la crosse weather station fails to connect on guests 1/2

[128bit]

wondering if someone has gotten this to work. the weather station only uses the 2.4ghz band and connects via the iphone/app. the iphone and other iots connect fine to the 2.4 guest but the only way i can get the weather station to connect is by using the non-guest network. i'd prefer to have it isolated from my main network, so guest is preferred. the device can only be "viewed" via my intranet as it has no external exposure. i'm good with that.

here's a log snippet:
Jan 9 11:00:05 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(491): eth5: Deauth_ind 5C:CF:7F:BD:9D:xx, status: 0, reason: Deauthenticated because sending station is leaving (or has left) IBSS or ESS (3), rssi:0
Jan 9 11:00:05 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(508): eth5: Disassoc 5C:CF:7F:BD:9D:xx, status: 0, reason: Disassociated because sending station is leaving (or has left) BSS (8), rssi:0
Jan 9 11:00:05 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(527): eth5: Auth 5C:CF:7F:BD:9D:xx, status: Successful (0), rssi:0
Jan 9 11:00:05 wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(556): eth5: Assoc 5C:CF:7F:BD:9D:xx, status: Successful (0), rssi:0
Jan 9 11:00:05 dnsmasq-dhcp[29598]: DHCPDISCOVER(br0) 5c:cf:7f:bd:9d:xx
Jan 9 11:00:05 dnsmasq-dhcp[29598]: DHCPOFFER(br0) 1xx.29.2.1xx 5c:cf:7f:bd:9d:xx

any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Keenan]

Which model weather station do you have? I picked up a V61 at Costco a couple of weeks ago, and while it does well with the connections to the wind/temp and rain sensors, it's been quite an ordeal to keep a stable wifi connection for the Accuweather forecast feature. Honestly, I don't care all that much about that feature of the device as I'm focused on what the sensors tell me about my location, and those work well. But it would be nice to have all features work correctly.

First off, making the connection by utilizing a mobile device app is OK, as long as it works, and with this weather station, it works about 25% of the time. I've tried with cell service off on an iPhone, killing the app(LaCrosse View) before starting a new connection try and after about 3-4 tries it will usually complete the procedure. Then comes maintaining the connection. While using the Auto 2.4 GHz setting on an Asus RT-AC86U it would continually drop the connection requiring going through the whole connection process with the LaCrosse View app again. Sometimes it would lose the connection and then regain it on its own, I think, I've done this so many times I've lost track. Other times when checking the forecast, it has a feature where you can scroll through hourly and daily forecasts, it would say "lost wifi connection" and then back to using the app and going through that tedious reconnection procedure again. I tried using a 2.4 GHz Guest Network, which didn't make any difference; same lousy performance. I made sure the 2.4 GHz signal was using a nearly vacant channel(3 for me), and that seemed to work, but then it reverted to its normal behavior of dropping the connection. My last effort was to try using a G wireless mode; called Legacy on my router, and so far, it seems to be working. It's only been about 48 hours, but it hasn't dropped the connection yet. Using a G mode is not ideal as all my other 2.4 GHz devices are forced to use it as well but, so far, they haven't complained, and I've not seen any drop in performance from these devices, mostly Wyze cams, a Harmony Hub and some Amazon wifi plugs.

I think the wifi chip used in the device, which makes the connection to the router, is to be polite, not good. Cheap junk is my technical term for it.

The sensors appear to have a proprietary wifi connection and, they've worked since the beginning. Maybe those signals are interfering with the display to router signal; I don't know.

 

[eibgrad]

I have no idea why the use of the private vs. guest wireless would make a difference. But in general, it's best to avoid guest #1 anyway, since ASUS has mucked w/ it so badly in order to support AiMesh. There are numerous other threads where this has been discussed.

Similar to @Keenan, it's problems like this that make me hang on to a few legacy routers. Sometimes devices just have issues w/ the latest wireless routers. And so I'll reconfigure a legacy router as an AP and patch it to one of the guest network's wired ports. But alas, ASUS doesn't support wired guests, so you'd have to instead leave the legacy router configured as a router and patch it to one of the private network's wired ports, then create firewall rules on the legacy router (which will probably require third-party firmware) to deny its clients access to the upstream private network's resources.

