Any change to any WIFI device (binding to a mesh node or MAC/IP address binding) drops most all WiFI connections

[RetiredInFl]

When I make any change to any WIFI device like binding to a specific mesh node or MAC/IP address binding) right after I save ithe router drops most all Wi-Fi connections. They all do eventually come back but why does changing 1 device kill just about every other Wi-Fi device? I watch all 3 of my WiFI cameras go offline for a short time and most looking at the AIMESH devices (WiFI and ethernet) in the web interface they drop from 31 to about 15 and do eventually come back. The 2 ET12s
are connected by Ethernet backhaul. It's not a permanent drop just strange and annoying and did not happen with previous routers.

Edit to add: When everything finally comes back there are always 1 or 2 devices that do not reconnect to the and I have to power cycle them, Also, many end up connected to the "main" XT2 which is 50 feet away from the other node which is literally 2-5 feet from that AIMesh node they normally connect to.

 

[Ripshod]

The changes you are making are triggering a restart of the WiFi. Simple, but unavoidable.

 

[RetiredInFl]

The changes you are making are triggering a restart of the WiFi. Simple, but unavoidable.

Hmmmmm simple but ANNOYING! The worst part is one device (my Garage Door WiFi controller) never comes back online unless I climb a ladder and pull the power plug. I could turn off the breaker but that causes other issues. Either way a PITA which never occurred in my previous 2 mesh systems over the years.

Thanks though, sadly I guess I'll just have to live with it.

 

[eibgrad]

In my experience over many years, I've found wifi to be problematic in this regard, at least w/ some devices. Some simply refuse to reconnect after a sudden loss of the AP.

A classic case for me are my various wireless ethernet bridges. Most are old tomato/dd-wrt routers that have been reconfigured for such purposes. I've had to install a bash script to detect the loss of connectivity and force a reboot. Works quite well. I have it send an email notification as well.

Just one of many reasons why I abhor wireless. I only use it when absolutely necessary. I'd rather use ethernet where possible (obviously), or even powerline, before considering wireless. Many times I've disabled the wireless on say a TV, only to use powerline or one of my wireless ethernet bridges instead, just to avoid this problem.

In your case, where I assume wireless is the only option for the garage door opener, you might want to invest in a wifi-enabled AC plug. I've found most are less prone to this problem, and can be had for $5-10 on sale. It has to be easier than repeatedly climbing a ladder. Esp. if you can bind it to Alexa as a voice command.

 

[RetiredInFl]

In my experience over many years, I've found wifi to be problematic in this regard, at least w/ some devices. Some simply refuse to reconnect after a sudden loss of the AP.

A classic case for me are my various wireless ethernet bridges. Most are old tomato/dd-wrt routers that have been reconfigured for such purposes. I've had to install a bash script to detect the loss of connectivity and force a reboot. Works quite well. I have it send an email notification as well.

Just one of many reasons why I abhor wireless. I only use it when absolutely necessary. I'd rather use ethernet where possible (obviously), or even powerline, before considering wireless. Many times I've disabled the wireless on say a TV, only to use powerline or one of my wireless ethernet bridges instead, just to avoid this problem.

In your case, where I assume wireless is the only option for the garage door opener, you might want to invest in a wifi-enabled AC plug. I've found most are less prone to this problem, and can be had for $5-10 on sale. It has to be easier than repeatedly climbing a ladder.

Great idea regarding the garage door opener. Never even crossed my mind especially considering I already have 2 of them for other (non-wifi) use. Of my 32 devices 15 are wired the rest can't be wired even if I wanted to. I even ran a wire from office to garage through a 2000 degree attic for the XT12 "remote node" to be run on ethernet backhaul. Thanks! Going to orderi t right now.

