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CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate

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CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate

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CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-25 20:59:44 - last edited 2020-05-26 15:55:04
Model: CPE210  
Hardware Version: V2
Firmware Version: CPE210(US)_2.0-up-ver2-2-1-P1[20190620-rel61487]

Hi all!

I am using a CPE210 in AP mode to get a wifi signal in a metal shop about 150ft away from the house.

The CPE210 is connected to a Netgear Orbi Satellite via ethernet cable. (the router is a RBR50, the mesh system Costco sells or sold not too long ago).

I have a couple Rings cameras, two garage door openers and a ring bridge connected to the CPE210 network inside the shop.

 

Everything works fine for a day or two, and then suddenly the CPE210 seems to drop all client connections, and refuse any new connections until I pull the power cord and re-boot the CPE210.

It seems to mostly happen when I try to connect my cell phone to the CPE210 network at the shop, but sometimes the cell phone connects fine. I have not seen the cameras in the shop or the openers to disconnect until I have a failed cell phone connection attempt. When this happens, the cell phone gives me a "failure to authenticate" error, and all other connected devices are also dropped from the CPE210 until I reset it.

 

What's the issue here? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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#1
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12 Reply
Re:CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-26 22:19:58 - last edited 2020-05-26 22:22:56

@schildi, that's a bit too vague to be able to help.

 

  1. Which CPE where runs in what mode (AP, Client, Repeater etc.)?
  2. What do you mean with »clients being dropped«?
  3. How are those clients connected to which CPE? Wired? Wirelessly?

 

If you use two CPEs only for the wireless backhaul between the houseCPE and the shopCPE, then even a broken wireless link could not »drop« clients connected to the houseCPE's wired network nor clients connected to the shopCPE's wired network. Of course, the wireless link between the house network and the shop network is down.

 

This is the normal use of CPEs:

 

 

 

If you use the shopCPE in AP mode (or Bridge/Repeater mode) to serve standard wireless clients, then clients can be »dropped« or can fail to authenticate, especially if they are outside of the directional 65º (H) / 35º (E) beam of the CPE. Serving standard clients is not what CPEs are designed for.

 

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#2
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Re:CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-27 03:55:44 - last edited 2020-05-27 05:44:59

@R1D2 

 

Thanks for the response!

I am using only one CPE, which is connected via ethernet cable to an Orbi Satellite.

The CPE is sitting in my crawl space of the house, blasting it's wireless network towards the shop (through the crawl space wall).

 

Devices in the shop connect to that wireless network from the CPE (which has a different network name than my home's wifi from the Orbi).

When I say "clients being dropped", I mean that the devices inside the shop (that are connected to the CPE's wireless network) are being disconnected until I reboot the CPE.

 

All devices in the shop connect wirelessly to the CPE, there is no other option as the CPE is inside the house's crawl space, 150ft away.

 

Does this help clarifying the issue? Please let me know if more information is needed, I could draw a quick diagram as well.

 

What's important to point out is that always all wireless clients are being dropped when it happens.

 

Thanks again for helping!

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#3
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Re:CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-27 04:35:59

@schildi 

 

Here is a quick drawing, hope that helps.

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#4
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Re:CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-27 10:03:21 - last edited 2020-05-27 10:09:16

@schildi, this can't work reliably. The signal from standard clients such as wireless cameras back to the CPE is much too weak over 50m, so the slightest interference can cause drops of clients. Maybe your smartphone has a better antenna which causes such interferences at other clients.

 

I suggest to use a second CPE in the shop and to add an omnidirectional AP (e.g. EAP110 or EAP110-Outdoor) which has a cable connection to the shop's CPE. This would be a reliable solution, at least if you ensure a fresnel zone clearance for the backhaul, which is most critical for directional links.

 

Maybe you can post a screenshot of the Stations list on the CPE's Status page, so we can see RSSI levels for the clients.

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#5
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Re:CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-27 14:31:34

@R1D2 

 

Thanks R1D2!

Now this is starting to make sense, I never thought about the signal having to travel back from the cameras. Yes, that would have to be a weak signal.

 

At the moment, the only way that I know of to access the CPE210 is to go down to the crawl space, and connect my laptop to it with an ethernet cable. But that would interrupt the current connection to the Orbi Satellite.

Is there a better way for me to access the CPE210 real time while it's still connected and doing it's thing, to get to the status page?

 

Again, thanks much! I think this will get me somewhere .....

 

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#6
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Re:CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-27 19:45:03

 

schildi wrote

Is there a better way for me to access the CPE210 real time while it's still connected and doing it's thing, to get to the status page?

 

You need to integrate the CPE into your local network in order to access it.

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#7
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Re:CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-27 19:53:46

@R1D2 

 

Thanks!

Not sure how exactly that's done, but I will continue to google.

Not much luck so far, if you have a pointer to some instructions, that would be great ....

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#8
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Re:CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-27 21:54:35

@schildi 

 

I figured out how to integrate the CPE210 into my local network.

Here is the screen shot of the stations section of the status tab.

 

What kind of values would I want to see here?

I just reduced the transmit power today also, as the CPE is only 150ft away from the clients.

 

 

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#9
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Re:CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-28 00:05:35

@schildi

 

integrate in your network means to connect the CPE to the switch to which the other devices are connected (laptops, router, printer).

 

Tx power is not the issue here, the directional beam is the issue when trying to connect standard clients.

This does not work reliably, since CPEs communicate in just one direction (CPE210: 65º H / 35º E).

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#10
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Re:CPE210 dropping connection / failure to authenticate
2020-05-28 15:13:20

@R1D2 

 

Thanks R1D2!

How do the RSSI levels look like in my screen shot above? What should I target for the values, if those above are not good?

 

Thanks again for all your help!

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#11
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