Does openwrt support wifi5 backup network function?

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

The scenario of using the Wi-Fi5 backup network is: when some Wi-Fi5 devices (such as some older laptops, mobile phones, tablets, etc.) cannot search for Wi-Fi 6 signals because of their old network card drivers, they can connect to this Wi-Fi5 device.
Does openwrt support wifi5 backup network configuration function?

2

wifi 6 should be backwards compatible with wifi 5, so older wifi 5 equipment should have no problem connecting to a wifi 6 router (just as wifi 6 equipment can connect to an older wifi 5 router :slight_smile: ).

3

However, some older intel network card devices cannot search for wifi6 AP devices

4

Add a second SSID and restrict it to wifi 5

5

How to create both wifi6 SSID and wifi5 SSID in openwrt？

6

there's a reason why there's a Add button next to the radio in Network -> Wireless.

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7

While there are reasons to split WPA2PSK/CCMP and WPA3SAE into different vAPs, there isn't really any reason to differentiate between 802.11ac (vulgo wifi5) and 802.11ax (vulgo wifi6) - in in regards to most parameters, you can't anyways (as these are physical parameters for the underlying radio, below the vAP interfaces).

8

Is there no way to implement wifi5 backup network function in openwrt？

9

I think you need to specify what "backup network" means to you ...

10

It means to create both wifi6 vap and wifi5 vap, wifi5 vap is used for sta connections that do not support wifi6

11

Again you are asking something that doesn't exist as it's there and present by design.... no idea where you come up with this wifi5 backup naming... probably some marketing trash?

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12

Many wifi6 routers support wifi5 backup network function.

13

such as Huawei routers

14

OpenWrt doesn't support this. All APs on one radio must use the same channel/mode configuration:

  • you cannot have one 80MHz and another 40MHz virtual AP on the same radio
  • you cannot have one Wifi4, one Wifi5, and one Wifi6 virtual AP on the same radio
  • all virtual APs must be on the same channel
  • all virtual APs must use the same set of allowed data rates - you can't have one with legacy 11b rates and another without.

I have never heard of a device not comptabile with WiFi 6 access points. I have heard of devices not connecting to WPA3/WPA2 mixed mode networks, but solution to that is to create another virtual AP with WPA2 only.

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15

Thank you!