Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

garycnew · Wed Nov 29, 2023 1:00 am

All:

I'm new to Mikrotik and RouterOS, but have a great deal of experience configuring cli networking devices.

I have a Mikrotik hAP ac3 that I am attempting to configure as a Wireless Repeater with my iPhone XS Max Hotspot (AT&T).

The issue is that the wlan2 (5Ghz) interface is unable to find the iPhone Hotspot when scanning or attempting to create a Wireless Repeater using the MAC Address, SSID, Passphrase, individually or with any combination of the three. I've attempted different bands and channels without success. All non-Mikrotik devices are able to view and connect to the iPhone Hotspot.

I am able to successfully setup a Wireless Repeater using my roommates Galaxy Hotspot (T-Mobile) complete with wlan2, wlan4 (virtual), SSID, security profile, IP Address range, bridge, etc.

Moreover, I've read previous posts, within this forum, confirming that others have successful configured Mikrotik devices as Wireless Repeaters with iPhone Hotspots.

I was hoping that other Mikrotik hAP ac3 owners with an iPhone X or XS and Hotspot might confirm their wlan2 scan success or failure noting the RouterOS used. This will assist in confirming whether I need to downgrade my RouterOS version.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Respectfully,

Gary

Model: Mikrotik hAP ac3 (US model)
RouterOS version: 7.12.1
iPhone: iPhone XS Max
iOS version: 12.1

Wed Nov 29, 2023 1:03 am

Are you sure the frequency used by iPhone when in hotspot mode is within range of AC3 5GHz band ?

garycnew · Wed Nov 29, 2023 2:20 am

Are you sure the frequency used by iPhone when in hotspot mode is within range of AC3 5GHz band ?

I assume the iPhone in Hotspot mode is within the 5Ghz 802.11n and 802.11ac bands or non-Mikrotik devices would have the same issue.

My gut tells me it's a Mikrotik configuration or firmware issue.

Wed Nov 29, 2023 8:04 am

Not if those non-Mikrotik devices ARE capable of using those higher frequency ranges.
Don't assume. Check.

Assumptions are the #1 reason for most failures.

garycnew · Wed Nov 29, 2023 10:19 am

Not if those non-Mikrotik devices ARE capable of using those higher frequency ranges.
Don't assume. Check.

@holvoetn

The following are the Apple referenced iPhone XS Max wifi specs for Max Standards, Channels, and Spacial Streams:

https://support.apple.com/id-id/guide/d ... 652e6c/web

The following are the FCC referenced iPhone XS Max 5Ghz wifi frequency ranges:

https://fccid.io/BCG-E3219A

5.18-5.24 GHz 5 GHz WiFi	191 mW			15E	CC, HC, MO	5.1
5.26-5.32 GHz 5 GHz WiFi DFS	193 mW			15E	CC, HC, MO	5.2
5.5-5.72 GHz 5 GHz WiFi	194 mW			15E	CC, HC, MO	5.3
5.745-5.825 GHz 5 GHz WiFi	347 mW			15E	CC, HC, MO	5.4

I am unable to find the Mikrotik hAP ac3 FCC ID (RBD53iG-5HacD2HnD) in the FCC database to reference its 5Ghz frequency ranges. Are you aware of the Mikrotik hAP ac3 5Ghz frequency ranges?

As an aside... I did find a Mikrotik forum thread related to an inverse issue with iPhone XS Max having a problem connecting to Mikrotik devices that was resolved with a firmware update (RouterOS 6.44). However, it seems IPv6 related. Not sure it is relevant.

viewtopic.php?t=139608

Thank you for your assistance.

Respectfully,

Gary

Wed Nov 29, 2023 11:04 am

I don't know what country you're in but for me, it shows this (AC3 device with wifiwave2 driver):

[xyz@TP-Lint-AC3] > inter wifiwave2/radio reg-info
country: Belgium
number: 1
ranges: 2402-2482/20
5170-5250/23/indoor
5250-5330/23/indoor/dfs
5490-5710/30/dfs

If your iPhone is transmitting above 5710, you got a problem.

