theirongiant
Regular Contributor
I have only found a couple of posts here related to smart home devices connected to Wi-Fi that like to randomly disconnect and reconnect.
The device that prompted me to investigate this was my Logitech Circle View Doorbell. Apple HomeKit helpfully notifies me that the doorbell goes offline, then comes back online a few minutes later. Sometimes the doorbell's connection flaps on/off a few times per minute before stabilizing. Each flap fires a notification to all the phones in our home, so my wife thinks the doorbell is defective somehow. It's annoying nonetheless.
I alos remember this happening with my Nest thermostat a lot on a previous router (Netgear R7000). Nest's own KB articles include a note about some Wi-Fi routers that had default settings which could cause the Nest to become disconnected. They recommended calling support for advice, but acknowledged that in some cases the router would have to be replaced for a different model. At one point, they had a list of certified routers from the major manufacturers.
I figured it would help to have a thread that could be found easily by searching the forums or from Google, so I'm including the most common terms and an excerpt from my own logs.
Many IoT devices may not need to maintain an active connection to the Wi-Fi, and will power down their antennas to save a little bit of energy. Consequently, the Wi-Fi router may drop the device to maintain higher performance for other devices. These types of devices include LiFx and Hue light bulbs, doorbell cameras, smart thermostats, smart TVs, etc.
Here are some examples of posts from this forum, listed in chronological order:
- https://www.snbforums.com/threads/3...ted-because-sending-station-is-leaving.61555/
- https://www.snbforums.com/threads/deauthenticated-because-sending-station-is-leaving-ac68u.62451/
- https://www.snbforums.com/threads/random-disconnects-every-few-minutes.63376/
- https://www.snbforums.com/threads/new-ax86u-node-and-iot-devices.71002/
The following are selected options in the Wireless and Professional menus of the Asus router. I've linked to articles where I could find some. I do not know which of these could have the most impact on idle IoT devices, so I'm asking for the community's input. Which Wi-Fi settings should be adjusted to minimize or eliminate the random disconnects?
- Smart Connect (dual-band)
- 802.11ax / Wi-Fi 6 mode
- Wi-Fi Agile Multiband (link 1, link 2)
- Target Wake Time
- Protected Management Frames (link 1, link 2)
- Channel Bandwidth (20/40)
- Control Channels (Auto, Fixed)
- Extension Channels (Auto, Fixed)
Professional Settings:
- Roaming Assistant (enable, set RSSI threshold)
- RTS AMPDU
- Airtime Fairness
- 802.11ax/ac Beamforming (aka Explicit Beamforming - link 1, link 2)
- Universal Beamforming (aka Implicit Beamforming - link 1, link 2)
The syslog on my AX88U shows a sequence of events (example below) occurring multiple times per day, and they coincide with Apple HomeKit notifying me that the doorbell has gone offline and then back online.
The device that prompted me to investigate this was my Logitech Circle View Doorbell. Apple HomeKit helpfully notifies me that the doorbell goes offline, then comes back online a few minutes later. Sometimes the doorbell's connection flaps on/off a few times per minute before stabilizing. Each flap fires a notification to all the phones in our home, so my wife thinks the doorbell is defective somehow. It's annoying nonetheless.
I alos remember this happening with my Nest thermostat a lot on a previous router (Netgear R7000). Nest's own KB articles include a note about some Wi-Fi routers that had default settings which could cause the Nest to become disconnected. They recommended calling support for advice, but acknowledged that in some cases the router would have to be replaced for a different model. At one point, they had a list of certified routers from the major manufacturers.
I figured it would help to have a thread that could be found easily by searching the forums or from Google, so I'm including the most common terms and an excerpt from my own logs.
Many IoT devices may not need to maintain an active connection to the Wi-Fi, and will power down their antennas to save a little bit of energy. Consequently, the Wi-Fi router may drop the device to maintain higher performance for other devices. These types of devices include LiFx and Hue light bulbs, doorbell cameras, smart thermostats, smart TVs, etc.
