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    Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system

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    • E
      Elmojo
      last edited by

      Did I scare everyone off? :)

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        Uglybrian
        last edited by

        Hi, let me try to help you enable opt1.
        Login to PF sense, on the top header you will see interfaces. Click on that then click on assignments. From there, you will be able to add opt1 to your interfaces. from there, click on opt1 to enable that interface. after that, you will have to go to your firewall rules and add a rule, allowing Internet. I would just copy your land rules and make them the same as your opt1 rules.
        This is the most important part. At any time if you need clarification/understanding. On the right side of the top header there is a circle with a question mark. click on it and it will take you to documentation explaining that page.

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          Elmojo @Uglybrian
          last edited by

          @uglybrian Thanks. If you notice in the screenshots posted above, I had already done those steps, other than the firewall rule. When I try to copy the rule from my LAN, it just opens the rule editing page. What am I doing wrong?

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            Uglybrian
            last edited by

            Sounds like you’re almost there. Once you get to the opt1 rule editing page. Simply put the same rule there as on your lan network, you may have to do it manually. After that at the bottom of the page click on the save. You need to click on save after every change you make. Don’t forget to click on the ? For clarification and instructions if you get a little lost.

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              Elmojo @Uglybrian
              last edited by

              @uglybrian Maybe. I think I have the rule (manually) copied over, although the options aren't quite the same for some reason. Anyway, I'll try it out and see if the Deco will connect.

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                Elmojo @Uglybrian
                last edited by

                @uglybrian Ok, all set up as above, but still not working. I have a suspicion why, though.
                When I connect my Deco to OPT1, it reports no internet, and no IP assigned. It defaults to some random IP that doesn't correspond to my network IP range. I think this is maybe because OPT1 isn't a DHCP server? Am I thinking wrong here? I see an option under services to select for LAN to be a DHCP server, but I don't see that option for OPT1. It seems like since the pfsense box isn't handing out addresses, the Deco tries to find one itself, which of course doesn't work, so I don't have internet on the wifi side of the house.

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                  Uglybrian
                  last edited by

                  You need to check to see if that service is enabled for opt1. Login to PF sense in the top header under services. Click on DHCP server then click on opt1, click enable, go to the bottom of the page click save.

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                    Uglybrian
                    last edited by

                    Forgot to add that you will have to enter an available IP arrange it, then click save.

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                    • E
                      Elmojo @Uglybrian
                      last edited by

                      @uglybrian said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:

                      You need to check to see if that service is enabled for opt1. Login to PF sense in the top header under services. Click on DHCP server then click on opt1, click enable, go to the bottom of the page click save.

                      That's what I mean. I checked that earlier, and OPT1 isn't one of my choices under Services>DHCP Server. When I go to that page, LAN is the only option, so it's automatically selected.
                      Do I see that even if I get it enabled, I would have to select a new IP range for OPT1, as in, it could not share the same range as what the LAN interface is already using? If so, then this isn't the way I want to go. I need my wired and wireless devices to be on the same subnet. It kinda defeats the purpose if the end up on separate networks.
                      Maybe this is why I had OPT1 disabled before....?
                      I was just hoping I could let the Deco (all my wireless stuff) be served by a separate interface, so that I could keep an eye on it visually, without having to futz with VLANs and such. I realize that's probably the better way to do it, but I tried once before and it got more complicated than I was ready for at the time. This just seemed like it would be a simple solution, but nothing ever is. lol

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                      • R
                        rcoleman-netgate Netgate @Elmojo
                        last edited by rcoleman-netgate

                        @elmojo I only work part of the week.
                        Also you should be able to upload images directly into your comments - that would be helpful moving forward.

