ASUS AX11000 vs DSL-AC68U range

[pioneer2000]

Just picked up a AX11000 off Amazon warehouse as was going cheap... seems it actually has worse range than my historic AC68U! Is this because the Broadcom chipsets are naff nowadays?

Very confused as it’s an 8 antenna AX tri-band router vs a 3 antenna AC dual band one, so would have hoped the range would have at least been equal.

Also picked up a Netgear Nighthawk AX12 (the RAX200) variant, that has even worse average signal quality than the AX11000!

Positioning, devices, testing method are all the same so seemingly the design of the 2 AX routers (which use the same Broadcom chipset) is somehow worse for range than the old AC68U??

Any ideas?!

 

[Avalon]

My idea is simple: If you want to improve Wi-Fi coverage/speed, use a centrally installed AP, AIO devices are compromised from the outset.

 

[pioneer2000]

Sure that’s fine but I will only have access to CAT5 / 100mb Ethernet in my new property, so wiring access points will be severely limited.

At present I’d just like to know why a 2019 router has worse range than a router from 2014! Nobody seems to mention this issue in any reviews of either the ASUS or Netgear models.

I wonder if cynically they’ve started hampering stand-alone devices to push the new mesh setups...

 

[Avalon]

The AC68U is gigabit capable, CAT5 is generally gigabit capable and even 10Gb capable if property terminated and not CCA. If you have an auxiliary 100Mbit switch then it’s usually a lot cheaper to upgrade that to gigabit than what you’re throwing at routers. Also if speed is important, then I’d be running a cable anyway. Wi-Fi is for mobile and IoT devices, everything else should be wired or you’re not doing it properly.

 

[pioneer2000]

The AC68U is gigabit capable, CAT5 is generally gigabit capable and even 10Gb capable if property terminated and not CCA. If you have an auxiliary 100Mbit switch then it’s usually a lot cheaper to upgrade that to gigabit than what you’re throwing at routers. Also if speed is important, then I’d be running a cable anyway. Wi-Fi is for mobile and IoT devices, everything else should be wired or you’re not doing it properly.

The cabling is already run (new build) and either terminated as 100mb or the cabling isn’t capable of more than 100mb (which is most likely considering its CAT5 not CAT5E).

I wouldn’t want visible cabling anywhere.

All switches / devices are generally gigabit capable, yes.

I’m not particularly interested in “wired is best” as I can see no way to rewire the house adequately. My query is why a current router is noticeably worse for signal quality than a very old inferior tech one.

 

[Ayahuasca]

There’s only so many antennas and other tat you can stick on a router to make it look like the signal will reach from here til the end of the street. Reality is Wi-Fi signal is always going to be limited and I’ve had similar where an ISP bundled router performed better wirelessly than a third party one.

 

[Avalon]

The cabling is already run (new build) and either terminated as 100mb or the cabling isn’t capable of more than 100mb (which is most likely considering its CAT5 not CAT5E).

I wouldn’t want visible cabling anywhere.

All switches / devices are generally gigabit capable, yes.

I’m not particularly interested in “wired is best” as I can see no way to rewire the house adequately. My query is why a current router is noticeably worse for signal quality than a very old inferior tech one.

Unless whoever supplied the cable has an antique cable business, it’s very unlikely they purchased cat5 cable instead of 5e at this point. That either means crappy installation/termination/CCA. Either way get them back and get it properly terminated or replaced. You don’t pay a developer what is likely 6 figures plus to provide a service and then not get what you paid for, that’s just stupid.

As to why one toy router is worse than another toy router, they’re all compromised by design, they have to pack three devices into a small box, have you done a survey? Have you checked for things like foil lined plaster board? Are you using the same channel etc. like for like?

The hidden cable point is one that I just ignore. - If my 11 y/o and I can hide a box of bright purple cable in a large house that’s several hundred years old in parts in an afternoon and non of it is visible without opening the cupboard it all terminates in, then anyone can. The point in your case is you shouldn’t need to, you paid to have it done and clearly it’s not been done to an accepted standard.

 

[pioneer2000]

It's a new build house by Ashberry homes, and yes they've supposedly used CAT5 for all data points in their properties.

The site manager has confirmed that they nail it all to the joists throughout the house, so its not coming out without gutting the entire place either.

How would one wire new cable between rooms without pulling up floorboards/replacing plasterboard walls etc? Anything else will look painfully obvious.

I do agree that it seems strange that they would install CAT5 rather than CAT5E, so now I suspect that maybe it's just the termination of it that isn't up to scratch.

What's the easiest way to tell if it's the sockets that are the limiting factor rather than the actual cable?

 

[Avalon]

First step would be to take a faceplate off and see if they have bothered to connect all the pairs, it could be something as basic/stupid as that - a cheap (£5) continuity tester would be able to do this if you plug the receiver in on the other end. Depending on the developer, many will have ducting for things like TV cables to be fed to each room, that may be from the loft space down, but Ubiquiti for example do wall mounted AP's, you could also take that top to bottom feed and drop into say an upstairs landing with only a single hole to drill, other than that it would require you to lift a floorboard to drop a cable through the ceiling on the ground floor if you wanted an AP on that level, the other option would be an external feed.

