Yeelight devices not connect back to wifi after router reboot

[ali232]

Hello.
I have a bunch of Xiaomi Yeelight devices (Lightstrip Plus and Bulb) connected to my 2.4G only Guest #1 network (AX86U).
My problem is when I reboot my router they not always reconnect to the network. I have to unplug and plug in the Yeelight devices to make them connected.
When I upgrade the router firmware they never come back to the network automatically.
What can I do? Every wifi settings are stock.

 

[eibgrad]

I've had similar problems w/ various wifi products over the years. I find the problem has far more to do w/ the devices themselves than the router's wifi. I've either had to resort to a wired connection (ethernet or powerline), provided it's an option, or just dump the devices and try another brand.

Although I don't think it will matter, you might try using guest #2 or #3 instead of #1. Guest #1 was hacked by ASUS to support AiMesh, and that can sometimes lead to numerous other problems. Again, I don't think it will matter, but it's worth a try anyway.

 

[eibgrad]

BTW, I often have this very problem w/ routers that I've converted into a wireless ethernet bridge (or repeater). I might take say an RT-AC68U, install FT (FreshTomato) or DD-WRT, and configure it as wireless ethernet bridge, where I use one of the wireless radios (typically the 5GHz) to create a wireless connection to the primary router's AP. Any wired device on the RT-AC68U now has wireless access over that wireless client connection.

It all works great *except* when I reboot the primary router. Many times it simply won't reconnect. But I've solved it by enabling a watchdog script that reboots the wireless ethernet bridge should it be unable to ping a specified public IP (e.g., 8.8.8.8) for more than 5 mins. Problem solved.

Of course, it's only possible because I'm able to modify the device's behavior, something unlikely w/ most consumer appliances.

THAT's what's needed on these other devices. But clearly they are NOT all doing this. They're assuming the wireless reconnection will just happen, automatically. And perhaps it should, as a technical matter. But the reality is, you can't depend on it.

That's why NOT all wifi devices are created equal. Too many don't consider this possibility and maintain their own watchdog. That's when you have no choice but to consider other products that do. And unfortunately that tends to be a trial and error process.

 

[eibgrad]

P.S. One possible solution would be to use a second AP that's patched to the primary router. That way, at least you can reboot the primary router at will. It's far less likely you'll need to reboot the AP than the primary router. So while it won't eliminate ALL your problems, at least it will diminish them and preserve your current investment.

Frankly, given these are IOT devices, it wouldn't be a bad idea to provide them w/ their own router, connected via its WAN port to a LAN port on the primary router. Then configure the new router's firewall to deny access to the private network upstream, thus creating IP level isolation. You could then support wired IOT devices as well. Even provide them w/ their own VPN, QoS, etc. You would probably need to consider a router that supports FT (FreshTomato) or DD-WRT so you could modify the firewall.

Or else find a standalone/dedicated repeater device/appliance that DOES reconnect reliably, and have your IOT devices connect to it instead.

 

[JGrana]

I once had some issues connecting some “smart” outlets. Most all of these devices connect over 2.4Ghz and from my observation over the years - their IP stack and WiFi drivers are pretty fragile/limited and leave a lot to be desired.
One thing that has helped in some cases - get the MAC address of the device and assign a static IP and hostname. It has helped me in a few occasions.