FTTH with Sky but using Asus Mesh XT8 router

jones

Hi folks,

I want to query my set up of my Asus XT8 mesh system with Sky FTTH.

I have it set it up with the following settings as per Sky support page - Set the WAN connect to PPOE and account settings as:

Username-anything@skydsl, Password-anything

I have also changed the Vlan ID to 10 and the guide also said to change the MTU to 1500 but my router will only let me input up to 1492 so bit confused there so i have left MTU at 1492. Is there anything i'm missing? When i do a speedtest from the asus router app i'm getting 850mb or so which is amazing but some of my devices vary wildly even in the same location and on the same wifi band. This would suggest to me that i have the connection to the house set up correctly but maybe there's something off with my router settings or just the vagaries of mesh wifi.

Do my settings from Sky look ok? Any help much appreciated.

alec76

Everything seems fine to me.As for the variable WIFI speeds, too many things could make difference.You definitely could improve it by tweaking thing or two.

jones

I'm going to wire the backhaul using homeplugs to free up the second 5ghz channel. I'm getting much more stable numbers now so maybe the mesh took a while to settle down.

It's really obviously sky q doesn't play as well with non sky routers though. All my other devices are flying but the sky q minis are a little ropey when using apps such as apple Netflix etc.

Ps thanks for the feedback @alec76

alec76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119634894#Comment_119634894

I'm going to wire the backhaul using homeplugs

Don’t do it , bad idea.

Ethernet cable would be different story.

ps.Have they changed firmware recently?Backhaul band wasn’t available to the clients previously AFAIK.Dont use homeplugs regardless.

jones

Oh really why? I thought it would be the best solution get approx 150mb steady backhaul. I'm under no illusion with the speeds mentioned on powerlinks but the tp link I was looking at should do at least 150mb.

I'd love to directly wire but the other half wouldn't be as keen

Ps not sure about the firmware but the option is definitely there for the xt8 mesh system

alec76

If you only need 150 mbps why would you bother to do it altogether?

Surely it can do wirelessly better than that. It got 4x4 MIMO backhaul, good enough to create 2 gbps link between two units. You might just have to place units differently . At different locations I mean. Try to place second unit half way to were it now.

If you bought top of the line Mesh system, you should use it at full potential.I presume you have 1gbps broadband package ( if not you probably shouldn’t buy those at all , there are systems for €100 which could deliver 150 mbps )

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058263802/ftth-with-sky-but-using-asus-mesh-xt8-router

Regarding the PPPoE MTU settings, they’re wrong! 1492 is the maximum allowed for PPPoE because there’s an 8 byte overhead on it. Setting the MTU size to 1500 would produce a 1508 byte packet, which is too large for Ethernet devices to process without breaking it up (fragmenting it). In simpler terms, stuff won’t work properly so you’re right to leave it at 1492.

jones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119635240#Comment_119635240

Sorry I wasn't clear. I've ordered a decent enough mid range tp link TL-PA8033PKIT with AV1300 Mbps + 3 Gigabit ports. I meant I know I won't get anywhere near 1300Mbps speed but thought they'd be capable for the backhaul feature.

Yes I am on 1 Gbps internet. Should I cancel the tp links order do you guys not think they would be suitable for this purpose? I was trying to balance the load a bit as I have a lot of devices but maybe I'm overthinking it.

Thanks again

alec76

I would cancel it .

alec76

If you have desktop PC located remotely from the second Mesh unit ,you might buy something like this instead . It is common mistake to place second Mesh unit where the dead WIFI zone is.You should place it half way from it instead.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07G36YQ11/ref%3Dppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

jones

Thanks alec76 but I don't have a desktop pc to take advantage of the above. Cheers for the help though.

I attempted to cancel the tp links last night and of course Amazon immediately dispatched them. I might try them and if they don't suit my needs I'll return.

jones

Good evening folks,

Edit ok scratch all of the below I'm only getting about 140mb from the node when using the homeplug. Jumps to over 500mb when using wireless so that's sorted that.

I received the AV1300 TP Link homeplugs and tested them this evening. I set the XT8 mesh to wired backhaul and its detecting the ethernet as 1Gbps - which i know it is nowhere near in reality but it was previously 10/100mb rated on the old homeplugs. Everything seems ok and it allowed me to free up my second 5ghz SSID and use it as AC broadcast only for my wifi 6 devices (two phones, ps5 and laptop).