If you don't have wifiwave2 drivers, forget about WPA3 as well.

whatever · Wed Nov 29, 2023 10:23 pm

Assuming iPhone is behaving like Android in Europe, the 5GHz hotspot is most likely located in the SRD range on channel 149. At least in Europe, this range is apparently not (yet?) supported by AC devices with wifi(wave2) drivers and proper country set. Check "/interface/wifiwave2/radio/print detail", it will display the hardware capabilities (5g-channels) and the channels allowed by current country selection (current-channels).

This is hap ac²:
     countries=all 5g-channels=5180,5200,5220,5240,5260,5280,5300,5320,5500,5520,
            5540,5560,5580,5600,5620,5640,5660,5680,5700,5720,5745,5765,5785,5805,
            5825 
     max-interfaces=16 max-station-interfaces=3 max-peers=513 hw-type="IPQ4019" 
     hw-caps=sniffer interface=xxx current-country=Germany 
     current-channels=5180/a,5180/n,5180/n/Ce,5180/ac,5180/ac/Ce,5180/ac/Ceee,
                 5220/n,5220/n/Ce,5220/ac,5220/ac/Ce,5220/ac/eeCe,5240/a,5240/n,
                 5240/n/eC,5240/ac,5240/ac/eC,5240/ac/eeeC,5260/a,5260/n,5260/n/Ce,
                 5260/ac,5260/ac/Ce,5260/ac/Ceee,5280/a,5280/n,5280/n/eC,5280/ac,
                 5280/ac/eC,5280/ac/eCee,5300/a,5300/n,5300/n/Ce,5300/ac,
                 5300/ac/Ce,5300/ac/eeCe,5320/a,5320/n,5320/n/eC,5320/ac,
                 5320/ac/eC,5320/ac/eeeC,5500/a,5500/n,5500/n/Ce,5500/ac,
                 5500/ac/Ce,5500/ac/Ceee,5520/a,5520/n,5520/n/eC,5520/ac,
                 5520/ac/eC,5520/ac/eCee,5540/a,5540/n,5540/n/Ce,5540/ac,
                 5540/ac/Ce,5540/ac/eeCe,5560/a,5560/n,5560/n/eC,5560/ac,
                 5560/ac/eC,5560/ac/eeeC,5580/a,5580/n,5580/n/Ce,5580/ac,
                 5580/ac/Ce,5580/ac/Ceee,5600/a,5600/n,5600/n/eC,5600/ac,
                 5600/ac/eC,5600/ac/eCee,5620/a,5620/n,5620/n/Ce,5620/ac,
                 5620/ac/Ce,5620/ac/eeCe,5640/a,5640/n,5640/n/eC,5640/ac,
                 5640/ac/eC,5640/ac/eeeC,5660/a,5660/n,5660/n/Ce,5660/ac,
                 5660/ac/Ce,5680/a,5680/n,5680/n/eC,5680/ac,5680/ac/eC,5700/a,
                 5700/n,5700/ac 

