Finally got 802.11v working (FULLY) - Few pointers

Installing and Using OpenWrt
62

So, these are the adjustments and findings that I had over the last few days implementing your script. I managed to put all of the family’s mobile phones in the system, two iPhones X and two S8s. The system is up and running with no complaints so far, and I have to say that my user base is not complacent when it comes to problems with my internet access (teens…).

Duration: As I said a few posts above, the script was failing until I found out that the ID check was the culprit. The original script does a check for the “duration” field between the beacon request value and beacon reported value. It turns out that whatever number I used in the beacon request, the beacon report would always show “6100” for the S8s and “6400” for the iPhones. I ended up using a value of “100” in the beacon request but I did not further explore the workings of this field.

RSSI/RCPI/RSNI: the field RCPI (or RSSI) shows clearly different scales for signal measurements. At first, I found that the reported values for the S8 was a RCPI scale varying from ~70-190 at different distances from the router with higher numbers meaning stronger signal (it was definitely not RSSI). I then verified the numbers for the iPhone and the scale was ~180-250 measured at the same spots as the S8. Finally, I checked the RSNI reported values and they were also different: S8 range of 24-28 and iPhone range of 64 to 72. These numbers seem to be incompatible between S8 and iPhone but there should be some formula to convert RCPI/RSNI into RSSI although I could not figure it out and neither could find anything in the internet.

So here’s what I did. First, I took several data points for "iw station get" and beacon request issued at the same time, at various distances from the router, and then calculated linear regressions for both the S8 and the iPhone (each with a different formula). The regressions came out fairly good actually, with a R2 of 0.99. Since the RSNI numbers are also different between the phones, I used an if-then statement: if RSNI > 50, use the S8 formula, else, use the iPhone formula.

Until someone figures out the whole RCPI/RSNI/RSSI conversion formula, I’ll stick to that home-made solution. If someone could also check these numbers for different devices, it could help solving the puzzle.

In case someone is interested, these are the formulas that I used (in php code):

if($rsni>50){ // case for S8s
$rssi=floor(($rcpi*-0.55)+130); // Calc RSSI
}

else{ // case for iPhones
$rssi=floor(($rcpi*-0.90)+260); // Calc RSSI
}

Client steering: I was unable to steer clients from one AP to another and neither from one frequency to another, using “hostapd_cli wlan[X] bss_tm_req”. On the other hand, “ubus call hostapd.wlan[X] wnm_disassoc_imminent” works like a charm. I couldn’t figure out why though.

Beacon request timing: it took me a while to figure out that the iPhones don’t like being asked to report beacons too often. I noticed that they sometimes remain mute for almost 2 minutes. They acknowledge the beacon request but report a blank string. I don't know if that's a security feature/restriction of the iPhone or the result of some variable in the beacon request that could be tuned to make the device more "talkative". Given that iPhone restriction (with S8 I had no such problems), I had to increase the beacon checking interval to 10 secs and increase the total time before deauth to 2 minutes. That makes things a bit slower but the system still works well.

This was my saga over the last few days, but the end result was well worth it. I would love to hear from others about their experience with 802.11k and client steering. I felt that, in addition to the (forced) roaming features of the script created by anom3, my wifi network has become more robust so I believe that packaging a 802.11k tool could be an interesting addition for an openwrt router.

A big thank you note goes to anom3 and others that helped me putting this togehter.

4 Likes
63

I try to collect both, RSSI and RCPI. Here you can see that a client only reported for the 5 GHz the RCPI value of 198, but I received two frames from which I got a RSSI of -43 (5 GHz) and -47 (2.4 GHz).
If I now use your formula 198*-0.55+130 I'm at 21.1? That is far away from -43?

hearingmap
hearingmap1158×385 43.4 KB

This calculation is very important for me. :confused:

64

I forgot to mention that my RSSI calculations throw out positive RSSI values, i.e., RSSI * -1 so that I can input directly into anom3 script. So just multiply 21.1 * -1 = -21.1. It's still quite off from -43.

What is the client device (Android, iPhone?) that you are using for these measurements?

If you don't mind sharing an experiment: take at least two data points (X = the RSSI showed by iw, and Y = the decimal number reported by the beacon), one right next to the router and another the farthest you can go. We can then have an idea of the signal range for high x low and then we can compare our findings.