 

[pioneer2000]

So, finally got round to checking... they’ve used CAT5E sockets but CAT 5 cabling, so max anything will sync is 100mb.

Looking for a mesh solution but nothing seems particularly suitable / reasonably priced.

 

[Avalon]

So, finally got round to checking... they’ve used CAT5E sockets but CAT 5 cabling, so max anything will sync is 100mb.

Looking for a mesh solution but nothing seems particularly suitable / reasonably priced.

So 5e replaced 5 as a standard in 2001, and you’re stating that your developer has managed to somehow locate some nearly 19 years later and install it in your new build? That seems highly unlikely considering all anywhere I can think of sells is 5e or above. Any chance of a photo of this antique cable’s markings? Also what’s the cable construction type (CCA/stranded/solid) and how did the continuity test show - are all pairs passing? If it was a broken/non connected pair or CCA that was causing the issue, i’d get it, but what you describe is bordering on unbelievable.

 

[WJA96]

Amazon warehouse

Why was it returned in the first place? You really don’t know if it was ever working properly.

 

[pioneer2000]

Why was it returned in the first place? You really don’t know if it was ever working properly.

Nothing wrong with the router, I purchased a Netgear Nighthawk AX12 at the same time and the performance was virtually identical.

 

[pioneer2000]

So 5e replaced 5 as a standard in 2001, and you’re stating that your developer has managed to somehow locate some nearly 19 years later and install it in your new build? That seems highly unlikely considering all anywhere I can think of sells is 5e or above. Any chance of a photo of this antique cable’s markings? Also what’s the cable construction type (CCA/stranded/solid) and how did the continuity test show - are all pairs passing? If it was a broken/non connected pair or CCA that was causing the issue, i’d get it, but what you describe is bordering on unbelievable.

I can't see any cable markings as they're buried behind the plasterboard walls.

The socket has CAT5E printed on it. All 8 wires are terminated to the correct colour markings.

I'm no expert but looks like bog standard ethernet cable to my eyes.

The performance is the same around the entire house (4 data sockets) and my brother's house on a similar estate by the same builder is also only fitted with CAT 5 cable.

I can only assume this is some "genius" move by the builders (Ashberry / Bell way homes) to save a penny on every bit of cable they can.

Anyone have any knowledge of how builders select their cabling / how to 100% verify that it is definitely CAT5?

 

[WJA96]

Nothing wrong with the router, I purchased a Netgear Nighthawk AX12 at the same time and the performance was virtually identical.

Except it’s not performing to the point that you’re asking for help on an Internet forum, so clearly there is something that is not meeting your expectations. How do you KNOW it’s working properly?

 

[pioneer2000]

Except it’s not performing to the point that you’re asking for help on an Internet forum, so clearly there is something that is not meeting your expectations. How do you KNOW it’s working properly?

Are you suggesting that 2 separate routers from different manufacturers both happened to have the same fault coincidentally? They both had almost identical signal strength across each band.

Bearing in mind they are built upon the same Broadcom chipset that's unsurprising.


On the CAT 5 wiring side of things...

If I can be bothered i'll do the same test using my old Asus AC68U router. Though undoubtedly that will still show that the wiring is CAT5.

 

[WJA96]

5 minutes research on the ‘net shows both those routers to be *no disguised swearing*. Send them back and get something with stable firmware.

 

[Semple]

Anyone have any knowledge of how builders select their cabling / how to 100% verify that it is definitely CAT5?

I'd be very surprised if it was plain cat5. I can't imagine any manufacturers are still making it.

Your only way of telling would be to get a look at the cable. It's quite likely there will be exposed cabling in the loft, although you'll probably have to move the insulation out of the way.

 

[Avalon]

Are you suggesting that 2 separate routers from different manufacturers both happened to have the same fault coincidentally? They both had almost identical signal strength across each band.

Bearing in mind they are built upon the same Broadcom chipset that's unsurprising.


On the CAT 5 wiring side of things...

If I can be bothered i'll do the same test using my old Asus AC68U router. Though undoubtedly that will still show that the wiring is CAT5.

I can see them using garbage CCA to save a few quid a box, which on anything over short runs or poor installs will be more likely to drop to 100Mbit. I really doubt they have been able to purchase CAT5 in this day and age, it’s just way too old and modern standards are backwards compatible, they wouldn’t have been able to source the cable to do what you suggest. Buy a cheap continuity tester, they are under a fiver last I looked, that will tell you what pairs are connected, if it’s not showing all pairs connected in the right sequence, look at the end of a pair at the socket, is it silver with a copper coating? If so then they’ve used CCA, it’s garbage. Either way, don’t accept the ‘it’s CAT5 not 5e’ excuse, it’s very, very unlikely to be true.

 

[pioneer2000]

5 minutes research on the ‘net shows both those routers to be. Send them back and get something with stable firmware.

lol, and in English?

Firmware has been rock solid actually.