[Maylyn - Networking] ASUS RT-AC88U

[daniel_83]

Nope. What you are showing is WL-ANT157. This antenna is directional.. Beamforming won't work if the device is behind the antenna..

yea what I mean is Beamforming is not useful according to tests and therefore negligible

 

[renfred89]

why are you so sure?

there's mixed opinions in Amazon reviews:

"You aim the logo AWAY from the area you're trying to boost. I've tested this using speedtest.net and..."

"Aim the logo side towards your target for boosting"

"In my tests the Asus side is the back and blank side is forward for signal direction"

etc etc

equal number of opinions

I rmb i saw the ssignal lobe diagram for this product, and the asus logo side has is the front lobe. I saw some youtube videos concurring as well.

Perhaps you can do a test and comfirm too?

 

[Qubicfactor]

I rmb i saw the ssignal lobe diagram for this product, and the asus logo side has is the front lobe. I saw some youtube videos concurring as well.

Perhaps you can do a test and comfirm too?

Usually for this kind of antenna, the signal lobe is two way, both front and back. This is not a parabolic antenna, so the signal lobe should a figure of 8 (front and back) rather than just one way.

 

[poor_poor]

Usually for this kind of antenna, the signal lobe is two way, both front and back. This is not a parabolic antenna, so the signal lobe should a figure of 8 (front and back) rather than just one way.

Qubicfactor is correct.

However, this antenna is useless and I suggest use back the original antenna

 

[daniel_83]

The antenna is useful for me

Living in a BTO design HDB and signal can reach MBR.

Sent from LGE LG-H961N using GAGT

 

[renfred89]

Usually for this kind of antenna, the signal lobe is two way, both front and back. This is not a parabolic antenna, so the signal lobe should a figure of 8 (front and back) rather than just one way.

Qubicfactor is correct.

However, this antenna is useless and I suggest use back the original antenna

i see i see.. but this antenna never reached our shore..

 

[poor_poor]

i see i see.. but this antenna never reached our shore..

This antenna is totally useless for modern router.

 

[daniel_83]

i see i see.. but this antenna never reached our shore..

actually i read that some people bought the antenna at SLS

 

[daniel_83]

This antenna is totally useless for modern router.

yea but somehow i read that the modern routers have shorter range than AC68U?

 

[tasmaniandevil]

Poor Download Speed

Anyone has the issue with the low download speed? I'm only getting around 15Mbps download speed for this router using wired connection. The upload speed is around 80Mbps

StarHub guy came and he's able to get >200Mbs with direct connection to the ONT.

I have tried different firmwares, erase NVRAM and factory reset but no help

 

[daniel_83]

Anyone has the issue with the low download speed? I'm only getting around 15Mbps download speed for this router using wired connection. The upload speed is around 80Mbps

StarHub guy came and he's able to get >200Mbs with direct connection to the ONT.

I have tried different firmwares, erase NVRAM and factory reset but no help

Check your PC/laptop ethernet port?
Check the cable from router to PC/laptop?
Try another PC/laptop?

 

[poor_poor]

yea but somehow i read that the modern routers have shorter range than AC68U?

Asus WL-ANT-157 Antenna
Frequency Range: 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz
Gain: 5 dBi & 7 dBi

Super Power Supply 3 x 9dBi 2.4GHz 5GHz
This antenna did not help much compare to the original antenna, it's a waste of money and the Tx power is locked on the firmware. You need higher Tx power to support higher dBi antenna.

I have 3 sets of both antenna and end up i switch back to original antenna.

Increase Tx Power provide better signal strength. However, only impacts the communications in one direction, which is the outward path relative to the radio with increased transmit power. The increase of transmit power of an router, for example, only improves the range of the communications path from the access point to the client radios.

To improve the overall communications of 802.11 signals, which occur in both directions between the access point and client radios, you will need to increase the transmit power of the client radios as well. In fact, it is usually not useful to increase the transmit power of the router because the client radios are almost always operating at much lower transmit power. As a result, it will likely only be worthwhile to increase the transmit power of the client radios. The signals going from the router to the client radios are already relatively strong. The increase in client and router radio transmit power will improve the range of the overall communications.