and here is hap ax² for comparison:
     countries=all 5g-channels=5180,5200,5220,5240,5260,5280,5300,5320,5500,
            5520,5540,5560,5580,5600,5620,5640,5660,5680,5700,5720,5745,5765,
            5785,5805,5825,5845,5865,5885 
     max-vlans=128 max-interfaces=16 max-station-interfaces=3 max-peers=120 
     hw-type="QCA6018" hw-caps=sniffer,qos-classifier-dscp 
     interface=yyy current-country=Germany 
     current-channels=5180/a,5180/n,5180/n/Ce,5180/ac,5180/ac/Ce,5180/ac/Ceee,
                 5180/ax,5180/ax/Ce,5180/ax/Ceee,5200/a,5200/n,5200/n/eC,
                 5200/ac,5200/ac/eC,5200/ac/eCee,5200/ax,5200/ax/eC,
                 5200/ax/eCee,5220/a,5220/n,5220/n/Ce,5220/ac,5220/ac/Ce,
                 5220/ac/eeCe,5220/ax,5220/ax/Ce,5220/ax/eeCe,5240/a,5240/n,
                 5240/n/eC,5240/ac,5240/ac/eC,5240/ac/eeeC,5240/ax,5240/ax/eC,
                 5240/ax/eeeC,5260/a,5260/n,5260/n/Ce,5260/ac,5260/ac/Ce,
                 5260/ac/Ceee,5260/ax,5260/ax/Ce,5260/ax/Ceee,5280/a,5280/n,
                 5280/n/eC,5280/ac,5280/ac/eC,5280/ac/eCee,5280/ax,5280/ax/eC,
                 5280/ax/eCee,5300/a,5300/n,5300/n/Ce,5300/ac,5300/ac/Ce,
                 5300/ac/eeCe,5300/ax,5300/ax/Ce,5300/ax/eeCe,5320/a,5320/n,
                 5320/n/eC,5320/ac,5320/ac/eC,5320/ac/eeeC,5320/ax,5320/ax/eC,
                 5320/ax/eeeC,5500/a,5500/n,5500/n/Ce,5500/ac,5500/ac/Ce,
                 5500/ac/Ceee,5500/ax,5500/ax/Ce,5500/ax/Ceee,5520/a,5520/n,
                 5520/n/eC,5520/ac,5520/ac/eC,5520/ac/eCee,5520/ax,5520/ax/eC,
                 5520/ax/eCee,5540/a,5540/n,5540/n/Ce,5540/ac,5540/ac/Ce,
                 5540/ac/eeCe,5540/ax,5540/ax/Ce,5540/ax/eeCe,5560/a,5560/n,
                 5560/n/eC,5560/ac,5560/ac/eC,5560/ac/eeeC,5560/ax,5560/ax/eC,
                 5560/ax/eeeC,5580/a,5580/n,5580/n/Ce,5580/ac,5580/ac/Ce,
                 5580/ac/Ceee,5580/ax,5580/ax/Ce,5580/ax/Ceee,5600/a,5600/n,
                 5600/n/eC,5600/ac,5600/ac/eC,5600/ac/eCee,5600/ax,5600/ax/eC,
                 5600/ax/eCee,5620/a,5620/n,5620/n/Ce,5620/ac,5620/ac/Ce,
                 5620/ac/eeCe,5620/ax,5620/ax/Ce,5620/ax/eeCe,5640/a,5640/n,
                 5640/n/eC,5640/ac,5640/ac/eC,5640/ac/eeeC,5640/ax,5640/ax/eC,
                 5640/ax/eeeC,5660/a,5660/n,5660/n/Ce,5660/ac,5660/ac/Ce,
                 5660/ac/Ceee,5660/ax,5660/ax/Ce,5660/ax/Ceee,5680/a,5680/n,
                 5680/n/eC,5680/ac,5680/ac/eC,5680/ac/eCee,5680/ax,5680/ax/eC,
                 5680/ax/eCee,5700/a,5700/n,5700/n/Ce,5700/ac,5700/ac/Ce,
                 5700/ac/eeCe,5700/ax,5700/ax/Ce,5700/ax/eeCe,5720/a,5720/n,
                 5720/n/eC,5720/ac,5720/ac/eC,5720/ac/eeeC,5720/ax,5720/ax/eC,
                 5720/ax/eeeC,5745/a,5745/n,5745/n/Ce,5745/ac,5745/ac/Ce,
                 5745/ac/Ceee,5745/ax,5745/ax/Ce,5745/ax/Ceee,5765/a,5765/n,
                 5765/n/eC,5765/ac,5765/ac/eC,5765/ac/eCee,5765/ax,5765/ax/eC,
                 5765/ax/eCee,5785/a,5785/n,5785/n/Ce,5785/ac,5785/ac/Ce,
                 5785/ac/eeCe,5785/ax,5785/ax/Ce,5785/ax/eeCe,5805/a,5805/n,
                 5805/ax/eeeC,5825/a,5825/n,5825/n/Ce,5825/ac,5825/ac/Ce,
                 5825/ax,5825/ax/Ce,5845/a,5845/n,5845/n/eC,5845/ac,5845/ac/eC,
                 5845/ax,5845/ax/eC,5865/a,5865/n,5865/ac,5865/ax

