Cudy X6 v2: 5GHz radio (MT7975DN) fails to bring interface UP on OpenWrt 24.10.4
Device Information
- Device: Cudy X6
Architecture MediaTek MT7621 ver:1 eco:3
Target Platform ramips/mt7621 - Chipsets:
- 2.4 GHz: MediaTek MT7905DAN (working)
- 5 GHz: MediaTek MT7975DN (NOT working)
- Working firmware: OpenWrt 22.03.0 r19685-512e76967f version provided by Cudy manufacturer
- Broken firmware: OpenWrt 24.10.4 official release
Problem Description
After upgrading from Cudy's OpenWrt release to official OpenWrt 24.10.4, the 5 GHz radio (phy1) is detected by the system but fails to activate. The 2.4 GHz radio works perfectly.
Symptoms
iw listshows both phy0 (2.4GHz) and phy1 (5GHz) correctly- Driver mt7915e loads without errors
- Interface phy1-ap0 cannot be brought UP
- Error:
SIOCSIFFLAGS: Address not available
Diagnostic Commands Output
1. Hardware Detection (WORKING)
root@OpenWrt:~# lsmod | grep mt7915
cfg80211 323584 4 mt7915e,mt76_connac_lib,mt76,mac80211
hwmon 16384 1 mt7915e
mac80211 647168 3 mt7915e,mt76_connac_lib,mt76
mt76 69632 2 mt7915e,mt76_connac_lib
mt76_connac_lib 49152 1 mt7915e
mt7915e 126976 0
2. Firmware Loaded Successfully
root@OpenWrt:~# dmesg | grep mt7915
[ 12.823066] mt7915e_hif 0000:01:00.0: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[ 12.835730] mt7915e 0000:02:00.0: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[ 13.062966] mt7915e 0000:02:00.0: HW/SW Version: 0x8a108a10, Build Time: 20211222184017a
[ 13.458109] mt7915e 0000:02:00.0: WM Firmware Version: ____000000, Build Time: 20211222184052
[ 13.561205] mt7915e 0000:02:00.0: WA Firmware Version: DEV_000000, Build Time: 20211222184111
[ 13.680317] mt7915e 0000:02:00.0: registering led 'mt76-phy0'
[ 13.750869] mt7915e 0000:02:00.0: registering led 'mt76-phy1'
3. Both Radios Detected by iw list
root@OpenWrt:~# iw list
Wiphy phy1 # 5GHz - Shows all capabilities correctly
Band 2:
Frequencies:
* 5180.0 MHz [36] (20.0 dBm)
* 5200.0 MHz [40] (20.0 dBm)
[... all 5GHz channels listed ...]
Wiphy phy0 # 2.4GHz - Working
Band 1:
Frequencies:
* 2412.0 MHz [1] (20.0 dBm)
[... all 2.4GHz channels listed ...]
4. Interface Fails to Come UP
root@OpenWrt:~# logread | grep -i "phy1"
daemon.notice hostapd: Configuration file: <inline> (phy phy1) --> new PHY
daemon.err hostapd: Could not set interface phy1-ap0 flags (UP): Address not available
daemon.err hostapd: nl80211: Could not set interface 'phy1-ap0' UP
daemon.notice hostapd: nl80211: deinit ifname=phy1-ap0 disabled_11b_rates=0
daemon.notice hostapd: phy1-ap0: CTRL-EVENT-TERMINATING
daemon.err hostapd: hostapd_free_hapd_data: Interface phy1-ap0 wasn't started
daemon.notice hostapd: hostapd.add_iface failed for phy phy1 ifname=phy1-ap0
5. Manual Interface Creation Also Fails
root@OpenWrt:~# iw phy phy1 interface add test1 type managed
root@OpenWrt:~# ip link set test1 up
ip: SIOCSIFFLAGS: Address not available # <-- FAILS
6. WiFi Status
root@OpenWrt:~# wifi status
{
"radio0": {
"up": true,
"disabled": false,
# ... 2.4GHz WORKING
},
"radio1": {
"up": false,
"disabled": true, # Auto-disabled after failure
"retry_setup_failed": false,
# ... 5GHz NOT WORKING
}
}
7. Regulatory Domain (Correct)
root@OpenWrt:~# iw reg get
country IT: DFS-ETSI
(2400 - 2483 @ 40), (N/A, 20), (N/A)
(5150 - 5250 @ 80), (N/A, 23), (N/A), NO-OUTDOOR, AUTO-BW
(5250 - 5350 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (0 ms), NO-OUTDOOR, DFS, AUTO-BW
(5470 - 5725 @ 160), (N/A, 26), (0 ms), DFS
(5725 - 5875 @ 80), (N/A, 13), (N/A)
Troubleshooting Steps Attempted
1. Configuration Check
- Verified
option disabled '0'in/etc/config/wireless - Set
option country 'IT'for both radios - Tried different channels (36, 149)
- Configuration is correct
2. Antenna Configuration
# Noticed mismatch in iw list output:
Available Antennas: TX 0x3 RX 0x3
Configured Antennas: TX 0xc RX 0xc # MISMATCH
# Attempted fix:
iw phy phy1 set antenna 3 3
# Did not resolve the issue
3. Firmware Replacement
- Backed up original OpenWrt 24.10.4 firmware files
- Copied firmware from working Cudy version:
mt7915_rom_patch.bin(144544 bytes, Build: 20211222)mt7915_wa.bin(116368 bytes, Build: 20211222)mt7915_wm.bin(1260960 bytes, Build: 20211222)
- Rebooted
- Result: Firmware loaded correctly but problem persists
4. Interface Recreation
wifi down
iw phy phy1 interface add wlan1 type managed
ip link set wlan1 up # FAILS with same error
Firmware Version Comparison
Cudy OpenWrt (WORKING):
mt7915_wa.bin: 116368 bytes, Build Time: 20211222184111
OpenWrt 24.10.4 (NOT WORKING):
mt7915_wa.bin: 113712 bytes, Build Time: 20240429200812
Note: After replacing with Cudy firmware files, the system loads them correctly but the issue remains, indicating a driver-level problem, not firmware.
Root Cause Analysis
The issue is not:
- Configuration (verified multiple times)
- Firmware files (tested with both versions)
- Hardware detection (phy1 is detected correctly)
- Regulatory domain (set correctly to IT)
The issue is:
- Driver mt7915e in OpenWrt 24.10.4 cannot bring the interface UP
- Error occurs at kernel/driver level:
SIOCSIFFLAGS: Address not available - Specific to MT7975DN chipset (MT7905DAN 2.4GHz works fine)
Comparison with Working Version
On Cudy's OpenWrt version, the same hardware works perfectly with identical configuration. This suggests:
- Cudy's OpenWrt build includes patches/modifications for MT7975DN support
- Official OpenWrt 24.10.4 has a regression or lacks necessary patches for this specific chipset
Requested Help
- Is this a known issue with MT7975DN on 24.10.4?
- Are there any patches or kernel parameters to try?
- Should I test with a snapshot version?
- Can this be fixed, or should I stick with Cudy's OpenWrt build?
Thank you for any tip!
