Hello Forum!!!!

We’ve bought several NetMetal 5 AC to use in an PtP environment with beautifull results.
Today we tried to use one of these NM 5AC in a PtMP env. , exactly with the same configuration as one working okay, but every client connected to the AP doen’t traffic any byte at all!!.
After a long review of the case, we’ve realized that the clients connect in “alignment-only” mode; 34 clients the same connection type.
If we change the SSID with a SAR2 (the one where clients have been previously connected on) then everything worked okay!!!!.

Don’t work:
AP: Netmetal 5 AC – AP Bridge – NV2 – 5 Ghz A-N.
CPE: SXT 5 Lite.

Work:
AP: SAR – AP Bridge – NV2 – 5 Ghz A-N.
CPE: SXT 5 Lite.

Is there a compatibility issue between AC and N equipment?.
I’ve tried downgrade and/or upgrade the firmware but it doesn’t work too.

Can you post an export?

Maybe an wireless access-list configuration leftover?

Which wireless package are you using?

When you speak about firmware, are you referring to RouterOS, or device firmware? (see System > Routerboard)

When using 802.11 protocol, it refused to connect saying " "
When using nv2 protocol it allows to connect clients (all are sxt lite 5 A/N) but all of them are 6 Mbps/6 Mbps and digging a little further, AP says it is in "Alignment-only" mode. NM5AC are configured in AP Bridge with Dynamic-Mesh and a Bridge assigned to it.
When using nstreame proto, it refused to connect sayint "invalid ".

I've used all of three wireless packages. wireless-fp, wireless-cm2, wireless-rep.
routerOS version is: 6.35r49 (tried every 6.x version!!).
Default Authenticate are enabled and Default Forward as well.

I guess it is not a configuration problem but a firmware one.

Any specific reason to use WDS at all? ap-bridge and station-bridge on CPEs is all you need for true transparent layer2.

First thing I'd do is upgrade to 6.35 stable.

Is firmware up to date on the AP? If not, upgrade it. (ROS != firmware, look in System > Routerboard)

Try resetting the Wireless interface: Wireless > Interface, [Reset configuration button]. Reconfigure it, does it still happen?

If it persists: Make an export of the configuration, Reset it to no defaults, and reload the .rsc afterwards.

Is still happening?

Pukita:

At first, as I said I've tried with routerOS v6 since the first version to the newer one 6.36rc6.

The problem, for me is just a compatibility between Netmetal 5AC and the SXT5 AN Lite. I use only Mikrotik to Mikrotik hardware. And the same SXT 5 AN Lite connected with any Mikrotik AP configured in AP-Bridge (WDS Mode Enabled --> Dynamic-Mesh and Bridge Interface assiged) work just perfectly!.

I need WDS because I need to bridge wlan1 with ether1 on the SXT 5 Lite CPE because of the router there is behind the CPE and some routers won't dial PPPoE connection if I use station-bridge and then bridge the wlan1 and ether1 into a bridge as usual.

Firmware is up to date on AP and CPE as well.
I did a full reset, a hard reset, a netinstall, a wireless reset (and every reset you would even imagine to say to me ).

It is a kind of strange situation because it never happened to me before. I use routerOS since 5 o 6 yeard almost and this is the first time I have a situation like this.

The onlye way to get them work together is the following set-up.
AP mode: ap-bridge
Protocol: nv2
Security: unchecked.
Passphrase: empty (yes, if I put any character on it even if Security checkbox is unchecked, CPE won't connect :O).
Propietary Extensions: post-2.9.25
Bridge mode: enabled
WDS Mode: disabled
WDS Default Bridge: none

This is an export of the wireless configuration.
[admin@cotelser-c152-s-5m40NM] /interface wireless> print
Flags: X - disabled, R - running
0 R name="wlan1" mtu=1500 mac-address=5F:8C:04:88:36:F1 arp=enabled interface-type=Atheros AR9888 mode=ap-bridge ssid="cotelser-c152-s-5m40NM" frequency=5820 band=5ghz-a/n channel-width=20/40mhz-Ce
scan-list=4900-6100 wireless-protocol=nv2 vlan-mode=no-tag vlan-id=1 wds-mode=disabled wds-default-bridge=none wds-ignore-ssid=no bridge-mode=enabled default-authentication=yes
default-forwarding=yes default-ap-tx-limit=0 default-client-tx-limit=0 hide-ssid=no security-profile=default compression=no
[admin@cotelser-c152-s-5m40NM] /interface wireless> export
# apr/27/2016 15:10:51 by RouterOS 6.35
# software id = LBQM-7EFT
#
/interface wireless
set [ find default-name=wlan1 ] ampdu-priorities=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 band=5ghz-a/n channel-width=20/40mhz-Ce disabled=no frequency=5820 frequency-mode=superchannel mode=ap-bridge radio-name=\
cotelser-c152-s-5m40NM rx-chains=0,1 scan-list=4900-6100 tx-chains=0,1 wireless-protocol=nv2 wmm-support=enabled
/interface wireless security-profiles
set [ find default=yes ] supplicant-identity=MikroTik


