Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 22:48 Post subject: r8000 PB repeating with : wl2 as client-bridge and wl0 as AP
Hello,
I bought a used r8000 with the intent of making a repeater out of it without the half bandwidth loss:
using 47900 (non experimental) I configurd it with
* eth1 (wl0 5GHz) as AP
* eth2 (wl1 2.4Ghz) as AP
* eth3 (wl2 5GHz) as Client Bridge connecting to my main TPlink archerC9v1 running r47900
It says it connects, to the archerC9v1 but :
* can't ping the archerC9v1 (or the internet)
* in the serial console I get these messages
Code:
CONSOLE: 003185.828 wl2.0: unsolicited authentication response from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: 003187.423 wl2.0: wlc_wsec_recvdata_enc_toss unsupported encrypted unicast frame from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: 003187.467 wl2.0: wlc_wsec_recvdata_enc_toss unsupported encrypted unicast frame from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: 003187.467 wl2.0: wlc_wsec_recvdata_enc_toss unsupported encrypted unicast frame from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: 003187.510 wl2.0: wlc_wsec_recvdata_enc_toss unsupported encrypted unicast frame from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: 003187.545 wl2: wlc_txbf_init_sta: scb aleady has user index 0
[...]
CONSOLE: 003288.342 wl2.0: wlc_wsec_recvdata_decrypt ICV error using key index 0, dropping unicast frame 1106 ividx 0 from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: 003288.345 CCMP MIC error
CONSOLE: 003288.345 wl2.0: wlc_wsec_recvdata_decrypt ICV error using key index 0, dropping unicast frame 1122 ividx 0 from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: 003288.346 CCMP MIC error
CONSOLE: 003288.346 wl2.0: wlc_wsec_recvdata_decrypt ICV error using key index 0, dropping unicast frame 1124 ividx 0 from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: ror using key index 0, dropping unicast frame 2869 ividx 0 from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: 003288.895 CCMP MIC error
CONSOLE: 003288.895 wl2.0: wlc_wsec_recvdata_decrypt ICV error using key index 0, dropping unicast frame 3922 ividx 0 from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: 003288.898 CCMP MIC error
CONSOLE: 003288.898 wl2.0: wlc_wsec_recvdata_decrypt ICV error using key index 0, dropping unicast frame 3953 ividx 0 from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: ast frame 1417 ividx 0 from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: vdata_decrypt ICV error using key index 0, dropping unicast frame 1536 ividx 0 from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef
CONSOLE: 003289.215 CCMP MIC error
I've also tried connecting it to my current repeater (a TPlink re450v3 under openwrt) instead where :
* no such errors
* I can ping any machine on my network (including the archerC9v1
* I can ping the internet
So its better but INTERNET SPEEDS ARE SLOW 0.3Mbps (vs the >=200Mbps I'm expecting)
Is all this because `broadcom` and `dhd` module (dmesg | grep -i dhd find nothing...) ?
Or is there a setting I've messed up ?
P.S. I tried the experimental driver r47900 build (which uses relayd for pseudo bridge) and can get the 200-300Mbps expected :
* but internet connectivity take ~10min before it is available (i.e. for the first ~10min after boot anything outside the network is unreachable)
* I haven't found an ipv6 equivalent of relayd in ddwrt (openwrt uses odhcpd)
Thanks for any input... if no solution I guess I'll try openwrt (as on my re450v3)
Here are screenshots of the setup and wireless settings on the r8000
All 5GHz radios of archerc9v1 and r8000 had the same SSID and security parameters.
Anyways after more than an hour (and correcting the 2 quirks listed in PS) I could not get this to work properly with ddwrt. Router and Web interface were very unstable.
So as a first alternative I tried openwrt. Got it to work (~200 Mpbs) but the r8000 in openwrt is limited to US regulatory domain and channels 36 and 149 in 80MHz, the latter beeing an issue as not legal in France I looked for another solution...
So I tried FreshTomato 2021.08 (hadn't tried Tomato or a forl since my very first router... a wrt54gl).
Up and running with media bridge (instead of wireless bridge) default regulatory domain (SG/12) and proper frenc legal 5GHz/80MHz channels 52 and 100 in 5min... and am getting 300Mbps (3 times what I was getting with my re450 in [pseudo] repeater/bridge. I guess the explicit/implicit beamforming on both archerc9v1 and r8000 explain why I'm getting more than the 2 times more expected from removing the half bandwidth limitation of repeater bridge.
PS. 2 quirks I found in ddwrt during my tests
1. had to manually `nvram set dnsmasq_enable=0; nvram commit` as the webinterface was not doing it correctly... all other variables were modified when I "applied" "dnsmasq disable" but not dnsmasq_eneable... after apply it was still enbaed in the webinterface... This could be a bug...
