hAP ax3 - 5GHz channel not discoverable from MacBook Pro and Pixel 4a

egal667 · February 25, 2023, 12:23am

I used the Quick Set configuration, set the country correctly, but for some reason neither my MacBook Pro M1 (supports ax) and Pixel 4a (supports ac) see the 5GHz channel. They both find the 2.4GHz and use their highest supported standard (ax and n accordingly). Any suggestions?

This is the current config:

interface/wifiwave2/ print detail 
Flags: M - master; D - dynamic; B - bound; X - disabled, I - inactive, R - running 
 0 M BR default-name="wifi1" name="wifi1" mac-address=18:FD:74:FF:11:C2 arp-timeout=auto radio-mac=18:FD:74:FF:11:C2 
        configuration.mode=ap .ssid="KnockKnock5" .country=Israel .hide-ssid=no 
        security.authentication-types=wpa2-psk,wpa3-psk .passphrase="***" 
        channel.secondary-frequency=disabled .skip-dfs-channels=10min-cac 

 1 M BR default-name="wifi2" name="wifi2" mac-address=18:FD:74:FF:11:C3 arp-timeout=auto radio-mac=18:FD:74:FF:11:C3 
        configuration.mode=ap .ssid="KnockKnock2.4" .country=Israel 
        security.authentication-types=wpa2-psk,wpa3-psk .passphrase="***" 
        channel.skip-dfs-channels=10min-cac

interface/wifiwave2/radio print detail 
Flags: L - local 
 0 L radio-mac=18:FD:74:FF:11:C2 phy-id=0 tx-chains=0,1 rx-chains=0,1 bands=5ghz-a:20mhz,5ghz-n:20mhz,20/40mhz,5ghz-ac:20mhz,20/40mhz,20/40/80mhz,5ghz-ax:20mhz,20/40mhz,20/40/80mhz 
     ciphers=tkip,ccmp,gcmp,ccmp-256,gcmp-256,cmac,gmac,cmac-256,gmac-256 countries=all 
     5g-channels=5180,5200,5220,5240,5260,5280,5300,5320,5500,5520,5540,5560,5580,5600,5620,5640,5660,5680,5700,5720,5745,5765,5785,5805,5825 max-vlans=128 max-interfaces=16 max-station-interfaces=3 
     max-peers=120 interface=wifi1 

 1 L radio-mac=18:FD:74:FF:11:C3 phy-id=1 tx-chains=0,1 rx-chains=0,1 bands=2ghz-g:20mhz,2ghz-n:20mhz,20/40mhz,2ghz-ax:20mhz,20/40mhz ciphers=tkip,ccmp,gcmp,ccmp-256,gcmp-256,cmac,gmac,cmac-256,gmac-256 
     countries=all 2g-channels=2412,2417,2422,2427,2432,2437,2442,2447,2452,2457,2462 max-vlans=128 max-interfaces=16 max-station-interfaces=3 max-peers=120 interface=wifi2

PeterXC · February 25, 2023, 10:10am

Check the status of Wi-Fi interface, by default it often goes DFS 10 minutes when staring, it will now allow connections before finishing DFS.
You can change it in the config to skip 10 min DFS or skip all DFS channels

egal667 · February 25, 2023, 10:16am

It’s set to skip 10 min cac:

.skip-dfs-channels=10min-cac

And from the WebFig UI:
webfig dfs.jpg
Or do you mean something else?

PeterXC · February 25, 2023, 10:25am

Well, MikroTik support claims it work best on auto.
I have a different view, on auto my ax had a terrible performance.

Try the the example from doc: https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/display/ROS/WifiWave2

The way they use profiles is very handy. It improved my ax3 performance. I just added skip 10-min as you showed.

I’d also suggest not upgrading to 7.7 yet. First check the performance

maigonis · February 25, 2023, 10:31am

What channel does router choose?

massinia · February 25, 2023, 10:34am

Isn’t that the default?
I remember that in my hap ax3 it was already like this…

With my macbook pro m1 is much faster with channels between 36 and 100

mkx · February 25, 2023, 10:58am

Remember that there are two DFS ranges, 10 minute (for meteorological radars) and 1 minute (for ATC radars). The 1 minute applies to pretty wide frequency range, so it’s almost impossible to avoid it.

PeterXC · February 25, 2023, 6:52pm

What is your download speed, best and average?

massinia · February 25, 2023, 10:01pm

Now I’m about 8 meters from the hap ax3 with no walls, connection always perfect and stable.

As you can see, i always get the same download speed.
If I get closer to the router it goes even faster.

PeterXC · February 26, 2023, 10:30am

wow, I’d be happy whit your results

Can you share some details of your HW, config, country code and connection details?

