238 lines
7.7 KiB
Markdown
238 lines
7.7 KiB
Markdown
# WiFi / CAPsMAN Troubleshooting Guide
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**Last Updated:** 2026-03-12
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**Purpose:** Document known pitfalls, root causes, and diagnostic procedures for WiFi and CAPsMAN issues on the MikroTik HAP ax³ + cAP XL ac setup.
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---
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## Pitfall 1: Empty Inline Security Overrides = Open Network
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**Severity:** CRITICAL
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**Problem:** Setting `security.authentication-types=""` on a WiFi interface does NOT mean "inherit from security profile." RouterOS interprets an empty string as **no authentication (open network)**.
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**Symptoms:**
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- Devices connect but show empty AUTH-TYPE in registration table
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- IoT devices that try WPA/WPA2 handshake silently fail — router logs show ZERO connection attempts
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- Other devices connect fine (they accept open)
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**Root Cause:** Attempting to "clear inline overrides" to inherit from the security profile by setting empty values. RouterOS treats empty string as explicit "no auth."
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**Fix:**
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```routeros
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# Always set explicit values on the interface
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/interface wifi set wifi2 \
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security.authentication-types=wpa-psk,wpa2-psk \
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security.encryption=tkip,ccmp
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```
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**Rule:** NEVER set `security.authentication-types=""` or `security.encryption=""`. Always use explicit values matching the security profile.
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---
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## Pitfall 2: CAPsMAN Re-Provisioning Wipes Interface Config
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**Severity:** HIGH
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**Problem:** Running `/interface wifi capsman remote-cap provision` clears all configuration from cap-wifi interfaces — security, channel, datapath, and SSID are all removed. Interfaces show "SSID not set" and remain inactive.
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**Fix:** After re-provisioning, manually re-apply full config:
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```routeros
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# 2.4GHz (cap-wifi1 = MAC :BE = 2.4GHz radio)
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/interface wifi set cap-wifi1 \
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configuration=cfg-xtrm2 security=sec-xtrm2 datapath=dp-cap \
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channel.frequency=2472 channel.band=2ghz-g channel.width=20mhz
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# 5GHz (cap-wifi2 = MAC :BF = 5GHz radio)
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/interface wifi set cap-wifi2 \
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configuration=cfg-xtrm security=sec-xtrm datapath=dp-cap \
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channel.frequency=5180 channel.band=5ghz-ac \
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channel.width=20/40/80mhz channel.skip-dfs-channels=all
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# Re-enable both
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/interface wifi enable cap-wifi1
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/interface wifi enable cap-wifi2
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```
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---
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## Pitfall 3: Interface IDs Change After Re-Provisioning
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**Severity:** HIGH
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**Problem:** After CAPsMAN re-provisioning, cap-wifi interface internal IDs change (e.g., `*20`/`*21` become `*22`/`*23`). Access-list rules referencing old IDs stop matching.
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**Symptom:** `client was disconnected because could not assign vlan` error on CAP interfaces.
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**Fix:**
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```routeros
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# Check current IDs
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:foreach i in=[/interface wifi find where name~"cap"] do={
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:put ([/interface wifi get $i name] . " = " . $i)
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}
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# Update access-list rules
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/interface wifi access-list set [find where interface=*OLD] interface=*NEW
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```
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**Best practice:** Don't use CAP-specific access-list rules. Let all clients (HAP and CAP) use the same MAC-based access list. The HAP handles VLAN assignment uniformly via CAPsMAN.
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---
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## Pitfall 4: CAP Radio-to-Interface Mapping Swap
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**Severity:** MEDIUM
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**Problem:** After re-provisioning, `cap-wifi1` and `cap-wifi2` may swap which physical radio they map to. Assigning 5GHz config to the 2.4GHz radio (or vice versa) causes "no available channels" error.
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**Identification:** Check MAC addresses:
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| MAC suffix | Radio | Must receive |
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|------------|-------|--------------|
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| :BE | 2.4GHz | 2.4GHz config (XTRM2) |
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| :BF | 5GHz | 5GHz config (XTRM) |
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**Fix:** Match config to the correct radio MAC, not the interface name.
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---
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## Pitfall 5: CAP Band Must Be AC, Not AX
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**Severity:** MEDIUM
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**Problem:** The cAP XL ac only supports 802.11ac. Setting band to `5ghz-ax` results in the radio not starting.
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**Fix:** Always use `5ghz-ac` for the CAP 5GHz channel configuration.
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---
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## Pitfall 6: IoT Devices Need Legacy WiFi Settings
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**Severity:** HIGH
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**Problem:** Many IoT devices (vacuums, smart gateways, ovens) require legacy WiFi settings to connect. Using 802.11n-only or WPA2-only silently prevents connections — the router sees zero attempts.
