Mercusys ac12 User manual

What should I do if my internet connection is
slow?
This Article Applies to:
AC12 AC12G MW305R MR50G MR90X MR80X MR70X
The internet speed is affected by several factors, it’s not always easy to
determine if it is because of actual problems with your Internet service,
clients, or because of issues with your home Internet network.
You can compare the results of your Internet speed test with what you are
actually paying for. If the results of the speed test don’t match your Internet
plan, here are some tips and tricks for troubleshooting.
*Note: If the router is too hot may cause slow Internet speeds, this can
happen if it is covered with papers or perhaps a jacket, or is left exposed to
sunlight.
Case One: Both the wired connection and wireless connection are slow or
only the wired connection is slow
For possible resolutions, please see the following:
1. Disconnecting the Mercusys router from the modem (the piece of
hardware supplied by your Internet company), then only connect your
computer to the modem directly to test speed, If the Speed test result is the
same as the Mercusys router, it indicates the issue is on your modem or
Internet Service.
2. If there is no problem with the modem speed, please try the following
tips:
a. Unplug your modem. Then, unplug your router. Wait about 2-3 minutes
before powering on your modem. After your modem is fully powered,
restart your wireless router.
b. Try to disable the QoS and Parental control on the Mercusys router.
c. Try a different Ethernet cable from the modem to the router, it’s better
Cat6 or above.
Case Two: Only wireless internet connection is slow
For possible resolutions, please see the following

1. Clear the wireless environment when running a speed test on your
wireless devices. Make sure that there are no barriers between the router
and wireless device running a speed test, and the best location is 6-9 ft
from the router. It’s better to put the clients (like phones or computers) and
router in the same horizontal plane.
2. Change the wireless channel and channel width on the Mercusys router.
You may refer to Changing Channel and Channel Width on a Mercusys Wi-
Fi router. (You may change 2.4G channel width to 40MHZ, 5G channel
width to 80MHZ or 160MHZ)
3. Disable the QoS and Parental Settings on the Mercusys router.(Please
refer to the tips at the bottom of the page),
To login to the webpage, you may follow this FAQ: How to log into the web-
based interface of the MERCUSYS Wireless Router?
How to place your Mercusys wireless router
for optimal reception and performance
This Article Applies to:
MR90X MR80X MR70X MR50G AC12G AC12 MW305R
When you buy a router, you may be confused about the best place to put
your router for the best performance. This article will give you a few tips.
To better understand how a router's wireless works, it's important to first
understand how antenna signals are transmitted.
In general, our antenna signals are radiated vertically and outward from the
antenna. Therefore, in order for our antenna signal to be able to transmit
better, we need to pay attention to the following problems when placing the
router.

(Left) Scenarios that are not suitable for common-level use
(Right) The router has better wireless coverage with horizontal use
Tip 1. Place your wireless router in a central location.
The router's impact on network speed is critical, so keep your router as close
to the center of the room as possible. Let it cover the surrounding signal as
evenly as possible so that the signal can be maximized. If your wireless
router is against an outside wall of your home, the signal will be weak on the
other side of your home.
Tip 2. Put your wireless router at a certain height
It is better to place the wireless router on a table or shelf and keep it at a
certain height so that the omnidirectional antenna's transmitting ability can
be utilized.
According to our actual situation, we suggest that the table should be about
1-1.5 ft so that the signal of the router is on the same horizontal plane as the
equipment you usually use.
Actual test case sharing:
For an actual height test, we placed the router at a height of 6 ft.

On Android, when we use the phone at a normal height On Android, when
we hold the phone up to a 6 feet level

On iOS, when we use the phone at a normal height On iOS, when we hold
the phone up to a 6ft level

The device will get a stronger wireless signal when it’s at the same altitude
as the router.
Note: The smaller negative number is better performance, eg, the Signal
Strength -32 will be better than the Signal Strength -50.
Tip 3. Pay attention to your wireless router’s antennas
As we know, our antenna signals are radiated vertically and outward. If you
only need to use it on the first floor of your home, we recommend you place
antennas vertically, so that the antenna coverage can achieve the best on
the same level.

