Fritz!Box and ASUS

For years I ran an ASUS aimesh behind a Vigor modem, successfully.

BT upped their prices too much to justify remains with them just for the landline, so I migrated the number over to Zen.

A F!B 7530 replaced the modem. It had to be connected to ISP in order for digital voice to work.

20 odd months on the 7530 was fried by a storm! Zen replaced the F!B with a 7530 AX.

I cannot get the system to function satisfactorily, despite no change in the ASUS master settings. F!B runs at 70-80M down and 12M up, but the ASUS master frequently drops into the K range of speeds for the down, whilst staying at 12M on the up.

The setup is currently, F!B as ISP link through pppoe, LAN port connected to WAN on ASUS master. ASUS set as AP, auto IP from F!B ( ASUS router only connection to F!B and as a priority Internet connection with a fixed IP.

F!B is hidden from the LAN.

Can anyone suggest solutions to the sluggish throughput on the aimesh? Once upon a time ZEN agents would be willing to help, but not these days! One suggested allowing pppoe throughput on the F!B, but that doesn't work as the ASUS can't establish a link.

I'd rather not throw out all the ASUS units, that's a fair chunk of cash and also established links with devices.

I suspect your original F!B was operating as a modem, but the new one is operating as a router, based on the fact that the Asus is connected to the F!B via its WAN port, so the Asus is definitely operating as a router.. Between your boxes, you need just 1 modem and 1 router.

Actually this is a hardware issue, not a Zen issue.

There is a lot of information in the AVM Knowledgebase. For example:

https://en.avm.de/service/knowledge-base/dok/FRITZ-B...

I am struggling to understand what you are getting from the ASUS? You can connect third-party wifi extenders to a Fritz!box but not if you want a mesh. Also, bear in mind that the AX offers Wifi6 in addition to Wifi 5 and 2.4.

I have a 4060 as a FTTP router with a 3000AX repeater. I get top speeds around most of my property.

Thanks, but I never said it was a Zen problem. Zen provides the F!B, I am trying to stitch it into an existing ASUS aimesh that is my LAN.
The F!B provides the digital voice.

It worked with the 7530, but not the 7530 AX. There are fewer options within the AX settings and it can't be set in modem only mode.

One router is insufficient. If I have the ASUS mesh - to save adding to e-waste I'm looking for a solution.

I don't want to ditch the ASUS considering both its upfront cost and reluctance on my part to add to e-waste.

The ASUS runs my LAN as a mesh with its own dhcp/ssid etc. Internal LAN speeds are great, it's just the link between the F!B and the ASUS that is the problem.

Interesting that guide suggests phone will work even if the router is set as a until on the existing system.

The ASUS is router only, not modem.

I'll have to relook at the Vigor modem and see if that's capable of running on a sogea line.

Why don’t you use the Fritz!box as a wifi extender with the DECT phones connected to it?

https://en.avm.de/service/knowledge-base/dok/FRITZ-B...

That is my next step.

It was tried when I first had the Fritz, but it didn't work then, but it's possible it needed the fone link established with ZEN -

But then I might not have a modem, vigor 130, that is capable of linking sogea - which is likely!

Looks like some major thinking required....

If you want to use Zen's Digital Voice, you don't actually need a Fritz box with a Fone socket. Provided you have VoIP capable phones, or a DECT hub like a Gigaset or even the Fritx box itself, you can set up Zen as any old VoIP provider and connect to any router through Ethernet.

In reply to a post by GeoffColl:

Thanks, but I never said it was a Zen problem. Zen provides the F!B,

You put it in the Zen section, rather than one of the technical sections, where it might get a wider audience

In reply to a post by GeoffColl:

I am trying to stitch it into an existing ASUS aimesh that is my LAN.
The F!B provides the digital voice.

It worked with the 7530, but not the 7530 AX. There are fewer options within the AX settings and it can't be set in modem only mode.

One router is insufficient. If I have the ASUS mesh - to save adding to e-waste I'm looking for a solution.

One router is sufficient, unless you have a very specific ROUTING requirement. I doubt that in your previous setup you were using both boxes as routers. Remember that what is colloquially referred to as a router usually includes the following:

• Modem
• Router
• Ethernet Switch
• Wireless hub

If I were using this set up I would connect the Asus to the F!B in bridge mode, ie via a LAN interface on the Asus NOT the WAN, which would mean that the Asus would not be a router and as I said, you would have 1 modem and 1 router, ie the F!B - and the Asus would act as Ethernet switch and Wireless hub.

