Channel Analysis graphs are empty on Flint 2

Technical Support for Routers
1

Hello, I just unpacked my new Flint 2 a few days ago. Played with it for a few days just to get a feel of the admin page and OpenWRT in general (first experience) and didn’t notice anything out of order, I think everything was working fine, incl. Channel Analysis graphs in LuCI.

After that, I did a factory reset using the System → Reset Firmware option from the web admin, to get back to stock settings and start configuring things for real. After the reset was finished, I noticed that the Channel Analysis graphs in LuCI are not populated even after waiting for a few minutes, no nearby wireless networks show on either the 2.4 GHz or the 5 GHz band. There definitely are nearby networks that should be detected, yet the page remains empty (after the text “Starting wireless scan…” disappears). This happens on any device, any browser I try, incl. incognito window and after clearing browser cache. In the browser’s Network console, there’s a bunch of 404 responses to requests for various JavaScript files, the list kind of resembles this report but I am not entirely sure that it’s related.

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I didn’t install any OpenWRT packages, and besides configuring PPPoE credentials, wireless settings, DHCP/DNS and IPv6 via uci commands (since the necessary functionality is not exposed in GL.iNet’s admin panel), I don’t think I modified anything else.

Please let me know what other things I should check and try :pray:

  • Which router (which model?) are you using?
    • GL-MT6000 (Flint 2)
  • Which firmware version is in use?
    • 4.5.8
  • How is your router connected to the Internet?
    • By cable via the modem of my Internet provider
    • ISP: Asahi Net
  • Which DNS server do you use?
    • Pi-hole DNS servers installed on Raspberry Pi Model 2 that’s available in local network
  • Do you use DHCP or static IP addresses?
    • DHCP, but not from DHCP server on the router itself – that one is disabled, instead Pi-hole acts as a DHCP server
2

This firmware uses a special SDK and therefor a special Wi-Fi driver which is not the default OpenSource driver used by OpenWrt mostly.

This cause some special features to fail. I assume that this graph is one of them.

In the download section GL.iNet download center you can find a firmware using the open source driver instead.

2 Likes
3

I see! Thank you so much for your answer!

If I understand it correctly, it's essentially expected not to work with the current firmware, and if I understand also the paragraph in the "OpenWRT 24" tab of the download page you linked correctly, that might change in firmware 4.6.x, once 4.6 is fully released?

If so, I'm fine with staying on the current one with the promise of it getting fixed in the future. Just curious that before the factory reset, the graphs were working fine…

Thank you!

4

No. There are 2 versions of firmware.
4.x.x-opxx
and
4.x

4.x.x-opxx -> Contains the open source wifi drivers made to work within OpenWRT, so everything should work including those graphs. However the open source drivers might not support all of the hardware's features and might be less stable or performant. I say might, because they may catch-up or improve even more over time.

4.x -> Wifi-drivers of the manufacture of the wifi-chipset. Should do as good as the manufacture of the chipset can make it work. However these drivers might not support all feature needed of everything of OpenWRT to work.

Both have their pro and cons.

1 Like
5

Okay now I see! Thank you so much for the detailed explanation, now it's all clear!