As a last resort I tried 3 older firmware's in order to see if this resolves my issue. Unfortunately also not.
Questions:
1. WDS: When I want to connect three devices via WDS, can I have 1 AP and two Stations connecting to it?
2. If yes: Do I have to put the MAC addresses of the Stations also on each other or only AP<->Station and vice versa?
3. If not: I assume I have to create a VAP WDS. Where do I enter the mac of the corresponding WDS station?
4. With the latest release, I noticed a new wireless mode "Mesh / 802.11s". How is this set up? I did not find any documentation on this.
Update:
I selected mesh on all 3 APs and got a connection established after a while.
When I enable security (WPA3 Personal / SAE CCMP-128 (AES)) they are not connecting anymore.
When I check the Wireless Status page, I see them connected in LEGACY but 0 TX and only 6M RX. Devices are close located and set to AC/N - wide 40HT - channel auto.
After disabling security on AP1 and AP2 but not on AP3, i got again connectivity to all three APs. How is this even possible, as AP3 should only communicate with WPA3 enabled?
Joined: 19 Nov 2008 Posts: 274 Location: Madison, CT, US
Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 22:48 Post subject:
To use WDS you need to have a MAIN and 2 stations in your case. The radios 2.4 and 5 ghz have different MACs you need to enter the MACs for the stations into the MAIN and the MAIN mac into the stations respectively. You also need to create VAP in the stations if you want different SSID. You could use the same SSID. WDS is a form of mesh. _________________ Netgear R7800(2), R7500v2(2) WDS, Asus RT-AC68R (2)
Joined: 03 Jan 2010 Posts: 7568 Location: YWG, Canada
Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 22:53 Post subject:
husky55 wrote:
The radios 2.4 and 5 ghz have different MACs you need to enter the MACs for the stations into the MAIN and the MAIN mac into the stations respectively.
not needed in qualcomm, just set wds ap on the host, wds sta on the stations, enter ssid & password (like in client/bridge modes) and go. actually even the last time i tried entering macs in for the broadcom way of wds, caused a endless boot loop requiring reset (at the time, on a router with a non working reset button, that was fun..) _________________ LATEST FIRMWARE(S)
BrainSlayer wrote:
we just do it since we do not like any restrictions enforced by stupid cocaine snorting managers
So I have three R7800's with Mesh / 802.11s selected as the Wireless Mode. Wired devices are appearing and Internet is working however no wireless is being broadcast. Any tips?
Joined: 03 Jan 2010 Posts: 7568 Location: YWG, Canada
Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2019 18:40 Post subject:
set a vap on whatever aps u want broadcasting, leave it bridged for now, same ssid if u want seamlessness or different ssid works too _________________ LATEST FIRMWARE(S)
BrainSlayer wrote:
we just do it since we do not like any restrictions enforced by stupid cocaine snorting managers
Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2022 9:01 Post subject: Re: Wireless mode: Mesh / 802.11s
Hi, Can I ask, when you switched to the 802.11s mode, what version were you on and what are your wifi settings ?
I have 3 currently in WDS mode all working (wifi as per the QCA wifi settings) and WDS is fine, but as soon as I got 802.11s it fails.
I read this and tried with no security and it still fails and this is one of the few messages talking about 802.11s
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2022 0:56 Post subject: Mesh testing
Hello all,
I am trying to test a mesh network on a couple of D-Link 862L. For testing purposes they are basically in the same room, ~15ft apart, 2.4GHz band.
Same settings, one is wired to the main router. Both have Gateway and local DNS set to the IP address of the main router.
I put in the same SSID on both routers, select 802.11s / Mesh as the Mode. Click save. Short Preamble enable, ACK timing 900m, Noise Immunity Disabled. Click Save.
Firewall and WAN Traffic Daemon disabled on both. SSH enabled on both.
Then:
Wireless Security:
Tried Disabled - it worked
Tried WPA3 + CCMP (AES) - it worked
Tried to add VAPs on the 2.4GHz band.
Different SSIDs for each router, testing purposes.
Disabled Security - worked, for a few minutes and then stopped working
WPA2 + AES - did not work
WPA3/WPA2 + AES - worked for a few minutes and then stopped working.
I was able to get wired Internet on the client router (no wired WAN connection) for a time. _________________ Before asking a question on the forums, update dd-wrt: Where do I download firmware? I suggest reading it all.
QCA Best WiFi Settings
Some dd-wrt wiki pages are up to date, others are not. PM me if you find an old one.
