the network even extends to my car.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

I had almost decided to go for TP-Link Archer C7 based on @Ragul's good experience with it.
While looking for it in amazon, came across ASUS RT AC59U v2. Both of them are 802.11ac which is my primary requirement. The main difference is C7 can be added to mesh using a cheaper extender, where as I couldnt find extenders for Asus, may need to buy another router for a mesh setup. C7 has higher bandwidth support than Asus, but I am not particular about this difference in numbers.


My main worry is how does Asus router perform in a L shaped layout on its own?

infact it its double L sitting back to back kind of layout in my case. I plan to my use existing old router in AP mode to cover the other L part. If it is not successful, may be I need to think of investing in another Asus router to create a mesh.


@deathwalkr, @manim, your views ?

My house is infact a Z with a long centre line so similar to what you describe. But I am confused by your post - why are you looking at a router with half the 5G WiFi bandwidth than the Archer C7 @4k and that too at a higher base price @5600k? Not to mention the cost of 2x802.11ac extenders - one for each room. A tp-link extender may or may not inter-operate well with a Asus Mesh - need to find out. I got my RE200 @1.8k its running @1.9k now. If buying two for 2 devices per one per room (mobile and laptop) then the RE200 is minimum specs at 750mbps performance using 802.11ac. Else if buying a single extender the price starts at 4k for the RE450 extender with 1750 performance matching the Archer C7.

RE450

Furthermore if the fancy bandwidth monitor and usage graphs of OpenWRT did tempt you then -

The RT-AC59u, RT-AC58u v2, RT-AC57u v2 all use relatively new and unknown single core Qualcomm QCN5502 SoC. I believe there is no OpenWrt support at this time.