Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system
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@rcoleman-netgate said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:
if it still is an issue plug directly into the port it lands on and see again
This is where you lose me. What port would I plug it into that's different than where it is now? The main Deco "hub" is currently plugged into LAN port igb1 on my pfsense box, which is the same port that my previous mesh hub was plugged into. I'm not sure where else it could be plugged in...
By the way, I totally agree that the issue is likely with the Deco system. However, you and I both know that as soon as I contact support, the first thing they're going to tell me to do is remove the pfsense router and connect the modem directly to the Deco and test it that way. I really have no interest in doing that, so I want to do what I can to rule out any possibility of the pfsense box being the problem.
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@elmojo said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:
What port would I plug it into that's different than where it is now?
Plug your computer into the port and see if it has connectivity issues and speed problems.
Literally every issue you have described is a layer 2 (hardware) issue with the MESH. Until you can verify it is happening on the physical hardware side (ethernet) you need to eliminate the MESH hardware.
Get the middle stuff out of the way and see if it is still occurring. Until you do that it is not a pfSense issue but a WiFi issue.
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@rcoleman-netgate said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:
Plug your computer into the port and see if it has connectivity issues and speed problems.
Oh. Well, my computer is already attached to the pfsense, along with the rest of the network, via ethernet, and it has no issues. I already know it's an issue with the way the Deco system is not playing nice with the pfsense, that was never part of the question.
I'm sorry if I wasn't clear on that point.
As I mentioned before, I'm trying to determine if there's any possibility that there could be some sort of configuration issue between the Deco and pfsense box that's causing the problem. My previous Deco system (the M5) worked perfectly, so either this new system is just garbage (very possible) or something just isn't quite set up right yet (also possible). I'm trying to determine which is the case.
I'll try the isolation steps you mentioned to see if it works any better without the satellite units installed and report back.
By the way, why do you always type mesh as MESH? It's not an acronym. Just curious. :) -
@elmojo Mesh is notoriously finiky and can cause grown men to require several weekly long drives to cool off - otherwise something gets noisily broken….
Since we don’t think it’s a link speed issue between pfsense and the mesh portal AP, my second guess would be you have them configured as a router/gateway, but you say they are in AP only mode. Are you sure?
Otherwise, as others have pointed out. Shut down then mesh points that are not directly connected to pfSense. Do you still have the problem on the only - direct connected - AP?
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@keyser said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:
@elmojo Mesh is notoriously finiky and can cause grown men to require several weekly long drives to cool off - otherwise something gets noisily broken….
Since we don’t think it’s a link speed issue between pfsense and the mesh portal AP, my second guess would be you have them configured as a router/gateway, but you say they are in AP only mode. Are you sure?
Otherwise, as others have pointed out. Shut down then mesh points that are not directly connected to pfSense. Do you still have the problem on the only - direct connected - AP?
Hahaha, you too?
So I'm hearing that mesh networks are a problem. What is the recommended better option?
I'm fairly sure it's in AP mode, since it doesn't work at all when the Deco is in router mode. It just says "no internet" and pulls some random IP address. When I switch it to AP mode and reboot the Deco, it pulls an IP from the pfsense, and I get internet.
I haven't tried isolating the Deco hub yet. I need to wait until my wife isn't home. Her patience for me "screwing up the network" is wearing thin. lol -
R rcoleman-netgate moved this topic from General pfSense Questions on
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I haven't tried isolating the Deco hub yet. I need to wait until my wife isn't home. Her patience for me "screwing up the network" is wearing thin. lol
That last part is the real nut cracker. Wireless Services is like running water or power in the outlet - it needs to work 24/7 without intervention. This especially comes true with a wife and kids in the house.
Generally mesh can be made to work if you get some of the really good systems, but the 24/7 thing is not a trademark of mesh - it is very sensitive to the sourroundings, and will at times and under load have to adapt, causing you to experience poor service.
It will never get even remotely close to actual wired AP’s around the house.I always recommend people to spend the money and have a ethernet wire or two laid in, so proper placed AP’s around the house is wired. Why is it, we find saving those 500-1000$ on a couple of wires SO important? It’s what guarantees PROPER wireless internet in the house for the remaing part of your life in that particular house. You would never save that if there where rooms without electricity - you’d get that fixed no questions asked.
If wires is not an option because of physics, you could test a couple of AV2000 2x2 Mimo Power Adapters - they create a wired ethernet over powerlines. They are also finicky, but will in many houses create a better experience than mesh. If you have Coax antennae wiring in the house a coule of MoCa adapters is the answer. They create ethernet over coaxial wiring, and are MUCH more stable than mesh and powerline adapters.
But again… you will be spending the first 100$+ in attempting this. Those $$$ are better spent in getting the wiring done :-)
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@keyser
Well, my house is fully wired with 5e ethernet, so wired APs would certainly be an option. I've asked several folks that are supposedly knowledgeable about such things, and they all recommended a mesh system to me. If there's a better option that would cover my house in fast, reliable wifi for something around $300-ish, I'm all for it! I'll return this Deco system asap. :) -
@elmojo said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:
@keyser
Well, my house is fully wired with 5e ethernet, so wired APs would certainly be an option. I've asked several folks that are supposedly knowledgeable about such things, and they all recommended a mesh system to me. If there's a better option that would cover my house in fast, reliable wifi for something around $300-ish, I'm all for it! I'll return this Deco system asap. :)I'm sorry to say this, but your "experts" that recommended a Mesh when you have cat 5e wiring, are either not experts or have not been given all the information about your house layout. Not in a million years should anyone be recommended a mesh setup unless they cannot avoid it.