Note that both devices' hardware supports "5745,5765,5785,5805,5825" frequencies, but current-channels is limited to 5700 max on ac² while ax² reg-info includes 5735-5875/14.

With wifi(wave2) it looks like you could only access these frequencies on AC devices by setting an incorrect country like Australia, which -- of course -- you must not do and shouldn't even consider.

garycnew · Wed Nov 29, 2023 11:59 pm

@holvoetn and @whatever

It appears that out-of-the-box my Mikrotik hAP ac3 doesn't have the wifiwave2 package installed.

The following is the hw-info for the wlan2 interface:

[admin@MikroTik] /interface/wireless/info> hw-info 
interface: wlan2 
            ranges: 4920-5925/5/a,an20,an40,ac20,ac40,ac80
         tx-chains: 0,1
         rx-chains: 0,1
        extra-info: pciinfo:0x0, cid:1, gain:6
  locked-countries: united states3,united states,canada,canada2

The following is the default-scan-list for the wlan2 interface:

[admin@MikroTik] /interface/wireless/info> default-scan-list 
interface: wlan2 
  channels: 5180/20/ac(28dBm),5200/20/ac(28dBm),5220/20/ac(28dBm),5240/20/ac(28dBm),5180/20/ac(23dBm),5200/20/ac(23dBm),5220/20/ac(23dBm),5240/20/ac(23dBm),5745/20/ac(28dBm),5765/20/ac(28dBm),5785/20/ac(28dBm),5805/20/ac(28dBm),
            5825/20/ac(28dBm),5745/20/ac(23dBm),5765/20/ac(23dBm),5785/20/ac(23dBm),5805/20/ac(23dBm),5825/20/ac(23dBm)

The following is the country-info for the wlan2 interface:

[admin@MikroTik] /interface/wireless/info> country-info 
country: united states3 
  ranges: 2402-2472/b,g,gn20,gn40(30dBm)
          5170-5250/a,an20,an40,ac20,ac40,ac80,ac160,ac80+80(30dBm)/indoor
          5735-5835/a,an20,an40,ac20,ac40,ac80,ac160,ac80+80(30dBm)/outdoor

[admin@MikroTik] /interface/wireless/info> country-info 
country: united states 
  ranges: 2402-2472/b,g,gn20,gn40(30dBm)
          2417-2457/g-turbo(20dBm)
          902-927/b,g,g-turbo,gn20,gn40(30dBm)
          5170-5250/a,an20,an40,ac20,ac40,ac80,ac160,ac80+80(30dBm)
          5170-5330/a,an20,an40,ac20,ac40,ac80,ac160,ac80+80(27dBm)/dfs,passive
          5250-5330/a,an20,an40,ac20,ac40,ac80,ac160,ac80+80(27dBm)/dfs,passive
          5490-5730/a,an20,an40,ac20,ac40,ac80,ac160,ac80+80(27dBm)/dfs,passive
          5735-5835/a,an20,an40,ac20,ac40,ac80,ac160,ac80+80(30dBm)
          5190-5230/a-turbo(23dBm)/indoor
          5230-5310/a-turbo(23dBm)/passive
          5740-5820/a-turbo(30dBm)/outdoor
          5180-5220/a-turbo(23dBm)/indoor
          5220-5260/a-turbo(23dBm)/passive,indoor
          5260-5300/a-turbo(23dBm)/dfs,passive
          5745-5825/a-turbo(30dBm)/outdoor

