I recently retired one of my WiFi routers, an ASUS RT-N12EC1 that I have owned for a few years, because it was messing up my home network.

There were 3 WiFi networks (now only 2) in my home: 2 controlled by my 2 Internet modems, and the Asus router configured as an access point (AP) for one of the Internet modems, because otherwise the signal was not strong enough in every room. Most of our rooms have an Ethernet cable port, but there is only one cabled network with the two logical networks running over it.

The reason for retiring the Asus was that I discovered that it was sometimes claiming an IP address that was assigned (statically) to one of m servers. This is why I had problems getting my new server to work properly.

At some point in the distant past, I had set the Asus router to use IP address a.b.c.3, which is on the logical network controlled by Internet modem #1. Once the Asus was configured as an AP it had no discernible IP address of its own, so I didn't worry about its IP address. The Asus never worked as an AP on network #2 (simply too old to support the latest AP protocol) and was never assigned an address on that network. Eventually I found out that the Asus router would periodically attempt to connect to network #2 (a.b.d.0), and while trying would grab the address a.b.d.3, an address that had never been assigned to it. These failed attempts would last anywhere from a few seconds to more than 5 minutes. Obviously, my new server was unreachable while the Asus router was using that wrong address.

Now that Sheryl and I both have new mobile phones, there is strong enough WiFi signal throughout the apartment without the Asus working as an AP, so it is now stowed in a drawer.

This kind of undocumented behaviour is why one must always be careful buying cheap IT products.

We have one other Asus device at home: a laptop that Sheryl bought which has always been a source of problems. I most certainly do not recommend Asus products.