I facing multiple WIFI disconnects, on our Linksys WRT3200ACM.
the installed OS is OpenWrt 18.06.1.
We are run this router as access-point.
Configured is VLAN one one LAN port.
As WIFI we are using two SSID's each frequency.
one is configured as WPA2-PSK.
the second one is WPA2-EAP.
we are using both configs on both frequencies at the same time, with multiple accesspoints per floor.
we are facing multiple time per day complete network disconnects, but wifi is still connected (I can confirm this).
some users have said to me that the client is reconnecting sometimes 3 time in a hour and can reconnect again, after some seconds. But the session form internet calls are lost.
for a internet call is this very bad, the user have to rejoin again.
When you need more information, like config, I can provide this to you.
Anybody knows a solution here?
The OpenWrt version is way behind. You can try to upgrade to 18.06.6 and also post here the configuration for a start: uci export network; uci export dhcp; uci export wireless
You mentioned that you have multiple Access Points per floor, so did you perform a proper site survey before mounting the APs to their locations?
In your configuration you have maximum transmit power. Is that necessary? It could be a reason for interference and frequent disconnections or staying connected to a non optimal AP.
Are the other APs using the same or different frequencies? It should be the latter.
it should be said that the wifi drivers on this device are abandoned and unfortunately buggy. perhaps brief disconnects occur without any real long term stoppage that would be obvious to the end users.
I'm looking forward to being able to replace mine in a couple years with some WIFi 6 enabled Enterprise access points (when they are widely available eventually).
the wrt3200 would have been a pretty good device if the wifi drivers were supported.
All AP are using different channels on the frequencies.
The increasing of the TX power was only a test mysite. The result is the same.
But when I use a different SSID only for one accesspoint, then It can be the same.
Last time, when I tested by myself, I was idsconnected from the network (not from the wifi) with a 60 minutes interval.
It's not just OpenWrt, it's the Linux kernel. And it's not Linksys, but rather the chipset makers Marvell. They never really supported the driver with proper levels of information release and/or development resources. Recently Marvell sold off the entire business unit to some other company, and support ended entirely as I understand it.
So, the device "works" under OpenWrt as well as it works under anything at all, which is sort of a 7 on a scale where 9 or 10 is what you'd want for enterprise use.
I've found the occasional "have you tried turning it off and on again" works wonders in my fairly complex network at home (three APs, two wifi networks across multiple channels etc). You might get some benefit from a nightly reboot... can't promise anything though:
I doubt it's the number of users that's the issue. People experience these sort of random issues even in home environments with just a few devices.
WiFi for VOIP use is extremely demanding. Even 100ms of downtime is very noticeable. There's no way to restart without kicking out users off the device. However if there are multiple APs all on the same ESSID, you should be able to turn a device off and the clients renegotiate with another device. You'll lose about 1s of audio, but you shouldn't drop the call.
As for what's a good device for enterprise use... You'd really want something tested and stable. I couldn't recommend anything in particular. I can say the gl-inet devices are at least supported by the manufacturer and run a slightly modified openwrt out of the box. Perhaps something like the GL-B1300? but I really don't know.
@tmomas The WiFi driver on the wrt3200acm is broken so you can not run
different country codes for that setting.I am in GB, but if I make that
change wifi runs like shit!
I have to keep mine set to FR on all 3 radios.
I just have one of these routers, perhaps I was extra lucky and got a good one...
Both my wife and me work from home, so there are two laptops (different brands) connected by wifi to this router, for eight to ten hours straight. We both have a different VPN connection open the whole time, we both make frequent VoIP calls that last one hour or even more with multiple participants. In my case, this is 100% reliable, or I would have bought something else, I just cannot afford to lose the privilege of working from home.
We also have two TVs at home, one is 4K and the other just FullHD. Both are connected to the same router, and both can stream a show at the same time, while someone else is working on the laptops. Again, zero interruptions and zero lagging allowed, or I would sleep on the sofa.
There are five different phones connected to this routes right now, different brands and different generations. No issues so far. I could continue, but it looks like I am bragging about my gadgets.
I am not saying this router is perfect, there are several well known issues. And I am not saying this is all your fault because it works for me. But perhaps you should look a bit deeper before blaming the device.
I have a similar selection of gadgets, and two WRT32x devices in use as access points, with two ssids in use. one is wpa2-eap protected and the other is unencrypted guest.
my Android phones generally connect and stay connected. My fire tablets on the other hand when they go to sleep they come back on showing a connection, but don't actually have one, they require turning wifi off and on again... my Linux laptops work well, but my wife's Mac doesn't. she has to turn wifi off and on about 5 times a day.. occasionally the guest ssid allows association but no internet access, turning the AP off and on solves it...
i think there are known issues with multicast on this device? since ipv6 requires good multicast for router adverts, and ipv6 is an integral part of my network, I think this is part of my issue. I will ditch these as soon as the next wifi6 generation of devices comes along. it's too bad but there are too many quirks.