Troubleshooting Mesh Communication between Access Points
In a mesh wireless network, gateway access points are wired directly to the network, while repeater access points rely on wireless mesh links to get network
connectivity. If a repeater AP goes down or has an unreliable connection, it will likely be unreachable from Dashboard. However, helpful troubleshooting
information can be gathered both on-site and from nearby nodes in Dashboard.
This document outlines steps to troubleshoot repeater connectivity from the perspective of its online mesh neighbors.
The following steps are recommended to troubleshoot problems with mesh connectivity:
1. Determining Dashboard status
2. Check for Mesh Neighbors
3. Check Mesh Routes
4. Check radio settings
5. Physical inspection
6. Packet captures
Determining Dashboard Status
During normal operation a repeater will appear as a green icon in Dashboard. In this state, a repeater will:
• Advertise SSIDs configured in Dashboard
• Allow clients to associate and pass traffic.
• Update Dashboard with statistics and download its configuration.
• Allow for full use of supported Live tools
Normal Operation
A working mesh connection is shown below. Repeater “Roberta” has a 1-hop route to reach the “Rosehill Pole” gateway AP. In this instance, both APs are mesh
neighbors because they share a common channel (channel 44 highlighted in yellow) and are within range of each other and are located in the same Dashboard
network.
The
and
discuss important concepts
which should be taken into account before using this troubleshooting guide.
Therefore, review those articles prior to using this guide.
Note:
Dashboard mesh stats are not updated in real-time. There can be considerable delay between what is happening in real-time and what is
reported in Dashboard. Furthermore, if a repeater cannot communicate with Dashboard, the information on its details page is likely stale.
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