The following is the allowed-channels for the wlan2 interface:

[admin@MikroTik] /interface/wireless/info> allowed-channels 
interface: wlan2 
  channels: 5180/20/ac(28dBm),5185/20/ac(28dBm),5190/20/ac(28dBm),5195/20/ac(28dBm),5200/20/ac(28dBm),5205/20/ac(28dBm),5210/20/ac(28dBm),5215/20/ac(28dBm),5220/20/ac(28dBm),5225/20/ac(28dBm),5230/20/ac(28dBm),5235/20/ac(28dBm),
            5240/20/ac(28dBm),5180/20/ac(23dBm),5185/20/ac(23dBm),5190/20/ac(23dBm),5195/20/ac(23dBm),5200/20/ac(23dBm),5205/20/ac(23dBm),5210/20/ac(23dBm),5215/20/ac(23dBm),5220/20/ac(23dBm),5225/20/ac(23dBm),5230/20/ac(23dBm),
            5235/20/ac(23dBm),5240/20/ac(23dBm),5745/20/ac(28dBm),5750/20/ac(28dBm),5755/20/ac(28dBm),5760/20/ac(28dBm),5765/20/ac(28dBm),5770/20/ac(28dBm),5775/20/ac(28dBm),5780/20/ac(28dBm),5785/20/ac(28dBm),5790/20/ac(28dBm),
            5795/20/ac(28dBm),5800/20/ac(28dBm),5805/20/ac(28dBm),5810/20/ac(28dBm),5815/20/ac(28dBm),5820/20/ac(28dBm),5825/20/ac(28dBm),5745/20/ac(23dBm),5750/20/ac(23dBm),5755/20/ac(23dBm),5760/20/ac(23dBm),5765/20/ac(23dBm),
            5770/20/ac(23dBm),5775/20/ac(23dBm),5780/20/ac(23dBm),5785/20/ac(23dBm),5790/20/ac(23dBm),5795/20/ac(23dBm),5800/20/ac(23dBm),5805/20/ac(23dBm),5810/20/ac(23dBm),5815/20/ac(23dBm),5820/20/ac(23dBm),5825/20/ac(23dBm)

The iPhone XS Max 5Ghz frequency ranges (per the FCC) appear to fall within the Mikrotik hAP ac3 wlan2 5Ghz frequency ranges:

https://fccid.io/BCG-E3219A

5.18-5.24 GHz 5 GHz WiFi	191 mW			15E	CC, HC, MO	5.1
5.26-5.32 GHz 5 GHz WiFi DFS	193 mW			15E	CC, HC, MO	5.2
5.5-5.72 GHz 5 GHz WiFi		194 mW			15E	CC, HC, MO	5.3
5.745-5.825 GHz 5 GHz WiFi	347 mW			15E	CC, HC, MO	5.4

@holvoetn: If I install the wifiwave2 package, will I still be able to create a wireless repeater with a virtual access point? It sounds like the wifiwave2 driver is limited.

@whatever: Any recommendations for confirming the actual iPhone XS Max Hotspot 5Ghz frequency in use?

Thanks, again, for your time and assistance.

Respectfully,

Gary

whatever · Thu Nov 30, 2023 8:34 am

@whatever: Any recommendations for confirming the actual iPhone XS Max Hotspot 5Ghz frequency in use?

Use wifi analyzer (https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... fianalyzer) on an Android phone or find a similar software for iphone.

Thu Nov 30, 2023 8:41 am

@whatever: that's the one I use as well on my phone.
On PC I use Wifi Analyzer
https://matthafner.com/wifi-analyzer

It appears that out-of-the-box my Mikrotik hAP ac3 doesn't have the wifiwave2 package installed.

Out of the box it still comes with ROS6, I believe

@holvoetn: If I install the wifiwave2 package, will I still be able to create a wireless repeater with a virtual access point? It sounds like the wifiwave2 driver is limited.