[admin@MikroTik] > system/routerboard/print 
       routerboard: yes
        board-name: hAP ax^3
             model: C53UiG+5HPaxD2HPaxD
     serial-number: HDFXXXXXPYE
     firmware-type: ipq6000
  factory-firmware: 7.6
  current-firmware: 7.6
  upgrade-firmware: 7.6

[admin@MikroTik] > system/routerboard/settings/print 
              auto-upgrade: no
               boot-device: nand-if-fail-then-ethernet
             cpu-frequency: auto
             boot-protocol: bootp
       force-backup-booter: no
               silent-boot: no
      protected-routerboot: disabled
      reformat-hold-button: 20s
  reformat-hold-button-max: 10m

[admin@MikroTik] > system/resource/print 
                   uptime: 1d14h11m55s
                  version: 7.6 (stable)
               build-time: Oct/17/2022 10:55:40
         factory-software: 7.5
              free-memory: 425.2MiB
             total-memory: 960.0MiB
                      cpu: ARM64
                cpu-count: 4
            cpu-frequency: 864MHz
                 cpu-load: 0%
           free-hdd-space: 85.8MiB
          total-hdd-space: 128.5MiB
  write-sect-since-reboot: 100271
         write-sect-total: 317386
               bad-blocks: 0.1%
        architecture-name: arm64
               board-name: hAP ax^3
                 platform: MikroTik

[admin@MikroTik] > system/health/print 
Columns: NAME, VALUE, TYPE
#  NAME             VALUE  TYPE
0  cpu-temperature     62  C

[admin@MikroTik] > interface/wifiwave2/radio/print detail 
Flags: L - local 
 0 L radio-mac=18:FD:74:FE:C8:DA phy-id=0 tx-chains=0,1 rx-chains=0,1 bands=5ghz-a:20mhz,5ghz-n:20mhz,20/40mhz,5ghz-ac:20mhz,20/40mhz,20/40/80mhz,5ghz-ax:20mhz,20/40mhz,20/40/80mhz 
     ciphers=tkip,ccmp,gcmp,ccmp-256,gcmp-256,cmac,gmac,cmac-256,gmac-256 countries=all 
     5g-channels=5180,5200,5220,5240,5260,5280,5300,5320,5500,5520,5540,5560,5580,5600,5620,5640,5660,5680,5700,5720,5745,5765,5785,5805,5825 

 1 L radio-mac=18:FD:74:FE:C8:DB phy-id=1 tx-chains=0,1 rx-chains=0,1 bands=2ghz-g:20mhz,2ghz-n:20mhz,20/40mhz,2ghz-ax:20mhz,20/40mhz ciphers=tkip,ccmp,gcmp,ccmp-256,gcmp-256,cmac,gmac,cmac-256,gmac-256 
     countries=all 2g-channels=2412,2417,2422,2427,2432,2437,2442,2447,2452,2457,2462,2467,2472

[admin@MikroTik] > interface/wifiwave2/registration-table/print detail stats where mac-address ="XXXX"
Flags: A - authorized 
 5 A interface=wifi1 ssid="air" mac-address=XXXX uptime=19m28s signal=-63 tx-rate="866.0Mbps" rx-rate="351.0Mbps" packets=532268,356129 bytes=682170922,351506957

egal667 · February 27, 2023, 9:37am

[admin@MikroTik] > system/routerboard/print  
       routerboard: yes
        board-name: hAP ax^3
             model: C53UiG+5HPaxD2HPaxD
     serial-number: HD******KDZ
     firmware-type: ipq6000
  factory-firmware: 7.6
  current-firmware: 7.6
  upgrade-firmware: 7.7

[admin@MikroTik] > system/routerboard/settings/print 
              auto-upgrade: no
               boot-device: nand-if-fail-then-ethernet
             cpu-frequency: auto
             boot-protocol: bootp
       force-backup-booter: no
               silent-boot: no
      protected-routerboot: disabled
      reformat-hold-button: 20s
  reformat-hold-button-max: 10m

[admin@MikroTik] > system/resource/print 
                   uptime: 1w2d7h31m44s
                  version: 7.7 (stable)
               build-time: Jan/12/2023 07:35:45
         factory-software: 7.5
              free-memory: 670.2MiB
             total-memory: 960.0MiB
                      cpu: ARM64
                cpu-count: 4
            cpu-frequency: 1320MHz
                 cpu-load: 1%
           free-hdd-space: 95.0MiB
          total-hdd-space: 128.5MiB
  write-sect-since-reboot: 13984
         write-sect-total: 32975
               bad-blocks: 0.1%
        architecture-name: arm64
               board-name: hAP ax^3
                 platform: MikroTik

[admin@MikroTik] > system/health/print  
Columns: NAME, VALUE, TYPE
#  NAME             VALUE  TYPE
0  cpu-temperature     49  C

[admin@MikroTik] > interface/wifiwave2/radio/print detail 
Flags: L - local 
 0 L radio-mac=18:FD:74:FF:11:C2 phy-id=0 tx-chains=0,1 rx-chains=0,1 bands=5ghz-a:20mhz,5ghz-n:20mhz,20/40mhz,5ghz-ac:20mhz,20/40mhz,20/40/80mhz,5ghz-ax:20mhz,20/40mhz,20/40/80mhz 
     ciphers=tkip,ccmp,gcmp,ccmp-256,gcmp-256,cmac,gmac,cmac-256,gmac-256 countries=all 
     5g-channels=5180,5200,5220,5240,5260,5280,5300,5320,5500,5520,5540,5560,5580,5600,5620,5640,5660,5680,5700,5720,5745,5765,5785,5805,5825 max-vlans=128 max-interfaces=16 max-station-interfaces=3 
     max-peers=120 interface=wifi1 