Is there anything i can check apart from speed tests for this method? I don't even know of a way of testing the backhaul speed so any tips much appreciated. I don't want the homeplug "wired" backhaul to bottleneck my network but i'm unsure as to how to check it. It seems ok as things are but i haven't fully tested. I assume the homeplug would be the limiter to the system right now so if the backhaul speed is lets say 200mb then that's the fastest i'll get from both mesh units is this correct?

Thanks again!!

heavydawson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119643639#Comment_119643639

Yes, the homeplugs would be a bottleneck, but why are you using them in the first place? You have mesh devices? Would you not just add a couple more XT8 units? You'll get better speed using that dedicated 5Ghz backhaul than any homeplug....

jones

You live and learn ha. I was trying to maximise the bands and liked the idea of freeing up the third band and making it a dedicated WiFi 6 band as I've a lot of devices on the other two. Logistically it's just too messy trying to run physical cat6 cable around the house. That's why I thought the homeplugs might do a job for me but alas.

I'm keeping my eye on another xt8 once it goes under 200 sterling I'll pounce. Loving the system by trying to maximise range and stability.

alec76

Just find better place for the second unit.

Don't place it in a dead WiFi zone, place it half way between first unit and room you have it now.

Keep units as high above the floor as possible, eye level would be good enough.

This extend coverage dramatically.

It is easy enough to find wall mounted brackets made specifically for them at Amazon.

For ethernet cable you could get cable trunking systems to make place look tidy.

D-line mini or similar.

Getting 3rd mesh unit might be bad idea for the wireless backhaul .

Do some math first. Wireless backhaul good enough to create 2 Gbps link ( at best , could be 1.2 Gbps in real life numbers )between 2 mesh units. When you adding 3rd unit then you automatically create second backhaul Link.

So your original 2 Gbps link( or 1.2 Gbps) would be divided by two.

ps. I don't think you'll achieve any benefit by freeing wireless backhaul to the clients btw.

What you have at the moment? What is your top wireless speeds at every unit?

If you did good job then your top Wireless speeds whoud be 850-900 mbps.

Not sure if Apple devices could hit those easy, but modern Android with Snapdragon Qualcomm chip 7-8 series should.

I have latest iPad Pro M1 tablet it barely could make 820 mbps wireless while cheap Xiaomi 11 lite 5G goes up to 930 mbps

jones

Cheers for the feedback really appreciate the time you've taken to reply. I assumed I'd gain speed by freeing up the backhaul band and having the third band solely for WiFi devices. I didn't know adding the third xt8 would half the wireless backhaul so I'll have to rethink that plan.

I do get great speeds approx 800mb wirelessly from beside each unit. The problem is, and I know it's a first world problem, the house is too big.

Sky Q seems to be the only real issue the two sky q mini boxes randomly fall off the network, they usually come back after a few minutes but it's driving the other half insane. With the sky hub the sky stuff just worked so she's not happy about this new development.

I've no dead zones so to speak but my sittingroom only gets about half the throughput i.e. 400mb if I'm lucky from speedtests which I'm putting down to distance from the mesh system. I'll try repositioning the second unit see if I can bring it up.

Thanks again for the tips.

Ps I've noticed that if I do a speedtest wirelessly using Ookla or fast.com the speed is always a lot slower (say 200mb) but if I turn off the WiFi on my phone and reconnect it'll jump to 800mb straight away. Is the phone connecting to the other mesh in these cases? Just find it funny how much of a difference there is.

alec76

Ps I've noticed that if I do a speedtest wirelessly using Ookla or fast.com the speed is always a lot slower (say 200mb) but if I turn off the WiFi on my phone and reconnect it'll jump to 800mb straight away. Is the phone connecting to the other mesh in these cases? Just find it funny how much of a difference there is.

It is the simplest part . It's call band steering. System just switching you between 2.4Ghz and 5 GHz .

While you moving around the house or going outdoor system could switch you to 2.4Ghz as it is best band for wall penetration . Once you come back near to the unit it should switch you to 5 GHz again but it is not always happens immediately.

ps. If I had similar system , I would have ethernet for backhaul and use only one 5Ghz network for clients ( one which originaly intended for wireless backhaul because it is 4x4 MU MIMO) and forget about another 2x2 MU MIMO 5Ghz network altogether.

4x4 MU MIMO is plenty for 1 Gbps broadband package, make things simple.

jones

Thanks @alec76 if I can get Ethernet cable installed with minimal fuss between the units that's definitely the route I'd go. I didn't realise the 5ghz bands had different capabilities so thanks again for the info.