 

[a562140]

Asus WL-ANT-157 Antenna
Frequency Range: 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz
Gain: 5 dBi & 7 dBi

Super Power Supply 3 x 9dBi 2.4GHz 5GHz
This antenna did not help much compare to the original antenna, it's a waste of money and the Tx power is locked on the firmware. You need higher Tx power to support higher dBi antenna.

Spoiler

I have 3 sets of both antenna and end up i switch back to original antenna.

Increase Tx Power provide better signal strength. However, only impacts the communications in one direction, which is the outward path relative to the radio with increased transmit power. The increase of transmit power of an router, for example, only improves the range of the communications path from the access point to the client radios.

To improve the overall communications of 802.11 signals, which occur in both directions between the access point and client radios, you will need to increase the transmit power of the client radios as well. In fact, it is usually not useful to increase the transmit power of the router because the client radios are almost always operating at much lower transmit power. As a result, it will likely only be worthwhile to increase the transmit power of the client radios. The signals going from the router to the client radios are already relatively strong. The increase in client and router radio transmit power will improve the range of the overall communications.

questions:
- can tx power be unlocked in firmware, would that help?
- would mixing one directional with two omni antennas help? the directional only pointing to the furthest area with weakest signal.
- even so i would imagine that changing shape/area of coverage would help if it reaches blind spot

 

[poor_poor]

questions:
- can tx power be unlocked in firmware, would that help?
- would mixing one directional with two omni antennas help? the directional only pointing to the furthest area with weakest signal.
- even so i would imagine that changing shape/area of coverage would help if it reaches blind spot

- Nowadays all firmware is locked due to IDA
- Depend on your house layout.
- Some bind spot won't resolve by changing the antenna and you need to add a access point or repeater device to cover the bind spot.

 

[evildoctor]

Dear poor_poor, any new firmware coming to improve the wifi speed? Cause right now I'm getting speed slower than my RT87U but I certainly believe the RT88U has the potential to be faster.

 

[Qubicfactor]

questions:
- can tx power be unlocked in firmware, would that help?

From what I know and tried, AC68U can, but it requires either some firmware hacking on your own (there are guides on this but I won't be responsible for anyone trying and bricking their own router, or use the hggomes fork of Merlin's firmware, which does have TX power setting available. AC88U should in theory be the same, but I don't have a unit to play with.

Use your own discretion: boosting above 200mW for 2.4GHz and 1000mW for 5GHz in sg is illegal, but apparently some Asus routers ship in SG with values far less than these, which explains the underwhelming range.

 

[a562140]

From what I know and tried, AC68U can, but it requires either some firmware hacking on your own (there are guides on this but I won't be responsible for anyone trying and bricking their own router, or use the hggomes fork of Merlin's firmware, which does have TX power setting available. AC88U should in theory be the same, but I don't have a unit to play with.

Use your own discretion: boosting above 200mW for 2.4GHz and 1000mW for 5GHz in sg is illegal, but apparently some Asus routers ship in SG with values far less than these, which explains the underwhelming range.

thanks for that, very informative.
any health risks from boosting tx power ?

 

[Qubicfactor]

thanks for that, very informative.
any health risks from boosting tx power ?

Microwave radiation is non ionising, which shouldn't really be as much a health risk as compared to some other radiation sources. That said, a typical microwave oven emits 800-1000W of microwave energy. Your router at 200mW for 2.4GHz, emits somewhere around 1/5000th of that. 5GHz is even less penetrating. You would probably prematurely burn out the chip on your router before it can emit any amount of energy significant enough to be an immediate health hazard.

That said, I am no health expert, but there are no reliable studies to associate cancer or other health problems with microwave energy thus far; otherwise microwave ovens and wireless routers would have been banned by now.

The other side of the coin is that blindly boosting TX to very high levels is not very useful, as a wireless connection is two way. Boosting your TX to a very high number can result in your device being able to see your router at very high signal strength at long ranges, but being unable to connect to it, as the TX from your device to your router is too weak.

 

[kenkelvin]

So which is better? RTAC5300 or RTAC88U tks

 

[renfred89]

So which is better? RTAC5300 or RTAC88U tks

Ill prefer ac88u, im an user of ac5300 btw..