ASUS Zenwifi AX

[squirex6]

Since installing an ASUS ZenWiFi AX mesh I have been having problems with my Nest Thermostat (gen2) going offline in the app.  I have tried downgrading the firmware to 42095 as there are known issues in the latest, stopping the thermostat from roaming between APs, resetting the thermostat and network, and now I am stumped.

From a search online this seems to be a common problem with Nest products and Mesh WiFi products, but I cannot find anyone who's found the solution.  Does anyone have any pointers as to where the problem could be? 

[MadScot99]

Same router and only seemed fixed by switching on the guest network - not happy at keeping it on there long term though.

[amaniscalco1]

I did this and it worked. Since then I have read that it is safer anyway to aviod anyone from trying to hack into my network via a Nest product anyway. 

[EdwardT]

Hi amaniscalco1,

Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear that it's working fine now. I will be locking this thread now. Please feel free to create a new thread should you have some more questions or concerns in the near future and we'll be more than glad to help.

Thanks,

Edward

[HelloBrandon]

One thing that seemed to help me going to Advanced Setting > LAN > DHCP Server then adding all Nest Devices from the drop down under “Manually Assigned IP”, also had to look up the thermostat and nest guard MAC and IP Addresses from the technical info in the Nest app, because they didn’t have the Nest name in the dropdown. So far so good, fingers crossed this sticks! Hope this helps.

[justJackjon]

@HelloBrandon - out of curiosity, 3 weeks on, did this stick? Have you experienced any further issues? Having a nightmare myself currently as I'm heavily invested in the Google Home ecosystem!

[HelloBrandon]

Nope didn't stick.. hah going to try to update the router firmware. And a few fixed below.

[EdwardT]

Hi HelloBrandon,

Thanks for reaching out. I'm sorry to hear that you're still experiencing this issue. Please keep us posted once you've tried updating your router's firmware.

Thanks,

Edward

[EdwardT]

Hi HelloBrandon,

It's me again. I wanted to check back in to see if you have other questions and concerns. Feel free to let me know if you do. 

Thanks,

Edward

[EdwardT]

Hi HelloBrandon,

I'm just checking in to make sure that you've seen our response. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns as I will be locking this in 24 hours.

Thanks,

Edward

[squirex6]

Asus have released beta firmware which specifically mentions IOT devices in the release notes, 46980. I installed this yesterday and since then I’ve had no issues with Nest devices going offline. I’ll keep monitoring but fingers crossed this has sorted it.  

[amaniscalco1]

I have Nest Gen 3 stats on the Asus ZenWifi AX XT8 and kept having the issue where the app kept dropping the connection with them on and off and it was driving me nuts! I tried everything suggested here to no avail, including rolling back the firmware. FINALLY, the fix that worked was simply connecting them to the guest network. I am currently working on the latest Asus firmware version 3.0.0.4.386_48706 and Nest update version 6.2-27. 

[BoutTime]

I have an Asus ZenWIFI XT8 with Dual Band Smart Connect enabled as well as Wireless AX mode. What worked for me with my various Google IoT devices was this.....

Wireless AX (WiFi 6) standard uses BOTH 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands whereas Wireless AC (WiFi 5) standard uses 5.0GHz and then normal Wireless N (WiFi 4) for 2.4GHz. 2.4GHz was not part of the Wireless AC standard. As such some IoT devices that use 2.4GHz cannot connect well with Wireless AX routers. By making the changes below these devices will only connect to 2.4GHz and use the Wireless N standard which they are compatible with as Wireless AC devices.

1. Asus ZenWIFI AX interface - Wireless > Professional Tab > Band 2.4GHz > set 'Modulation Scheme to "Up to MCS (802.11n) and click Apply.
2. Asus ZenWIFI AX interface - Wireless > Wireless MAC Filter Tab > Band 5.0 GHz-1 >  MAC Filter Mode 'Reject' > Add your google IoT devices and click Apply. This means they will only connect using 2.4Ghz.

Something else I do which means I no longer have frequent drop-outs with my Google Cams and Thermostat is I stop them from roaming between Mesh Nodes:

1. Asus ZenWIFI AX interface - Wireless > Roaming Block List Tab > Enable roaming deny list > add devices which you do not want to roam and click Apply.
2. Asus ZenWIFI AX interface - AiMesh > Click Optimization. All devices should now re-connect to the optimum node/router but the devices you've just added to the block list will never roam between them.

[srbrills]

I was having this issue as well and think I have solved it.  I have two XT8 routers, with one acting as a mesh node.  I have many Google / Nest devices such as thermostats, smoke detectors, cameras, etc.  Very often, my thermostats would go offline and lose connection, along with some Google Home speakers, chromecasts, and smoke detectors, and would come back online intermittently throughout the day after hours of being offline.  Interestingly my cameras never had issues, or computers or phones.

My routers were running 9.0.0.4.386.48706 (latest non-beta at this time).  Today is Monday, July 18, 2022.  A week ago I "downgraded" both routers to BETA 9.0.0.4.386.46980, and have had no issues with any devices since installing this version.  I wonder if 46980 isn't included in 48760 since it's a beta.  But, 46980 specifically mentions a patch for IoT devices which is great.  I did not make any other changes to the router settings to fix this issue, but I did perform a factory reset after downgrade on each since it was advised to do so.  I got the firmware from Asus' website below:

https://www.asus.com/Networking-IoT-Servers/Whole-Home-Mesh-WiFi-System/ZenWiFi-WiFi-Systems/ASUS-Ze...

I did not have to change any other router settings, and did not have to reset anything on my Google account, Nest account, or any Nest devices.  They even all re-connected automatically since I recycled the SSID and password after router factory reset.  I did however change control channels to fixed values instead of auto to improve performance, but I don't think that has anything to do with fixing the connection issues.