If you need to go upstairs or downstairs in your home, and the wireless
needs to cover different floors, we suggest that you turn on the antenna at
an Angle of 30°.
Actual test case sharing:
We did a test on the effect of antenna placement on horizontal radio. If your
router needs to be hung on the wall for use.
The antenna is placed vertically and then the wireless signal strength is
received by the iPhone in the horizontal plane. (Signal Strength -26)

The antenna is tilted forward at an Angle of 45°. (Signal Strength -35)

The antenna is completely horizontal. (Signal Strength -39)

So, if you only need to use it on the first floor of your home, or hanging on
the wall to use the router in a horizontal direction, we recommend that you
put the router antenna vertically.
Considering various requirements, we recommend the following antenna
placement methods.

Tip 4. Stay away from high-powered appliances
When the router transmits signals, the high-power electrical appliances, and
iron products may cause interference with Wi-Fi, so try to avoid microwave
ovens, weak current boxes, TV, and other electrical appliances.
Tip 5. Avoid obstructions
In order to keep it neat, a lot of friends put the router in a cabinet. Putting it
in the cabinet will block the signal, and the overall signal will be weakened.
Besides, the position of the router should not pass through too many walls,
because the walls are made of concrete, which is very strong in shielding the
router's signals. The closer your wireless router is to these obstructions, the
more severe the interference, and the weaker your connection will be.

Tip 6. Avoid overexposed areas
Keep it as cool as possible. Because long-term sun exposure will cause
damage to the router, which will affect the stability and the network speed.

Note: If you want to hang it on the wall, make sure it doesn't shake or fade,
because if the device is hit, it may be damaged and it won't work properly.
roubleshooting: Unstable connection on the
Mercusys router
This Article Applies to:
AC12 AC12G MW305R MR90X MR80X MR70X MR50G
There are multiple factors that cause your internet connection to randomly
disconnect. Please read possible solutions below which may fix an internet
unstable.
Case One: Both the wired connection and wireless connection are unstable
For possible solutions, please see the following:
1. Disconnecting the Mercusys router from the modem (the piece of
hardware supplied by your Internet company), then only connect your
computer to the modem directly. If your computer cannot get a stable
connection from your modem, it indicates the issue is on your modem
or Internet Service.
2. If there is no problem with the modem, please try the following tips:
•Check that the Ethernet cable is connected securely to the WAN port
on your router and that the cable is not loose or attached poorly. To
check if there is any problem with the Ethernet cable, replace it with
another Ethernet cable and see if the issue persists.
•Try to change DNS servers on your router.
Please log into the web management page, then please click the
Advanced>>Network>>Internet.
Then click the Advanced Setting, please change the DNS Address to
the “Use the following DNS Address”, then please change the Primary
DNS:8.8.8.8; Secondary DNS:8.8.4.4.

•Upgrade your router to the latest version. (You may refer to How to
upgrade a MERCUSYS device to the latest firmware.)
Case Two: Unstable wireless connection on TP-Link router.
Note: Please be sure that when the computer is connected to your internet
modem, the internet works fine without dropping. If the internet is not
stable, please contact your internet service provider to do some
troubleshooting. If it’s a modem/router, please contact your ISP to ensure
the internet line is good.
Please check whether the internet is stable or not when the computer is
connected to the router with the Ethernet cable. If not, please refer
to Case One.
Symptoms:
Wireless devices intermittently disconnect from the wireless network, while
wired devices are still connected and working fine.
For possible solutions, please see the following:

