RT-AC68 Media Bridge reconnect issue

[gpz1100]

Network setup:

Both RT's are on v380.68_alpha2

Cable modem <ethernet> R7000 (xwrt) <ethernet> RT-ac68 (A) (access point mode) <wireless 5ghz> RT-ac68 (B) (media bridge mode) .

The R7000 and RT-ac68 (A) both share the same SSID (2.4=SSIDA, 5.2=SSIDB) but on different channels to allow for roaming around the home.

RT-ac68 (B) is located in a non-wired room to allow for fastest connectivity for wired clients.

The distance between the two rt68's is much closer than the media bridge to the R7000.

Issue:

When rt-ac68 (A) reboots (nightly), the media bridge will reconnect the R7000. This is fine and expected. However, it won't reconnect back to the rt-ac68 (A) when it comes back up. We're talking a signal difference of at least 50 dBm between the r7000 and rt-ac68 (A). It continues to stay locked to the r7000. Other wireless clients such as laptop and notebook reconnect appropriately to the stronger signal.

Workaround:

I've been able to get the right functionality by enabling roaming assist on the r7000, but don't see that as the optimal solution. There should be some setting on the rt-ac68 (B) which controls connectivity of stronger/weaker signals.

Why isn't the media bridge device reconnecting to the stronger signal?

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[pete y testing]

Why isn't the media bridge device reconnecting to the stronger signal?

hi

prob because it doesnt think it needs to rssi wise

why not just rename the ssid of the r7000 to something different , the roaming will still work the same way and you wont have this issue

 

[gpz1100]

^^I thought about that too. However, keep in mind, the R7000 also functions as a backup if/when rt-ac68 (A) goes down. I'm hopeful there's some setting in nvram or elsewhere that adjusts these thresholds, or maybe controls roaming aggressiveness.

 

[gpz1100]

Any one have any other suggestions?

 

[KGB7]

Do you have to reboot it nightly???

 

[gpz1100]

I don't have to reboot nightly. It's just been a force of habit for a long time to ensure a fresh start, clear up any memory leaks, reset wifi, etc. Even without the restart, this issue can happen if the connection gets dropped for whatever reason.

 

[Jack Yaz]

Schedule the media bridge to reboot after (A)?

Or use a script to bring the wireless radios down and back up, which should force it to hop to the stronger signal.

 

[gpz1100]

It's already scheduled that way. Media bridge is the last network device to reboot. I'm trying to cover bases when for what ever reason it drops the stronger connection.

Writing such a script is beyond my ability. It would seem that a watchdog needs to run and monitor for when wl level is below a certain threshold. When this happens, wait 5 minutes, then toggle the wireless radio. With this script, another consideration is how often the signal is checked -- every 15 minutes, 5 minutes. Something that would not put minimal load.