Hotspot multisite Issue with Netmetal AX (No AP Bridge Mode)

RouterOS Wireless Networking
1

Hello,
I’m using a sxtsq 5ac CPE bridge in two different setups. With a Mikrotik AP in AP Bridge mode [image n1], the sxtsq connects properly, obtains a DHCP client IP on its bridge, and its connected clients appear in the hotspot server’s host list. However, when using a Netmetal AX (which lacks native AP Bridge mode) _image n2_, the sxtsq fails to obtain a DHCP IP (via its DHCP client), and although the clients show up in the server’s DHCP lease table, they do not appear in the hotspot server’s host list.

Does the Mikrotik CPE Bridge only work with APs that support native AP Bridge mode? Are there any workarounds for using the Netmetal AX?

NB: station bridge, station pseudobridge, station pseudobridge clone are not working

Thanks in advance for your help.
IMG1:https://forum.mikrotik.com/download/file.php?mode=view&id=71939
IMG2:https://forum.mikrotik.com/download/file.php?mode=view&id=71940
sxtsq with netmetal ax onli AP mode.png
sxtsq with grooove AP bridge mode.png

2

It’s not that AX devices (running wifi-qcom drivers) lack “native AP bridge mode” … they do have it (AP is simply set to AP mode, stations are set to station-bridge mode). The issue might be that bridge mode is incompatible between AX and pre-AX devices, you can’t mix them together. It’s same as trying to get bridge between devices from different vendors … it usually doesn’t work. The problem is that bridge mode is not part of official WiFi 802.11 standard set so each vendor came up with proprietary extensions. Unfortunately MT now has two different implementations, legacy (when running wireless driver on AC and earlier devices) and new (when running wifi-qcom or wifi-qcom-ac drivers on some AC devices and AX devices).

Other station-XYZ modes have each it’s own bag of problems, they don’t offer truly L2-transparent link.