And this is the SXT G-5HPnD r2, the one where SXT 5 AN Lite can connect to.
[admin@cotelser-c152-s-5m40] /interface wireless> print
Flags: X - disabled, R - running
0 R name="cotelser-c152-s-5m40" mtu=1500 mac-address=D4:CA:6D:AB:52:42 arp=enabled interface-type=Atheros AR9300 mode=ap-bridge ssid="cotelser-c152-s-5m40" frequency=5600 band=5ghz-a/n
channel-width=20/40mhz-Ce scan-list=4900-6100 wireless-protocol=nv2 vlan-mode=no-tag vlan-id=1 wds-mode=dynamic-mesh wds-default-bridge=bridge1 wds-ignore-ssid=no bridge-mode=enabled
default-authentication=yes default-forwarding=yes default-ap-tx-limit=0 default-client-tx-limit=0 hide-ssid=no security-profile=default compression=no
[admin@cotelser-c152-s-5m40] /interface wireless> export
# apr/27/2016 18:11:42 by RouterOS 6.32.1
# software id = YII9-E1GS
#
/interface wireless
set [ find default-name=wlan1 ] ampdu-priorities=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 band=5ghz-a/n channel-width=20/40mhz-Ce disabled=no frequency=5600 frequency-mode=superchannel l2mtu=1600 mode=ap-bridge name=\
cotelser-c152-s-5m40 nv2-preshared-key=xxxxxx nv2-security=enabled radio-name=cotelser-c152-s-5m40 scan-list=4900-6100 wds-default-bridge=bridge1 wds-mode=dynamic-mesh wireless-protocol=nv2
/interface wireless security-profiles
set [ find default=yes ] supplicant-identity=MikroTik

Station configuration:
Mode: station-bridge

If I bridge the wlan1 with ether1 into a bridge with or without mac-admin-custom it breaks up!. I ask to the AP for ip address (dhcp-client) but never takes the IP address.

As you can see there are nothing weard in wireless set-up.

It is driving me crazy hahahahaha!!!!! any sugestion?

I need WDS because I need to bridge wlan1 with ether1 on the SXT 5 Lite CPE because of the router there is behind the CPE and some routers won't dial PPPoE connection if I use station-bridge and then bridge the wlan1 and ether1 into a bridge as usual.

Ouch... why go to suboptimal setups to fix lousy routers? I'd do it the other way:

Best practice, specially if you deploy crappy whatever-link or similar "routers" as the customers one (or reuse and already existing customer's one), is doing the exact opposite way:

Set the SXT as router, then make the customer one a "dumb" L2 extension, by not using its WAN/firewall/NAT or anything, and just bridging its ethernet/wireless to the CPE L2 segment, so that the CPE manages WAN (PPPoE, firewalling, NAT), and provides DHCP, DNS, or any needed services to the customer LAN.

Advantages:
- Their network performance and experience will be much better; overall quality of experience is always the one of the weakest link on the chain

- You'll prevent the typical customer reversing WAN/LAN cables and injecting DHCP. Yes you can filter that on the AP, but why not do it right from the beggining?

- You'll be doing yourself a favour by easing administration, as you'll be managing all the customer network just by managing the mikrotik CPE, which offers much more advanced and convenient diagnosing/management tools than a lousy web gui, that additionally can be managed in L2 through winbox, mac-winbox, RoMON...; customer router will be just a "dumb", pure L2, local wireless AP/switch.

Back to the SXT N / Netmetal issue:

Have you tested with different netmetals? If tested with only one, Have you reset/netinstalled it?

/interface wireless
set [ find default-name=wlan1 ] ampdu-priorities=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 band=5ghz-a/n channel-width=20/40mhz-Ce disabled=no frequency=5820 frequency-mode=superchannel mode=ap-bridge radio-name=\
cotelser-c152-s-5m40NM rx-chains=0,1 scan-list=4900-6100 tx-chains=0,1 wireless-protocol=nv2 wmm-support=enabled

This is rather odd, AFAIK WMM cannot be enabled with Nv2, which has its own QoS mechanism, less appear on a wireless export, just checked several netmetals running Nv2; this may point to a configuration corruption issue.

Which are the firmware versions on the Netmetal and SXT?