Needless to say that the formulas work well for my case and they are certainly not the technically correct way of calculating RSSI. But since I couldn't find anything in the internet, I had to improvise.

65

@PolynomialDivision : This is the excel that I used and the data points collected.

Screenshot
Screenshot2125×971 120 KB

1 Like
66

Wow, you even received RSNI values. :smiley: I have a Xiaomi Mi 9 with LineageOS. I will do some measurements! :slight_smile:

67

Any hints why one R7800 (AP and router) lists under View Network Overview only own networks/clients and at the same time another R7800 (AP) lists everything?

68

One of two R7800s is flooding log with an error message Received NULL MAC! Client is strange!
More detailed log from that AP looks like that:

May  1 08:47:40 192.168.1.2 dawn[16726]: Crafting Beacon Report
May  1 08:47:40 192.168.1.2 dawn[16726]: Adding string
May  1 08:47:40 192.168.1.2 dawn[16726]: Invoking beacon report!
May  1 08:47:40 192.168.1.2 dawn[16726]: Method new: beacon-report : {"address":"xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx","op-class":0,"channel":0,"start-time":0,"duration":0,"report-info":128,"rcpi":0,"rsni":0,"bssid":"00:00:00:00:00:00","antenna-id":0,"parent-tsf":0}
May  1 08:47:40 192.168.1.2 dawn[16726]: Received NULL MAC! Client is strange!
May  1 08:47:40 192.168.1.2 dawn[16726]: Method new: beacon-report : {"address":"yy:yy:yy:yy:yy:yy","op-class":0,"channel":0,"start-time":0,"duration":0,"report-info":128,"rcpi":0,"rsni":0,"bssid":"00:00:00:00:00:00","antenna-id":0,"parent-tsf":0}
May  1 08:47:40 192.168.1.2 dawn[16726]: Received NULL MAC! Client is strange!

Here is bigger chunk of combined log from both devices:

