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WPA status - WiFi Security and WiFi7

What version of WPA are you currently using?


  • Total voters
    27
Unfortunately, vendor SDKs used by most products apparently don't synchronize with mainline changes. And when they do finally update their SDKs, WiFi7 may already be out of date.

Always interesting to see that sometimes OpenWRT gets backport checkins...

The vendor SDK's are ahead and behind where OpenWRT is on their respective release branches - just note that Mediatek and Qualcomm SDK's are forks of OpenWRT.
 
Anyways - posted another poll that is related around 2.4GHz and legacy support


hint - 802.11b and WPA support for legacy devices will impact your overall WLAN...

Get past that with OFDM over 802.11g and WPA2 support as a minimum...
 
Always interesting to see that sometimes OpenWRT gets backport checkins...

The vendor SDK's are ahead and behind where OpenWRT is on their respective release branches - just note that Mediatek and Qualcomm SDK's are forks of OpenWRT.
Even if Qualcomm and MediaTek offer backports for their SDKs, OEMs usually don't sync updates unless there's some serious issue that can't be fixed without updating the SDK.
 
Windows 11 WPA3 PERSONAL WiFi 7 is supported, still no MLO. The Properties will show WiFi 7, and not 802.11be like Enteprise property screen, but it doesn't show multiple frequencies.

Windows 11 WPA3 ENTERPRISE is still not supported for MLO. It will connect and shows 801.11be on the WPA3 Enterprise connection info/properties at 6Ghz.

About 6 months ago there was a Windows 11 Canary build that actually supported WPA3 Enterprise MLO and it worked. It displayed on both sides, the Windows Properties, and my Arista Cloud, MULTIPLE channels and frequencies and report WiFi 7 connection end-to-end. Ever since that....the next Canary build (weekly they come out) and nothing. Back to just WiFi 7 and no MLO on WPA3 anything, Personal and definitely not Enterprise.

I've run Windows 11 Canary, Beta and Regular builds on different systems and still nothing. But all builds have been on an Asus Zenbook with Intel BE201 WiFi 7 card.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and M4 Macbook shows WiFi 7 and MULTIPLE frequencies when connected to the same networks. So, I know it works on my Arista System. It is a Windows issue at this point.

I run an Arista WiFi C-460 WiFi 7 network for our business and implemented this. For the guest network, it used WPA3 Personal MLO, and it connects/displays WiFi 7 in the properties and 6Ghz for Windows, no other frequencies. MS on their website says if it shows multiple Frequencies, then it is supported. Also, I note that it will display the words WIFI7 in the Properties, and NOT 802.11be like the Enterprise. You have to read this closely what I just typed. Sorry for the long explanation and description. It is important to note that it just show in the Windows WiFi property WIFI7 and Multiple Frequencies displayed. It will only display WiFi7 and 6Ghz on any WPA3 network with MLO.

Also, my Arista cloud interface when it is truly using WIFI and MULTIPLE frequencies will actually show a different label and "MULTIPLE" is in a column, and the frequencies shows all 2.4, 5 and 6 Ghz. So, that is how I know Windows doesn't actually support/work with WPA3 Personal/Enterprise over MLO ever. Apple iPhone and Macbooks, the latest, will.

As far as Asus routers are concerned, I don't know, I don't run MLO and my AP is the 6Ghz WiFi and I have MLO disabled. Kind of useless. But I did test MLO one time.

Honestly, on my Arista, I have just disabled MLO. The 6Ghz, 802.11be is still really fast and most of the MLO I've seen with most large vendors and tested with demo units, is nonsense and poorly implemented amongst various vendors at this point still.

I know a lot of people have quoted the standards. But, with Windows 11 so far, on WPA3 Personal MLO is working on my Arista Wireless. As above, I tried MLO one time on my BE88U wireless network at home and it was the same thing, the iPhone worked fine and seemed to connect using multiple frequencies...but Windows still wouldn't use MLO. Plus, I can't test WPA3 Enterprise at home since that is above/beyond home user stuff. And it really doesn't implement I thought MLO properly I thought I read?? Maybe someone can correct it...but I found that MLO is just a big gimmick and waste of time honestly. 802.11be 6Ghz is really where it is at and proven/standard. MLO is still too new.

Hopefully, some of this info will help people regarding expectations as it relates to a true WiFi 7 capable system and MLO, and what Windows or certain WPA3 methods will offer/provide.

People should not enable MLO IMHO. Waste of time, doesn't have any proven performance gain we've noted and tested with multiple devices even if it can connect using MLO, over a non-MLO straight 6Ghz speed comparison. Then, there is the issue of Windows users, and Microsoft can't seem to get their act together and get this working except in a Canary version 6 months ago..then it vanished from any build afterwards. Kind of pathetic. I've also tried multiple Intel Wireless drivers, but Asus specifically says don't use any firmware/drivers from a manufacturer except their builds/releases. I tested a newer driver versions from Intel, when the MLO did work on the Canary build that one time, and it stopped working WiFi 7 WPA3 Enterprise. Rolled the driver back and it started connecting again...so drivers could be an issue as well. But, Apple has it sorted out somehow...rofl.

