HAPax3 WiFi 2GHz Interface Not Running

RouterOS Wireless Networking
1

I have a Mikrotik HAPax3 router and its WiFi 2GHz interface is not running.
When I scan the area with Wifi Analyzer, I don’t see any 2.4GHz signal at all and I can’t to connect to it. Only 5GHz is running.

Below is the interface configuration export.

/interface wifi security
add name=WiFi_Sec authentication-types=wpa2-psk,wpa3-psk comment="WiFi 2.4 - 5.0 - Seg Profile" disabled=no

/interface wifi
set [ find default-name=wifi2 ] channel.band=2ghz-ax .frequency=2442 .skip-dfs-channels=10min-cac 
    .width=20/40mhz configuration.country=country .hide-ssid=yes .mode=ap .ssid=SSID2 disabled=no \
    name=wifi_2GHz security=WiFi_Sec
set [ find default-name=wifi1 ] channel.band=5ghz-ax .frequency=5745 .skip-dfs-channels=10min-cac \
    .width=20/40/80mhz configuration.country=country .hide-ssid=yes .mode=ap .ssid=SSID5 disabled=no \
    name=wifi_5GHz security=WiFi_Sec

/interface/wifi/radio/print detail 
 1 L radio-mac=48:A9:8A:EC:B4:46 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 max-vlans=128 
     max-interfaces=16 max-station-interfaces=3 max-peers=512 hw-type="QCA6018" 
     hw-caps=sniffer,qos-classifier-dscp,spectral,4 interface=wifi_2GHz current-country=[country] 
     current-channels=2412/g,2412/n,2412/n/Ce,2412/ax,2412/ax/Ce,2417/g,2417/n,2417/n/Ce,2417/ax,
                 2417/ax/Ce,2422/g,2422/n,2422/n/Ce,2422/ax,2422/ax/Ce,2427/g,2427/n,2427/n/Ce,2427/ax,
                 2427/ax/Ce,2432/g,2432/n,2432/n/Ce,2432/n/eC,2432/ax,2432/ax/Ce,2432/ax/eC,2437/g,
                 2437/n,2437/n/Ce,2437/n/eC,2437/ax,2437/ax/Ce,2437/ax/eC,2442/g,2442/n,2442/n/Ce,
                 2442/n/eC,2442/ax,2442/ax/Ce,2442/ax/eC,2447/g,2447/n,2447/n/Ce,2447/n/eC,2447/ax,
                 2447/ax/Ce,2447/ax/eC,2452/g,2452/n,2452/n/Ce,2452/n/eC,2452/ax,2452/ax/Ce,2452/ax/eC,
                 2457/g,2457/n,2457/n/eC,2457/ax,2457/ax/eC,2462/g,2462/n,2462/n/eC,2462/ax,2462/ax/eC,
                 2467/g,2467/n,2467/n/eC,2467/ax,2467/ax/eC,2472/g,2472/n,2472/n/eC,2472/ax,2472/ax/eC 
     current-gopclasses=81,83,84 current-max-reg-power=20

The WiFi interface has its own bridge.

/interface bridge
add name=bridge_WiFi port-cost-mode=short protocol-mode=none

/interface bridge port
add bridge=bridge_WiFi comment=defconf interface=wifi_5GHz internal-path-cost=10 path-cost=10
add bridge=bridge_WiFi comment=defconf interface=wifi_2GHz internal-path-cost=10 path-cost=10

I can’t figure out why it’s not running.
Any guidance to troubleshooting this?

2

What country is “country”? Or did you edit the value in this post?
Do you see anything in the logging?
Is the network on the 2.4GHz radio visible in a wifi scanner (i.e. on your laptop or mobile)?

Out of curiosity…why a dedicated wifi bridge?
And hidden SSID is not like…hidden. Just that you are aware of it.

3

First things first. Can you confirm if the device is not broken:

  • Does the 2.4GHz work at all? (reset and default config, can you see it and connect then).

Do you use latest 7.17 SW?

4

And … what does /log/print have to say about 2.4GHz interface?

5

Thanks for all the replys.

@erlinden, I edited the country value for this post.
When I check the logs, I do not see any message related to the WiFi 2G interface at all. Just the system info for the changes I made while trying to figure this out.

