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ilium007
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CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 9:48 am

I have configured my first CAPsMAN setup to test before I purchase some cAP AC's for home. I hade previously invested a lot of time in my non CAPsMAN wireless settings to get working reliably with Apple IOS devices and have found some settings are unavailable in CAPsMAN such as:

- Multicast buffering
- WMM Support (as per Apple wireless support pages)
- WPS mode (to disable)
- Disconnect timeout
- Preamble mode

There may be more... how can these be specified when using CAPsMAN?
Here is my CAPsMAN config, would appreciate any feedback. How does my 5Ghz channel spacing look for 40Mhz non overlapping channel width?

I've posted the same question to the Mikrotik Reddit group as well.
[admin@router01] /caps-man> export
# may/14/2022 16:36:58 by RouterOS 7.2.3
# software id = 8DD5-P647
#
# model = RBD53G-5HacD2HnD
# serial number = C8CA0CB0B626
/caps-man channel
add band=2ghz-g/n control-channel-width=20mhz extension-channel=disabled frequency=2412,2437,2462 name=non-overlapping-2ghz skip-dfs-channels=yes tx-power=13
add band=5ghz-onlyac control-channel-width=20mhz extension-channel=Ceee frequency=5180,5260,5500,5580,5745 name=non-overlapping-5ghz skip-dfs-channels=yes tx-power=20
/caps-man datapath
add bridge=bridge name=datapath1
/caps-man rates
add basic=6Mbps name=gn-only supported=6Mbps,9Mbps,12Mbps,18Mbps,24Mbps,36Mbps,48Mbps,54Mbps
/caps-man security
add authentication-types=wpa2-psk disable-pmkid=yes encryption=aes-ccm group-encryption=aes-ccm group-key-update=1h name=security1
/caps-man configuration
add channel=non-overlapping-2ghz country=australia datapath=datapath1 guard-interval=long installation=indoor keepalive-frames=disabled multicast-helper=full name=2ghz rates=gn-only security=security1 ssid=SAxxxxxNG
add channel=non-overlapping-5ghz country=australia datapath=datapath1 guard-interval=long installation=indoor keepalive-frames=disabled multicast-helper=full name=5ghz security=security1 ssid=SAxxxxxNG
/caps-man manager
set enabled=yes package-path=/ upgrade-policy=suggest-same-version
/caps-man provisioning
add action=create-dynamic-enabled hw-supported-modes=gn master-configuration=2ghz name-format=prefix-identity name-prefix=2
add action=create-dynamic-enabled hw-supported-modes=ac master-configuration=5ghz name-format=prefix-identity name-prefix=5
[admin@router01] /caps-man>
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:11 am

And this is the other issue I'm trying to sort out. I had a generic WAP (ISP supplied) plugged into the Mikrotik router LAN port during CAPsMAN testing so family still had wifi while I was messing around. With my CAPsMAN config above in place I get 1/2 the download bandwidth that I used to get. Speed tests below show.

LOWER_SAPLING -> ISP WAP plugged into Lan port of Mikrotik router
Screen Shot 2022-05-14 at 5.08.29 pm.png
SAPLING -> CAPsMAN managed network
Screen Shot 2022-05-14 at 5.07.35 pm.png
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holvoetn
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:13 am

There are quite a lot of settings usable when setting up a wifi channel directly which are missing when using capsman.
If the number of access points is limited, you don't really need to use capsman.

As for settings (personal opinion, others might disagree):
- basic rates: move up to 12 or even 18mpbs if your clients alllow it. Equally remove the lower rates from supported rates. It will improve connection speeds (again, IF your clients allow this. Test properly !).
- allow local forwarding. It will improve speed from cap to capsman controller.
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:15 am

Thanks! I'll take a look at those. Any idea why my speeds are halved on the CAPsMAN config? I know its obviously config, just don't know where!
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:23 am

There are quite a lot of settings usable when setting up a wifi channel directly which are missing when using capsman.
If the number of access points is limited, you don't really need to use capsman.

