iPhone tethering is not working on GL-X3000 Spitz AX

[onni]

Hey,

I’m able to use repeater and 4G connections easily with my new GL-X3000 but somehow fail to tether using my iPhone 11 Pro with iOS version 17.1 and router software version 4.0 and 0405release1.

I did factory reset for the router just in case before trying this.

I read elsewhere from this forum that I need to first disable bluetooth and wifi and the iPhone tethering fail docs mentioned that I need to use the Maximise Compatibility mode.

I disabled the bluetooth and wifi and enabled hotspot only in the USB mode.

I then was prompted if I want to trust this computer on my iPhone and I entered my passcode there to do so.

I check that my iPhone has 2/4 bars of 4G available and the mobile connection is working. I can succesfully also use the tethering with my MacBook.

When I click connect on the admin dashboard of the router it will get stuck into the connecting phase:

I think these are the relevant logs from my router:

Sun Jan 14 18:34:52 2024 kern.info kernel: [ 1490.640049] usb 1-1.3: new high-speed USB device number 8 using xhci-mtk
Sun Jan 14 18:34:52 2024 daemon.err usbmuxd[10591]: [18:34:52.924][3] Connecting to new device on location 0x10008 as ID 4
Sun Jan 14 18:34:52 2024 daemon.err usbmuxd[10591]: [18:34:52.924][3] Connected to v2.0 device 4 on location 0x10008 with serial number 00008030-0015753C0E00802E
Sun Jan 14 18:34:52 2024 kern.info kernel: [ 1490.754866] ipheth 1-1.3:4.2: Apple iPhone USB Ethernet device attached
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:34:54 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:35:09 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'tethering' is enabled
Sun Jan 14 18:35:10 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Network device 'eth2' link is up
Sun Jan 14 18:35:10 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'tethering' has link connectivity
Sun Jan 14 18:35:10 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'tethering' is setting up now
Sun Jan 14 18:35:10 2024 kern.info kernel: [ 1508.449962] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): eth2: link becomes ready
Sun Jan 14 18:35:10 2024 daemon.notice netifd: tethering (10692): udhcpc: started, v1.33.2
Sun Jan 14 18:35:10 2024 daemon.notice netifd: tethering (10692): udhcpc: sending discover
Sun Jan 14 18:35:11 2024 daemon.info avahi-daemon[5621]: Joining mDNS multicast group on interface eth2.IPv6 with address fe80::ccd2:81ff:fe04:c34c.
Sun Jan 14 18:35:11 2024 daemon.info avahi-daemon[5621]: New relevant interface eth2.IPv6 for mDNS.
Sun Jan 14 18:35:11 2024 daemon.info avahi-daemon[5621]: Registering new address record for fe80::ccd2:81ff:fe04:c34c on eth2.*.
Sun Jan 14 18:35:13 2024 daemon.notice netifd: tethering (10692): udhcpc: sending discover
Sun Jan 14 18:35:16 2024 daemon.notice netifd: tethering (10692): udhcpc: sending discover

And next log lines after I removed the iPhone are these:

Sun Jan 14 18:38:27 2024 daemon.err usbmuxd[10591]: [18:38:27.793][3] Removed device 4 on location 0x10008
Sun Jan 14 18:38:27 2024 kern.info kernel: [ 1705.663297] usb 1-1.3: USB disconnect, device number 8
Sun Jan 14 18:38:27 2024 daemon.info avahi-daemon[5621]: Interface eth2.IPv6 no longer relevant for mDNS.
Sun Jan 14 18:38:27 2024 daemon.info avahi-daemon[5621]: Leaving mDNS multicast group on interface eth2.IPv6 with address fe80::ccd2:81ff:fe04:c34c.
Sun Jan 14 18:38:27 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Network device 'eth2' link is down
Sun Jan 14 18:38:27 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'tethering' has link connectivity loss
Sun Jan 14 18:38:27 2024 daemon.notice netifd: tethering (10692): udhcpc: read error: Network is down, reopening socket
Sun Jan 14 18:38:27 2024 daemon.info avahi-daemon[5621]: Withdrawing address record for fe80::ccd2:81ff:fe04:c34c on eth2.
Sun Jan 14 18:38:28 2024 daemon.notice netifd: tethering (10692): udhcpc: bind: No such device
Sun Jan 14 18:38:28 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'tethering' is now down
Sun Jan 14 18:38:28 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'tethering' is disabled
Sun Jan 14 18:38:28 2024 kern.info kernel: [ 1705.975823] ipheth 1-1.3:4.2: Apple iPhone USB Ethernet now disconnected
Sun Jan 14 18:38:28 2024 user.notice mwan3[19474]: Execute ifdown event on interface tethering (unknown)
Sun Jan 14 18:38:28 2024 user.notice firewall: Reloading firewall due to ifdown of tethering ()