I would return the Deco system asap, and order a small POE+ switch. I assume your cat 5e wires all originate from one place in the house? Place the POE+ switch there, and plug in the 5e cables from the ordered number of POE+ capable AP's that are placed around the house. Also connect one wire from the POE+ switch to your LAN port on pfSense.
After that you will have an infinitely much better wifi solution than the mesh setup :-)Personally I would order an Aruba Instant ON 1830 8G POE+ 65w switch and x number of Aruba Instant ON AP22 Accesspoints. These are backed by a major neworking vendor and get firmware updates and compatibility fixes for at least 5 years on (Something that none of the cheap chinese brands offer) - just trust me, it REALLY worth the extra money.
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@elmojo And the wife will like the small white AP's that only require the Cat 5e cable connection (no power supplies needed as power is delivered by the POE+ switch over the 5e Wires)
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@keyser I already have a TP-Link T1600G-28PS POE switch. Will that work, or do I need that specific one you mentioned?
I wonder if how many I'd need to push wifi to the other end of my house? The Deco X55 is 3 units, but I may only need 2 of the Arubas if they have good range. -
@keyser So here's a BIG point that I forgot to ask... Do the AP22s show up as a single SSID or several? That was a big selling point of the mesh for the wife. She was sick of having to hop networks as she moves around the house.
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@elmojo Your existing POE switch can support the Aruba AP’s just fine. There are some advantages to purchasing an aruba instant on switch as well, but you might not need that.
The switch shows up and are managed just like the APs from an APP on your phone or via Arubas cloud portal. When the AP’s are on a integrated Instant ON switch, you can create and monitor everything from within the app. Fx. guest portal for wired/wireless guests, several VLANs (and SSID’s if needed) to segment your network for security and so on.
Last but not least, with the instant on switch you can see all clients on the network (wired/wireless) and where they are located/connected - and at what quality and so on. You can also get full bandwith usage statistics and service usage statistics for all clients.Yes: Regardless of the number of AP’s, you only have one SSID (unless you want fx. a second one for guests). The one SSID covers both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz radios on all AP’s
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@elmojo If you ever consider purchasing a Instant On switch to have the full feature set, I would suggest you order a 24 port POE+ 1830 to actually replace the switch you have (instead of linking them). The biggest gains in management and monitoring comes if all switch ports are in managed Aruba switches - so everything shows up in the APP/Portal :-)
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@elmojo But like I said, the switch is not needed. You can still use the Wifi on a standalone basis as well, You will just miss some features in the guest portal and especially in monitoring.
If you can create VLANs on your existing switch manually and know what you are doing, you can get most of the missing features back (segmenting, and multiple networks/VLANs with/without SSIDs) -
So this is weird. After an extensive chat session with TP-Link support, I'm back to thinking that the problem is with the pfsense box.
I say that because I can unplug the Deco mesh thing entirely, and plug my laptop into the pfsense router directly, and it gets no connection. Not only no internet, but not even a local network connection. It sees the cable, but spins for a minute, then pulls a funky bogus IP, and reports "no network connection".
I can't imagine what could have changed. All I did was literally unplug the cable from the Deco M5 and plug it into the X55. I touched nothing on the pfsense software. Should I have? -
@elmojo said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:
I'm back to thinking that the problem is with the pfsense box.
There's zero evidence here that your pfSense is causing devices to drop off the wireless. pfSense has nothing to do with that.
@elmojo said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:
then pulls a funky bogus IP,
what is the IP it gets?
@elmojo said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:
All I did was literally unplug the cable from the Deco M5 and plug it into the X55.
You said before that plugging in directly works.
That says right there it's not the pfSense. The MESH hardware is different - this is the change.You should get real APs. I buy Aruba IAPs off ebay for $25-$50 each. IAP-205Hs and IAP-303Hs. They work together, take local or POE power, support VLANs and have extra ETH ports on them you can VLAN away or shut down. Or use for cameras with POE passthrough (from POE+). Great little things.
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@rcoleman-netgate said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:
You said before that plugging in directly works.
I did? I don't remember saying that, but if I did, I was wrong. I just plugged my laptop directly into the pfsense, and got nothing. :/
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@elmojo I specifically asked you to do that and you said it worked.
Is the interface in pfSense set up for VLAN traffic at all? Is your computer set to a static address and its on the wrong subnet or are your MESH devices all static and there's no DHCP on the interface?
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@rcoleman-netgate
I'm sorry, I think I misunderstood what you were asking. I thought you were asking if the Deco was connected directly to the pfsense, without any other equipment between. My fault.
I'm not using VLANS at all. My computer (I assume you mean the laptop?) is DHCP.So I've definitely got something all screwed up, I just can't figure out how...
If I go into Status>Interfaces, I have the following... https://ibb.co/BHpkLcq
Prior to me fiddling around this afternoon, OPT1 was disabled, so please ignore that line for the moment.
However, I have no idea why OPT1 was disabled, since that's the port that my Deco M5 was connected to, and somehow it was working.
If I plug my laptop into igb3 (OPT1), I get no connection, pretty much as you'd expect, since I'm sure it's not properly configured. I see it has no IP.
If I plug the laptop into any free port on my switch, which is connected to igb1, then it pulls an IP in the correct range and everything works fine. This is true of my Deco as well. If I plug it into the switch (not directly into the pfsense as it was before), then it works, but I'm certain there was a reason why I had it on a separate port before, I just can't recall why right now.
This is what happens when things work too well. They don't require constant fiddling, and I forget how/why they were set up a certain way.
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@elmojo Can you take a screen cap of the Interfaces->Assignments page and post it here?