Of course, at that point, you might want to consider a legacy router for ALL your guests and IOT devices. One that is capable of running FT (FreshTomato). Now (depending on the hardware+firmware) you have access to all kinds of goodies, including user-defined VLANs, bridge, tagging, etc. You're no longer handcuffed by the limited capabilities of the ASUS firmware when it comes to guest networks.

 

[Keenan]

Using a separate router for this weather station device and probably all my other IoT devices was a thought I had while messing around with the La Crosse weather station. It seems ridiculous to use one for this single device, though; if one had one already, sure, but I definitely wouldn't purchase one to "fix" a company's crappy product.

Costco had these weather station devices on sale at $80 leading up to the holidays, and at that price, given the features, I think it's well worth it as long as it functions properly. It seems to be working fine using G, but time will tell.

I also have a phone call being set up for this coming week with La Crosse tech support so, we'll see how that goes.

 

[128bit]

Which model weather station do you have? I picked up a V61 at Costco a couple of weeks ago, and while it does well with the connections to the wind/temp and rain sensors, it's been quite an ordeal to keep a stable wifi connection for the Accuweather forecast feature. Honestly, I don't care all that much about that feature of the device as I'm focused on what the sensors tell me about my location, and those work well. But it would be nice to have all features work correctly.

First off, making the connection by utilizing a mobile device app is OK, as long as it works, and with this weather station, it works about 25% of the time. I've tried with cell service off on an iPhone, killing the app(LaCrosse View) before starting a new connection try and after about 3-4 tries it will usually complete the procedure. Then comes maintaining the connection. While using the Auto 2.4 GHz setting on an Asus RT-AC86U it would continually drop the connection requiring going through the whole connection process with the LaCrosse View app again. Sometimes it would lose the connection and then regain it on its own, I think, I've done this so many times I've lost track. Other times when checking the forecast, it has a feature where you can scroll through hourly and daily forecasts, it would say "lost wifi connection" and then back to using the app and going through that tedious reconnection procedure again. I tried using a 2.4 GHz Guest Network, which didn't make any difference; same lousy performance. I made sure the 2.4 GHz signal was using a nearly vacant channel(3 for me), and that seemed to work, but then it reverted to its normal behavior of dropping the connection. My last effort was to try using a G wireless mode; called Legacy on my router, and so far, it seems to be working. It's only been about 48 hours, but it hasn't dropped the connection yet. Using a G mode is not ideal as all my other 2.4 GHz devices are forced to use it as well but, so far, they haven't complained, and I've not seen any drop in performance from these devices, mostly Wyze cams, a Harmony Hub and some Amazon wifi plugs.

I think the wifi chip used in the device, which makes the connection to the router, is to be polite, not good. Cheap junk is my technical term for it.

The sensors appear to have a proprietary wifi connection and, they've worked since the beginning. Maybe those signals are interfering with the display to router signal; I don't know.

i have a much older c84343. the connection is to the nws for forecast and time. it had a problem with the tz changing randomly and a fw update from la crosse, certainly fixed that. course now, it's a connect issue and like you, after fiddling with the app/iphone to get it to connect, it eventually drops the connection guest 1,2 or regular 2.4g - SUCKS! classic case "of tightening up the loose stuff, while loosening up the tight stuff."

bottom line, we have different models exhibiting the exact same behavior - maybe it's costco.
much appreciated

 

[128bit]

I have no idea why the use of the private vs. guest wireless would make a difference. But in general, it's best to avoid guest #1 anyway, since ASUS has mucked w/ it so badly in order to support AiMesh. There are numerous other threads where this has been discussed.

Similar to @Keenan, it's problems like this that make me hang on to a few legacy routers. Sometimes devices just have issues w/ the latest wireless routers. And so I'll reconfigure a legacy router as an AP and patch it to one of the guest network's wired ports. But alas, ASUS doesn't support wired guests, so you'd have to instead leave the legacy router configured as a router and patch it to one of the private network's wired ports, then create firewall rules on the legacy router (which will probably require third-party firmware) to deny its clients access to the upstream private network's resources.

