Extender #1 with wi-fi, connected to Mikrotik by wire.
Extender #2 as WDS-bridge wireless connected to Extender #1.
DHCP server’s option “Add ARP For Leases” is checked.
MAC-addresses of devices connected to Extender #1 are correctly defined by DHCP (active MAC, src. MAC is empty) and added correctly to ARP table.
MAC-addresses of devices connected to Extender #2 are defined by DHCP as their real mac-addresses (active MAC is real for device; src. MAC is Extender’s #2 MAC).
But DHCP adds to ARP table src. MAC, not active MAC of device.
That sounds correct, your network can not communicate with the device directly, it needs to go through the repeater. So the repeater is the next layer 2 hop before it gets to the destination.
Sounds indeed correct. A Level 2.5 bridge (=MT pseudo bridge) substitutes the MAC address with its own address (call it MAT). Communication (ARP based) to devices behind a L2.5 bridge must use the MAC of that pseudo bridge, who will do the reverse MAT based on the IP address. Wifi carries only 3 MAC addresses and cannot contain both “src MAC” and “active MAC”
But I’m surprised. Is this all Mikrotik? extender1 and extender2 ? I did not expect to see MAT when WDS is used. Normally WDS can carry 4 MAC addresses, and device MAC and extender MAC should be used both in WDS packet. So why is there a L2.5 bridge after WDS with MAT ? This does not work well in all cases.
With Mikrotik there is even no need to use WDS. The combination “AP bridge” + “Station bridge” does carry the 4 addresses and is fully transparant. The ARP tables contain the end-device MAC addresses.
Just checking my statement (DUDE data collection of ARP tables). Looking at MAC for hAPac2.
Physical connection is CUBE - wifi- CUBE - PowerBox - SXTSA5 - wifi - SXTsq - CSS106 - hAPac2 and wAPac
All devices see the same MAC address for hAPac2, with 2 wifi transitions.
Other check (Engenius WDS link) … all devices show their own MAC address through that WDS link in the ARP table on the other side.
I think your WDS setting is not optimal. Avoid “repeater” mode or whatever it is called with the extenders.
