Devices on the network keep changing their name and wifi stop working from time to time

[sirmclouis]

Hey!

I really don't know why but most of my devices on the network keep changing their network names and I really don't know how to prevent it or what is the cause of it.

I have the last version of asus-merlin (384.17) and everything seems correct. The only thing I've seen a little it odd is that there is tons of:

May 12 11:42:05 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:42:05 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:42:05 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:42:05 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(449): eth2: Assoc XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:42:06 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:42:06 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:42:06 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:42:06 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:42:06 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:42:06 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(449): eth2: Assoc XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:48:41 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:48:41 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:48:41 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: Auth XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:48:41 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(449): eth2: Assoc XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, status: 0, reason: d11 RC reserved (0)
May 12 11:52:23 syslog: WLCEVENTD wlceventd_proc_event(386): eth2: Deauth_ind YY:YY:YY:YY:YY:YY, status: 0, reason: Disassociated due to inactivity (4)

Where XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX the MAC address of one device and YY:YY:YY:YY:YY:YY is another one, but there are several different ones involved and that seems that cause this. I just redacted the MAC addresses for privacy reasons.

Additionally to this, the wifi stop working from time to time and I really don't know why. I've checked the router log just before that happens and there are and infinite amount of wlceventd_proc_event(420): eth2: events. At least one. This typically happens at night. I thought that the router just was getting stuck for some reason and I set the auto reboot every Monday, but it keeps happening. Not incredible often but somehow once a week or two weeks.

Anyhow, anyone have the slightest idea of what is going on and what I can do to stop this madness of name changing and wifi disconnections?

 

[ColinTaylor]

Is it my imagination or didn't you already post this question recently? Or was that someone else?

 

[sirmclouis]

Is it my imagination or didn't you already post this question recently? Or was that someone else?

It wasn't me…

I've seen some similar postings around, but nothing exactly the same. Can you link to the post anyway?

 

[ColinTaylor]

I've seen some similar postings around, but nothing exactly the same. Can you link to the post anyway?

OK I'll see if I can find it.

Have you checked the obvious? Is the name setup under Sharing the same as one being used by another computer?

 

[sirmclouis]

Have you checked the obvious? Is the name setup under Sharing the same as one being used by another computer?

Every computer/device in this house it unique in a very stupid way. MPB lpuerto, iPhone-lpuerto and with the ones from my wife is the same.

My suspicion is… that the device(s) somehow lose connection —or the router disconnects them— and they try to reconnect to find that the name is already in use —because the router still counts that device as connected— so they change their name.

Interestingly enough, it seems it only happens on MBP and iPads, but not in iPhones. I don't know if it's because the iPhone has the possibility to self connect to the internet due to the 4G capabilities.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Has this just started happening?

Do the effected devices always show the same MAC address in the log or are they using MAC randomization?

 

[sirmclouis]

Has this just started happening?

Do the effected devices always show the same MAC address in the log or are they using MAC randomization?

It's been happening always since I put asus-merlin, but lately it've been more often. At least the the wifi stop working. The renaming of the devices I'm really not sure, but the wifi dropping has been from the very beginning, perhaps now it's more often.

I'm thinking to put fixed IP to everything and the probably will be resolved.

PS/ I would like to know why this is happening.

 

[ColinTaylor]

What about my MAC address question?

 

[sirmclouis]

What about my MAC address question?

Sorry… the MAC has been, as far as I know, always the same.

 

[ColinTaylor]

What model router do you have?

My guess is that it is caused by the router's avahi-daemon process. Perhaps there is a conflict with Apple's Bonjour.

Unfortunately I don't think there's an option in Merlin's firmware to turn that process off. You could manually kill it but it would come back again when you restarted the router (unless you wrote a script to kill it).

 

[sirmclouis]

RT-AC66U_B1

 

[ColinTaylor]

OK It looks like the same problem was discussed here:

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/y...inc-ssid-vpn-client.45924/page-60#post-573589

Can you SSH into the router and post the output of this command:

cat /tmp/avahi/avahi-daemon.conf

Are you running any custom scripts?

 

[sirmclouis]

Hey!

I just changed the file, as they comment in the thread:

#!/bin/sh
echo "" >> "$1"
echo "[reflector]" >> "$1" # YazFi
echo "enable-reflector=no" >> "$1" # YazFi

but I'm not sure if that applies to me, because the problem isn't on the guest network but in the main network.

 

[ColinTaylor]

but I'm not sure if that applies to me, because the problem isn't on the guest network but in the main network.

We really need to see the contents of the file to know the best solution:

cat /tmp/avahi/avahi-daemon.conf

 

[sirmclouis]

We really need to see the contents of the file to know the best solution:

cat /tmp/avahi/avahi-daemon.conf

I've already posted it!

 

[ColinTaylor]

I've already posted it!

Where?

Hopefully not in post #13.

EDIT: I think you have edited the wrong file. If you are not using YazFi that code might not apply anyway. Can I suggest that you reboot your router to get rid of those changes and then post the contents of the file I asked for. Then we can decide how we want to proceed.

 

[sirmclouis]

Hey!

I mix up files

$ cat /tmp/avahi/avahi-daemon.conf
[Server]
host-name=RT-AC66U_B1-C610
aliases=RT-AC66U_B1
aliases_llmnr=RT-AC66U_B1
use-ipv4=yes
use-ipv6=no
deny-interfaces=eth0
ratelimit-interval-usec=1000000
ratelimit-burst=1000

[publish]
publish-a-on-ipv6=no
publish-aaaa-on-ipv4=no

[wide-area]
enable-wide-area=yes

[rlimits]
rlimit-core=0
rlimit-data=4194304
rlimit-fsize=0
rlimit-nofile=768
rlimit-stack=4194304
rlimit-nproc=3

[reflector]
enable-reflector=yes

 

[sirmclouis]

Anyhow, I woke up this morning to a not working wifi and I have to reboot the router. I rebooted twice. One at 7.40 am and another one around 8am. First one because wifi wasn't working and the second one was because I edited the file /jffs/scripts/avahi-daemon.postconf to the original.

You can see the full log here: https://gist.github.com/luispuerto/a1035731693729c72eece2b2004123f3

I don't understand why every time i reboot the router the date returns to May 5.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I don't understand why every time i reboot the router the date returns to May 5.

That's because the router doesn't have a battery to backup the clock so it goes back to the default value when it reboots. It then corrects itself once it has an internet connection.

I previously asked you whether you were running scripts or YazFi but you never answered me. From your log file it looks like you are running YazFi.

So I think you need to ask your question in the YazFi thread as I think that is the source of the problem. The script you wrote is having no effect because we can see that the reflector is still enabled and it needs to be disabled.

 

[Jack Yaz]

That's because the router doesn't have a battery to backup the clock so it goes back to the default value when it reboots. It then corrects itself once it has an internet connection.

I previously asked you whether you were running scripts or YazFi but you never answered me. From your log file it looks like you are running YazFi.

So I think you need to ask your question in the YazFi thread as I think that is the source of the problem. The script you wrote is having no effect because we can see that the reflector is still enabled and it needs to be disabled.

YazFi would add the reflector lines with #YazFi , so I'm not sure how they got there.

EDIT: They're also running an older version, 4.0.3 contained some changes in this area IIRC