Need help with WDS Bridge Setup.

[TJ10]

Hey guys,

I've been running a WDS Bridge between my ISP provided Nokia G-2425G-A ONT and a TP-Link C50 Router(also provided by my old ISP with customized firmware) and the setup works well until it doesn't.

I use an Android phone and a Windows laptop. While the Windows laptop stays connected 24/7 and has no issues, my Android phone stays connected for sometime and then starts loosing connection to some apps and services. The frequency at which this issue happens is also extremely random, sometimes it takes over 6 hours for my phone to start having issues, sometimes it takes just 30 minutes. It doesn't have a fixed pattern for me to diagnose.

When the connection drops, my phone stays connected to the actual WiFi network but can't do WiFi calling anymore. Apps like Snapchat, Reddit and Telegram keep loading infinitely and some apps have partial but delayed responses- Instagram DMS take over 3 - 4s to be sent and the comments under reels take a long time to load in while reels themselves have no trouble loading.

If the phone is connected to Nokia ONT, there seems to no issues at all. It works really well for as long as it's connected to it.

It's not possible for me wire up the 2 routers in my home, there are simply no provisions for it. I'm also unable to buy any new gear unfortunately.

The only workaround so far for me has been to disconnect and reconnect to the TP-Link until the connections drop again. This issue has been driving me mad, hope someone can point me in the right direction to fix it!

Thank you!


Setup details-
Nokia G-2425G-A --> (WDS) --> TP - Link Archer C50
Nokia's DHCP Server - On, TP Link - Off
Same SSID, Password and Encryption protocol on both routers.

 

[tgl]

TBH I'm surprised that that setup works at all. WDS was never standardized, so it'd be very hit-or-miss whether it works across vendors. This old SNB article (sadly now overstuffed with ads) goes into the problems with WDS. It does have some hints for ameliorating things, which you could try, but I'm not predicting success. Even if you can stabilize it, the claim in that article that WDS is limited to WEP encryption is scary as heck: that was okay 20 years ago, but today you might as well be broadcasting in the clear.

I think you really need to find some spare change to replace your gear.

 

[eibgrad]

FYI.

WDS is NOT a wifi standard, so incompatibilities are quite common unless it's the same hardware/firmware. Even then, I've seen incompatibilities between devices from the same vendor! Once you start mixing devices, it's a roll of the dice. That's why using wifi standard protocols is much preferred.

Granted, such incompatibilities usually manifest themselves rather quickly when they exist. But even when things seem to be working over longer periods, I still wouldn't trust it fully given its proprietary nature.

Wireless distribution system - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[TJ10]

That article is outdated but I'll scan through it for any new ideas nevertheless.

Both of my routers are using the WPA2 standard for their networks btw, WEP only WDS isn't a thing anymore I think.

 

[TJ10]

FYI.

WDS is NOT a wifi standard, so incompatibilities are quite common unless it's the same hardware/firmware. Even then, I've seen incompatibilities between devices from the same vendor! Once you start mixing devices, it's a roll of the dice. That's why using wifi standard protocols is much preferred.

Wireless distribution system - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I am also beginning to think it could just be that the 2 routers are just not compatible with each other but there are some things to consider-

• Before the Nokia, my ISP provided me with a ZTE and the TP Link worked really well with it.
• It's only the Android/iOS phones in the house that have trouble with it. IOT and Windows devices do not have any issues.

Based on my investigation and scouring the internet, there have been various solutions put forward -

1. Set a static IP to the phones that are connected.
2. Disabled randomized mac address for my home network.
3. Disable IPV6 altogether.

I tried disabling IPV6 but the whole internet became unstable with inconsistent speeds and page loading behaviour, across all connected devices.

Point 1 and 2 seem to work but I'd really like to get to bottom of why it's happening. So I've with held on following up with those suggestions.

 

[tgl]

Hm, "randomized MAC address" does seem like it could be related, given the comments in those articles about how WDS works at the MAC-address level not the SSID level.

 

[sfx2000]

my Android phone stays connected for sometime and then starts loosing connection to some apps and services. The frequency at which this issue happens is also extremely random, sometimes it takes over 6 hours for my phone to start having issues, sometimes it takes just 30 minutes. It doesn't have a fixed pattern for me to diagnose.

Android problem with your device... answers you seek are there...

 

[TJ10]

Android problem with your device... answers you seek are there...

Guess I'll look around then!