[diasdm@HAPax3] > log print where message~"wifi_2"
   [nothing...]

As I said, when I scan with WiFi Analyzer, there’s no 2.4GHz radio visible in the area. I can see other neighbourhood radios, but not mine.
The WiFi bridge is just a simple setup I did a while ago, and I left it that way.


@mkx, The logs show nothing related to the 2GHz interface, only clients MACs connecting to the 5GHz interface.

[diasdm@HAPax3] > log print where topics=wireless
   [nothing...]

I have reset and reconfigured the interface, but it is still not running.

interface/wifi/
reset wifi_2GHz
set wifi2 name=wifi_2GHz disabled=no configuration.country=[country] configuration.ssid=[SSID2] security=WiFi_Sec channel.band=2ghz-ax channel.width=20/40mhz

interface/wifi/print detail
Flags: M - master; D - dynamic; B - bound; X - disabled, I - inactive, R - running 
 0 M B  default-name="wifi2" name="wifi_2GHz" l2mtu=1560 mac-address=48:A9:8A:EC:B4:46 arp-timeout=auto radio-mac=48:A9:8A:EC:B4:46 
        configuration.mode=ap .ssid="[SSID2]" .country=[country]
        security=WiFi_Sec 
        security.authentication-types=wpa2-psk,wpa3-psk .passphrase=[pass] .wps=disable 
        channel.band=2ghz-ax .width=20/40mhz

I’m thinking of resetting the router, but I guess this shouldn’t really be necessary.

6

If you have some attached on the USB remove it and try! I had the same issue when i use some chinese usb hdd cases or flash memory, no radio or can"t connect on it. Mikrotik support said there was a bug with the kernel , but it was still with ROS version 7.8.

1 Like
7

Only now I've managed to get back to this matter, and yes, the issue is indeed the USB thumb drive.

After removing the drive and rebooting the router, the 2GHz started running again. However, when I insert the drive again, I lose the signal.

The drive is a simple Samsung flash drive that I guess is good, and I need it installed to run a few containers.

[HAPax3] > disk/print 
Flags: B - BLOCK-DEVICE; M - MOUNTED
#    SLOT  MOUNT-POINT  MODEL                              SERIAL  INTERFACE        
;;; Main USB block
0 BM usb1  usb1         Samsung Flash Drive FIT  0370822080002331  USB 3.10 5000Mbps

I updated the firmware to version 7.20.1, but unfortunately, the issue persists. :neutral_face:

8

You can try a shielded extension cord, or you will need a different USB Drive

9

It's a USB interference problem.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/content-details/841692/usb-3-0-radio-frequency-interference-impact-on-2-4-ghz-wireless-devices-white-paper.html

10

See also this recent thread:

A tinfoil hat can do miracles :wink: ...

11

My drive uses an aluminum case, but it's so small that I don't belive it offers adequate protection against interference.

The suggested forum posts were very helpful, though.

Intel's paper also helps to understand how the interference occurs.


Following the low-cost shielding idea, I also did some handiwork and wrapped some tinfoil around a similar "vitamin C" tube.
I also made a small hole on one side to fit the USB connector and plugged it into the router.

It's kind of funny, but the tinfoil really seems to work miracles!

20251206_114130
20251206_1141301920×2560 221 KB
20251206_114145
20251206_1141451920×2560 200 KB

Thank you guys for all the help.

1 Like
Problem with L009UiGS-2HaxD-IN and usb 3.0 flash drives
12

Good afternoon, did the foil cap help you?

13

seems like it

14

From the paper:

If the antenna of a wireless device operating in this band is placed close to any of the above USB 3.0 radiation channels, it can pick up the broadband noise.

Will using an external antenna and/or USB extension cable with grounded shielded cable help to reduce the interference then?

15

In a device like the hap Ax3 the pigtail from the board to the antenna connector will act anyway as a (poor) antenna, so a 2.4 GHz emitting device near it will probably create interference as well.

Shielding the emitting source (or using a well shielded[1] extension cable and moving the source some 50 cm away minimum) is easier.

The "luxury" version (example only):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006266055388.html

[1] though "industrial grade" double/triple shielded USB 3.x cables cost money

1 Like
16

Good afternoon, did the foil cap help you?

It worked out.
I haven't experienced any signal loss since then.