Yes, this is still possible.
wifiwave2 drivers still has some limitations but those are being ironed out gradually.
Using it in this specific context is however not one of them.

AC3 connects to wifi of hotspot via one radio (2.4GHz or 5GHz, up to you to choose. See further).
Other radio is used to provide new wifi-SSID for other clients (with own subnet, NAT, firewall, ...)
For devices with 2 radios, this is the best approach since it provides the least interference on the upstream wifi connection.
Keep in mind 2.4GHz via wifiwave2 drivers will perform quite a bit better then legacy wifi.
That's the connection which will possibly be your bottleneck from end-to-end point of view though I suspect it will be in reality your mobile connection on iPhone, hard to believe it will be consistently faster then 350-400 Mbps.
So at the end it doesn't really matter if you choose 2.4 or 5Ghz for the hotspot connection. Choose based on distance from hotspot to AC3. Further away, use 2.4Ghz. Really close, use 5GHz.

You can also connect one radio to hotspot and create a virtual SSID on the same radio but then performance will be seriously impacted (multiple SSIDs on the same radio frequency, so every client on each of those SSSIDs has to wait to send when others are sending on whatever SSID is on that radio).
You can then use the other radio as you want (see above).
For devices only having a single radio however, this is the only option.

WeWiNet · Thu Nov 30, 2023 12:16 pm

Would suggest you check if your hap really receives the radio waves from the iphone:
2 ways to that:
Use quick-set and select CPE mode, it will scan the environment for networks. If you see your wanted SSID you can try to connect to it (but be aware this will change your config).
But a good and easy way to scan for Wifi networks around and connect to them and make your device a CPE (repeater).

Or open the Wifi interface tab, and click on scan, then start. After 20 seconds or so you should see all Wifi networks.
You can select the one you want and click "connect".
If the security profile is correctly matching the Wifi network, you should see after few seconds that it is connected.

garycnew · Thu Nov 30, 2023 1:50 pm

@holvoetn: I can just imagine you reading the following resolution thinking... I told you so.

Everything I have read states that iPhone XS Max only uses the 5Ghz radio for Hotspot and the 2.4Ghz radio Hotspot can only be enabled on iPhone 12 and above. However, it seems everything one reads isn't true.

On my Macbook Pro, I discovered that when connecting to my iPhone XS Max Hotspot it is actually using the 2.4Ghz radio:

Screen Shot 2023-11-29 at 4.57.10 PM.png

What's strange is scan under the Mikrotik hAP ac3 wlan1 interface doesn't provide any results. However, I was able to successfully configure the wlan1 repeater (in the blind) with my iPhone XS Max Hotspot.

Perhaps for a new forum post is adding the necessary configuration to propagate the Internet from the iPhone XS Max Hotspot => Mikrotik hAP ac3 (wlan1) => Mikrotik hAP ac3 (virtual wlan3) => Macbook Pro.

Lastly, for a new forum post, I would like to add the Galaxy Hotspot to the Mikrotik hAP ac3 (wlan2) 5Ghz radio and bond (802.3ad) the wlan1 and wlan2 interfaces.

Thanks, again, to everyone who has contributed to the resolution of this post.

Respectfully,

Gary

Thu Nov 30, 2023 3:10 pm

@holvoetn: I can just imagine you reading the following resolution thinking... I told you so.

I NEVER would do such a thing

Good thing you found it yourself.

garycnew · Thu Nov 30, 2023 11:20 pm

@holvoetn: I can just imagine you reading the following resolution thinking... I told you so.
I NEVER would do such a thing

Good thing you found it yourself.

Liked

Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability [SOLVED]

Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

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Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone Hotspot Compatability

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone XS Max Hotspot Compatibility [SOLVED]

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone XS Max Hotspot Compatibility

Re: Mikrotik hAP ac3 - iPhone XS Max Hotspot Compatibility

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