Currently, I try to use the openwrt that flashed into a Mikrotik wAP 60G device which seems still not supported by the official openwrt to control and direct beams. I've already searched that there is a command 'iw dev wlan0 set bf' using for making the beamforming explicit. Thus, I wonder if there is a command that can be used to set the specific pattern to form the beam. If the answer is yes, I would like to know the specific command.
Besides, if there is another command that can help to do the beamforming in other Mikrotik devices that supported by the official, I would like to know as well.
Hi dddddingcc
No. Beamforming patterns are done by the driver. The most you can do, for AC beamforming, is specify the number of antennae that will be taking part in beamforming. You can't specify how many antennae for AX to my knowledge.
Beamforning is usually set up through hostapd. You can tell OpenWrt to turn on beamforming with these settings in wireless:
config wifi-device 'radio1'
...
option he_mu_beamformer '1'
option he_su_beamformer '1'
option he_su_beamformee '1'
option mu_beamformer '1'
option su_beamformer '1'
option su_beamformee '1'
...
Usually OpenWrt defaults to all of those turned on anyway, and will try to set up hostapd with reasonable values for your radio.
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Beamforming trades MIMO for using the antennas as a phased array to transmit a 1x1 signal a longer distance. In practice it hasn't had a lot of usefulness-- trying to support clients who have large RF path loss due to distance rapidly degrades the operation of any wifi system, beamforming or not.
The concept doesn't apply to this 60 GHz hardware since it is always a 1x1 signal not MIMO. The antenna is an active phased array panel that always beamforms.
Where is the OpenWrt for these? I have several Cube 60s. They are great as point to point links but the stock OS has very limited support to do actual routing, especially IPv6.
However the Mikrotik 60GHz AP hardware itself has a codebook that defines several patterns to do beamforming and it supports point to multipoint link. So, I think the hardware could deal with the MIMO events.
Here, I wonder what is the Cube 60s, could you please explain it to me.
I found that there is a way that by config the /etc/config/wireless may make the beamforming realizable. Then, whether the method is achievable and what is the specific command that can do this?
I meant that I have plural units of the Cube 60 model.
Original model: https://mikrotik.com/product/cube_60g_ac
New model ("Pro"): https://mikrotik.com/product/cube_60pro_ac
Either a wAP 60G or a CubeSA Pro can be used for point to multipoint.