`wireless` or `wifi-qcom-ac` for `RBcAPGi-5acD2nD`?

RouterOS Wireless Networking
1

Hello.

I have several RBcAPGi-5acD2nD which I want to configure via CAPsMAN, but it need to set VLANs for them (guests and users have different VLANs)

As I now know, there are 3 packages:

  • wireless (very old)
  • wifi-qcom-ac (relatively new)
  • wifi-qcom (latest).

And it seems that the first and the last support VLAN as a part of provisioning, but wifi-qcom-ac doesn’t (you have to use bridge VLAN table on each AP).

I can’t install wifi-qcom because it is 9.3MB and along with routeros which is 11MB it doesn’t fit into my “Storage size 16 MB” AP:(

I now have two choices:

  1. Use wireless and old CAPsMAN (from “wireless->CAPsMAN” menu) and enjoy automatic VLAN provisioning. I would have to install wireless on my router, but it is 128MB, so not a problem.
  2. Use wifi-qcom-ac and configure VLAN manually.

Can you please validate my understanding? What do I miss? Is it ok to take the first approach?

1 Like
2

You can’t install wifi-qcom not because of space issue (although it is an issue on this model indeed), but because wifi-qcom is for AX devices.

You can still use CAPsMAN but configure VLANs manually, see WiFi - RouterOS - MikroTik Documentation

That same page lists all the benefits and downsides of the new driver. It’s up to you to decide what you prefer. I have a very limited use of MikroTik’s WiFi, but in my experience wifi-qcom-ac is a significant improvement.

2 Likes
3

Thank you, @anserk
Somehow I missed that list: WiFi - RouterOS - MikroTik Documentation

4

anserk is not correct. wifi-qcom-ac is meant for older cAP ac devices, but you will trade some functionality. See table here: Wireless - RouterOS - MikroTik Documentation

5

well neither anserk or normis are wrong :smiley:

Anserk mentioned specifically “wifi-qcom” (no AC) which only works with AX Chipsets.

While “wifi-qcom-ac” used to have space issues which got a lot better with 7.19.3.
So if you want WPA3 or interoperability with AX Mikrotik (or one of the other differences mentioned by normis) then use wifi-qcom-ac :slight_smile:

6

The OP was saying they can’t install wifi-qcom because of space issues. I pointed out it’s really not possible to install this AX package on AC device regardless of space. Then I just moved on to details around wifi-qcom-ac without explicitly saying that it is possible to install it on AC devices, which was implied.

Not seeing where I was incorrect…

1 Like
7

Folks, thank you all. I’ve managed to run wifi-qcom-ac with manual VLAN settings and it works perfectly.

However, I have a new problem: I created slave interfaces for guest networks and carefully put them into different VLANs on each AP (using bridge VLAN and filtering).

But when I changed some settings, APs were reprovisioned, and slave interfaces were dropped and created from scratch. As result, all VLAN settings were lost.

I had to configure them again. Do you know by chance if it could be fixed?

8

On AP: WiFi → CAP → check “Slaves Static”.

On Controller: WiFi → Provisioning → open your config, as action select “create enabled”

1 Like
9

Isn’t this part of the docs wrong for wifi-qcom-ac? You cant have manual bridge ports when create-dynamic-enabled is used in provisioning rules.

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10

I don’t know it it’s a bug in documentation … but I have to set action=create-enabled to be able to manually set VLAN parameters on CAP device (which runswifi-qcom-ac). Exactly as @m4rk3J instructed in the post above yours.

11

I had create-dynamic-enabled but still was able to put them into the VLAN. I haven’t touched interfaces, but bridge only. And they were recreated after reprovisioning.

I will try to set create-enabled and slaves-static=yes and see if it works.

12

Sorry to highjack this topic. But inspired by this topic I wanted to assign a vlan to slave-wifi on my cap ac (controlled by capsman). But for the life of me I am not able to find out how I can stop routeros to add the interface (wifi4) as a dynamic bridge port. Because of the dynamic ports I can’t assign the pvid to the port. Ideas?

13

I think you have to not to set the bridge in datapath, then it will not dynamically be added to the bridge port and you can set it manually.

14

Thanks for the hint! While I already unset the “datapath” attribute on the static slave interface, I also had to unset “datapath” on the master interface.