3006.102.5 Guest Network Pro issues in Aimesh nodes after reboot

[Tekko]

Where did you read that, I've always read that mesh nodes should be stock?

I believe it was on dongknows.com for example

 

[Tekko]

Found it, last sentence of second paragraph:

 

[jksmurf]

Adding my name to the list. 105 on my mesh nodes simply wasn’t working. Clients (plural) which were absolutely fine on 104 just wouldn’t connect on 105. Reverting fixed the issue.

 

[JohnD5000]

I believe it was on dongknows.com for example

Instead of some dong guy, why don't you get it from the source:

 

[jksmurf]

Adding my name to the list. 105 on my mesh nodes simply wasn’t working. Clients (plural) which were absolutely fine on 104 just wouldn’t connect on 105. Reverting fixed the issue.

Had the opportunity to do a full factory reset on one of my two networks as I am now there and it seems to have fixed issues that were being reported.

 

[i5Js]

I'm having kind of the same issue. I have an AXE16000 as main router and two ZenWiFi ET12pro. The main router runs merlin, 3006.102.5 and the nodes latest stock: 3.0.0.6.102_36602-gd8723f5_468-gaa7ac.

I have created two WiFi, one for kids and one for iOT. The issue I'm having is my devices can't get an IP if they are trying to connect to the nodes, however, if they connect to the main router, it can get the IP.

Tips?

 

[i5Js]

I guess, the issue comes because runs merlin and nodes don't. I've created a test network with two ZenWifi ET12 pro, and I have created the kid guest network, and it works. I can connect to the main test router and the node test, and both give me the ip.

 

[i5Js]

Moving on It has started to work when I have disabled the Ethernet Backhaul. Now, the router is connected with wifi, and I can get the ip...

I've checked the cable, and it's ok, but I was thinking, the switch that connect the router and the node is a sg300-10, managed, so perhaps I need to configure something? Now all the ports are in trunk mode without any vlan configured.

 

[Seth Harman]

I've

I guess, the issue comes because runs merlin and nodes don't.

FYI I've never really had any issues with AiMesh nodes and I've never run Merlin on any nodes so don't be so quick to come to the conclusion that's the root cause. What you're describing sounds suspiciously like your main router supports Guest Network Pro but your nodes aren't working with it correctly. We went deep down the rabbit hole on this in a different thread. To put it bluntly, GNP is a hot mess.

 

[i5Js]

@Seth Harman Thanks for your answer.

Your're right, I guess the issue is there is a managed swtich in between. I've added the vlan 52 to the ports that connect the router and the node, but it seems there is something else to configure, because it doesn't work yet.

 

[Seth Harman]

@Seth Harman Thanks for your answer.

Your're right, I guess the issue is there is a managed swtich in between. I've added the vlan 52 to the ports that connect the router and the node, but it seems there is something else to configure, because it doesn't work yet.

If the managed switch hasn't been configured for VLANs at all for the ports the node(s) is/are connecting to it shouldn't affect GNP unless it's behaving in a non-compliant manner and messing with the VLAN ID information in the packets that are passing through it; managed switches are just like unmanaged switches if you aren't using any of the extra features. Out of curiosity, what happens if you connect to a node via WiFi on the main/regular WiFi instance and not one of the GNP WiFi VLANs? Does the device get an IP address?

 

[i5Js]

Yes, to the main wifi, let's say, all works fine.

Before adding the vlans to the switches, I could not have the ip either usingth kids wifi

 

[i5Js]

Well, my issue is clear... I need to configure the managed switches... I have two managed in between, both running as L3... I very noob with networking, perhaps changing to L2 would be easier.

 

[bennor]

Well, my issue is clear... I need to configure the managed switches... I have two managed in between, both running as L3... I very noob with networking, perhaps changing to L2 would be easier.

If you have manage switches in the mix, the following Asus Guest Network Pro support document may (or may not) be relevant.
[Wireless Router] How to setup Guest Network Pro (SDN) across AiMesh and managed switch?

 

[i5Js]

Yes, I saw it too..., thanks, but I didn't understand it, because I've tried to follow it, and it didn't work. I have the ports that connects router and the node with the vlan tag and untag but still not working.

 

[i5Js]

Homework for tomorrow

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/switch-capabilities-of-aimesh-nodes.94562/post-955378

 

[Seth Harman]

Homework for tomorrow

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/switch-capabilities-of-aimesh-nodes.94562/post-955378

I've explained this near the end of that thread: The only reason to use managed switches in conjunction with Guest Network Pro is to add wired clients to your GNP VLANs in cases where your AiMesh nodes don't support wired VLAN tagging and you cannot/choose not to connect these wired clients directly to the main router. Managed switches do absolutely nothing to help with GNP not properly giving out IP addresses from VLAN IP blocks to wireless clients connecting to AiMesh nodes. If the wireless clients connecting to your AiMesh nodes are not receiving IP addresses from a given VLAN IP block the issue is very likely to be the AiMesh nodes not properly supporting GNP and that's what you need to be looking into, and you'll be wasting your time trying to use a managed switch to fix this issue because it won't.

 

[i5Js]

Thanks for your answer.

I didn’t install the managed switches because they are cool they are there 3-4 years ago… now with the GNP I’m having this issue… so, are you telling me it never won’t work ?

 

[Seth Harman]

Thanks for your answer.

I didn’t install the managed switches because they are cool they are there 3-4 years ago… now with the GNP I’m having this issue… so, are you telling me it never won’t work ?

I'm saying managed switches only provide the ability to VLAN ID tag *WIRED* traffic so you can direct the traffic to any VLANs you've created using Guest Network Pro. For example, I have a Hue lighting hub and they connect to a network via Ethernet. I wanted all my Hue lights on the IoT VLAN that I configured using GNP so I connected the hub to a managed switch and configured that switch to VLAN ID tag all traffic coming from the port the Hue hub is connected to using VLAN ID 53. This causes the Hue hub to get an IP address from the 192.168.53.x block and makes it part of that VLAN.

For wireless clients the way GNP operates in an AiMesh environment is once you configure VLANs the AiMesh nodes are supposed to recognize those wireless VLANs and replicate them so that when a wireless client connects to one of the VLAN SSIDs bring broadcast from an AiMesh node they get an IP address from the IP block associated with the VLAN. If this is not functioning properly only the main router will be broadcasting the VLAN SSIDs so the only way to get a wireless client to be part of a VLAN is to have it connect wirelessly to the main router and not any of the AiMesh nodes. Based on what you've said it appears only the main router has working GNP and the nodes do not. The best way to test this is to turn off any VLAN functionality on your managed switches, set up GNP with AiMesh so you're in the default state, and then try to see if the SSIDs for the GNP VLANs are being broadcast by the nodes. One way to do this is install an app on your phone that can scan WiFi and show signal strength for the various SSIDs. If you're right next to a node and a decent distance away from the main router the SSIDs for the VLANs you configured should show up in the app at full signal strength since it's being broadcast from the node.

 

[i5Js]

Thank you very much for the response. That’s exactly where the problem is. I believe the node is broadcasting the SSID correctly, because devices can connect to the network, but they don’t get an IP address from the DHCP server. However, if they connect to the main router, they do get an IP address. I ran a series of tests, and when I set the port connecting the switch to the mesh node to ‘access mode’ and allowed VLAN 52 through, it worked — although obviously only for the kids’ WiFi