Setup
Router: Slate 7 (GL-BE3600), firmware 4.9.0 Stable (upgraded from 4.8.3 with "keep settings")
Upstream network:
- UniFi Cloud Gateway Fiber (UCGF) with multiple U7 access points
- SSID broadcast on 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz + 6 GHz
- Security: WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode
- Mesh setup with auto channel selection
Three BSSIDs visible on 5 GHz for my SSID:
- BSSID_A:
1C:6A:1B:XX:XX:CB— signal -45 dBm (strongest, closest AP) - BSSID_B:
1C:6A:1B:XX:XX:D3— signal -70 dBm (mid) - BSSID_C:
B4:FB:E4:XX:XX:6C— signal -78 dBm (weakest)
Observed behaviour on 4.9.0
| BSSID setting | 5 GHz Result |
|---|---|
| Fixed BSSID OFF (auto-select) |  Connection times out. gl-repeater[]: connect timeout in syslog |
| Fixed BSSID ON, BSSID_A (-45 dBm, strongest) | Same connect timeout |
| Fixed BSSID ON, BSSID_B (-70 dBm, mid) |  Connects immediately and stably |
| Fixed BSSID ON, BSSID_C (-78 dBm, weakest) | not yet tested |
2.4 GHz repeater works fine regardless of BSSID setting.
Working on 4.8.3
Same physical setup worked reliably on 4.8.3 with auto BSSID (no pinning required). The regression appeared after the 4.9.0 Stable upgrade.
Questions for R&D
- Has the BSSID selection logic in the STA / repeater code changed between 4.8.3 and 4.9.0?
- Why does auto-BSSID fail to fall back from BSSID_A (which the Slate seemingly cannot associate with despite being the strongest) to BSSID_B (which works)?
- Is this potentially related to how 4.9.0 interacts with UniFi's client-steering / band-steering / min-RSSI behaviour on Wi-Fi 7 APs?
- Is this a known issue in the 4.9.0 Stable release for Slate 7 users on multi-AP mesh SSID environments?
Additional context
Syslog available on request (PM). Related but different symptom reported in thread /t/gl-be3600-repeater-issues/69584 (Starlink + traffic load); mine is specifically BSSID-selection related on a UniFi Wi-Fi 7 mesh.
Happy to run further diagnostics or share configs.