I’m sorry if this topic falls outside the scope of this forum, but I do hope you can help me with this (I’m far from being an expert, so please excuse for any inaccurate terminologies).
So, I’ve got an RBcAPGi-5acD2nD working as an access point that is directly connected to my modem/router (TP-Link XX230V: https://service-provider.tp-link.com/gpon/xx230v). However, each one of them is configured with different SSIDs, which makes me manually alter the network whenever the signal is weak (I know that generally the device is supposed to do that on its own, even if the SSIDs were identical, but it’s really not working for me).
Hence my two questions:
Would it be possible to set a mesh networking using my MT (which is WiFi 5) with my modem/router (which is WiFi 6)?
If yes, how? I’ve searched for that in some posts and found some results. However, the discussion was too far technical for my current skills.
You should be able to set it up. Basically you need to set same SSID and password (same auth type, WPA2) for both networks and each network should use different channel. You also need to use same DHCP server for both networks. So, cAP should be only AP without routing and DHCP. That’s all what you need to provide roaming capability. Don’t forget that this will be just basic roaming without fast transition and also that device responsible for the roaming is a client device, not the AP.
Basically, I already had two wifi interfaces (one for 2.4GHz and the other for 5GHz) originally set as apbridge. I changed them to stationpseudobridge and kept all other previous configurations.
Then, I created two virtual slave wifi interfaces (one for each of the previous). Then, I set them as apbridge and imported the security profiles already existent.
Finally, I went to “Bridge” menu. It already had a configured profile. I just added the two new virtual ones.
It worked as mesh, but I was getting a lot of issues: either connection failures or being unable to get an IP address from the modem/router. The connection was completely unstable and I had to deactivate my MT wlan interfaces.
I’ve attached an image with the last logs. That may help you help me
Any ideas?
Yes, it was really bad. When you create Mesh you can use 2 ways: WDS or MESH.
In either case, the 5ghz radios are in AP mode.
WDS mode: inside the radio choose advanced mode, ADVANCED tab, change Distance:INDOORS. Then go to WDS tab and WDS Mode: dinamic mesh, WDS Default Bridge: YOURBRIDGE.
The SSID and Password must be the same as AP1.
Regarding this, this works fine if there is no ethernet cable link between the two Mikrotik APs. Because otherwise you would have two links between them. MESH mode works the same way.
If you have wired APs, only use the same SSIDs and limit access by ACCESS LIST.
Mikrotik has very good results with WDS, even better than mesh. In our infrastructure we use Hap AC Lite in urban buses, with WDS in 5ghz, at each end of the buses there is an advertising Android TV, and the link works to update the content between the same buses, without them reaching their base, which they do touring the city. This has been working for more than 5 years.
You can even connect to a mikrotik from an android to its wds ssid (Distance Indoors helps). But…there is always a but, it is not usually compatible with other OS. I never managed to really make mikrotik meshes compatible with TP Link or Openwrt. Maybe someone has done it. I prefer to keep the ETHER binding
I will give you the example of the Wifi infrastructure in our offices, where there are TP Link, Mikrotik, Openwrt, Xiaomi, etc.
Mikrotiks work as routers/firewall/vpnss, etc. The rest, without distinction of brand, function as extenders, fully bridged, and all with the same SSID signal, at different frequencies. They should not overlap. Those who are NOT mikrotik, the power is limited, everyone has that option. and the Mikrotik have access rules for dbi signal, if it does not cover the signal expectations, it is disconnected.
But keep something in mind, if you have cable, you don’t make a mesh. You only do it if all the APs are Mikrotik, and through the “MESH” menu, which is like the traditional BRIDGE, but only works with mikrotiks, you put everything there, including the ethers, sfp, wifi, etc.
To be clear, I’m using just one MT, which is connected by cable to the TP-Link modem/router.
What I need to know firsthand is if the steps that I took (see my previous post) are correct or not.
If they are, can I follow your instructions? More specifically, for the WDS configuration, which interfaces must I change: wlan1, wlan2, wlan3 (virtual), wlan4?
You can create it. But you must disconnect the ether cable. and it really doesn’t make sense. Wireless meshes work on routers that are not connected by cable
If your Cap AC and TP Link router are connected with an ethernet cable, you do not need to try and connect to your TP Link router with a WiFi connection. The connection is made via the ethernet cable, this is the best way to do this for the backhaul to your router.
If you haven’t already, upgrade your wireless drivers to the Wifi-qcom-ac ones, they a lot better. Plenty of posts as to how to do this, basically you remove the wireless driver and upload the Wifi-qcom-ac drivers. Then set you Cap AC up as an access point only, no DHCP, no NAT, no firewall. If you can’t do this through quickset, completely wipe the config with winbox, then add a bridge, add an IP address to the bridge you created on your networks subnet, add all ports to this bridge. Add a default route back to your TP Link routers IP address and add DNS to point to your TP Link routers IP address to make updating your cap AC easy in the future.
With the WiFi / wireless setup do not use quickset as it will wipe your config you just created. You need to set exactly the same SSID, Password and security as your TP Link router. Everything should then just work, the client devices should then roam by themselves between your access points.
Dear neki, I’m sorry for not responding earlier. I’ve been away from home for the past few days, which is why I couldn’t get back to you sooner.
After much tweaking - and failing - I reverted my MT to the configuration set by the IT tech I hired a while back (see config below). I assume this is what you had suggested, correct?
# jul/04/2024 09:29:34 by RouterOS 6.49.15
# software id = DS4X-PPP2
#
# model = RBcAPGi-5acD2nD
# serial number = DD340ECF2D0C
/interface bridge
add admin-mac=2C:C8:1B:C1:07:7C auto-mac=no comment=defconf name=bridgeLocal
/interface wireless security-profiles
set [ find default=yes ] supplicant-identity=MikroTik
add authentication-types=wpa-psk,wpa2-psk eap-methods="" management-protection=allowed mode=dynamic-keys name=Alexandre supplicant-identity="" \
wpa-pre-shared-key=chorico22 wpa2-pre-shared-key=chorico22
/interface wireless
set [ find default-name=wlan1 ] band=2ghz-b/g/n channel-width=20/40mhz-eC disabled=no frequency=auto mode=ap-bridge security-profile=Alexandre ssid=Alexulia
set [ find default-name=wlan2 ] band=5ghz-a/n/ac channel-width=20/40/80mhz-eeeC country=brazil disabled=no distance=indoors frequency=5240 installation=indoor \
mode=ap-bridge preamble-mode=short security-profile=Alexandre ssid=Alexulia-PLUS tx-power=25 tx-power-mode=all-rates-fixed wmm-support=enabled
/interface bridge port
add bridge=bridgeLocal comment=defconf interface=ether1
add bridge=bridgeLocal interface=ether2
add bridge=bridgeLocal interface=wlan1
add bridge=bridgeLocal interface=wlan2
/interface wireless cap
set bridge=bridgeLocal discovery-interfaces=bridgeLocal interfaces=wlan1,wlan2
/ip dhcp-client
add comment=defconf disabled=no interface=bridgeLocal
/system clock
set time-zone-name=America/Sao_Paulo
If so, both the MT and TP-Link router have the same SSIDs and passwords, allowing my devices to switch between them automatically. Truth be told, my devices mostly tend to switch from the MT to the TP-Link (and not the other way around).
However, I’ve noticed that many of my recent devices fail to connect to the 5GHz network, and I really don’t understand why.