 1 L radio-mac=18:FD:74:FF:11:C3 phy-id=1 tx-chains=0,1 rx-chains=0,1 bands=2ghz-g:20mhz,2ghz-n:20mhz,20/40mhz,2ghz-ax:20mhz,20/40mhz ciphers=tkip,ccmp,gcmp,ccmp-256,gcmp-256,cmac,gmac,cmac-256,gmac-256 
     countries=all 2g-channels=2412,2417,2422,2427,2432,2437,2442,2447,2452,2457,2462 max-vlans=128 max-interfaces=16 max-station-interfaces=3 max-peers=120 interface=wifi2

Appreciate your help

egal667 · February 27, 2023, 9:57am

This is what I see in the WebFig interface under Status:
Channel 5500/ax/Ceee

How can I verify from the terminal?

PeterXC · February 27, 2023, 12:26pm

You can check it here:

[admin@MikroTik] > interface/wifiwave2/monitor wifi1 
             state: running
           channel: 5720/ax/eeeC
  registered-peers: 2
  authorized-peers: 2
          tx-power: 23

[admin@MikroTik] > interface/wifiwave2/monitor wifi2
             state: running
           channel: 2437/ax/Ce
  registered-peers: 7
  authorized-peers: 7
          tx-power: 16

Thanks a lot for your data! I can see one big difference:
My CPU temp is higher than yours, it is currently 63 deg C vs 49 and CPU speed is lower, currently 864 vs 1320.

I need to check it with Support

egal667 · February 27, 2023, 11:16pm

Solved by limiting the frequency to 5000-5450. The router selected 5260 which works (instead of 5500 that didn’t work). They both are DFS channels so I’m not sure why would one be discovered quickly while the other not at all.

mkx · February 28, 2023, 7:12am

DFS channels between 5600 MHz and 5650 MHz are so called “weather” DFS channels which require scanning with duration of 10 minutes … during which no transmission is allowed. So if there’s no weather radar in your neighbourhood, WiFi might actually appear … but after 10 minutes (which is forever when one wants to get things going).

Another possibility would be client not supporting those channels. Similar concept: many wifi clients don’t support 2.4GHz channels 12, 13 and 14 unless they are set to country where those channels are legal (I’ve had an issue with smartphone LG G4 which wouldn’t work with channel 13 AP until SIM card was inserted and from that phone learned it’s in Europe and using ch. 13 is legal).

egal667 · February 28, 2023, 12:04pm

I see, but the chosen channel was 5500 MHz, I assume that was not the issue?

The country was set correctly. Maybe channel 100 (5500 MHz) is not supported in Israel but the router’s software does not have the correct channel mapping for this country?

mkx · February 28, 2023, 4:23pm

I don’t know how exactly Israel mandates usage of WiFi, so your guess is as good as mine.

egal667 · February 28, 2023, 4:34pm

Checked it, allowed range is 5150-5350 and 5470-5725. I don’t know the standard’s details but if the channel width is 80 MHz and the center freq is 5500 it means it starts at 5460 which is outside the range. Just a guess though.

bpwl · February 28, 2023, 4:43pm

Israel. Wow, limited channels in 5GHz here, and low power ! (data from classic driver in ROS 7.7)
Nothing above 5320 (channel 64). 4 indoor-only channels, and 4 DFS channels.
(channels are 20MHz wide: (5180,5200,5220,5240)(5260-5280-5300-5320) 80MHz would be 5180/Ceee and 5260/Ceee.
And the “indoor” line is only available when installation is set to “indoor” or “any”.

[admin@hAPac3] > interface wireless info country-info israel
  ranges: 2402-2482/b,g,gn20,gn40(20dBm)
          2417-2457/g-turbo(20dBm)
          5170-5250/a,an20,an40,ac20,ac40,ac80,ac160,ac80+80(20dBm)/passive,indoor
          5250-5330/a,an20,an40,ac20,ac40,ac80,ac160,ac80+80(20dBm)/dfs,passive
          5190-5310/a-turbo(20dBm)/dfs
          5180-5300/a-turbo(20dBm)/dfs

mkx · February 28, 2023, 9:02pm

Nope. Mikrotik shows frequency which is center frequency of Control channel. So clearly control channel was ftom 5490MHz to 5510MHz. The rest is a guess, but if channel layout was Ceee, then the 80MHz channel would span between 5490MHz and 5570MHz … if channel layout was eeeC, then 80MHz channel would span 5430-5510MHz. But then it might opt for 40MHz only channel spanning either 5470-5510MHz or 5490-5530MHz. Or something else.

But then wifiwave2 could contain country limits which are actually invalid (but we can’t check them because traditional command showing them doesn’t work since 7.6). And if limits from legacy driver are correct (and other devices obey them), then it’s only logical that devices ignored AP whike it was using illegal frequency channels.