Hi GL.iNet team, please improve the WLAN use and repeater Wi-Fi:
For WLAN channels, currently, setting the WLAN Channel mode to Auto only gets the router to pick channels 36-48 on 5 GHz (I do not test 6 GHz because my devices do not support it.), but it never selects Channel 149-161. It is understandable that it does not select 52-64 or 100-144, but since most routers are set to Auto, and always pick 36-48, it causes heavy congestion and interference, I cannot enjoy the 5G performance from my Mudi 7. Please allow the router by default to auto-select channel 149-165.
Please also allow Band Steering option integration between the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks seperately between each interface. I have heard there’s a new IoT network and custom VLAN for v4.9 and v4.10 for other routers,there should be seperate WLAN Band steering options for them. I tried to implement Band steering myself, but none of the plugins seem to work properly.
For repeater WLAN, please add support for CSA/802.11h (Channel switch announcement) packets before the connection attempt to the repeater Wi-Fi instead of restarting the radios to match the channel or add MCC (1 radio operating on 2 channels with 1 or 2 NSS) support if the hardware is able to do it. Some consumer devices are able to do this seamlessly. It's very annoying for me that the Wi-Fi from my Mudi 7 keeps disconnecting just because the upstream router decides to switch channels or networks and the router disconnects, and that if the router selects a heavily congested channel, I can’t do anything with it. Although MCC can have latency spikes, it should be an option in the settings
Additionally, please add the ability to set the hostname to broadcast for DHCP for each Wi-Fi network. Older routers used in the public in my area usually did not initiate a proper connection if the hostname is left empty. Even after setting it in the LuCI GUI, it keeps resetting to “Do not send a hostname", causing me to manually connect on my Samsung phone.
My understanding of band steering is very basic, but I noticed that some routers, like those from TP-Link by default, have one SSID instead of having one for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. I'm assuming with band steering, I can have one SSID and then the router can automatically decide which is the best band for the device to use. I think that could be a very good idea if it works in practice and not just in theory.
Yes the concept of Band Steering is 1 SSID putting clients on the 5 GHz radio vs the 2.4 GHz radio depending on the signal quality conditions. I have this equipped with the ZTE MU5250 which has it enabled by default.
Thank you for taking the time to share these detailed suggestions with us.
Regarding the 5 GHz Auto Channel behavior, the available channels can be affected by the Wi-Fi regulatory region/country setting as well as the configured channel width.
Could you please first check whether channels 149–165 can be selected manually on your Mudi 7 under the current region setting?
If they are available manually, please also try different 5 GHz channel widths, such as 160 MHz, 80 MHz, and 40 MHz, and check whether Auto Channel is able to select the upper 5 GHz channels under any of these settings.
Regarding your other suggestions, including per-network 2.4 GHz/5 GHz Band Steering, improving Repeater behavior when the upstream AP changes channels with options such as CSA/MCC, and persistent/configurable DHCP hostname support for Repeater networks, we have recorded these requests and will submit them to the relevant team for further evaluation.
The 5GHz radio permits Channels 149-161 for 80 MHz use, so it can broadcast the wireless connection over the frequency. The channel bandwidth is 80 MHz. Thanks for considering my suggestions.
Just to confirm again, are you able to manually select channels 149–161 within an 80 MHz bandwidth?
When you manually set it to any channel within the 149–161 range and then change the mode back to automatic, does the frequency band switch back to channels 36–48?
Setting it to auto after manually setting channel 149-161 brings it to channel 36-48, both the GL.iNet Web UI, LuCI, and the screen, even if the range is congested.
In Auto mode, channel selection is handled by the Wi-Fi driver and can be affected by the local regulatory domain and DFS-related rules.
For now, you may manually set and keep a suitable channel in the 149–161 range at 80 MHz to avoid the congestion on channels 36–48.
We have also recorded your feedback regarding the Auto Channel behavior for further evaluation.