May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: --------APs------
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ssid: IoT, bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, freq: 2472, ht: 1, vht: 0, chan_utilz: 2, col_d: -1, bandwidth: -1, col_count: 11 neighbor_report: b9808080ef090000510d070603000d00
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ssid: prod, bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:77:77:77, freq: 5580, ht: 1, vht: 1, chan_utilz: 0, col_d: -1, bandwidth: -1, col_count: 11 neighbor_report: b9777777ff1900008074090603027a00
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: --------Connections------
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Conenctin to Port: 516, Connected: True
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Ustream send: 1088
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: --------Clients------
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Client Entry Last: 10
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:77:77:77, client_addr: 5B:5B:5B:5B:5B:5B, freq: 5580, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 1, ht: 1, vht: 1, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, client_addr: 1A:1A:1A:1A:1A:1A, freq: 2472, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 0, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, client_addr: 68:68:68:68:68:68, freq: 2472, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 0, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, client_addr: E6:E6:E6:E6:E6:E6, freq: 2472, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 0, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, client_addr: D2:D2:D2:D2:D2:D2, freq: 2472, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 0, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, client_addr: 83:83:83:83:83:83, freq: 2472, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 0, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, client_addr: 50:50:50:50:50:50, freq: 2472, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 0, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, client_addr: A4:A4:A4:A4:A4:A4, freq: 2472, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 0, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, client_addr: 6E:6E:6E:6E:6E:6E, freq: 2472, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 0, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, client_addr: 90:90:90:90:90:90, freq: 2472, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 0, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, client_addr: 75:75:75:75:75:75, freq: 2472, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 0, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: --------APs------
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ssid: IoT, bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:80:80:80, freq: 2472, ht: 1, vht: 0, chan_utilz: 2, col_d: -1, bandwidth: -1, col_count: 11 neighbor_report: b9808080ef090000510d070603000d00
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ssid: prod, bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:77:77:77, freq: 5580, ht: 1, vht: 1, chan_utilz: 0, col_d: -1, bandwidth: -1, col_count: 11 neighbor_report: b9777777ff1900008074090603027a00
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Hostname: R7800ap
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: IPV4: 192.168.1.2
May  1 09:36:12 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Port: 1026
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: [Thread] : Removing old client entries!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: --------Connections------
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Conenctin to Port: 516, Connected: True
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Ustream send: 5400
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: --------Clients------
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Client Entry Last: 7
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: bssid_addr: 8C:3B:AD:F4:F4:F4, client_addr: F7:F7:F7:F7:F7:F7, freq: 5200, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 1, ht: 1, vht: 1, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: bssid_addr: 8C:3B:AD:F4:F4:F4, client_addr: 7A:7A:7A:7A:7A:7A, freq: 5200, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 1, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: bssid_addr: 8C:3B:AD:F4:F4:F4, client_addr: 41:41:41:41:41:41, freq: 5200, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 1, ht: 1, vht: 0, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: bssid_addr: 8C:3B:AD:F4:F4:F4, client_addr: 3B:3B:3B:3B:3B:3B, freq: 5200, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 1, ht: 1, vht: 1, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: bssid_addr: 8C:3B:AD:F4:F4:F4, client_addr: 2F:2F:2F:2F:2F:2F, freq: 5200, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 1, ht: 1, vht: 1, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: bssid_addr: 8C:3B:AD:F4:F4:F4, client_addr: 61:61:61:61:61:61, freq: 5200, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 1, ht: 1, vht: 1, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: bssid_addr: 8C:3B:AD:F4:F4:F4, client_addr: B13:13:13:13:13:13, freq: 5200, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 1, ht: 1, vht: 1, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:77:77:77, client_addr: 5B:5B:5B:5B:5B:5B, freq: 5580, ht_supported: 1, vht_supported: 1, ht: 1, vht: 1, kick: 0
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: --------APs------
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: ssid: prod, bssid_addr: 8C:3B:AD:F4:F4:F4, freq: 5200, ht: 1, vht: 1, chan_utilz: 221529894, col_d: -1, bandwidth: -1, col_count: 8 neighbor_report: adf4f4f4ef1900008028090603022a00
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: ssid: prod, bssid_addr: B0:7F:B9:77:77:77, freq: 5580, ht: 1, vht: 1, chan_utilz: 0, col_d: -1, bandwidth: -1, col_count: 8 neighbor_report: b9777777ff1900008074090603027a00
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Sending beacon report!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Sending beacon report Sub!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Crafting Beacon Report
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Adding string
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Invoking beacon report!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Crafting Beacon Report
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Adding string
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Invoking beacon report!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Crafting Beacon Report
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Adding string
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Invoking beacon report!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Crafting Beacon Report
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Adding string
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Invoking beacon report!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Crafting Beacon Report
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Adding string
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Invoking beacon report!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Crafting Beacon Report
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Adding string
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Invoking beacon report!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Crafting Beacon Report
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Adding string
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Invoking beacon report!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Hostname: R7800rtr
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: IPV4: 192.168.1.1
