Feature request WiFi 2.4G g/n-mode

[Grisu]

@arthurlien:

Could you please kindly ask Asus to implement a WiFi 2.4G g/n-mode, where all 802.11g and 802.11n devices are allowed and only those very very old 802.11b devices are not allowed to connect.

Reason:
g and n use newer modulation and have no problem together.
But b can slow down as it is not compatible with g/n because of different modulation and needs more bandwith (22kHz instead of 16,25MHz). And they mostly got no WPA2.

 

[bsdsource]

0 (Auto) = B/G/N mixed or A/N(/AC) mixed
1 = N Only
2 = B/G Mixed (legacy)
3 = AC Only
4 = G/N mixed or A/N mixed
5 = G Only
6 = B Only
7 = A Only
8 = N/AC Mixed

 

[Grisu]

thanks for this workaround, but I think you mean: wl0_nmode_x=4
this will change according to 2.4G.

 

[bsdsource]

thanks for this workaround, but I think you mean: wl0_nmode_x=4
this will change according to 2.4G.

Yeah, sorry. Let us know how that works out for you. I pulled the information from the init-broadcom.c file and I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the rest of the source code to see if it's actually going to work.

 

[Grisu]

Yeah, sorry. Let us know how that works out for you. I pulled the information from the init-broadcom.c file and I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the rest of the source code to see if it's actually going to work.

seems not to work, changed to 4 = G/N-mixed and set card to b-only, but could connect (very slow <5mbps so seems to have been 802.11b).

How did you get from this list (init-broadcom.c) to yours with the matching numbers and different names and order?
(phy) == PHY_TYPE_A ? "a" : \
(phy) == PHY_TYPE_B ? "b" : \
(phy) == PHY_TYPE_LP ? "l" : \
(phy) == PHY_TYPE_G ? "g" : \
(phy) == PHY_TYPE_SSN ? "s" : \
(phy) == PHY_TYPE_HT ? "h" : \
(phy) == PHY_TYPE_AC ? "v" : \
(phy) == PHY_TYPE_LCN ? "c" : "n"

 

[bsdsource]

I did a search for nmode_x in the init-broadcom.c file. What router are you using?

Try setting the following NVRAM settings to below:

wl0_nmcsidx=-1
wl0_nmode=-1
wl0_vreqd=0
wl0_gmode=2 (not sure about this one. could be 1 or -1)
wl0=rate=0
wl0_bss_opmode_cap_reqd=0

I obtained the above information from the following code in init_broadcom.c:

        else if (nvram_match(strcat_r(prefix, "nmode_x", tmp), "4"))    // g/n mixed or a/n mixed
        {
            nvram_set(strcat_r(prefix, "nmcsidx", tmp), "-1");    // auto rate
            nvram_set(strcat_r(prefix, "nmode", tmp), "-1");
#ifndef RTCONFIG_BCMWL6
            nvram_set(strcat_r(prefix, "nreqd", tmp), "0");
#endif
            nvram_set(strcat_r(prefix, "vreqd", tmp), "0");
            nvram_set(strcat_r(prefix, "gmode", tmp), nvram_match(strcat_r(prefix, "nband", tmp2), "2") ? "1" : "-1");
            nvram_set(strcat_r(prefix, "rate", tmp), "0");
#ifdef RTCONFIG_BCMWL6
            if (nvram_match(strcat_r(prefix, "nband", tmp), "2"))
            nvram_set(strcat_r(prefix, "bss_opmode_cap_reqd", tmp), "1");    // devices must advertise ERP (11g) capabilities to be allowed to associate
            else
            nvram_set(strcat_r(prefix, "bss_opmode_cap_reqd", tmp), "0");    // no requirements on joining devices
#endif

 

[Grisu]

I did a search for nmode_x in the init-broadcom.c file. What router are you using?

Try setting the following NVRAM settings to below:

wl0_nmcsidx=-1
wl0_nmode=-1
wl0_vreqd=0
wl0_gmode=2 (not sure about this one. could be 1 or -1)
wl0=rate=0
wl0_bss_opmode_cap_reqd=0

I have RT-AC68U and RT-AC86U and would like it for both if possible.

 

[sfx2000]

@arthurlien:

Could you please kindly ask Asus to implement a WiFi 2.4G g/n-mode, where all 802.11g and 802.11n devices are allowed and only those very very old 802.11b devices are not allowed to connect.

Reason:
g and n use newer modulation and have no problem together.
But b can slow down as it is not compatible with g/n because of different modulation and needs more bandwith (22kHz instead of 16,25MHz). And they mostly got no WPA2.

Set the AP to WPA2 only, and that pretty much sorts the problem - in my experience, I've not observed an 802.11b client in common usage that supports WPA2

 

[bsdsource]

Grisu reference the workaround information I provided it's untested and I have no idea of the information I provided will actually help.

Set the AP to WPA2 only, and that pretty much sorts the problem - in my experience, I've not observed an 802.11b client in common usage that supports WPA2

Grisu are you you using WPA2? You mentioned in your first post "And they mostly got no WPA2" which you were referring to 802.11b devices.

 

[Grisu]

Grisu reference the workaround information I provided it's untested and I have no idea of the information I provided will actually help.
Grisu are you you using WPA2? You mentioned in your first post "And they mostly got no WPA2" which you were referring to 802.11b devices.

Yes it is in WPA2.
Wanted it that the router doesnt use anything what could make troubles listening to 802.11b at all.

Why to support things which only could cause troubles and does not exist?
That is my thinking.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Why to support things which only could cause troubles and does not exist?
That is my thinking.

I think you're trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist. Even if the router is configured not to except 802.11b clients that doesn't make any 802.11b devices disappear or stop transmitting.

 

[Grisu]

And why does exist 5G n/ac-mixed mode, with the same argument you doesnt need it as there are almost no a-mode devices (which would be exluded) around the world.

 

[ColinTaylor]

There was some discussion along these lines here. Personally I don't give it a second thought as there are no 802.11b clients near me, and even if there were they can't log on to my AP.

 

[Grisu]

Thanks for the link, but still, I asked @arthurlien from Asus to allow possible settings of predefined values in GUI, thats really an easy thing for Asus to do and there probably is a reason in the broadcom driver to have these options.
Just for enable b-mode on router-side is not a good thing and can only make things worse than necessary.