As for settings (personal opinion, others might disagree):
- basic rates: move up to 12 or even 18mpbs if your clients alllow it. Equally remove the lower rates from supported rates. It will improve connection speeds (again, IF your clients allow this. Test properly !).
- allow local forwarding. It will improve speed from cap to capsman controller.

When I turned on `allow local forwarding` clients could no longer get an IP address.
 
holvoetn
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:30 am

Then something is wrong in your local settings.
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:37 am

Then something is wrong in your local settings.
I dont’t understand what you mean by local settings?
 
holvoetn
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:38 am

Local config on cap devices.
For which you have not provided config...

How many cap devices you have in place ?
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:39 am

Local config on cap devices.
For which you have not provided config...

How many cap devices you have in place ?
They were factory reset and started in CAPsMAN mode by holding down reset when powering on until led went solid
 
holvoetn
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:49 am

See on those devices if all ports are part of the local Bridge.
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:51 am

I can’t access those devices. They don’t have an iP allocated to any interface. I thought that was the point of CAPsMAN.
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 10:55 am

How many cap devices you have in place ?
I’m testing with an HaP lite before I commit to CAP AC’s or Ubiquiti APa with pFsense
 
holvoetn
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 11:06 am

I can’t access those devices. They don’t have an iP allocated to any interface. I thought that was the point of CAPsMAN.
Using winbox connected to the same network, you should be able to access those devices.
Default password admin/ blanc which on itself is already a reason to put "some" default config on those devices.
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 11:08 am

I’ll check when I get home later.
 
holvoetn
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 11:11 am

How many cap devices you have in place ?
I’m testing with an HaP lite before I commit to CAP AC’s or Ubiquiti APa with pFsense
And yet you do not answer the question.
How many devices ?
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 11:44 am

I am testing my config on a Mikrotik Chateau LTE 12 (not using LTE), it has two wireless interfaces. Both set to the local CAPsMAN manager on 127.0.0.1 as per the Mikrotik HaP AC YouTube video tutorial. I also have a single HaP Lite I’m using to test CAPsMAN. Eventually I’d need 6 CAP AC’s and an RB4011.
 
holvoetn
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 2:48 pm

CAPS reset is indeed what needs to be used when using capsman, but even then I prefer to have at least some minimal config present (#1 ALWAYS change of default account and password !). Basic AP config (bridge with all ports, DHCP client on bridge), then I move to CAPS mode for management of wireless interfaces.

Something I don't get...
You had everything working reliably and you moved to capsman. For what purpose ? What extra benefit did you expect to get ?

If you need to tweak out the utmost performance of those caps, don't use capsman.
If you want to have an easy centralized config setup, then capsman is a valid choice but 6 devices is still quite manageable on a per device basis.
Once setup up, it's not like you're going to change the settings on a weekly basis.

Other remark:
if speed is of importance, you may want to consider using wifiwave2-capable devices (like Audience or hAP AC3 or RB4011/5Ghz only ). But no CAPSMAN there yet.
Or ... use other APs... also there, no CAPSMAN then. Depends on your outgoing connection if it's worth to consider (or internal uses).
E.g. I have a capsman setup behind a SXT LTE maxing out at 20Mb. I don't care that internal network uses only 100Mb on a CAP Lite then ... what counts for that setup is stable and reliable Wifi. And that I have there. But I could have done that equally well using per-device-config.

Finally:
you started indicating CAP AC, all of a sudden a Chateau comes in, then hAP Lite and RB4011.
What's your current config like (drawing might help, including how you get to your ISP) and how have you been testing ?
 