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Port: 1026
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Method new: beacon-report : {"address":"61:61:61:61:61:61","op-class":0,"channel":0,"start-time":0,"duration":0,"report-info":128,"rcpi":0,"rsni":0,"bssid":"00:00:00:00:00:00","antenna-id":0,"parent-tsf":0}
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Received NULL MAC! Client is strange!
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Method new: beacon-report : {"address":"41:41:41:41:41:41","op-class":0,"channel":0,"start-time":0,"duration":0,"report-info":128,"rcpi":0,"rsni":0,"bssid":"00:00:00:00:00:00","antenna-id":0,"parent-tsf":0}
May  1 09:36:13 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Received NULL MAC! Client is strange!
May  1 09:36:17 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Method new: probe : {"address":"b13:13:13:13:13:13","target":"ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff","signal":-68,"freq":2472,"ht_capabilities":{"ht_capabilities_info":6639,"supported_mcs_set":{"a_mpdu_params":23,"ht_extended_capabilities":0,"tx_bf_capability_info":0,"asel_capabilities":0,"supported_mcs_set":[255,255,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,44,1,1,0,0,0]}}}
May  1 09:36:17 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: --------Connections------
May  1 09:36:17 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Conenctin to Port: 516, Connected: True
May  1 09:36:17 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Network Method new: probe : {"method":"probe","data":"{\"bssid\":\"B0:7F:B9:80:80:80\",\"address\":\"B13:13:13:13:13:13\",\"target\":\"FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF\",\"signal\":-68,\"freq\":2472,\"rcpi\":-1,\"rsni\":-1}"}
May  1 09:36:17 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:17 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Ustream send: 256
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Method new: probe : {"address":"b13:13:13:13:13:13","target":"ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff","signal":-78,"freq":5580,"ht_capabilities":{"ht_capabilities_info":6639,"supported_mcs_set":{"a_mpdu_params":23,"ht_extended_capabilities":0,"tx_bf_capability_info":0,"asel_capabilities":0,"supported_mcs_set":[255,255,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,44,1,1,0,0,0]}},"vht_capabilities":{"vht_capabilities_info":59798006,"vht_supported_mcs_set":{"rx_map":-6,"rx_highest":0,"tx_map":-6,"tx_highest":8192}}}
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: --------Connections------
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Network Method new: probe : {"method":"probe","data":"{\"bssid\":\"B0:7F:B9:77:77:77\",\"address\":\"B13:13:13:13:13:13\",\"target\":\"FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF\",\"signal\":-78,\"freq\":5580,\"rcpi\":-1,\"rsni\":-1}"}
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Conenctin to Port: 516, Connected: True
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Ustream send: 256
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Method new: probe : {"address":"b13:13:13:13:13:13","target":"ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff","signal":-77,"freq":5580,"ht_capabilities":{"ht_capabilities_info":6639,"supported_mcs_set":{"a_mpdu_params":23,"ht_extended_capabilities":0,"tx_bf_capability_info":0,"asel_capabilities":0,"supported_mcs_set":[255,255,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,44,1,1,0,0,0]}},"vht_capabilities":{"vht_capabilities_info":59798006,"vht_supported_mcs_set":{"rx_map":-6,"rx_highest":0,"tx_map":-6,"tx_highest":8192}}}
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: --------Connections------
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Conenctin to Port: 516, Connected: True
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Network Method new: probe : {"method":"probe","data":"{\"bssid\":\"B0:7F:B9:77:77:77\",\"address\":\"B13:13:13:13:13:13\",\"target\":\"FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF\",\"signal\":-77,\"freq\":5580,\"rcpi\":-1,\"rsni\":-1}"}
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Ustream send: 256
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Method new: probe : {"address":"b13:13:13:13:13:13","target":"ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff","signal":-52,"freq":5200,"ht_capabilities":{"ht_capabilities_info":6639,"supported_mcs_set":{"a_mpdu_params":23,"ht_extended_capabilities":0,"tx_bf_capability_info":0,"asel_capabilities":0,"supported_mcs_set":[255,255,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,44,1,1,0,0,0]}},"vht_capabilities":{"vht_capabilities_info":59798006,"vht_supported_mcs_set":{"rx_map":-6,"rx_highest":0,"tx_map":-6,"tx_highest":8192}}}
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: --------Connections------
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Conenctin to Port: 516, Connected: True
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Ustream send: 256
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Network Method new: probe : {"method":"probe","data":"{\"bssid\":\"8C:3B:AD:F4:F4:F4\",\"address\":\"B13:13:13:13:13:13\",\"target\":\"FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF\",\"signal\":-52,\"freq\":5200,\"rcpi\":-1,\"rsni\":-1}"}
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Method new: probe : {"address":"b13:13:13:13:13:13","target":"ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff","signal":-52,"freq":5200,"ht_capabilities":{"ht_capabilities_info":6639,"supported_mcs_set":{"a_mpdu_params":23,"ht_extended_capabilities":0,"tx_bf_capability_info":0,"asel_capabilities":0,"supported_mcs_set":[255,255,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,44,1,1,0,0,0]}},"vht_capabilities":{"vht_capabilities_info":59798006,"vht_supported_mcs_set":{"rx_map":-6,"rx_highest":0,"tx_map":-6,"tx_highest":8192}}}
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: --------Connections------
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Conenctin to Port: 516, Connected: True
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Ustream send: 256
May  1 09:36:18 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Network Method new: probe : {"method":"probe","data":"{\"bssid\":\"8C:3B:AD:F4:F4:F4\",\"address\":\"B13:13:13:13:13:13\",\"target\":\"FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF\",\"signal\":-52,\"freq\":5200,\"rcpi\":-1,\"rsni\":-1}"}
May  1 09:36:22 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: [Thread] : Removing old client entries!
May  1 09:36:22 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: --------Connections------
May  1 09:36:22 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Conenctin to Port: 516, Connected: True
May  1 09:36:22 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: ------------------
May  1 09:36:22 192.168.1.1 dawn[16337]: Ustream send: 4248
May  1 09:36:22 192.168.1.2 dawn[17366]: Network Method new: clients : {"method":"clients","data":"{\"freq\":5580,\"clients\":{\"5B:5B:5B:5B:5B:5B\":{\"auth\":true,\"assoc\":true,\"authorized\":true,\"preauth\":false,\"wds\":false,\"wmm\":true,\"ht\":true,\"vht\":true,\"wps\":false,\"mfp\":false,\"rrm\":[0,0,0,0,0],\"aid\":1,\"signature\":\"wifi4|probe:0,1,45,191,221(0050f2,8),htcap:09ef,htagg:17,htmcs:0000ffff,vhtcap:038171b1,vhtrxmcs:0000fffa,vhttxmcs:0000fffa|assoc:0,1,33,36,45,48,127,127,191,221(0050f2,2),htcap:09e7,htagg:17,htmcs:0000ffff,vhtcap:038011b1,vhtrxmcs:0000fffa,vhttxmcs:0000fffa,txpow:0c00,extcap:0000000000000040\"}},\"collision_domain\":-1,\"bandwidth\":-1,\"bssid\":\"B0:7F:B9:77:77:77\",\"ssid\":\"prod\",\"ht_supported\":true,\"vht_supported\":true,\"ap_weight\":0,\"channel_utilization\":0,\"neighbor_report\":\"b9777777ff1900008074090603027a00\"}"}
69

