RT6600ax Notes on migrating RT2600ac meshed setup to RT6600ax

[fredbert]

My recent posts on issues with my RT2600ac rebooting haven't been resolved, but I need a stable router and limit the cost. I've a mesh with MR2200ac so moving vendors would incur extra cost to replace the mesh. I opted, reluctantly, to get an RT6600ax since it isn't spec'ed to cease support next year and is actually available to buy (unlike the WRX560).

Generally the process is easy and documented here:

How do I migrate my configuration from a Synology RT2600ac/MR2200ac to an RT6600ax/WRX560? - Synology Knowledge Center

Synology Knowledge Center offers comprehensive support, providing answers to frequently asked questions, troubleshooting steps, software tutorials, and all the technical documentation you may need.

kb.synology.com

But I noted a few missing steps for the things I use, in no particular order:

1. Remember to backup and restore Safe Access, Threat Prevention, and DNS Server zones.
2. Export and import the SSL certificate, if you are using one that's not automatically managed by SRM.
3. Notification email settings are not restored.
4. Firewall rules that specifically select the SRM 1.3 extra VLANs don't remember them and the rule is marked with red warning. You'll have to fix this.
5. Port Forwarding setting reset to automatically add rules in the Firewall (I add these extra FW rules manually). Just needs to be disabled.
6. DNS Server setting (e.g. Resolution, Views, etc) aren't backed up.
7. VPN Plus server configuration isn't backed up. You will have to configure this so take notes before the migration.
8. VPN Plus licences no longer have to be purchased for $0.00. You just have to be activate the Synology VPN and Site-to-Site VPN services and accept the terms.
9. Link to LDAP server is not restored.
10. Changes to background images are not retained.
11. You have to relink to your Synology Account.
12. Log Center settings for Log Sending are not backed up.
13. If you store logs and reports from the various SRM service on the USB drive then you will have to re-configure each one.

To ease the post-migration setup I connected the RT2600ac WAN interface to my RT6600ax's primary LAN. The last setup be for this were to change the RT2600ac's configuration so it's primary LAN IP subnet was different and enabled router management via the WAN port. Once rebooted the RT2600ac can be access on it's WAN port using the primary LAN IP assigned to it. Now I could have browser windows open for both old and new routers, then compare differences.


One thing on the RT6600ax WiFi settings I noted was that the first 5 GHz band being set to 'auto' had selected channel 156 (or something). Either my 2014 MacBook Air cannot see that channel (I wasn't making notes) but I didn't notice a 4800 Mbps network when using WiFi Explorer. I changed this band from 'auto' to 100 and now I have it. Plus 5 GHz band two at 1200 Mbps. The only negative is the 2.4 GHz band is 573 Mbps, lower that the RT2600ac's 800 Mbps.


Addn.

And the issue with Threat Prevention on the RT2600ac where the Misc Attack class of signatures keep increasing by around 1000 with every ET Open update and having multiple instances of some signatures ... still happens on the RT6600ax.

 

[randman]

I have an RT2600ac as my primary router and 3 MR2200ac in a mesh configuration with the RT2600ac. The 3 MR2200ac's are connected via Ethernet ("Uplink type" configured to "Ethernet only"). All are on SRM 1.2.5-8227 Update 8.

My ultimate goal is to have an RT6600ax as the primary router, using my existing 3 MR2200ac's in a mesh configuration, and then add the RT2600ac to the mesh.

One question that I have is: will the MR2200ac's that are part of the mesh network of RT2600ac be automatically included to the RT6600ax' mesh after the backup of the RT2600ac is restored to RT6600ax? Or do I need to reset all my MR2200ac's and then manually add them to the RT6600ax's mesh?

Can folks comment on the high level steps below for migrating from my "RT2600ac primary + 3 MR2200ac mesh configuration" to "RT6600ax primary + 3 MR2200ac + 1 RT2600ac mesh configuration"?