Here are some examples of posts from this forum, listed in chronological order:
- https://www.snbforums.com/threads/3...ted-because-sending-station-is-leaving.61555/
- https://www.snbforums.com/threads/deauthenticated-because-sending-station-is-leaving-ac68u.62451/
- https://www.snbforums.com/threads/random-disconnects-every-few-minutes.63376/
- https://www.snbforums.com/threads/new-ax86u-node-and-iot-devices.71002/
The following are selected options in the Wireless and Professional menus of the Asus router. I've linked to articles where I could find some. I do not know which of these could have the most impact on idle IoT devices, so I'm asking for the community's input. Which Wi-Fi settings should be adjusted to minimize or eliminate the random disconnects?
- Smart Connect (dual-band)
- 802.11ax / Wi-Fi 6 mode
- Wi-Fi Agile Multiband (link 1, link 2)
- Target Wake Time
- Protected Management Frames (link 1, link 2)
- Channel Bandwidth (20/40)
- Control Channels (Auto, Fixed)
- Extension Channels (Auto, Fixed)
Professional Settings:
- Roaming Assistant (enable, set RSSI threshold)
- RTS AMPDU
- Airtime Fairness
- 802.11ax/ac Beamforming (aka Explicit Beamforming - link 1, link 2)
- Universal Beamforming (aka Implicit Beamforming - link 1, link 2)
The syslog on my AX88U shows a sequence of events (example below) occurring multiple times per day, and they coincide with Apple HomeKit notifying me that the doorbell has gone offline and then back online.
Code:
2021-08-08T12:54:40+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth6: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)
2021-08-08T13:17:14+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(505): eth7: Auth 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: Successful (0)
2021-08-08T13:17:14+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(515): eth7: ReAssoc 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: Successful
(0)
2021-08-08T13:17:14+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 IEEE 802.11: associated
2021-08-08T13:17:14+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(486): eth6: Disassoc 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: 0, reason:
Disassociated because sending station is leaving (or has left) BSS (8)
2021-08-08T13:17:14+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(486): eth6: Disassoc 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: 0, reason:
Disassociated because sending station is leaving (or has left) BSS (8)
2021-08-08T13:17:14+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth6: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 IEEE 802.11: disassociated
2021-08-08T13:17:14+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth6: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 IEEE 802.11: disassociated
2021-08-08T13:17:14+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 RADIUS: starting accounting session 8123EE0286CE1735
2021-08-08T13:17:14+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 WPA: pairwise key handshake completed (RSN)
2021-08-08T13:22:35+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(469): eth7: Deauth_ind 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: 0, reaso
n: Disassociated due to inactivity (4)
2021-08-08T13:22:35+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 IEEE 802.11: disassociated
2021-08-08T13:22:38+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(505): eth7: Auth 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: Successful (0)
2021-08-08T13:22:38+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(534): eth7: Assoc 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: Successful (0
)
2021-08-08T13:22:38+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 IEEE 802.11: associated
2021-08-08T13:22:38+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 RADIUS: starting accounting session 9A8D52D724E69ABD
2021-08-08T13:22:38+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 WPA: pairwise key handshake completed (RSN)
2021-08-08T13:54:40+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 WPA: group key handshake completed (RSN)
2021-08-08T14:04:37+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(469): eth7: Deauth_ind 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: 0, reaso
n: Disassociated due to inactivity (4)
2021-08-08T14:04:37+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 IEEE 802.11: disassociated
2021-08-08T14:04:38+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(505): eth7: Auth 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: Successful (0)
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(505): eth6: Auth 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: Successful (0)
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(534): eth6: Assoc 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: Successful (0
)
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(486): eth7: Disassoc 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: 0, reason:
Disassociated because sending station is leaving (or has left) BSS (8)
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C wlceventd: wlceventd_proc_event(486): eth7: Disassoc 44:73:D6:21:A1:56, status: 0, reason:
Disassociated because sending station is leaving (or has left) BSS (8)
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth6: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 IEEE 802.11: associated
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 IEEE 802.11: disassociated
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth7: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 IEEE 802.11: disassociated
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth6: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 RADIUS: starting accounting session 7F7EA0124CDE6663
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C hostapd: eth6: STA 44:73:d6:21:a1:56 WPA: pairwise key handshake completed (RSN)
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C dnsmasq-dhcp[29131]: DHCPREQUEST(br0) 192.168.11.215 44:73:d6:21:a1:56
2021-08-08T14:04:39+00:00 RT-AX88U-27B8-464C3A0-C dnsmasq-dhcp[29131]: DHCPACK(br0) 192.168.11.215 44:73:d6:21:a1:56