I have interesting behavior too on my network overview. Network setup:
-one r7800 router with wireless turned off
-two hardwired r7800s as APs (DHCP turned off, both hardwired directly to the router)
-5ghz and 2.4ghz are separate SSIDs
-Smart home devices on 2.4ghz only
-Roaming devices (phones, tablets) on 5ghz only.
-5ghz has all roaming features turned on, only difference in config between APs is that they are on different channels:


root@OpenWrt:~# cat /etc/config/wireless

config wifi-device 'radio0'
        option type 'mac80211'
        option hwmode '11a'
        option path 'soc/1b500000.pci/pci0000:00/0000:00:00.0/0000:01:00.0'
        option htmode 'VHT80'
        option channel '161'
        option txpower '22'
        option legacy_rates '0'
        option country 'US'
        option beacon_int '101'

config wifi-iface 'default_radio0'
        option device 'radio0'
        option network 'lan'
        option mode 'ap'
        option ft_over_ds '1'
        option ssid 'fastandshort'
        option ft_psk_generate_local '1'
        option key '*********'
        option ieee80211r '1'
        option encryption 'psk2+ccmp'
        option ieee80211k '1'
        option bss_transition '1'
        option ieee80211v '1'

config wifi-device 'radio1'
        option type 'mac80211'
        option channel '11'
        option hwmode '11g'
        option path 'soc/1b700000.pci/pci0001:00/0001:00:00.0/0001:01:00.0'
        option htmode 'HT20'
        option txpower '27'
        option rts '980'
        option legacy_rates '0'
        option beacon_int '191'

config wifi-iface 'default_radio1'
        option device 'radio1'
        option network 'lan'
        option mode 'ap'
        option key '*********'
        option ssid 'Slowandlong'
        option encryption 'psk2+ccmp'

My two APs only report seeing only their own devices (half of the below picture). My router reports seeing all devices:

image

@PolynomialDivision roaming appears to be working great. I have all newer iOS devices and I’m using the DAWN default config. Is this normal behavior for the network overview or is there something in the configuration that I missed and all devices should be able to report the entire network?

70

You mean you have 3 routers and on only 1 you see the whole network? Seems like umdns is not working correctly. You should see everything on every router that is running DAWN. :slight_smile:

Please try

ubus call umdns browse

and

ubus call umdns hosts

On each AP you should see the other APs announcing DAWN, if u use the TCP mode of DAWN.

Sometimes you have to edit /etc/config/umdns and add wan interface

config umdns
	option jail 1
	list network lan
	list network wan
2 Likes
71

Ran this on each AP:


uci add_list umdns.@umdns[0].network='wan'; uci commit umdns

With the WAN added to the list ...


root@OpenWrt:~# cat /etc/config/umdns

config umdns
        option jail '1'
        list network 'lan'
        list network 'wan'

Everything is working great and all APs see each other. Will continue testing. :sunglasses:

72

In my case through ubus call umdns browse router and AP both see each other yet list on the router was incomplete. After adding wan to umdns config just on access point everything is listed on both for some time only to return to the previous state regardless of wan added on both devices.

