In preparation for a possible bug report, I wanted to inquire what low level device properties would be helpful for a developer in tracking down a wifi issue described below.
I’m using an MT76-based device (ZBT WE3526) as my AP and have been experiencing wifi challenges across the various 19.07 builds, while my usage was not too bad, I have this same unit in several family & friends home, and those that have high-density wifi nearby tell me that the wifi is not that stable, needing restarting the router to get it back. Sometimes multiple times per day.
So I set out to find out what the main cause is and after collecting some info from the others it seems that it is a sensitivity to the presence of multiple additional APs in the area.
The device seems to send data (tx) to clients fine, but inbound (rx) seems to fail and packets / connections drop. So it’s very much like the rx side collapses if there are multiple APs around, some on the same channel.
Interestingly enough, even once the offending APs are powered down, the AP still has serious rx issues and needs a reboot to come back.
Nothing in either system or kernel logs to hint, but I run at loglevel 3. I do see frequent STA disconnect/reconnect events, much more than expected.
It recovers fully with a wifi up/down cycle or a reboot.
I can recreate this by setting out and turning on a dozen or more other APs from my gear collection, they were just powered on, with valid SSIDs, but zero STA traffic. They were located some 40’ away through multiple walls, with a strength around -70, so not a strong signal. Trying to simulate a dense neighborhood, not an apartment building.
So what specific data would help pinpoint this problem, and hopefully, be useful in testing any fixes?