Missing AP Wifi Mode on latest update
Hi,
I recently updated my OC200 to latest firmware, I noticed that I am unable to select wifi mode for the APs (I have 4 EAP245-v3, latest FW).
On previous firmware I was able to select 802.11 mode for each AP, since I want 802.11n mode only for 2.4GHz band
Before (Mode tab):
After (No mode tab):
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Dear @LaboDJ,
I recently updated my OC200 to latest firmware, I noticed that I am unable to select wifi mode for the APs (I have 4 EAP245-v3, latest FW).
On previous firmware I was able to select 802.11 mode for each AP, since I want 802.11n mode only for 2.4GHz band
The latest firmware is updated to the SDN controller, which removes the support of changing 802.11 mixed mode for each AP.
May I know your actual purpose of changing the wifi mode?
If you have a higher-density network, you want to improve the network performance by disabling lower bit rates and only allowing the higher, it's suggested to configure 802.11 Rate Control under Settings > Wireless Networks, select 2.4 GHz and/or 5GHz band to enable minimum data rate control according to your needs, move the slider to determine what bit rates your wireless network allows.
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When disabling 1/2/5.5/11 Mbps, it's definitely a bug if the slider remains at 6 Mbps.
CCK (complementary code keying) rates are used in conjunction with 802.11b WLANs. After we check the "Disable CCK Rates" box, it only disables the CCK data rates (1/2/5.5/11 Mbps), but this does not affect OFDM rates (6/9/12 Mbps data rates). It is possible that the OFDM rates are in the range of CCK rates so that you see the slider remains at 6 Mbps when CCK rates are disabled.
regarding 802.11 rate control I'm still puzzled by the setting »Require Clients to use rates at or above the specified value«. Does it mean the remaining settings are ignored and clients can still use lower WiFi rates if this setting is not enabled?
Yes, it is correct. So we need to check the »Require Clients to use rates at or above the specified value« box, making the value set by the drag bar take effect.
PS. There is a plan to write a FAQ to explain the function of 802.11 Rate Control in the near future.
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Dear @LaboDJ,
I recently updated my OC200 to latest firmware, I noticed that I am unable to select wifi mode for the APs (I have 4 EAP245-v3, latest FW).
On previous firmware I was able to select 802.11 mode for each AP, since I want 802.11n mode only for 2.4GHz band
The latest firmware is updated to the SDN controller, which removes the support of changing 802.11 mixed mode for each AP.
May I know your actual purpose of changing the wifi mode?
If you have a higher-density network, you want to improve the network performance by disabling lower bit rates and only allowing the higher, it's suggested to configure 802.11 Rate Control under Settings > Wireless Networks, select 2.4 GHz and/or 5GHz band to enable minimum data rate control according to your needs, move the slider to determine what bit rates your wireless network allows.
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Hi Fae, as I wrote in another recent thread, it would be very helpful if the Omada Controller User Guide could go into more detail about the effects of settings.
For example, regarding 802.11 rate control I'm still puzzled by the setting »Require Clients to use rates at or above the specified value«. Does it mean the remaining settings are ignored and clients can still use lower WiFi rates if this setting is not enabled?
To be honest, the descriptin of the settings (in this example: »Selects whether or not to require clients to use rates at or above the value that the slider indicates«) is pretty useless since this information is contained in the setting's label already.
The remaining question is: If set to not require clients to use rates at/above the slider's value, what sense does it make at all to set the slider to any value? Still not clear to me.
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@Fae thanks for the reply.
I Just want to use 802.11n only for 2.4 GHz and 802.11a/n/ac for 5GHz since I have many devices connected but none of them is legacy, moreover I use this setup at my home, so I don't mind if I lose compatibility with older devices.
I know that disabling 802.11b will improve network performance on 2.4GHz, I think that disabling CCK rates will disable 802.11b completely, but it's not very clear from the controller GUI, it's indicating "limited connectivity" and not "no connectivity"
I want to add that it would be nice to have control for each AP and not SSID based, since maybe I'll add another AP that allows legacy devices to connect
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LaboDJ wrote
I think that disabling CCK rates will disable 802.11b completely
Yes and no. The setting of 6 Mbps WiFi rate in your screenshot does not disable 802.11b. You need to set the minimum value for the WiFi rate to 12 Mbps. Disabling CCK rates forces the slider to be set to 12 Mbps automatically and the beacon rate to be set to 6 Mbps unless »Send beacons at 1 Mbps« is enabled also (I wish this important information would be described in the User Guide).
