Regression #14703
open
2100 pcie wireless issues
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Description
Hello fellow pfSense Packages Redmine community members can you please help.
1. The SG-2100MAX the Compex WLE200NX Wireless A/B/G/N Network Mini PCIe Adapter is the only card that will work with the 2100. Other appliances have support for other cards that is missing inside the 2100.
2. The pfSense GUI has removed all antenna port options that are in the prior versions of pfSense.
3. The pfSense software will not allow any dev.ath.0.tpack, or dev.ath.0.tpcts adjustments. When changed they default back to the original settings when adjustments are made. However per Netgate docs users should be able to change them.
4. The antenna diversity does not enable within the 2100 when multiple antena are in use.
As listed in Netgate docs we should have options for antenna adjustments and transmit power adjustments as seen here:
"If the signal is weak even when nearby the access point antenna, check the antenna again. For mini-PCI or mini-PCIe cards, if only one pigtail in use and there are two internal connectors, try hooking the pigtail up to the other internal connector on the card. Also try changing the Channel or adjusting the Transmit Power, or the Antenna Settings on the wireless interface configuration. For mini-PCI and mini-PCIe cards, check for broken ends on the fragile pigtail connectors where they plug into the card. If the Regulatory Domain settings have not been configured, set them before testing again."
Users can not adjust antenna settings or transmit power as the gui options are no longer listed.
I have also purchased and tested the Apple AR5BXB112 607-7211-A 661-5946 Network Mini PCIe card as it is known to work with other member's appliances. However, the 2100 does not detect any other pcie hardware. Per other forum members the AR5BXB112 card does work within other Netgate appliances. I have recently learned from member stephenw10 that the Compex card is the only card that he has seen work inside the 2100.
If other hardware such as the AR5BXB112 work inside other official Netgate appliances does the arm architecture that is inside the 2100 cause some lack of software support?
Secondly:
I was hoping to test the following options as the AR5BXB112 card contains 3 antenna ports, 0, 1, and 2.
per stephenw10
"I have always used the defaults there:
dev.ath.0.rxantenna: 1
dev.ath.0.txantenna: 0"
I have also confirmed this is also the case for my system default values.
As PfSense uses freeBSD I researched this and found.
"Options 0,1,2 (antenna port 1 or 2, both=0) dev.ath.0.diversity: options 0,1(0=disable 1=enable)"
Leading to the third software issue I found I can not enable diversity within the 2100 manually when the two antenna are populated.
Finally, If there is cards that are supported within other systems that have 3 antenna ports there is no options for aux antenna to get configured for dev.at.0.rx
The pfSense GUI has sense removed the antenna port options that are in the prior pfSense versions.
See my short research inside of netgate docs ran to find the issues:
https://forum.netgate.com/topic/181597/pfsense-as-wireless-ap-transmit-power-adjustments
While researching this I found some information that 0: is for both, 1: is for main, 2: is for aux. Again my card lists port 0, and 1. Furthermore another mini pcie card had three ports that can be used with PfSense I am told the mini pcie AR5BXB112 comes with 0, 1, 2 antenna ports.
Ref:
https://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-wireless/2011-September/000682.html
Per Netgate Docs:
"Interesting sysctls from shell that cannot be controlled from GUI" section it lists items you can control manually however when they are changed inside the 2100 they do not stay or take the config changes particularly, the transmit power adjustments and diversity settings will never stay set.
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/wireless/configuration-ap.html
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