1. Backup RT2600ac settings. Also backup Safe Access, Threat Prevention, DNS, Log Center, push notification, etc.

2. Update RT2600ac to 1.3.1. The MR2200ac's will be updated automatically when the RT2600ac is updated.

3. Backup all settings again.

4. Connect new RT6600ax to network. Update SRM if necessary to match the SRM in the RT2600ac.

5. Restore all settings. Upon doing restore, will the 3 MR2200ac's automatically be part of the RT6600ax's mesh network?

6. Reset RT2600ac

7. Add RT2600ac to mesh network.

Any suggestions/changes?

 

[Jan Janowski]

Based on conversation with you a year+ ago, I acquired another 2600, to accomplish a few things:
I like TP
2600 is less expensive than 6600, and since 6600 had only one 2.5 connection, it lost the luster of a 2.5 router.
Having 2x 2600’s allowed me to test new firmware, knowing I had a fallback. Create an isolated network, great for unknown security camera testing!
And if the EEram chip failed, I had a backup.

Thanks for your posts on this. It has been eye opening!

 

[fredbert]

@randman The Synology steps, as linked, provide most of the info. And your process seems to be sound. I don't think the mesh routers get added when restoring the configs of the RT2600ac to the RT6600ax since the original 2600 is still controlling the active mesh. Just thinking about it and it probably works like this: delete mesh routers from RT2600ac's WiFi Connect; add MR2200ac's as mesh routers to RT6600ax.

I suggested a way to confirm the RT6600ax is restored to how the RT2600ac was running, by keeping the RT2600ac up and WAN wired into the new setup's LAN. Have both SRM web portals open and check that nothing is missing. Once happy you can factory reset the RT2600ac and then add it as a mesh router.

If your AC mesh points are close to the RX6600ax then there's no guarantee your devices will attach to the faster AX bands. It was this issue of overlap that I eventually replaced my MR2200ac with a WRX560.

 

[randman]

Thanks, @fredbert. I guess before doing the final configuration save of the RT2600ac, I'll delete the MR2200ac's from the mesh and add them to the RT6600ax after restoring the RT2600ac settings.
Is it necessary to reset the MR2200ac, or not necessary if they were already gracefully removed from the RT2600ac mesh?

You mentioned "If your AC mesh points are close to the RX6600ax then there's no guarantee your devices will attach to the faster AX bands.".

I was wondering what reasons I may want to replace the (3) MR2200ac's with the WRX560... All 3 of my MR2200ac's are connected to my LAN via Ethernet backhaul. Were you referring to client devices connecting to the MR2200ac when you wish they had connected to the WRX560?

 

[fredbert]

Is it necessary to reset the MR2200ac, or not necessary if they were already gracefully removed from the RT2600ac mesh?

I can't remember but if you do have to reset them then I think the reset button on the back of the MR2200ac is your friend. The most important thing is to have the same SRM versions on the routers.

I was wondering what reasons I may want to replace the (3) MR2200ac's with the WRX560... All 3 of my MR2200ac's are connected to my LAN via Ethernet backhaul. Were you referring to client devices connecting to the MR2200ac when you wish they had connected to the WRX560?

Yes that's what I meant. RT660ax + MR2200ac and devices couldn't be relied on to go AX when they could.

I have Ethernet back haul between my two routers (via 2.5 GbE ports on a managed switch). The routers are on different floors but there is a lot of overlap in their coverage due to not being able spread them far enough apart (power sockets and Ethernet dictate the locations). So for me I wanted to have AX capable devices using AX bands, so opted to replace the MR2200ac with a WRX560. It seemed expensive but meant I could remove some client Ethernet cabling too (or trip hazard as it were!).

If you have sufficient distance that switching happens regularly then this may be something to consider later on.

 

[randman]

I see. Thanks. I'll evaluate my potential need for WRX560'a once I've lived with RT660ax + MR2200ac's for a while.