So I have been setting up the AX Router with Smoothwan and testing it. I have successfully been able to setup a Wired Connection, USB 5G Modem Connection, Wireless Connection from home network (2.4 and 5) – but when I attempt to setup a iPhone HotSpot Connection it just falls down.
I have tested this scenario on both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz network and it results in the same outcome. The SmoothWan software connects perfectly find to the iPhone Hotspot but that Frequency Access-Point network disappears completely from the network. It is not even hidden; the signal just shuts off.
Though when I check the configuration it states it is live within the configuration and the domes logs. I have been trying many options and reseting the configuration to start again. I must be missing something. When it was the original firmware it had no issues connecting to the iPhone Hotspot and advertising a connectable Access Point of the same frequency. See message log below.
wlan0 is the iPhone HotSpot
wlan0-1 is the Access Point
I have attempted them swapped around, Disabled Access Point prior to Hot Spot connectivity (even through this is not the method I’d like to have in the field just to isolate)… Open to suggestions and ideas.
[ 9460.675137] br-lan: port 2(wlan0-1) entered disabled state
[ 9461.695139] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[ 9471.053234] wlan0: authenticate with 0----------------8
[ 9471.060652] wlan0: send auth to 0----------------8 (try 1/3)
[ 9471.195414] wlan0: authenticate with 0----------------8
[ 9471.195446] wlan0: send auth to 0----------------8 (try 1/3)
[ 9471.200672] wlan0: authenticated
[ 9471.214969] wlan0: associate with0----------------8 (try 1/3)
[ 9471.217190] wlan0: RX AssocResp from 0----------------8 (capab=0x11 status=30 aid=1)
[ 9471.219692] wlan0: 0----------------8 rejected association temporarily; comeback duration 196 TU (200 ms)
[ 9471.434976] wlan0: associate with 0----------------8 (try 2/3)
[ 9471.437282] wlan0: RX AssocResp from 0----------------8 (capab=0x11 status=30 aid=1)
[ 9471.439701] wlan0: 0----------------8 rejected association temporarily; comeback duration 196 TU (200 ms)
[ 9471.654973] wlan0: associate with 0----------------8 (try 3/3)
[ 9471.657217] wlan0: RX AssocResp from 0----------------8 (capab=0x11 status=30 aid=1)
[ 9471.659703] wlan0: 0----------------8 rejected association temporarily; comeback duration 196 TU (200 ms)
[ 9471.874972] wlan0: association with 0----------------8 timed out
[ 9475.182763] wlan0: authenticate with 0----------------8
[ 9475.190141] wlan0: send auth to 0----------------8 (try 1/3)
[ 9475.192282] wlan0: send auth to 0----------------8 (try 2/3)
[ 9475.198336] wlan0: authenticated
[ 9475.204980] wlan0: associate with 0----------------8 (try 1/3)
[ 9475.209340] wlan0: RX AssocResp from 0a:------------ (capab=0x11 status=0 aid=1)
[ 9475.211017] wlan0: associated
[ 9475.217351] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): wlan0: link becomes ready
[ 9475.221798] wlan0: Limiting TX power to 30 (30 - 0) dBm as advertised by 0a:54-------
[ 9475.496088] ath11k c000000.wifi: bss color param 0x81000000 set on vdev 0
[ 9475.496156] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): wlan0-1: link becomes ready
[ 9475.501959] br-lan: port 2(wlan0-1) entered forwarding state
[ 9475.508318] br-lan: port 2(wlan0-1) entered forwarding state
[ 9483.534924] br-lan: port 2(wlan0-1) entered forwarding state
Thanks for the suggestion; I have attempted that and the results are the same. For validation I switch the Client to WPA2 and insured the same for the AP. After disabling and reenabling the wifi ports the AP still did not return. I rebooted the router just to double check and again the AP still did not return. Open to additional suggestions.
As well above you will see in the 2.4Ghz radio that I have it connected wireless to a wifi with internet leveraging WPA3 and AP is set to WPA2 and it is working just fine. I can swap the configurations 2.4 vs 5Ghz and the situation will follow the iPhone Tethering.
I continue to research OpenWRT forums for ideas but please additional input would be great.
Can you post the content of /etc/config/wireless and /etc/config/network by going to terminal and type: cat /etc/config/wireless (same with network).
Just spun a test locally, screenshot, and config:
There are country regulatory issues with channel 149+ on few client devices.