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**Required XTRM2 (2.4GHz) settings:**
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| Setting | Value | Reason |
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|---------|-------|--------|
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| Band | `2ghz-g` | NOT `2ghz-n` — IoT devices may only support 802.11g |
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| Auth | `wpa-psk,wpa2-psk` | Some devices need WPA1 available |
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| Encryption | `tkip,ccmp` | Some devices need TKIP |
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| Channel width | `20mhz` | Maximum compatibility |
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| FT (802.11r) | Disabled | Causes issues with IoT |
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**Known devices requiring legacy support:**
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- Roborock S7 Vacuum (B0:4A:39:3F:9A:14)
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- Tuya Smart Gateway JMWZG1 (38:1F:8D:04:6F:E4)
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- Bosch Oven (94:27:70:1E:0C:EE)
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- Various other IoT appliances
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---
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## 5GHz Channel Separation
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HAP and CAP must use different 5GHz channels to avoid co-channel interference:
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| Device | Channel | Frequency | Band |
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|--------|---------|-----------|------|
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| HAP wifi1 | 149 | 5745 MHz | 5ghz-ax |
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| CAP cap-wifi2 | 36 | 5180 MHz | 5ghz-ac |
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Both use `skip-dfs-channels=all` to avoid radar detection disconnects.
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---
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## Diagnostic Checklist
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When devices can't connect to WiFi, check in this order:
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### Step 1: Check Security (Most Common Issue)
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```routeros
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# Check if AUTH-TYPE is empty in registration table (= open network!)
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/interface wifi registration-table print
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# Check inline security overrides
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:put [/interface wifi get wifi2 security.authentication-types]
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:put [/interface wifi get wifi2 security.encryption]
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# If empty → security is broken, set explicit values
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```
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### Step 2: Check Band Compatibility
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```routeros
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/interface wifi monitor wifi2 once
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# If channel shows /n → change to /g for IoT compatibility
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```
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### Step 3: Enable Debug Logging
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```routeros
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/system logging add topics=wireless,debug action=memory
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# Then check: /log print where topics~"wireless"
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```
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### Step 4: Check CAP Interface IDs
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```routeros
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# Verify access-list rules reference current IDs
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:foreach i in=[/interface wifi find where name~"cap"] do={
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:put ([/interface wifi get $i name] . " = " . $i)
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}
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/interface wifi access-list print where interface~"\\*"
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```
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### Step 5: Check Radio-MAC Mapping
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```routeros
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# Verify cap interfaces are assigned to correct radios
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/interface wifi print where name~"cap" proplist=name,mac-address,channel.band
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```
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### Step 6: If Router Sees ZERO Attempts
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This means:
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- **Security mismatch** — device won't even try (most likely empty auth = open)
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- **Band incompatibility** — 802.11n-only blocks 802.11g devices
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- **Device-side issue** — power cycle device, re-do WiFi setup from scratch
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---
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## Quick Recovery Commands
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### Restore XTRM2 (2.4GHz) to known working state
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```routeros
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/interface wifi security set sec-xtrm2 \
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authentication-types=wpa-psk,wpa2-psk encryption=tkip,ccmp
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/interface wifi set wifi2 \
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security.authentication-types=wpa-psk,wpa2-psk \
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security.encryption=tkip,ccmp \
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security.ft=no security.ft-over-ds=no
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/interface wifi channel set ch-2g-hap \
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frequency=2412 band=2ghz-g width=20mhz
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```
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### Restore XTRM (5GHz) to known working state
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```routeros
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/interface wifi security set sec-xtrm \
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authentication-types=wpa2-psk,wpa3-psk encryption=ccmp
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/interface wifi set wifi1 \
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security.authentication-types=wpa2-psk,wpa3-psk \
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security.encryption=ccmp \
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security.ft=no security.ft-over-ds=no
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/interface wifi channel set ch-5g-hap \
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frequency=5745 band=5ghz-ax width=20/40/80mhz skip-dfs-channels=all
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```
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### Restore CAP interfaces after re-provisioning
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```routeros
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/interface wifi set cap-wifi1 \
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configuration=cfg-xtrm2 security=sec-xtrm2 datapath=dp-cap \
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channel.frequency=2472 channel.band=2ghz-g channel.width=20mhz
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/interface wifi set cap-wifi2 \
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configuration=cfg-xtrm security=sec-xtrm datapath=dp-cap \
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channel.frequency=5180 channel.band=5ghz-ac \
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channel.width=20/40/80mhz channel.skip-dfs-channels=all
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/interface wifi enable cap-wifi1
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/interface wifi enable cap-wifi2
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```
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