Recently, I purchased a new Asus RT-AX86U router to replace my 4-years-old Asus RT-AC86U router. The main reason being I want to take advantage of the RT-AX86U's WiFi AX (a.k.a. WiFi 6) capability for some of the newer devices in my household.
What should I do with my old Asus RT-AC86U router after I have successfully replaced it? Well, I converted it into an AiMesh node to form a stronger, stabler home WiFi with larger coverage area, by creating an AiMesh system with the 2 routers.
Initially, I faced difficulty in getting my RT-AX86U to discover my RT-AC86U AiMesh node via wireless network, in order to add it into my home AiMesh system. I managed to resolve the issue by using a network cable.
Here are the steps to form an AiMesh system, with RT-AX86U as the AiMesh router, and RT-AC86U as the AiMesh node.
- Make sure both the routers have already been updated to the latest firmware version. I am using AsusWRT-Merlin firmware for both the routers, and the current latest version for both of them is 386.5_2.
- Use a network cable to connect your PC or laptop to one of the LAN ports of the old RT-AC86U router. This is for you to use your browser to access the router's configuration web interface. Alternatively, you can also use WiFi connection to access the router's configuration.
- Go to Administration > Operation Mode and select AiMesh Node. Click the Save button to confirm your selection.
- Wait for your router to reset and restart itself into an AiMesh node, ready to join an AiMesh network.
- Use your network cable to connect the WAN port of your AiMesh node directly to one of the LAN port of your AiMesh router.
- Now, login to the configuration web interface of the AiMesh router, which should be the new router that links your home network to the Internet.
- Click on the AiMesh button at the bottom of the Network Map page. The right panel will switch to AiMesh function.
- Click on the Search button to search for your AiMesh node.
- You should be able to find the old router as the search result almost immediately. If you don't use a network cable to join the routers together, but trying to use wireless connection instead, you might have trouble in finding the AiMesh node.
- Follow the screen instruction to setup your AiMesh system. This process will take some time (about 1-2 minutes).
- Once the AiMesh system is successfully established, you will be able to see the content inside the AiMesh function of the new router.
- Congratulations. If you reach this step, your AiMesh system should be established. Now you can remove the network cable joining the 2 routers, and they should continue to link up with each other using WiFi connection.
- Put your AiMesh node router to the location where you want to place it, and you are done.