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 3:30 pm

With this method of frequency setting all devices will select only the first frequency in the list. The next one will be selected only if for some reason the first one is not available.
Generally, modern devices cannot automatically select the frequency correctly, it has to be done by an engineer. Because the device has no data of radio reconnaissance and location plan of access points.
Set the parameter instead of /caps-man provisioning
add action=create-dynamic-enabled
Set action=create-enabled then the interface will not recreate every time but will be created once and that's it.
After that you can change the settings directly in the interface.
Many people have problems with setting up Capsman precisely because people rely on automatic tuning of L1 radio parameters. But again, this is not possible. Therefore, before configuring the Microtic, you need to take a plan of the room layout access points on the plan, determine what frequencies are the least loaded in each place and select the appropriate settings for each access point.
You need to calculate the coverage area for 5GHz, for 2 will work itself.
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 4:24 pm

Forget capsman unless you are a business running fields of them.
I can set up the capacs in 5 minutes, any further tweaking is as you discovered wifi settings......

viewtopic.php?t=182276 - scroll down and look at the example.

I changed all my *capacs out for the eap245 years ago, and now have some of their wifi6 models very happy.
(*except for one which I keep to be able to help others with setups)
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 5:10 pm

Forget capsman unless you are a business running fields of them.
Understood, rolling it back to how I had it.

Thanks for the advice.
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Sat May 14, 2022 5:11 pm

Something I don't get...
You had everything working reliably and you moved to capsman. For what purpose ? What extra benefit did you expect to get ?
Learning, that's all. Putting it back to how I had it and moving on.
 
UpRunTech
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Mon May 16, 2022 9:39 am

Forget capsman unless you are a business running fields of them.
Understood, rolling it back to how I had it.

Thanks for the advice.
I use CAPSMAN (in Australia) now for any setups with 2 or more APs, sometimes even if it's just one (itself). Most is 21 cAPACs and it works fine with Apple devices and Chromebooks. These large setups use an RB4011 with non-local-forward and a passive SFP+ DAC (!) connected to a CRS328 or 354.

I enable keepalives, multicast helper to full, set the range to indoors, use a/g basic 12 and supported rates of of 12-54Mbit and MCS basic rates of 3,4,5,6 & 7 and MCS supported of 3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13,14,15,19,20,21,22 & 23. This eliminates the use of BPSK and QPSK entirely. For 2GHz I do N-only and for 5GHz AC only.

Disabling PMKID and a group key timeout of 1 hour is fine for all devices.

In CAPSMAN WMM is implicitly enabled apparently. In addition for best WMM support on each device with a bridge hosting a connected cAP radio you need to add a mangle rule to set the priority from the upper 3 DSCP bits. This means if you use non-local-forward the mangle rule only has to be on the CAPSMAN controller device. If you use local-forward you need to put this rule on each access point.

I just wish that CAPSMAN supported WAVE2 and WPA3 on the cAPACs.
 
ilium007
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Mon May 16, 2022 10:31 am

Thanks for the reply. Can you post a CAPsMAN config?
 
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Re: CAPsMAN settings for Australian WiFi and help with settings

Mon May 16, 2022 2:11 pm

@ilium007 Just copying the settings won't help you.
You are not correctly comparing connection speeds in your first post. If you want to see an approximate real difference between the performance of an access point and an access point running Capsman, you need the client and the access point do not change position in space. That is, you configure the same settings for Wireless and Capsman on the same Microtic device, then switch between these modes and take measurements, while the devices are not moving in the same place during the tests. Only then you can objectively compare the results.
Let's analyze the data that you gave in the first post.
Screenshot_3.jpg
First, you connect to different devices (they have different BSSID)
Secondly, the connection parameters are very different.
In the place where you are measuring a very high noise level of -96 and - 93 dB difference of 3 dB is 2 times. For example, in my house noise level at 5GHz is -108 dB.
Secondly, the signal level differs by 6 dB (-58 and -64) which is 4 times. That is, when measuring the speed of operation through Capsman, your signal level is 4 times weaker, and the noise level is 2 times higher, which is why the connection speed is much lower, and not because the point is working through Capsman.
In addition, the first case uses 3 spectral streams, the second only 2.
With such a high noise level, I would recommend using a channel width of 20 MHz, Then the connection speed can go up to 40 mbps.
You need to scan the air and choose the most acceptable channel to work with.
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