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Client Association Problems

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 9:20 am
by craigmyster
We are servicing a relitevaly small area. Our farthest client is about 300 meters away. We have a total of 19 clients that connet to us right now. The problem is that we are trying to switch the current access point over from a Buffalo WL-54G Ap Router (Home use model) to a mikrotik routerboard solution. We bought three of them total.

When I hook the Mikrotik in after configuring it doesn't pick up all the clients. Only 11 of them associate. Out of wich two of them keep on getting disconnected due to data loss. But as soon as I hook the other access point up all clients associate instantly. I tried fiddling around with antenna gain on the router. Tried switch antenna port to port a or b. Tried changking the pig tail and the cable.


The cable being used for the mikrotik is only 30 cm. The box is mounted on the pole directly under the 180 degree sector antenna that hyperlink sells.

Any body have any ideas. I am desperate to switch the wla-g54 access point out because it is resulting in very slow pppoe connections when everybody is on.

Re: Client Association Problems

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 9:27 am
by cibernet
We are servicing a relitevaly small area. Our farthest client is about 300 meters away. We have a total of 19 clients that connet to us right now. The problem is that we are trying to switch the current access point over from a Buffalo WL-54G Ap Router (Home use model) to a mikrotik routerboard solution. We bought three of them total.

When I hook the Mikrotik in after configuring it doesn't pick up all the clients. Only 11 of them associate. Out of wich two of them keep on getting disconnected due to data loss. But as soon as I hook the other access point up all clients associate instantly. I tried fiddling around with antenna gain on the router. Tried switch antenna port to port a or b. Tried changking the pig tail and the cable.


The cable being used for the mikrotik is only 30 cm. The box is mounted on the pole directly under the 180 degree sector antenna that hyperlink sells.

Any body have any ideas. I am desperate to switch the wla-g54 access point out because it is resulting in very slow pppoe connections when everybody is on.
What wireless card do you have with the RB?

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 1:58 pm
by djape
Also check are you using b/g mixed mode or g-only or b-only...
Check are basic rates set to default...
Try changing frequency...

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 2:58 am
by craigmyster
The Card that I am using is the AR5212 65mw. I have tried channell 1 and 13. All transmit rates are set to default.

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 3:00 am
by craigmyster
I have tried b/g and g-only. All have he same results. Wondering if this 65mw card is just not powerfull enough to handell the sector 180?

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 3:29 am
by cibernet
I have tried b/g and g-only. All have he same results. Wondering if this 65mw card is just not powerfull enough to handell the sector 180?
Do an wireless scan and post it here.. so we can see if it´s interference, try only B too, do you use MT 2.9.11 with wireless-test?

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 8:36 am
by craigmyster
I am using 2.9.12 as of this morning. I guess the wireless-test package is default on this installation. when I do a wireless scan it comes up with 8 clients. All these people are on channell 6 or channell 11. I am using channell 13. Channell 13 is not a very used channell in japan though it is legal.

I have been contactin mt support with no luck. They asked me to change the ack-timeout to indoor and then they asked me to turn compression off and then to change antenna gain setting to 15 and then to upgrade to 2.9.11. I have done everything they asked me to do. I have also tried the SR2 Card 2.4 Ghz. I tried first with default settings and saw no difference and then I tried with manual tx settings as mentioned in these forums by Uldis who by the way is the one supporting me from mt. I know that the access point that I am using right now has 19 people associated with it with relitevaly good speeds -51 - -80dbm. With the mikrotik plugged into the 180 degree sector antenna I get 11 max clients with the lowest person at -78 dbm.

I keep on thinking that the mikrotik router 500 that I have is not correctly utilizing the radiation pattern of my 180 degree sector. That would mean not enough power or too much power. But I have tried to adjust tx power up and down one at a time with no luck. I am almost to the conclusion that there is a bug with this router that I purchased from mikrotik and that it does not work with sector 180 antennas from hyperlink. I know this sounds funny but what other explanation is there.

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 4:23 pm
by djape
OK, your problem has nothin' to do with RouterOS.
Try puting prism card!
I have few instalations where Atheros was facing noise problems which Prism didn't feel...
Most probably you have very high noise issue!
Do that and tell us results.

Cheers...

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:26 pm
by jober
OK, your problem has nothin' to do with RouterOS.
Try puting prism card!
I have few instalations where Atheros was facing noise problems which Prism didn't feel...
Most probably you have very high noise issue!
Do that and tell us results.

Cheers...
That's crappy!
Are saying that if the area your in is noisie then you have to use prism cards that we are all trying to get away from (doto the slow speed) is the best option to the problem?

I hope there's a better solution then that!

Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:33 pm
by djape
Well, in 90% of my AP's I use cm9, but on 10% I must use Prism.
It's the way it handles noise.
I am not saying it is best option, but it was only solution for me...
So, you can try to solve problem with Prism, or wonder about cables, channels etc, your choice....