 

[OzarkEdge]

When I make any change to any WIFI device like binding to a specific mesh node or MAC/IP address binding) right after I save ithe router drops most all Wi-Fi connections. They all do eventually come back but why does changing 1 device kill just about every other Wi-Fi device? I watch all 3 of my WiFI cameras go offline for a short time and most looking at the AIMESH devices (WiFI and ethernet) in the web interface they drop from 31 to about 15 and do eventually come back. The 2 ET12s
are connected by Ethernet backhaul. It's not a permanent drop just strange and annoying and did not happen with previous routers.

Edit to add: When everything finally comes back there are always 1 or 2 devices that do not reconnect to the and I have to power cycle them, Also, many end up connected to the "main" XT2 which is 50 feet away from the other node which is literally 2-5 feet from that AIMesh node they normally connect to.

What router models exactly are in your AiMesh? And what is the approximate footprint of coverage in sq ft?

OE

 

[RetiredInFl]

What router models exactly are in your AiMesh? And what is the approximate footprint of coverage in sq ft?

OE

Using 2 ET12's about 50 feet apart, Ethernet backhaul (with 3 walls in between). House is only 1250 SQ FT but coverage from the office (on far end of the house) to the garage is pretty lousy as I have 2 4K WiFi webcams, Garage Door opener, sprinker system controller and 2 WiFi bridges for irrigation & home water monitoring out there.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Using 2 ET12's about 50 feet apart, Ethernet backhaul (with 3 walls in between). House is only 1250 SQ FT but coverage from the office (on far end of the house) to the garage is pretty lousy as I have 2 4K WiFi webcams, Garage Door opener, sprinker system controller and 2 WiFi bridges for irrigation & home water monitoring out there.

A 2-pack of ET12s is sold to cover 6000 sq ft. My two nodes throw WiFi all over 2 acres. 50' apart is not very far... viewed from a distance, it's a single point source of WiFi. Have you tried using a simple WiFi Analyzer app to 'see' the relative strength of band signals as you walk around... you may find that you have similar strength signals in most places, given 1250 sq ft. Which could be why you are binding clients to APs for no good reason(?). When I turn my garage node OFF, the 2.4 cams there connect to the house node over 110' away and work perfectly fine. Something to consider.

OE

 

[RetiredInFl]

A 2-pack of ET12s is sold to cover 6000 sq ft. My two nodes throw WiFi all over 2 acres. 50' apart is not very far... viewed from a distance, it's a single point source of WiFi. Have you tried using a simple WiFi Analyzer app to 'see' the relative strength of band signals as you walk around... you may find that you have similar strength signals in most places, given 1250 sq ft. Which could be why you are binding clients to APs for no good reason(?). When I turn my garage node OFF, the 2.4 cams there connect to the house node over 110' away and work perfectly fine. Something to consider.

OE

What I used to judge it was in my Livingroom my iPhone 15 Pro Max gets close to 900Mbps but in the garage which is only 20 feet from the L/R (with the node turned off) I barely get 150Mbps. That’s why I went for the 2nd node. Yea, I could get away with 1 but .............

iPhones have no WiFI analyzer app that I could find that does anything. I do have an old Android Galaxy S7 stuck in a drawer for the last 4-5yrs years I guess I could pull that out if the battery hasn't gone bad.

 

[OzarkEdge]

What I used to judge it was in my Livingroom my iPhone 15 Pro Max gets close to 900Mbps but in the garage which is only 20 feet from the L/R (with the node turned off) I barely get 150Mbps. That’s why I went for the 2nd node. Yea, I could get away with 1 but .............

iPhones have no WiFI analyzer app that I could find that does anything. I do have an old Android Galaxy S7 stuck in a drawer for the last 4-5yrs years I guess I could pull that out if the battery hasn't gone bad.

I don't understand iPhones... nothing's obvious. I had family visiting the other day and their iPhones could only list WLANs that were very close; meanwhile our Android devices were connecting to my WLAN over 400' away back inside a brick house.... at 42Mbps.

Dropping from 900 to 150Mbps over 20 feet is not normal... maybe you have some EMI going on around you.

OE