•Keep the router away from microwave ovens and other interference
sources (refrigerators, ovens, Bluetooth devices, etc.)
•Reduce the number of wireless clients and optimize the router’s
position.
•Try to adjust the orientation of the antennas for maximum
performance. We recommend placing it as the same height with
wireless clients and also placing its antennas at 45 degrees or 0
degrees (parallel to the floor) to the floor, which will be more
effective. Since antennas always transmit weakly at the base, do not
place your wireless client device at the bottom of Mercusys wireless
device.
•If your Wi-Fi's signal strength is weak, try moving the router to
another location. Minimize obstructions between your router and your
computer or other devices. Obstructions such as walls between your
router and device can affect Wi-Fi signal quality.
•If your Wi-Fi signal is strong but the connection is still unstable, try
connecting to the router's 5G Wi-Fi. There are fewer interference
sources on 5G networks. (If your router does not support 5G Wi-Fi,
please skip this step.)
•Disable the smart connect on your router. (If your router does not
support it, please skip this step.)
•If there are multiple Wi-Fi networks in the area, please change the
router's Wi-Fi channel and channel width. This avoids multiple Wi-Fi
signals on the same channel, and reduces Wi-Fi interference
sources.
You may refer to Changing Channel and Channel Width on a Mercusys
Wi-Fi router. (You may change 2.4G channel width to 20MHZ, 5G
channel width to 20MHZ)
•Upgrade your router to the latest version.
You may refer to How to upgrade a MERCUSYS device to the latest
firmware.
Tips: How to disable the smart connect on the router?
Login to the webpage following the FAQ: How to log into the web-based
interface of the MERCUSYS Wireless Router?
Go to Advanced> Wireless> Wireless Settings and disable Smart
Connect.

How to upgrade a MERCUSYS device to the
latest firmware
This Article Applies to:
MR70X MR50G AC12 AC12G MW155R MW305R ME30 MW300RE MR90
X
MERCUSYS APP Compatibility List
This article will guide you to upgrade the firmware on MERCUSYS Wi-Fi
devices step by step.
Some models have multiple hardware versions. Please verify the hardware
version of your device. When upgrading using only firmware for the same
hardware version. Wrong firmware upgrading may damage your device
and void the warranty.
To check the hardware version of your device, please refer to How to find
the hardware version on a MERCYSYS device.
Note:
۰Do NOT turn off the power during the upgrade process.
۰Please write down the key settings as a backup before you start to upgrade
because after upgrading the old settings may be lost.
1. Download the latest firmware from the support page of the
MERCUSYS website.
Go to the MERCUSYS support website https://www.mercusys.com/support.
Search for your model, then select the appropriate drop downs for your
MERCUSYS device. Choose the corresponding hardware version, click on
Firmware. A list of available firmware will be displayed. Please use

decompression software such as WinZIP or WinRAR to extract the firmware
file to a folder.
2. Launch a web browser, visit http://mwlogin.net and log in with the
password you set for the device.
3. Go to Advanced-> System Tools-> Firmware Upgrade or
Advanced-> System -> Firmware Update, click Browse to find the
extracted firmware file and click open.
4. Click the Upgrade button. The device will reboot automatically after
the upgrade has been finished.
5. Click Status, check if the device’s firmware has been upgraded.
Note: Some firmware updates will restore your MERCUSYS device to factory
settings. If this is the case, run the Quick Setup Wizard to reconfigure your
device.

What should I do if only one specific device
cannot work with Mercusys router?
This Article Applies to:
AC12 AC12G MW305R MR50G MR70X MR90X
If you have set up your Mercusys wireless products correctly to provide internet access, but only one
specific client device, such as a TV, a printer, fails to get internet access from Mercusys devices or
cannot connect to Mercusys network at all. This article will help you do some basic troubleshooting and
locate your issue.
1). Make sure that this specific device could work fine with other networks.
If it cannot work with any networks at all, this issue would be more related to this device itself and it is
suggested for you to contact the support of that specific device.
2).Verify the IP settings of your device and make sure it is DHCP or obtain an IP address
automatically.
If the IP settings of your device is static IP, it would require you to manually fill in the IP address, subnet
mask, default gateway, and DNS server for your device.
3). If your special device cannot connect to Mercusys network at all and it shows some error
info:
A. Unable to connect/ unable to join, please try to re-enable the wireless adapter on your device
and retry. You can also try to remove the existing wireless network profile.
B. Incorrect password, please double check your wireless password on the router.
4). Change wireless network settings on Mercusys wireless products. You may refer to the FAQ
below.
Changing Channel and Channel Width on a Mercusys Wi-Fi router
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