YMMV
 
Last edited:
Windows 11 WPA3 PERSONAL WiFi 7 is supported, still no MLO. The Properties will show WiFi 7, and not 802.11be like Enteprise property screen, but it doesn't show multiple frequencies.

Windows 11 WPA3 ENTERPRISE is still not supported for MLO. It will connect and shows 801.11be on the WPA3 Enterprise connection info/properties at 6Ghz.

About 6 months ago there was a Windows 11 Canary build that actually supported WPA3 Enterprise MLO and it worked. It displayed on both sides, the Windows Properties, and my Arista Cloud, MULTIPLE channels and frequencies and report WiFi 7 connection end-to-end. Ever since that....the next Canary build (weekly they come out) and nothing. Back to just WiFi 7 and no MLO on WPA3 anything, Personal and definitely not Enterprise.

I've run Windows 11 Canary, Beta and Regular builds on different systems and still nothing. But all builds have been on an Asus Zenbook with Intel BE201 WiFi 7 card.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and M4 Macbook shows WiFi 7 and MULTIPLE frequencies when connected to the same networks. So, I know it works on my Arista System. It is a Windows issue at this point.

I run an Arista WiFi C-460 WiFi 7 network for our business and implemented this. For the guest network, it used WPA3 Personal MLO, and it connects/displays WiFi 7 in the properties and 6Ghz for Windows, no other frequencies. MS on their website says if it shows multiple Frequencies, then it is supported. Also, I note that it will display the words WIFI7 in the Properties, and NOT 802.11be like the Enterprise. You have to read this closely what I just typed. Sorry for the long explanation and description. It is important to note that it just show in the Windows WiFi property WIFI7 and Multiple Frequencies displayed. It will only display WiFi7 and 6Ghz on any WPA3 network with MLO.

Also, my Arista cloud interface when it is truly using WIFI and MULTIPLE frequencies will actually show a different label and "MULTIPLE" is in a column, and the frequencies shows all 2.4, 5 and 6 Ghz. So, that is how I know Windows doesn't actually support/work with WPA3 Personal/Enterprise over MLO ever. Apple iPhone and Macbooks, the latest, will.

As far as Asus routers are concerned, I don't know, I don't run MLO and my AP is the 6Ghz WiFi and I have MLO disabled. Kind of useless. But I did test MLO one time.

Honestly, on my Arista, I have just disabled MLO. The 6Ghz, 802.11be is still really fast and most of the MLO I've seen with most large vendors and tested with demo units, is nonsense and poorly implemented amongst various vendors at this point still.

I know a lot of people have quoted the standards. But, with Windows 11 so far, on WPA3 Personal MLO is working on my Arista Wireless. As above, I tried MLO one time on my BE88U wireless network at home and it was the same thing, the iPhone worked fine and seemed to connect using multiple frequencies...but Windows still wouldn't use MLO. Plus, I can't test WPA3 Enterprise at home since that is above/beyond home user stuff. And it really doesn't implement I thought MLO properly I thought I read?? Maybe someone can correct it...but I found that MLO is just a big gimmick and waste of time honestly. 802.11be 6Ghz is really where it is at and proven/standard. MLO is still too new.

Hopefully, some of this info will help people regarding expectations as it relates to a true WiFi 7 capable system and MLO, and what Windows or certain WPA3 methods will offer/provide.

People should not enable MLO IMHO. Waste of time, doesn't have any proven performance gain we've noted and tested with multiple devices even if it can connect using MLO, over a non-MLO straight 6Ghz speed comparison. Then, there is the issue of Windows users, and Microsoft can't seem to get their act together and get this working except in a Canary version 6 months ago..then it vanished from any build afterwards. Kind of pathetic. I've also tried multiple Intel Wireless drivers, but Asus specifically says don't use any firmware/drivers from a manufacturer except their builds/releases. I tested a newer driver versions from Intel, when the MLO did work on the Canary build that one time, and it stopped working WiFi 7 WPA3 Enterprise. Rolled the driver back and it started connecting again...so drivers could be an issue as well. But, Apple has it sorted out somehow...rofl.

YMMV

MLO is not a gimmick. But you have to use a special combination of the Qualcomm AP chipset and NCM865 (this is the only valid HBS MLO STA because HBS MLO requires four high band FEMs, and NCM865 is the only WCN78xx product with four high band FEMs, and most phones that have the WCN78xx only have two high band FEMs) to make MLO really useful.
1752159074613.png

Intel and Broadcom are complete idiots in the age of WiFi7, their STA products only support EMLSR and not STR. I wonder how much bribes IEEE and WFA have taken from these idiots to allow EMLSR-only implementations.
 
Hopefully, some of this info will help people regarding expectations as it relates to a true WiFi 7 capable system and MLO, and what Windows or certain WPA3 methods will offer/provide.

This is a great post - points out issues with operating systems and device drivers with regards to both WiFi7 and cross band interoperability...
 

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