Atheros:
Netgear R7800 x3 - WDS AP / station, gateway, QoS
TP-Link Archer C7 v2 x2 - WDS Station
TP-Link TL-WDR3600 v1 - WDS Station
TP-Link 841nd v8 - NU
D-Link 615 C1/E3/I1 x 7 - 1 WDS station
D-Link 825 B1 - NU
D-Link 862L A1 x2 - WDS Station
Netgear WNDR3700v2 - NU
UBNT loco M2 x2 - airOS
Broadcom
Linksys EA6400 - Gateway, QoS
Asus N66U - AP
Netgear WNDR3700v3 - not used
MediaTek
UBNT EdgeRouter X - switch
I have 5ghz running the mesh, the SSId is marked as hidden, but does not show even if it is not
The VAP's I have are on the 2.4Ghz, so to keep all my devices running the mesh has a new SSID and the VAP's are the old 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz SSID's - just to ensure all devices connect happily.
The mesh is WPA3 and the VAP's are WPA2
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2022 21:56 Post subject: VAP - Virtual Access Point
poyntzj wrote:
I have 5ghz running the mesh, the SSId is marked as hidden, but does not show even if it is not
The VAP's I have are on the 2.4Ghz, so to keep all my devices running the mesh has a new SSID and the VAP's are the old 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz SSID's - just to ensure all devices connect happily.
The mesh is WPA3 and the VAP's are WPA2
A VAP, Virtual Access Point is not the same as an access point. I want to create a VAP on the same network as the mesh is using. That is not what you did. In your case that would mean having a VAP being broadcast on the 5GHz band, as well as a regular access point on the 2.4GHz band. _________________ Before asking a question on the forums, update dd-wrt: Where do I download firmware? I suggest reading it all.
QCA Best WiFi Settings
Some dd-wrt wiki pages are up to date, others are not. PM me if you find an old one.
Atheros:
Netgear R7800 x3 - WDS AP / station, gateway, QoS
TP-Link Archer C7 v2 x2 - WDS Station
TP-Link TL-WDR3600 v1 - WDS Station
TP-Link 841nd v8 - NU
D-Link 615 C1/E3/I1 x 7 - 1 WDS station
D-Link 825 B1 - NU
D-Link 862L A1 x2 - WDS Station
Netgear WNDR3700v2 - NU
UBNT loco M2 x2 - airOS
Broadcom
Linksys EA6400 - Gateway, QoS
Asus N66U - AP
Netgear WNDR3700v3 - not used
MediaTek
UBNT EdgeRouter X - switch
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2022 1:58 Post subject: Re: VAP - Virtual Access Point
ian5142 wrote:
I want to create a VAP on the same network as the mesh is using. That is not what you did. In your case that would mean having a VAP being broadcast on the 5GHz band, as well as a regular access point on the 2.4GHz band.
Last time I tested, adding a VAP on the same radio as mesh causes it to crash. This was reported to still be the case in another thread not too long ago. I haven't seen anything in the changelog indicating a fix since then. At least for now, mesh requires a dedicated radio. _________________ Current devices:
XR500 - gateway
5x R7500v2 - AP
OpenMediaVault server for tailscale, SMB, & Emby
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2022 2:38 Post subject: Mesh VAP
Yes, that is what I am experiencing on r50671. Mesh seems to require a dedicated radio. This makes it unusable in my case due to distances. I can't use a 5GHz backhaul like poyntzj because the distances are too great (~200-300ft is common between most of my routers). I also know some of my clients on my network are 2.4GHz only. Therefore, WDS is the only option in my case. _________________ Before asking a question on the forums, update dd-wrt: Where do I download firmware? I suggest reading it all.
QCA Best WiFi Settings
Some dd-wrt wiki pages are up to date, others are not. PM me if you find an old one.
Atheros:
Netgear R7800 x3 - WDS AP / station, gateway, QoS
TP-Link Archer C7 v2 x2 - WDS Station
TP-Link TL-WDR3600 v1 - WDS Station
TP-Link 841nd v8 - NU
D-Link 615 C1/E3/I1 x 7 - 1 WDS station
D-Link 825 B1 - NU
D-Link 862L A1 x2 - WDS Station
Netgear WNDR3700v2 - NU
UBNT loco M2 x2 - airOS
Broadcom
Linksys EA6400 - Gateway, QoS
Asus N66U - AP
Netgear WNDR3700v3 - not used
MediaTek
UBNT EdgeRouter X - switch
This past summer I setup my sister with mesh on 2.4ghz to get through thick brick walls in her 150yo house, but fortunately, everything they have works with 5ghz. If needed, I had planned to use some older devices as APs wired to the mesh. _________________ Current devices:
XR500 - gateway
5x R7500v2 - AP
OpenMediaVault server for tailscale, SMB, & Emby