But if you set the slider manually back to 6 Mbps after disabling CCK rates, 802.11b devices are allowed to connect:
The limited range of the AP is caused by increasing the beacon's rate to 6 Mbps.
No connectivity is caused by setting the WiFi rate to 12 Mbps.
Note that setting only the slider manually to 12 Mbps will not change the beacon's rate, it still remains at 1 Mbps.
For the »Require clients to use rates ...« setting see my post #3. Still unclear to me what its effect is if unchecked.
Of course I want to require clients to use rates above the slider's value if changing the slider.
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@R1D2 there must be something strange in the controller GUI, sometimes I get the "limited connectivity" with CCK rates diabled and 6Mbps minimum rate as you can see from my previous screenshot, sometimes I get "no connectivity" with the same settings
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@LaboDJ, yes, you are right, I can reproduce that. It's clearly a side-effect of the GUI layout for rate control.
When disabling 1/2/5.5/11 Mbps, it's definitely a bug if the slider remains at 6 Mbps.
In my opinion, the slider/checkboxes mix in rate control with checkboxes forcing slider values, but slider values not affecting checkboxes is not very intuitive and – since implemented in Javascript – highly error-prone.
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So, how would one limit to only AC devices on 5G?
It's a rubbish system or poorly thought out way and not intuitive.
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Pugs wrote
So, how would one limit to only AC devices on 5G?
You can't and you should not do this either!
802.11n uses a compatibility mode to allow co-existence with 802.11a. Devices which allow to switch off 802.11a will cause interference with any other 802.11a device around, since 802.11n w/o 802.11a compatibility mode (the so-called »Greenfield« mode) would trigger radar detection in those APs around. Thus, an EAP disabling 802.11a completey would perform DoS attacks to other 802.11a networks around.
All you can do in the 5 GHz band is to limit minimum WiFi rate to 54 Mbit/s. This already excludes 802.11a legacy devices operating at lower rates, but still allows 802.11n and higher to use the 802.11a compatibility mode.
Settings in devices claiming to turn off 802.11a completely are fake settings. They just limit the minimum WiFi rate.
BTW, it's 5 GHz, not 5G, which refers to mobile networks.
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Dear @R1D2,
- To be honest, the descriptin of the settings (in this example: »Selects whether or not to require clients to use rates at or above the value that the slider indicates«) is pretty useless since this information is contained in the setting's label already.
The remaining question is: If set to not require clients to use rates at/above the slider's value, what sense does it make at all to set the slider to any value? Still not clear to me.
- Disabling CCK rates forces the slider to be set to 12 Mbps automatically and the beacon rate to be set to 6 Mbps unless »Send beacons at 1 Mbps« is enabled also (I wish this important information would be described in the User Guide).
I totally agree with you for providing more detail about the effects of settings here, I've written down and forwarded the feedback on rate control settings to the related departments for evaluation, will let you know if there is an update. Cheers!
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When disabling 1/2/5.5/11 Mbps, it's definitely a bug if the slider remains at 6 Mbps.
CCK (complementary code keying) rates are used in conjunction with 802.11b WLANs. After we check the "Disable CCK Rates" box, it only disables the CCK data rates (1/2/5.5/11 Mbps), but this does not affect OFDM rates (6/9/12 Mbps data rates). It is possible that the OFDM rates are in the range of CCK rates so that you see the slider remains at 6 Mbps when CCK rates are disabled.
regarding 802.11 rate control I'm still puzzled by the setting »Require Clients to use rates at or above the specified value«. Does it mean the remaining settings are ignored and clients can still use lower WiFi rates if this setting is not enabled?
Yes, it is correct. So we need to check the »Require Clients to use rates at or above the specified value« box, making the value set by the drag bar take effect.
PS. There is a plan to write a FAQ to explain the function of 802.11 Rate Control in the near future.
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