                        Ryan
                        Repeat, after me: MESH IS THE DEVIL! MESH IS THE DEVIL!
                        Requesting firmware for your Netgate device? https://go.netgate.com
                        Switching: Mikrotik, Netgear, Extreme
                        Wireless: Aruba, Ubiquiti

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                          Elmojo @rcoleman-netgate
                          last edited by

                          @rcoleman-netgate OK. I haven't been able to get the upload directly option to work. I recall previously that I was told I had to upload images to a service and post the links, which is really annoying. I'd love to be able to just post them. I'll try again.
                          What would you like me to do next, to get this sorted out?
                          At the moment, I have the mesh plugged into my switch (served by the LAN interface), and it's working perfectly, but I would eventually like to have it served from OPT1 as described above, if possible. I do definitely need it to be on the same subnet as the rest of my network, though. If it will have to have a separate IP range from the LAN interface, that would be a deal breaker.

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                            Jarhead @Elmojo
                            last edited by

                            @elmojo Why use OPT1 at all??
                            Just plug it into your switch and be done.

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                            • R
                              rcoleman-netgate Netgate @Elmojo
                              last edited by

                              @elmojo said in Poor wifi performance after upgrade of mesh system:

                              At the moment, I have the mesh plugged into my switch (served by the LAN interface), and it's working perfectly, but I would eventually like to have it served from OPT1 as described above, if possible. I do definitely need it to be on the same subnet as the rest of my network, though. If it will have to have a separate IP range from the LAN interface, that would be a deal breaker.

                              Are you planning on doing specific filtering/PBR or other routing on the MESH users? If not then keep it on the switch.

                              I do definitely need it to be on the same subnet as the rest of my network, though.

                              You won't get this on OPT. You will need to make a bridge interface and that's not a good idea. pfSense is a router, not a switch.

                              Ryan
                              Repeat, after me: MESH IS THE DEVIL! MESH IS THE DEVIL!
                              Requesting firmware for your Netgate device? https://go.netgate.com
                              Switching: Mikrotik, Netgear, Extreme
                              Wireless: Aruba, Ubiquiti

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                              • E
                                Elmojo @rcoleman-netgate
                                last edited by

                                @rcoleman-netgate Ok, I'll just leave it as-is and disable OPT1 again.
                                It's been a while, so I can't recall the specifics, but when I first set this thing up, someone recommended that I have my wired clients on LAN through the switch, and my wireless clients (via mesh) on OPT1. I was under the impression that it was running that way all this time, but it seems that wasn't the case.
                                What is OPT1 typically used for?

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                                  rcoleman-netgate Netgate @Elmojo
                                  last edited by

                                  @elmojo It would be an additional network... you can have them that way but they're on different broadcast domains -- so things that require broadcast calls (like streaming devices, or backup solutions) don't work and require other tools to work like avahi.

                                  I use VLANs and single interfaces and APs that support VLANs.

                                  Ryan
                                  Repeat, after me: MESH IS THE DEVIL! MESH IS THE DEVIL!
                                  Requesting firmware for your Netgate device? https://go.netgate.com
                                  Switching: Mikrotik, Netgear, Extreme
                                  Wireless: Aruba, Ubiquiti

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                  • Dobby_D
                                    Dobby_
                                    last edited by

                                    I was stumbling over that thread here and want to give my "two cents" on top of that.

                                    A real WiFi MESH network is using the HWMP (protocol)
                                    to guaranty a good working together between the devices
                                    with out no problems. "Some" vendors, as an example MikroTik, are setting up there own HWMP such HWMPplus
                                    from MikroTik, so it is not compatible to any other or normal HWMP protocol and only there own hardware,
                                    will work "nice" together. So if other vendors now also
                                    do something like that, configuring out there own version
                                    of the HWMP (protocol) it can be that then devices there
                                    are not only from one vendor, getting problems out here.

                                    #~. @Dobby

                                    Turris Omnia - 4 Ports - 2 GB RAM / TurrisOS 7 Release (Btrfs)
                                    PC Engines APU4D4 - 4 Ports - 4 GB RAM / pfSense CE 2.7.2 Release (ZFS)
                                    PC Engines APU6B4 - 4 Ports - 4 GB RAM / pfSense+ (Plus) 24.03_1 Release (ZFS)

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