If you only want 1 router, it has to be the F!B because of the phone.

What you are describing suggests a link issue. Perhaps replacing the ethernet cable between the Fritz and the Asus might resolve your issue. Other possibility is that your Asus was also fried as a result of the lightning strike

Cheers.

None of the ASUS units have modem capability ( nor fone sockets ), they are all routers - one as master RT AX92U, the others nodes on a mesh.
I need something to act as modem with fone linkage, hence the F!B ( or an old Vigor 130 - which may not pass through sogea ).

In reply to a post by wiggsc00:

What you are describing suggests a link issue. Perhaps replacing the ethernet cable between the Fritz and the Asus might resolve your issue. Other possibility is that your Asus was also fried as a result of the lightning strike

Unlikely, IMO, this is a problem of using the Asus as a router.

In reply to a post by GeoffColl:

None of the ASUS units have modem capability ( nor fone sockets ), they are all routers - one as master RT AX92U, the others nodes on a mesh.
I need something to act as modem with fone linkage, hence the F!B ( or an old Vigor 130 - which may not pass through sogea ).

Use the F!B as modem and router, use the Asus as ethernet switch and wireless hub

In reply to a post by DFScale:

In reply to a post by wiggsc00:

What you are describing suggests a link issue. Perhaps replacing the ethernet cable between the Fritz and the Asus might resolve your issue. Other possibility is that your Asus was also fried as a result of the lightning strike

Unlikely, IMO, this is a problem of using the Asus as a router.

There is no reason to believe that using the Asus as router is a problem, yes there is a double-NAT unless he has the firewall turned off, but he has it as Auto-IP from the Fb, so IMO an intermittent performance issue suggests cabling or hardware failure.

I have a similar setup, although I have my Asus in front handling the PPPoE and the Fb behind handling 'routing' and telephony (SIP via AAISP), I've had many a router over 2 decades and a lightning strike can easily affect multiple devices, some may have more apparent faults than others. OP indicated the original Fb was fried, so collateral damage to other equipment cannot be ruled out.

Edited by wiggsc00 (Wed 25-Sep-24 17:40:40)

In reply to a post by DFScale:

In reply to a post by GeoffColl:

Use the F!B as modem and router, use the Asus as ethernet switch and wireless hub

Doable, I suppose.

I could alter the ssid and dhcp in the F!B to remove the ASUS mesh and still allow all my fixed devices to link - but how would the ASUS units need to be set up?

In reply to a post by GeoffColl:

I could alter the ssid and dhcp in the F!B to remove the ASUS mesh and still allow all my fixed devices to link - but how would the ASUS units need to be set up?

Connect an Asus LAN port to a LAN port on the F!B. This gives you a single physical LAN.

Only 1 dhcp on the network, the other unit must be given a fixed address on the LAN subnet. I would use the F!B for dhcp. Think though how you go about this, because you risk losing access to one unit.

SSID on the Asus only. Turn wireless off on the F!B and let the Asus handle it.

In reply to a post by DFScale:

Connect an Asus LAN port to a LAN port on the F!B. This gives you a single physical LAN.

Only 1 dhcp on the network, the other unit must be given a fixed address on the LAN subnet. I would use the F!B for dhcp. Think though how you go about this, because you risk losing access to one unit.

SSID on the Asus only. Turn wireless off on the F!B and let the Asus handle it.

Thank you - that leaves me with just one question ( ! ). How would the ASUS master be set up, it's currently as an AP. I would prefer to leave the ASUS as the dhcp.

In reply to a post by GeoffColl:

Thank you - that leaves me with just one question ( ! ). How would the ASUS master be set up, it's currently as an AP. I would prefer to leave the ASUS as the dhcp.

For the wireless side, set the ASUS up as you would if it were router. Sorry, I am not able to be more specific than that. For the DHCP, I have remembered why I would put it on the F!B. The DHCP tells clients the IP address to use as router, which normally defaults to the machine running the DHCP. So unless you can set a different router in the DHCP of the Asus, it needs to be the F!B.