73

I did some testing walking around - it was very sensitive to devices going to sleep and the report will drop sleeping devices (ex: woke up this morning and one of my APs was “missing”, walked the device toward that AP and the AP with an active client reappeared). Every device responds back at different intervals and go to sleep at different intervals. Makes the reports interesting to watch.

Have the wan added to the APs, not the main router (wifi is turned off on the main router).

Don’t have any hard data or concerns about this behavior. Roaming is smooth with no jitter on iOS devices. :man_shrugging:

74

@ACwifidude @perceival

Do u mean you lose your APs if no client is connected to them? The Network Overview is only showing APs if some client is connected to them. That was a design decision, but I can change it again and show empty APs.

75

Showing empty APs would be reassuring and helpful. Gives valuable feedback to know the full network’s status (including feedback if APs have zero connected clients, ex: useful for trouble shooting balancing / router placement / dawn config optimization). :sunglasses:

So far loving dawn. Like the data it adds on the LuCI interface for watching the network (and appreciate devices sharing this data to optimize roaming).

What do you see as the next steps (next software changes) to optimize 802.11k/v?

76

Actually in my setup only one R7800 shows full list under Network Overview regardless of the number of connected clients. Currently the situation has changed and router is showing full list while AP only own network. Quite the opposite than yesterday for example.
Plus I'm getting dawn[4279]: Received NULL MAC! Client is strange! error message only from AP (between 400 and 6000 a day). Not sure if that is connected.
My setup:

router ------------------------eth------------------------AP
- IoT WLAN 2.4GHz                                WLAN 5GHz -
- WLAN 5GHz
77

Interesting. I don’t have that error, is it a particular client causing the issue or is it a difference in network design?

r7800 Router
(no wifi, dawn installed, no adjustments to umdns)
 |                  \
 |  eth       eth    \ 
 |                    \
r7800 AP           r7800 AP
Separate 5ghz SSID and 2.4ghz SSID, different channels
(dawn installed and wan added to umdns for both)
78

Please change that value to a much higher one, e.g. 360 or set it to 0, this will disable beacon reports. Then the message should go away. :slight_smile:

Further, it would be nice, if you could debug that with umdns, if the mdns entrys are existing and the APs are seeing each other.

79

Dawn looks really nice. Still waiting for my 2nd access point to arrive to try it.
Does anyone know if 802.11r works well in mixed wifi vendor environments with openwrt?
E.g having a router with an aetheros chipset and a mediatek wifi one?

80

My 2 cents (I am not using DAWN at the moment). In my scenario, 802.11r works perfectly in an environment with WR841 (ath79) and Archer C2 - v1 (mediatek).
When the configuration is the same, no problems should arise at all.

82

Hi @PolynomialDivision and others

A week or so ago I started looking at how to use the 802.11k+v features to help steer various devices around the house to the AP that can best support them at any given time. I thought I was going to write a few scripts to aggregate the current station / client status, process that on my most powerful AP (others are simple 4+32 devices) to look for "outliers" and then tell relevant APs what disassoc frames to send.

Every time I reach the next step I find myself back at this thread which seems to be the main resource for understanding various elements: neighbor report gathering and sharing, beacon requests, using hostapd to gather them, etc. My next step was to untangle the beacon report binary blob that hostapd dumps into the logs. And when I look for guidance on the structures used it brings me here again :)!

So it's looking like the best way forwards for me for now is to get DAWN up and running and see how close what it does is to what I want, and maybe contribute some changes if we have slightly different goals that can use the same lower level capabilities. For example, I can imagine that some will want to optimise use and stability of tens - hundreds APs in a large site, while others (like me :)) are more interested in client experience across a few lightly loaded APs.

I'm newish to OpenWRT dev, but have ported a few new devices (that are very similar to existing ones) into my local builds, backported packages to similar, etc. I'm a decent C coder having started my career working (perhaps ironically) on early comms infrastructure management. If I get things up and running let me know what ic an do to help nudge things forwards.

1 Like