Of course, at that point, you might want to consider a legacy router for ALL your guests and IOT devices. One that is capable of running FT (FreshTomato). Now (depending on the hardware+firmware) you have access to all kinds of goodies, including user-defined VLANs, bridge, tagging, etc. You're no longer handcuffed by the limited capabilities of the ASUS firmware when it comes to guest networks.

great info on guest 1! awhile back stuff just stopped working there and i switched to guest 2 for relief. i'll revert back now for my other iots. i have older g's collecting dust but wanted to keep it simple. will see if legacy makes any difference.

thanks

 

[Keenan]

My V61(C75716) is still connected going on 3 days now. Using Legacy(G) connection.

​

 

[eibgrad]

My V61(C75716) is still connected going on 3 days now. Using Legacy(G) connection.

Yep, I've seen this type of problem and solution before. There's just something different in the newer wireless protocols these devices sometimes don't like. Last time I recall seeing it, it was for some wifi-enabled thermostats. It always seems to be the more obscure devices.

 

[128bit]

fwiw, the comments here were enlightening. after several resets it finally reconnected then updated via nws on guest/2. since it fails everywhere might as well limit its access. eventually, it did lose that wifi connection then miraculously reconnected before finally disconnecting going on about 18 hours now. so i'll just live with it.

all other 802.1n devices are doing fine and while i have not tried legacy mode, it did connect on "n only." will contact la crosse to see if they can pull another rabbit out of their collective hats.

 

[Keenan]

fwiw, the comments here were enlightening. after several resets it finally reconnected then updated via nws on guest/2. since it fails everywhere might as well limit its access. eventually, it did lose that wifi connection then miraculously reconnected before finally disconnecting going on about 18 hours now. so i'll just live with it.

all other 802.1n devices are doing fine and while i have not tried legacy mode, it did connect on "n only." will contact la crosse to see if they can pull another rabbit out of their collective hats.

That's the very same behavior I was seeing and once I switched to Legacy(G) it has stayed connected for about 5 days now, hasn't dropped the connection once.

 

[128bit]

you're killin' me, k! so, i just made that "leap" and poof - it reconnected on its own and sappears to be back. WOW! can't ping it but nws is showing and i can live without a ping response as long as it connects. mine's on guest 2 now and i'm ecstatic.

the sharing on this blog is incredible!

 

[jsbeddow]

you're killin' me, k! so, i just made that "leap" and poof - it reconnected on its own and sappears to be back. WOW! can't ping it but nws is showing and i can live without a ping response as long as it connects. mine's on guest 2 now and i'm ecstatic.

the sharing on this blog is incredible!

Can you clarify what you did that helped? Reading your post doesn't really tell us, but presumably you also switched to "Legacy" mode as well, right?

 

[128bit]

Can you clarify what you did that helped? Reading your post doesn't really tell us, but presumably you also switched to "Legacy" mode as well, right?

in a nutshell, YES! i'm so psyched - been struggling with this for years. "legacy" mode makes a huge difference. with it set, the pairing between my iphone and the weather station took place on the first try. so yeah, keenan was very on point.

where our settings may differ is 1) i have "n only" and 2) "b/g protection" is unchecked. so needless to say, i no longer have any b/g devices and that may be where things went south for me. i likely changed the setting once i unloaded the 802.11g device and didn't realize how it caused a problem since the weather station may work for awhile before dropping the connection.

 

[128bit]

guys, pardon me. too many late nights. "n only" and "legacy" are mutually exclusive. i have "legacy" with no b/g protection. looking for a hole to crawl in now.

very sorry

 

[gaaah]

I'm just confirming here about the "Legacy" setting. I have a fairly new Asus AX86 router and a similar product from La Crosse --their VA1 WiFi projection clock. I managed to connect with La Crosse View only after many tries, and the connection would typically NOT last overnight. I saw very similar traffic in the router log to what the OP described. As soon as I changed the router "Wireless Mode" setting from "Auto" to "Legacy" things seem solid. I left the "b/g protection" setting at it's default, which is ON. Will post again here if I encounter problems.

