Wifi disconnect in a mesh environment

[user_623715019411529_623715019411529]

So I have an asus mesh environment with extenders in mesh mode and for the most part all the cameras show 4 bars on the router. I've read and tested all the suggesting's from reolink support and I get the usual answers but why does the camera's not reconnect on their own when they get any optimal strength at all? As some poster have said they go off line and can't even be pinged? I'm an IT Professional experienced with a lot of access points, switches, and routers. Why do the go down and never reconnect?

[user_647811706265649_647811706265649]

One possibility could be interference from other electronic devices or appliances in your home that are using the same frequency as your cameras. This could cause the signal to drop or become unstable. It might be worth trying to change the channel on your routers and cameras to see if this helps improve the connectivity.

Another potential issue could be a problem with the cameras themselves, such as a hardware failure or a software bug. In this case, geometry dash lite might be worth trying to reset the cameras and see if this resolves the issue.

[joseph_1979]

@user_623715019411529_623715019411529 Run Wireshark on your PC where you have the Reolink Windows client and then start the Reolink client and log on a camera. To establish communication the client sent a tcp request on port 9000. Then video is sent to the client as UDP.

Which model do you have?

[user_623715019411529_623715019411529]

@user_647811706265649_647811706265649 Not a possibility....anything that's getting inference shows signs of life but these are crashing hard and has to be power cycle thats not appliances...ask me how I know? Been in IT a long long time using off the shelf reply's won't apply here. Something is maxing out....I removed all duplicate work like only allowing the NVR to process notifications but then none were sent however the system stayed up. I recently turn the notifications on the camera's and getting those but now back to hard crashing. This appears on e1 outdoor and 511wa. The DUO is working fine.

[joseph_1979]

@user_623715019411529_623715019411529 I had the issue for the RLC511WA whereby after I switch off (say for 20 min) the 5GHz from the router side, the cam won't be communicating anymore. And as you said to recover one has to do a power cycle. I took it up with support and subsequently they modified the firmware and since then I never encountered the issue again. I do have the E1 OD and I did test it out but was able to communicate with it at all times. I checked this by capturing traces through Wireshark. Please email Reolink support.

[Crimp On_62210811129]

Could you please identify the cameras involved?

I have found that battery operated cameras give the appearance of being "disconnected" when they go into some sort of power saving mode. Selected the camera "wakes them up" and the app or the Windows Client connects to them.

[user_637618372325376_637618372325376]

Hardware incompatibility. Incompatibility is likely the most common cause of Wi-Fi issues. There are so many hardware vendors with lots and lots of devices. It's tough to keep all of them interoperating well in all scenarios.

[user_638337673601072_638337673601072]

Hardware incompatibility. Incompatibility is likely the most common cause of Wi-Fi issues. There are so many hardware vendors with lots and lots of devices. It's tough to keep all of them interoperating well in all scenarios

[user_638337673601072_638337673601072]

The slave unit may be too far away from the main router, or there are too many obstacles between the main router and slave unit, causing that the mesh connection is unstable.

[user_623715019411529_623715019411529]

@user_638337673601072_638337673601072 slave is only 5 feet away no issues there. as far as inherence and channels the only thing on the 2.4 is camera's all else is on 5ghz. It appears the cpu is way high and I think it maybe doing dual duty with the notifications. If appliance are the issue then reolink wifi camera's need to stay out of neighborhoods. Camera's still crash and NEVER come back online until they are hard rebooted....give that some thought! Inference would be erratic and give some video.

[user_637618372325376_637618372325376]

The biggest downside to a mesh WiFi router system is that you need to keep routers plugged into outlets in multiple rooms of your home. If you live in an apartment, or older house with fewer outlets, this may be hard to justify. It can also be a little off putting to have WiFi routers strewn throughout your house.

[joseph_1979]

@user_637618372325376_637618372325376 You need to plan and have the right router/extenders.

[user_623715019411529_623715019411529]

Course the routers have an electrical connection in all rooms. The upside of mesh is I have excellent coverage in every inch of the house and can extend that. The reolink system has been up almost 90 days and here's what I observe. The 511WA are constantly crashing, E1 outdoor once every 30 days. The E1 Pro never, and finally the duo 2 wireless also never. There is a post that the 411 had the same issue as the 511WA's disconnecting and not coming back online. 511WA's managed thru the nvr is 3 bars where as the top of the line mesh show them at full strength. Running a program to monitor 2.4 ghz shows no interference from other homes close by regardless of the channel so gotta call a duck a duck the 511WA have wifi issues which maybe a climate issue but they should reconnect when the environment stabilizes which instead points to an internal issue.

[big_ted]

@user_623715019411529_623715019411529
Is the 2.4 and 5ghz broadcasted as separate networks or combined and the devices determines which to use?
Also is there a reason for using 2.4 over 5ghz for the 511w camera?
*appologies if these have already been asked*

[joseph_1979]

@user_623715019411529_623715019411529 I have both the RLC511WA and the E1 OD connected to 5GHz WIFI and never had any issues of disconnections. If you have disconnections that it is surely a WIFI issue. So you have a mesh router and a number of APs configured as mesh. Ensure that 5GHz signal is quite good at each camera and assign different SSID for 2.4G and 5G band and connect the cameras to the 5GHz only. This shall ensure that the camera will always connect to this band. If you still have the issue then connect the cams to the 2.4G band and monitor.

Ensure also that you have the latest firmware installed.

[user_645880601444421_645880601444421]

I have 13 cameras, all on 2.4GHz + ~15-25 other devices depending on time of day. My config is

1. Fixed channel
2. Fixed 40MHz BW
3. N only.
4. 3x3 radio (Asus RT-AX86U, soon to be an Asus GT-AX6000 with 4x4 2.4GHz radio

This config is super stable (all devices) except for three cameras. Of those three two will periodically disconnect and then reconnect within minutes. The third one however, would eventually (minutes to a couple of hours) get into some weird state that leaves it unable to send WiFi beacons. This in turn causes the router to think the camera has left followed by disassociation. The router logs show that once this happens the camera never again makes an attempt to rejoin the network. The only cure is to pull the power plug and reboot the camera. You can easily deduce this by looking specifically for DHCP events (request, offer, discover) associated with the troublesome camera's MAC address. Wireshark is great, but it always helps to know what the router thinks is happening as well. I am currently in the process of RMAing this camera (E1 Pro V2). There is such a thing as being TOO close to a router/mesh/AP - exceptionally high signal strength can saturate the device's radio. You might try increasing separation, even if only a foot or two