GL-AX1800 (v4.8.3) – WiFi stops working with more than 2 SSIDs (worked fine on 4.6.8)

Router
1

Hi everyone,

after upgrading my GL-AX1800 from firmware v4.6.8 to v4.8.3, I started experiencing a serious limitation with WiFi interfaces.

:magnifying_glass_tilted_left: Issue

If I configure more than 2 SSIDs per radio, all WiFi networks disappear completely (both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).

  • With 2 SSIDs → everything works fine

  • With 3 SSIDs → WiFi fails completely (no networks visible)

:warning: Important note

On firmware v4.6.8, the exact same setup worked without any issue. I was able to run multiple SSIDs per radio (3+).

:test_tube: What I tested

  • Cleaned up /etc/config/wireless (removed custom ifname, macaddr, WDS, etc.)

  • Tried minimal configuration

  • Enabled SSIDs one by one

  • Same result every time: the third SSID causes all WiFi to go down

:satellite_antenna: System info

  • Device: GL-AX1800

  • Firmware: 4.8.3

  • Driver: mt76 (default)

  • Country: IT

:pushpin: Observation

From iw list, the device reports support for multiple AP interfaces (up to 8), but in practice the limit seems to be 2 active SSIDs per radio on this firmware.

:red_question_mark: Questions

  • Has anyone else experienced this behavior on v4.8.x?

  • Is this a known limitation or regression in mt76 / hostapd?

  • Is there any workaround to allow more than 2 SSIDs again?

  • Was something changed between 4.6.8 and 4.8.3 regarding multi-BSSID handling?

At the moment, it looks like a regression compared to previous firmware.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks!

2

Hi

We tested this locally on the AX1800 running v4.8.3, but were unable to reproduce the issue.
A third SSID can be enabled simultaneously, and devices can connect and access the network normally.

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image1474×630 57.5 KB

You may want to double-check and try using the following configuration:

config wifi-iface 'wifinet0'
        option device 'radio0'
        option network 'lan'
        option mode 'ap'
        option ssid 'GL-AX1800-cc9-5G-iot'
        option encryption 'psk2'
        option key 'goodlife'
        option isolate '0'
        option ifname 'wlan1-2'
        option disabled '0'

config wifi-iface 'wifinet1'
        option device 'radio1'
        option network 'lan'
        option mode 'ap'
        option ssid 'GL-AX1800-cc9-iot'
        option encryption 'psk2'
        option key 'goodlife'
        option isolate '0'
        option ifname 'wlan0-2'
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