 

[jeff3820]

I also have a LaCrosse weather station, 2 actually, and the network stack used in these devices is utter garbage. Probably the least expensive one available. For example, on mine the weather station totally ignores the lease time for the assigned IP address...normally this is 1, 2, or 24 hours. The LaCrosse weather station renews its IP address EVERY MINUTE! The chip used in the network stack is very primitive. As others have shared, use 2.4 GHz only, wpa2 only, legacy mode only. Turn off all beamforming on the WiFi. Keep Wifi settings as simple and basic as possible. I can keep my 2 devices 95% connected this way and if they lose WiFi it is back in about a minute when the IP address is renewed. I have used a separate router for the weather stations for a few years to keep the log noise due to the 1 minute IP renewal out of my main router. Yes, this means the weather stations are double natted but it still works well this way.

 

[128bit]

I'm just confirming here about the "Legacy" setting. I have a fairly new Asus AX86 router and a similar product from La Crosse --their VA1 WiFi projection clock. I managed to connect with La Crosse View only after many tries, and the connection would typically NOT last overnight. I saw very similar traffic in the router log to what the OP described. As soon as I changed the router "Wireless Mode" setting from "Auto" to "Legacy" things seem solid. I left the "b/g protection" setting at it's default, which is ON. Will post again here if I encounter problems.

well, this is going to seem weird only because it is but here's my latest status. since my original post, i've retired the ac86u for the ax86u. the ac was fine, mind u but i got the bug. my configuration matched what i had except for a couple new streamers. i had great results until i enabled openVPN. then a couple iot's went south; fixed one but the other never connected for long due to poor transmission; however, in attempting to get it to work again, i had tried several configurations. one of which was changing from "legacy" to "auto." hated "legacy" anyway, cause it just killed my n/g speeds on my older laptops - on a good day i barely saw 15 Mbps.

so here's the good news, both (oh yeah, bought another la crosse - v11) work fine now with "auto" mode. my laptops now run between 80 - 100 Mbps and life's good again. had to put that one problem device on another router. an image of my selections is shown below. also, i removed the lacrosse devices off guest and per the image, disabled 11b. it's been awhile but disabling "11b" may have been the ticket here. i only run my streamers on the 5g radio.

 

[128bit]

would like to add to this thread since i keep leaning. now that i run vpn on the router, i've had some problems with 2 iot's. the sprinkler, and this vintage la crosse device. the sprinkler just couldn't grab the weak signal, so, it's been put on another box. the weather station is, well, persnickety.

the connection process involves using the iphone to tranfer credentials to the la crosse device. sometimes it receives the info from the iphone, most times it doesn't. it's a real pia but i had it working with the settings shown in my previous post. so i decided to dig in.

years ago, i called la crosse and they ultimately came up with the factory reset and more. the "more" failed too, and i went to "legacy." when i retired the ac86u, i decided to try again without "legacy." after several fails today, i tried the "more."

1. do the factory reset. on mine, it's a press/hold of the 2 outer buttons on top for 5 seconds till u hear a beep.
2. remove the batteries and unplug the power cord. i left mine unplugged for about 30 minutes mostly cause i was pissed and needed a break.
3. replug and go through the setup with the phone. viola! it worked quickly. don't forget to reinstall your backup batteries.

after performing that procedure, it's been solid. previously, it would drop its connection to the router, reconnect on its own, but still fail cause it was not connected to the app server, which is the iphone. all that's gone now and it's good - well, at least for now. my newer la crosse works much better, so perhaps over the years, they figured something out.

long post, i know but i've spent several hours on this over a period of days/months.

 

[jeff3820]

I have had the exact same experience. Periodically you just have to reset the weather stations using the procedure you mention above.

 

[128bit]

I have had the exact same experience. Periodically you just have to reset the weather stations using the procedure you mention above.

they say "misery loves company;" so yeah, thanks for sharing. still, what a royal pia!

btw, don't forget to call them if a problem persists. they did provide a fw update for mine last year. as i recall, it was for a different problem other than connectivity, but it worked.