Some Windows Intel equipped laptops will stop scanning for these channels if they connect to another access point first that is not US or a region that does not allow 149+, requiring a restart. The client sets the country on first connection since boot. I’m not aware of this issue on Android/iOS/MacOS however.
The client frequency supersede the AP setting, the AP restarts while using the same channel as the client. SlateAX/Flint Wi-Fi hardware does not support channel hopping in multi-role mode like some high-end repeater / Android phones, switching between AP channel and client with buffer in real time, the performance would be bad anyways.
To add, there is no channel selection on iOS, you may have to use Maximum Compatibility Mode to force 2.4Ghz.
Please see attached my test /etc/config/wireless and /etc/config/network. This is the configuration as I posted last above. Note that it is connecting via 5Ghz network and I am not forcing it to 2.4Ghz. I did attempted 2.4Ghz and will attempt the “Maximize Compatibility” option and report; though last time I had similar results but will isolate with you just to insure I didn’t miss anything. Appreciate the assist.
Well you have helped me isolated the iPhone Tether issue with the Maximum Compatibility setting on the iPhone; note iPhone 8 2022 model; but testing further I moved the home wireless network from 2.4Ghz to the 5Ghz on the AX Router and the problem followed it. So I did some further testing to isolate WTH.
I moved the width from 80Mhz to 40Mhz to 20Mhz and then the 5Ghz network returned. Though the home network was still connected via 80Mhz… I moved to 40Mhz width and it disappeared… Now my 2.4Ghz is unstable… I will move back to 20Mhz for now…
Since this seems to have been configured outside Simple Wi-Fi Setup menu which doesn’t offer channel settings on purpose, channel shouldn’t be auto, choose any other number. (adding note)
Why can’t it be “auto”. You want to have the radio and system determine which channel has the lease noise, or is that have to be a manual process?
I have it stable now with 20Mhz on the 5Ghz using it as a AP and STA… If I change that at all it will just die and be only a STA(Client)… Not that big a deal as I will not be using that much anyway.
Note the home wifi is leveraging eero mesh network.
auto is buggy across IPQ based routers from my tests & OpenWrt
forum. OpenWrt determines the channel automatically (client/ap combo)
if auto is not set, auto lets the driver determine the channel
which doesn’t work in this case.
I have set the Channel and letting the application do it. So far I have been stable with 2.4Ghz but can’t exceed 20Mhz on 5Ghz.
I appreciate your help and hope that this has been helpful for others…
Just need to insure I can get the fastest wifi possible. So at the moment I have disconnected the home wireless from the 5Ghz network and increased it to 80Mhz so we can at least attempt get 1.2Mb. Just need to do some speedtests between client and router…
So at this point smoothwan is unstable. Left unit up and running all night to wake to 2.4Ghz not broadcast and 5GHz broadcasting. If I disable the 2.4Ghz clients the 2.4Ghz network will rebroadcast.
Going to dig into configs to see if something is a mess there. After which point I will do a full ground up reinstall firmware and all. I’ve noticed that performing a reset config doesn’t reset all components as in passwords etc consistently.
I will generate the logs and how do you want me to provide them to you? I will have to scrub them. In the logs you will see I am running most of the clients on the 5Ghz network and there are two NDI streaming devices sending HD video to two seperate hardwired Birddog players.
So I can confirm that when the iPhone is not connected via Hot Spot (manually disabled on phone) the 2.4Ghz wireless network doesn’t advertise from the AX router. When I turn on the iPhone HotSpot the Ax router advertises. The interesting thing is the power is 0 within the status and no matter what setting you make it, it remains 0.
I have sent you a PM with a link to the logs for your review. As I mentioned in that please let me know what you find so we can share with the community.
Thanks I’ll have a look soon, check if the memory is filled, there is an ongoing issue with the latest Speedify version causing issues with Wi-Fi too, I forgot to mention that
No I don’t believe so based upon the output here. Also I am not using Speedify that much at this point. I am working to stabilize just the Wifi internally and testing the Speedify is still operational…
If we don’t feel we can make AX stable then I will have to bring a Raspberry PI 4 which I have here on the desk; then hardwire to the AX with its native firmware. Hate to do that as with two HD streams running it isn’t even having much of a load yet.
I can provide remote session if you’d like as well as the environment is completely a test environment at the moment. So we can rebuild, crush, rebuild, crush… etc.
What issues with Wi-Fi is it causing? I’d don’t see how the two are related as Speedify pickup active ports the have outside connectivity. The Wi-Fi radio management etc appear to be separate process’
