WiFi QOS keeps mobile device awake (WMM?)

RouterOS Wireless Networking
1

I installed a RouterBoard 751U-2HnD (firmware 6.44.3) and soon noticed certain WiFi client devices experience much faster battery drain. For example, a Nexus 5X (Android 8.1.0) usually consumes 4% when left idle overnight… but now consumes 26% with the MikroTik.

Viewing RouterOS “/interface wireless registration-table print stats” I see the LAST ACTIVITY field never gets more than 0.010 seconds for the Nexus 5X, whereas other client devices get up to 30 seconds.

Monitoring WiFi activity via Wireshark shows constant traffic when the client device is idle (screen off, should be sleeping). The MikroTik is sending at 1,300 packets per minute (QOS data 0x0028) and the client replying at 15 packets per minute (QOS data 0x0028, QOS null function 0x002c).

My setup: wmm-support=enabled, multicast-buffering=enabled, keepalive-frames=disabled, group-key-update=1h, DHCP server lease-time=21d.
Similar threads: http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/wifi-keeps-mobile-device-awake-keepalive-packets/62568/1 http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/wmm-power-save/106470/1 http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/wifi-tx-packets-to-phone-increases/107377/1

So it seems the MikroTik causes these clients to stay awake and maintain a constant WiFi connection. Any solutions?

2

So you set keepalive-frames=enabled and then you find odd the fact that clients are kept alive?

3

Thanks very much mkx, my apologies as that was a typo (corrected). Settings:


/interface wireless export hide-sensitive 

# aug/26/2019 14:35:06 by RouterOS 6.44.5
# software id = 1MBE-FWYA
#
# model = 751U-2HnD
# serial number = 123456789012
/interface wireless channels
add band=2ghz-b/g/n frequency=2412 list=mylist name=ch01 width=20
add band=2ghz-b/g/n frequency=2437 list=mylist name=ch06 width=20
add band=2ghz-b/g/n frequency=2462 list=mylist name=ch11 width=20
/interface wireless
set [ find default-name=wlan1 ] band=2ghz-g/n country="new zealand" disabled=no distance=indoors frequency=ch01 \
    frequency-mode=regulatory-domain ht-supported-mcs=\
    mcs-0,mcs-1,mcs-2,mcs-3,mcs-4,mcs-5,mcs-6,mcs-7,mcs-8,mcs-9,mcs-10,mcs-11,mcs-12,mcs-13,mcs-14,mcs-15 \
    keepalive-frames=disabled mode=ap-bridge ssid=Goat wireless-protocol=802.11 wmm-support=enabled wps-mode=disabled
/interface wireless nstreme
set wlan1 enable-polling=no
/interface wireless security-profiles
set [ find default=yes ] authentication-types=wpa-psk,wpa2-psk eap-methods="" group-key-update=1h mode=dynamic-keys \
    supplicant-identity=MikroTik
add authentication-types=wpa-psk,wpa2-psk eap-methods="" group-key-update=1h mode=dynamic-keys name=profile \
    supplicant-identity=MikroTik
4

Epilogue: I never solved the problem so swapped out the MikroTik. Seems likely a Qualcomm firmware issue http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/capsman-and-cap-ac2-5ghz-stops-working-without-any-log-message/129977/23