Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 23:41 Post subject: WRT54G v23SP2 does not join WDS system anymore **SOLVED**
Hi!
I had a WEP network running with two routers with internet access and one PC on one end and a server and another PC on the other end.
Today I added a freshly bought WRT45GL to the network and for silence and better reachability of an AP I changed topology. So now we have:
WRT54GV2 HX (unmodded) at the server and the internet connection via an Eumex 300IP.
WRT54GV2 HX (unmodded) at PC number one.
WRT54GL (unmodded) at PC number two.
All of them share the same SSID but SSID broadcast is disabled.
As I could not get access with GL running DD-WRT v23 SP2 to the older G's running pre alpha5 I updated all of them to the v23SP2. I followed the complete 'how to' and all boxes are alive.
Now I could establish a pretty well running WDS connection from my PC and the Internet/Server System, so one of the G's and the new GL are running fine. It is annoying that those systems reboot on settings that should not need a reboot and WLAN is going offline for a time at nearly every setting. But I found a similar entry in the BugTracker already.
Now to the problematic part. I cannot get access from the third box, it cannot join the WEP system. I even copy'n'pasted the SSID, WPA-PSK TKIP Key and the MAC addresses.
My Internet Router can see the new client to the WEP, but the rx-level on the client tells 0 and a lot of TX errors but 0 RX Errors.
I switched off any encryption and security and it didn't work. I switched back to all the settings that worked on the other client ( besides the IP Adress, what should be different) Doesn't work.
So, now I must remark, that it seems to work for a while. I could reach the router from the other end.
I then tried to give all routers different names for more overview who is connecting where. But WPA must have same name, other than with WEP, WPA seems to require same SSIDs on all stations. I learned that from the now annoying router as it immediately lost connection. I went over to it, reconfigured the SSID and now its over. I cannot connect into the WEP system again.
I tried full-reset ( 30s Button push) I tried reconfiguring it as a client ( there is only one machine connected to it and the mobile devices get enough RF from the internet router in the middle.)
It worked somehow, but I didn't test it completely as I'd need to have AP functionality for later use.
After these tests, verifying that technically the box is ok with its receivers and transmitters, I switched back to WDS and it still refuses to connect to the WDS system.
So what to do next? How can I lock down the problem to a special part of the software? I am a hopefully good programmer even with controllers and DSPs, but I never dived into a linux box even I'd like to do that in the near future.
Does anyone have some tips for me how to use may be the ssh/telnet login to find the problem? Is the problem already known?
Whatever, thanks in advance for any hint.
Best regards, Ulrich
Last edited by uprinz on Thu Feb 01, 2007 15:25; edited 1 time in total
Funny, but I flashed the not-joining router to DD-WRT v24 latest alpha.
It joined the net... but only til the next reboot after modifying some other settings.
Now it's the same like before: it does not join the WDS system.
Addtional information:
The two routers connecting to each other and running 23SP2 are running fine and even accept Wl connections from normal WL clients. But both of them do not accept the third router.
Ah, I saved the config from my working router, saved into the not-working one, modified name and ip and rebooted all systems, cleared ARP-table on my PC and on the linux box.
The two previous connecting routers still work fine, the third one still doesnt.
Yes and technikal it is pretty fine.
I'll try again. I found some threads concerning WRTs looking like WLAN is dead. Unfortunately there are only answers like 'Use search'...
Can someone please give me a link that might put some light into my darkness? I am not natively speaking english, so may be that's why I don't hit the right search keywords.
Is it possible this is a signal strength/quality/location problem?
Even intermittent interference signals from other wireless (non WiFi/801. *** ) devices?
Dropped connections I find are often a result of difficult operating conditions.
I would try boosting the signal (and reception) in the direction of the AP with a simple reflector attached to one antenna.
I checked that, as I used to configure this WRT, where I configured all the others that where working instantly and connecting to the one in the middle.
Also I had a WDS connection running from that room to the position where the non-working was positioned while he worked, what is much mor far away then the actual distance to the mastere router.
It could be a problem to have my router and the one to be configured so close to each other. But the non working one doesn't connect if he is in the opposite position of the house.
( Routers are postioned in sort of a triangle in 1st floor left side, 2nd floor right side and middle in the attic.)
So that should not be the problem.
But thanks,
Ulrich
Some advices to all those who are trying the same like me:
Misstake 1: I had routing RIP2 enabled on all routers. That doesn't work as all routers are in the same network. So they start to send wrong route information to cients booking into the wireless network. Additionally they seem really to route all packets what slows down traffic with an impact of up to 50%.
Misstake 2: I plugged the second to configure router into the same switch where my ulink router was installed. From that moment on, the WDS domain doesn't knw where to send packets to if it wants to reach my computer. So computer sends packets through the freshly configured router, but the router in the middle had my arp address still pointing to the other one.
So if you have to configure two routers on one computer joining the same WDS domain, configure them one by one and power off all other clients. ( Do not power off the router in the middle, whereall the other should connect to :-)
Misstake 3:
After configuring and swapping routers on your pc, remember to check routing tables if you still can connect vie the right gateway. Most times it is enough to delete the wrong routes coming from configuration, they will be discovered automatically.
Also delete unmatching entries from your arp-tables on the pc as it lasts some time until it discoveres, that a gateway is not reachable anymore and you are wondering why the connection, that worked a minute befor doesn't work now.
Resumee:
I made all those misstakes that I learned to avoid 10 years ago, when I was a router specialist. Seems that I am out of the business to long. But knowledge comes back, hopefully.
Status today:
As none of the WRT54Gx has a WAN connection, all are configured with routing service disabled. All have 23SP2 besides one with latest beta (0127?) running. All have frame burst enabled and all of them have WDS entries of the other two installed. You can see that a moving router cuts connection to the station leaving and reestablish to the station coming nearer.
Cleaning routing and arp information on all pcs and servers made it working like charm.
Disabling routing improves speed a lot.
Additionally I modified network settings to 2048 connections and a TCP/UDP timeout of 90s.
Question left: I have one WRT54G v2/HX with 32MB of RAM and wonder if that is not enough to rise parallel connection value to more than 4096? I mean this router is in the middle connecting to servers and internet router and one station alone rises connections to 512 and above. So, as there are at least 3 other stations connecting in the future it will become a bottleneck.
So, even noone could really help even one good guy tried ( thanks for that) the board itself was helpfull in a lot of ways.
If some of these information in this thread should be linked into the Wiki, let me know.