[admon]

Logs look good so far, I would say.

Did you restart your iPhone?

[onni]

I’ll try update the iOS to latest 17.2.1 version and it will then restart as well.

I waited for 10 minutes first time and retried and waited for 5min then.

I guess that timespan should be enough for the router to connect?

[onni]

I also tried my partners iPhone 13 Pro as well and it hangs as well into the connecting phase and results in exact same logs:

Sun Jan 14 18:58:11 2024 kern.info kernel: [ 2888.831330] usb 1-1.3: new high-speed USB device number 9 using xhci-mtk
Sun Jan 14 18:58:11 2024 kern.info kernel: [ 2888.946915] ipheth 1-1.3:4.2: Apple iPhone USB Ethernet device attached
Sun Jan 14 18:58:11 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'tethering' is enabled
Sun Jan 14 18:58:11 2024 daemon.err usbmuxd[10591]: [18:58:11.628][3] Connecting to new device on location 0x10009 as ID 5
Sun Jan 14 18:58:11 2024 daemon.err usbmuxd[10591]: [18:58:11.628][3] Connected to v2.0 device 5 on location 0x10009 with serial number 00008110-001C0DE43AC1401E
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '=' Default
Sun Jan 14 18:58:13 2024 user.warn : skip line without '='
Sun Jan 14 18:58:19 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Network device 'eth2' link is up
Sun Jan 14 18:58:19 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'tethering' has link connectivity
Sun Jan 14 18:58:19 2024 daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'tethering' is setting up now
Sun Jan 14 18:58:19 2024 daemon.notice netifd: tethering (26970): udhcpc: started, v1.33.2
Sun Jan 14 18:58:19 2024 daemon.notice netifd: tethering (26970): udhcpc: sending discover
Sun Jan 14 18:58:20 2024 daemon.err usbmuxd[10591]: [18:58:20.521][3] Removed device 5 on location 0x10009
Sun Jan 14 18:58:22 2024 daemon.notice netifd: tethering (26970): udhcpc: sending discover
Sun Jan 14 18:58:25 2024 daemon.notice netifd: tethering (26970): udhcpc: sending discover

[onni]

Hmmm after I plugged my iPhone and it was connecting I visited the advanced settings and the Network->interfaces the router mentioned that it will migrate the settings to LuCI or something like this and after that the tethering started to work

[admon]

The ways in which the GL GUI interacts with OpenWrt are unfathomable.

[onni]

I tried again with my iPhone 11 Pro with iOS 17.2.1 and it works perfectly. No need to for example trust the router again. Just plug&play.

But when I tried with my partners iPhone 13 Pro with iOS 17.0.1 it didn’t still work so I guess the new iOS might have been the trick as well.

I’ll try to update that as well and hopefully it works.

[berylme]

same for me on my beryl ax. iphone 8 with ios 16 works flawlessly with usb tethering. iphone 16 pro with ios 18.1.1 does not work at all ("Connecting" forever). I tried everything, including the interface changes in luci etc.

[onni]

For me it now works just fine even after factory reseting the device.

It was pretty mystical why it did not work and why it started to work in the end

Try sending email to [email protected] and mention this thread so that they can write the answer and the needed steps into this thread so then it will get indexed in search engines too and should help others too in the future .