2. the r8000 5GHz client bridge was connecting to the r8000 5GHz AP on channel 100... Had to add MAC filters so it wouldn't and would instead connect to the archerc9v1 5GHz AP on channel 36... [FreshTomato didn't need that extra step because I could specify the client channel to be 36 whereas ddwrt in client/client bridge mode does not ask for a channel]
This self connection was the cause of the "unsolicited authentication response from b2:34:b0:12:ac:ef" error I had been getting
Keep in mind that Broadcom ARM (Northstar) devices may not support these fake bridge modes due to the DHD driver. This is noted both in the wiki and in build release threads. _________________ "Life is but a fleeting moment, a vapor that vanishes quickly; All is vanity"
Contribute To DD-WRT Pogo - A minimal level of ability is expected and needed... DD-WRT Releases 2023 (PolitePol)
DD-WRT Releases 2023 (RSS Everything)
----------------------
Linux User #377467 counter.li.org / linuxcounter.net
Keep in mind that Broadcom ARM (Northstar) devices may not support these fake bridge modes due to the DHD driver. This is noted both in the wiki and in build release threads.
That's probably why FreshTomato uses the new "Media Bridge" and not the classic "Client Bridge" on these devices since 2021.06
Well FreshTomato has stability issues in mediabridge mode (from time to time the router is not reachable from media bridge side, not ap or lan side) mostly in ipv6 sometimes in ipv4, although all connected client remain reachable...
So I was still willing to play with ddwrt
Anyways I looked at FreshTomato source code and saw the only difference between Wireless Ethernet Bridge (ddwrt's client bridge [which work in neither]) and Media Bridge is that Wireless ethernet bridge sets "wl" "wet" capability ` wl -i dev wet 1` whereas Media Bridge sets "wl" "psta" capabilty `wl -i dev psta 1`
The good news is "psta" is available in ddwrt's wl too...
So I resetup a ddwrt with
* eth1 'wl0) as 5GHz ap
* eth2 (wl1) as 2.4GHz ap
* eth3 (wl2) as 5GHZ client bridge
If I stop here I'm back to the "decrypting errors and nothing working"
Code:
CONSOLE: 102660.691 wl0: wlc_bmac_processpmq: skip entry with mc/bc address 99:XX:XX:XX:XX:b8
CONSOLE: 102667.596 CCMP MIC error
CONSOLE: 102667.596 wl2.0: wlc_wsec_recvdata_decrypt ICV error using key index 0, dropping unicast frame 14 ividx 6 from a4:XX:XX:XX:XX:64
So then in firewall (tried in init but it comes too soon) script I do this...
Code:
wl -i eth3 down
wl -i eth3 psta 1
wl -i eth3 up
wl -i eth3 join $(nvram get wl2_ssid) amode wpa2psk --bssid=$(nvram get wl2_maclist)
wl2_maclist contains the MAC adress of the AP to join to
and low and behold everything works in ipv4 (I have a functional client bridge [or rather a media bridge ?])
Could this be implemented by default for r8000 and routers with equivalent hardware ?
I'm now trying to get ipv6 to work (as it doesn't)
* enabled ipv6 in the interface (ipv6_enable=1)
* set accept_ra to 2 in the interface for br0
--> br0 is getting its ipv6 and correct default route is set [dns is not getting picked up though],
but the r8000 can't ping any ipv6 (internal or external)
Last edited by dwardo on Sun Jan 23, 2022 13:50; edited 2 times in total
Joined: 08 May 2018 Posts: 14221 Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2022 15:51 Post subject:
I noticed these differences too, but didn't forward this up. I will see if BrainSlayer is interested; I am not sure that Broadcom MIPS driver supports this psta mode, though. _________________ "Life is but a fleeting moment, a vapor that vanishes quickly; All is vanity"
Contribute To DD-WRT Pogo - A minimal level of ability is expected and needed... DD-WRT Releases 2023 (PolitePol)
DD-WRT Releases 2023 (RSS Everything)
----------------------
Linux User #377467 counter.li.org / linuxcounter.net
1. I've also added a cronjob to ping regularly (for now every 5s... could test progressivelyincreasing it) the main AP or else the wl3 client bridge/media bridge connection seems to fall.
2. in Fresh tomato ipv6 connectivity works through the mediabridge (ie. clients have functional ipv6) even if ipv6 is not activated for the r8000 itself. It works on the r8000 when activated for itself
in dwwrt ipv6 is not functional for the client nor the r8000 (even if activated on the r8000)
I'm willing to do some tests if anyone has ideas with regards to solving the non functional ipv6
I noticed these differences too, but didn't forward this up. I will see if BrainSlayer is interested; I am not sure that Broadcom MIPS driver supports this psta mode, though.
Some advantages of media bridge (MB) mode compared to wireless Ethernet bridge mode include:
MB mode will work with SDK7 ARM routers like the AC3200 / R8000 (wireless Ethernet bridge is not working/not possible).
MB mode will work with SDK6 MIPS routers like the Asus RT-AC66U, D‑Link DIR‑865L, (wireless Ethernet bridge mode is not working/not possible).
MB mode will work with SDK6 arm routers like Asus RT-AC68U, Netgear R7000. (wireless Ethernet bridge mode is also possible).
IPv4 and IPv6 communication will work (wireless Ethernet bridge allows only IPv4. An except is SDK6 ARM dual-core will allow IPv6).
