Odd issue with Fire TV 4K vs 4K Max

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dplettner
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Joined: 15 Jul 2016
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2023 4:57    Post subject: Odd issue with Fire TV 4K vs 4K Max Reply with quote
Hello,

I recently got rid of the last device I have that uses 5 GHz 802.11n, so I changed the wireless network mode from "AC/N Mixed" to "AC Only."

I have 4 Fire TV sticks, 2 4K Fire TV sticks released in 2018 and 2 4K Max Fire TV sticks released in 2021. The 2018 4K models support up to WiFi 5 (Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 MIMO dual-antenna). The 2021 4k models support up to WiFi 6 (Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2x2 MIMO dual-antenna).

The odd thing is that when I switch to "AC Only" the 2018 4K Fire TV sticks can't connect, but if I switch back to "AC/N Mixed" they connect just fine, and the Status>Wireless tab of DD-WRT says that they are connected at a transfer rate of 866M and using VHT80SGI. The newer 2021 4K Max sticks connect just fine when using "AC Only" and also have a transfer rate of 866M and use VHT80SGI.

Why won't the 2018 4K Fire TV sticks connect with "AC Only" when, in fact, they are using 802.11ac when I select "AC/N Mixed"?

Here are some additional details:

Router Model: Netgear R7800
Firmware Version: DD-WRT v3.0-r51530 std (01/29/23)

Wireless>Basic Settings Tab

Radio Mode: AP
Network Mode: "AC/N Mixed" or "AC Only"
Channel Width: VHT80 (80 MHz)
Channel: 161 - 5805 MHz
Extension Channel: LL (-6)
Allow Channel Overlapping: Disable

Thanks,
Dave
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DWCruiser
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Joined: 15 Aug 2016
Posts: 223
Location: Melbourne, Australia

PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 1:13    Post subject: Reply with quote
My suggestion would be to try the 'AC Only' option with 5GHz channel set only between the 36-48 range. And see how you go.

Apparently, some similar TV sticks support 5GHz but only between the 36-48 range.

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kernel-panic69
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Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 14126
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 2:02    Post subject: Reply with quote
dplettner wrote:
I recently got rid of the last device I have that uses 5 GHz 802.11n, so I changed the wireless network mode from "AC/N Mixed" to "AC Only."


DWCruiser wrote:
My suggestion would be to try the 'AC Only' option with 5GHz channel set only between the 36-48 range. And see how you go.

Apparently, some similar TV sticks support 5GHz but only between the 36-48 range.


This seems to go against the recommendations in the wiki.

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dplettner
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 15 Jul 2016
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 2:33    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the suggestion.

Using "AC Only" with a lower channel still does not work. Also, moving from VHT80 to Wide HT40 makes no difference.

For me, this is more of a mystery than an issue that has any practical effect. "AC/N Mixed" and "AC Only" have similar performance with my devices using AC.

Interestingly, my Ring doorbell connects at 5GHz with "AC Only" but the Status tab says the connection is only HT40SGI. The older Fire TV sticks connect at 866M VHT80SGI, but only with "AC/N Mixed."
redhawk0
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 11563
Location: Wherever the wind blows- North America

PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 13:42    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just a confirmation....I get the same thing...with AC Only...no connection. I see the MAC flash on the dd status page but then it goes away and on my 4K Firestick I get Connection Error for the status. Change it back to AC/N and it connects right up. I run on channel 36.

redhawk
egc
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 18 Mar 2014
Posts: 12837
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 14:04    Post subject: Reply with quote
The recommended setting is AC/N mixed: https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=324014 Smile
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dpp3530
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Joined: 12 Dec 2007
Posts: 764
Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA

PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 16:12    Post subject: Reply with quote
I can confirm the same. I never noticed the FireTV 4K was connecting to the WRT1900AC on the other side of the house rather than the R7800 right next to it. For what it's worth, I'm on channel 100 VHT80. Seems to be specific to Atheros as the WRT1900AC (Marvell) is also AC-only.
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dplettner
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 15 Jul 2016
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 18:53    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks redhawk0 and dpp3530. It's great to have confirmation to rule out anything odd that I might have configured on the R7800 or 4K Fire TV stick.

kernel-panic69 wrote:
This seems to go against the recommendations in the wiki.

egc wrote:
The recommended setting is AC/N mixed: https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=324014 Smile


Last year I moved from a R7000 to a R7800 and I reviewed that thread and the Wiki, but it is good to review both again. After I removed my last 5GHz 802.11n device, I just changed the setting to "AC Only" to see if there would be any performance improvement without going back and looking at the thread and Wiki.

Regarding the recommendation to use AC/N-Mixed, the Wiki provides the following rational:

Mixed or AC/N-Mixed is the recommended setting for most people as your clients' NICs are able to use either (V)HT20, (V)HT40, & VHT80 "properly" with this setting.

The fact that the word "properly" is in quotes is interesting. I wonder if the author was aware of any 802.11ac clients (like the 4K Fire TV stick) that require the Network Mode to be set to AC/N Mixed to be able to negotiate the channel width?

In any event, thanks for all the answers. I will keep the settings aligned with the Wiki and thread.
Xeon2k8
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Joined: 11 Feb 2016
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2023 14:18    Post subject: Reply with quote
Last (outdated probably) knowledge I have is to use any Mixed mode because other modes werent working correctly so nothing to blame to the clients.
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dpp3530
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Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA

PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2023 20:43    Post subject: Reply with quote
Xeon2k8 wrote:
Last (outdated probably) knowledge I have is to use any Mixed mode because other modes werent working correctly so nothing to blame to the clients.


Some client machines did work correctly. My work laptop and my personal laptop (Intel AC9260 and Intel AX200 chipsets, respectively) were able to connect to the R7800 in AC-Only mode without issue. Various models of the FireTV, an Echo Dot, and my wife's laptop (amusingly, an Atheros QCA61x4 chipset) would not connect until I switched it to AC/N mixed. You would think the Atheros card would have the best compatiblity with the router.

I will say that I notice no performance difference between the AC-Only and AC/N modes, but my internet is 400/400, so I'm not pushing limits. I can max it out, though.

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