ASUS ROG Rapture GT6 connection unstable

[KennyK423]

Yesterday I finally received my ASUS ROG Rapture GT6. I have Optimum and have a UBEE router/modem combo. I had to call Optimum to have them turn off my SSID so that way there was no WiFi coming from my UBEE and it’s essentially just a Modem. Then I plugged in from the modem to the GT6s 2.5 port, turned on the main GT6 and the node and set them up. I then moved the node upstairs where my PC is and plugged into it through Ethernet cord and plugged into the LAN 1 port on the node. Internet was amazing, better than it’s ever been I was getting between 700-900 Mbps. So the rest of the day it’s fine. Next day that morning it seemed just as fine as the day before. Few hours pass and I notice it starts acting funny. My friends voices in discord begin breaking up and the stream I was watching kept freezing. After that I kept doing constant speed tests on multiple different ones and kept seeing the speed shoot up to 400-700 Mbps and then slowly drop to around 100-200 and then eventually there’d be moments where it would get stuck at less than 100 for a few minutes before spiking back up and then slowly dropping again. I trekked restarting the node, resetting the node, resetting and redoing the whole system, changing Dual WAN on and swapping between primary as LAN 1 and 2.5, heard to turn off Smart Connect and when I checked it was already off. Currently I have my PC connected wirelessly instead so I can have some stability but even that’s shooting up and then rapidly lowering except it goes from about 10 to sometimes almost 200 but things are working enough for me to do stuff. If I reconnect it through Ethernet or try to connect to one of the 5G connections it does that same thing with me speed spiking and dropping and everything struggles to work correctly. What is the issue here? I just can’t seem to figure it out. It was perfect last night and now it’s awful. What do I need to do? Also, when I reset the whole system I chose this time to separate the 2.4 and 5G connections, should I have done that or should I have kept them together as just one single connection? Any help would be amazing, thank you!

[jzchen]

A couple of questions:

Were you able to update the firmware on both units to the latest version, (if not already installed upon manufacturer)?

You seemed to plug in two Ethernet devices into the node upstairs, one was a PC but what was the other one?  (I believe on LAN 1 is what you noted).

[KennyK423]

Yes, when I setup them up it had me update them to the latest firmware.

The node upstairs has only 1 thing plugged into it. My PC is plugged into the LAN 1 spot.

The main node downstairs has 1 thing plugged into it. The modem/router combo is plugged into its 2.5G/1G WAN port.

Also, the home PC downstairs is connected to to just the modem/router. Not sure if that matters just figured I’d mention it just in case it matters. I figured since it can still get internet by being plugged into the modem/router then leave it there so I have less connected to the ASUS

[jzchen]

For background you may look up "double NAT" as that is how I suspect the UBEE and GT6 are connected right now.  The thing is, for most cases the slowdown you are experiencing should not be happening.  (I have a friend who lived with double NAT for years and everything was just fine).

Sounds like some source of noise may have been introduced somehow?  Is that possible?  Did you make any sort of connection changes?  (I'm still sorting out whether the simulated sine wave UPSes I add to keep the routers in my house running during a blackout are causing performance issues.  It sure seems to be the case but I am still sorting that out, slowly).

I believe there is a setting to have the system reboot nightly, IF there's a bug and it develops over time then this might help.

I personally like to keep SmartConnect ON with 2.4 and 5 GHz channels.

[KennyK423]

Sorry I don’t know much about this kind of stuff. What exactly should I do then? Like what settings should I change?

Also, I should enable Smart Connect? Every single I’ve read so far about issues with the GT6 have all specifically said to turn off Smart Connect

[jzchen]

I'd be happy to walk you through but it is quite difficult even to decide what to do first.  How is the system working now after following the advice to separate and turn off Smart Connect?  Did it start working better?

Is the primary GT6 set up as a router or Access Point?  (I'm not even sure if you do have a double NAT or not).

[KennyK423]

We’ll the smart connect was off by default for me so I’ve never had it on.

I’m almost 100% positive I set it up as a router. My modem/router combo from Optimum is in bridge mode.

[jzchen]

Maybe IP Passthrough?  I'd be surprised Ethernet clients plugged into the gateway get service in bridge mode...

[ibizbysa8044]

I feel your frustration, Kenny. I recently upgraded to a new mesh router system myself, and while the first evening felt like I’d discovered Wi-Fi nirvana, the next day turned into a connectivity nightmare. It was like my network had developed a rebellious teenager phase overnight—speed drops, random disconnects, and a lot of shouting at inanimate objects.

For me, the culprit turned out to be overlapping channels with a neighbor's Wi-Fi. Switching to less congested channels using the router’s admin panel helped stabilize things. Also, enabling a daily reboot schedule worked wonders. Maybe try these tweaks while keeping Smart Connect off? Sometimes, these systems just need a little “trial and error parenting.” Good luck!