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BE13000 — continuous "wandetect3: fopen /tmp/access_mode failed." in syslog (no connectivity issues)

BE13000 — continuous "wandetect3: fopen /tmp/access_mode failed." in syslog (no connectivity issues)

BE13000 — continuous "wandetect3: fopen /tmp/access_mode failed." in syslog (no connectivity issues)
BE13000 — continuous "wandetect3: fopen /tmp/access_mode failed." in syslog (no connectivity issues)
Yesterday
Model: Deco BE11000  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version:

Model: BE13000, firmware 1.3.0 Build 20260330 Rel. 15670 (latest)
ISP/WAN type: Xfinity, Dynamic IP (DHCP)

 

I'm seeing the following line repeated continuously in my router's syslog, roughly every 3 seconds, with no gaps over hours of capture:

 

daemon.err wandetect3: fopen /tmp/access_mode failed.

 

My internet connection itself is stable — no disconnects, no degraded performance. I'm posting because I'd like to understand what this process is checking for and whether it indicates anything I should address, or if it's expected/benign logging.

 

What I've ruled out so far:

  • Disabled the internet backup/failover feature, cleared logs, and recaptured — the error persisted unchanged in frequency and pattern.
  • IPv6 is enabled on my network, though I haven't been able to test with it disabled to compare (would need to be on the local network to toggle it).

Other things in the log that may or may not be related (happy to share more detail if useful):

  • Frequent nrd band-steering messages (wlanifBSteerEventsBufRdCB, wlanifBSteerEventsMsgRx, estimatorDot11kIterateCB: Timeout waiting for 802.11k response) — these seem tied to specific client devices not responding to roaming requests.
  • uhttpd warnings about deprecated key derivation ("Using -iter or -pbkdf2 would be better") on the admin login.

 

Has anyone else seen the wandetect3/access_mode error on a BE13000 or similar Wi-Fi 7 model? Trying to determine if this is just firmware log noise or if /tmp/access_mode is supposed to exist under some configuration I'm missing.

 

Thanks in advance.

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#1
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Re:BE13000 — continuous "wandetect3: fopen /tmp/access_mode failed." in syslog (no connectivity issues)
20 hours ago

  @Costanzo I have these same errors in my logs as well... I'm curious as to what they are too, because when I had the BE11000 I didn't see them.

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#2
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Re:BE13000 — continuous "wandetect3: fopen /tmp/access_mode failed." in syslog (no connectivity issues)
12 hours ago - last edited 12 hours ago

  @Costanzo 

 

This is benign firmware log noise on the BE13000 (and similar Wi-Fi 7 TP-Link models) running firmware 1.3.0.

 

The wandetect3 process is part of TP-Link's WAN detection/monitoring tools. It periodically checks for a temporary file /tmp/access_mode (used to store the current WAN connection mode like DHCP, static, PPPoE, etc.).

 

Why you're seeing the error

 

  • On a standard single-WAN Dynamic IP (DHCP) setup like yours with Xfinity, this file often doesn't exist or isn't populated.
  • The process attempts to open it roughly every 3 seconds, producing the repeated fopen ... failed daemon.err messages.

 

Your stable internet connection confirms this has no impact on performance or reliability. This logging behavior has been reported on the BE13000, BE65 series, and other recent Wi-Fi 7 models on similar firmware versions.

 

Other notes

 

  • Disabling the internet backup/failover feature doesn't stop it, which matches the common pattern.
  • The band-steering/802.11k timeout messages are separate and related to specific client devices not responding to roaming probes.
  • The uhttpd key derivation warnings are a known cosmetic issue with the web UI's handling of passwords.

 

Recommendations

 

  • It's safe to ignore if your router is otherwise stable.
  • Check for newer firmware through the web UI or Tether app — updates sometimes reduce log spam.
  • If desired, try a factory reset followed by minimal reconfiguration, or temporarily disable IPv6 to test (though it's unlikely to affect this specific error).

 

Bottom line: This is just noisy logging from wandetect3 on the current firmware. You're not missing any required configuration, and it doesn't indicate a problem that needs fixing on your end. Many users see the exact same repeated messages with no actual issues.

 

While this is nothing to worry about I still want you both to open up a ticket with support so they can look into releaseing firmware that will clean up the log files. You can open a ticket using the instructions below.

 

First please access the Deco web UI by entering "tplinkdeco.net" in your browser. Navigate to Advanced > System > System Log, select "ALL" in the log type, and save the file to your local computer. Then follow the steps below making sure to attach the logs to the email.

I recommend sending an email to forumsupport.usa@tp-link.com with the following information:

Subject: [Forum Escalation][ID 867210] BE13000 — continuous "wandetect3: fopen /tmp/access_mode failed." in syslog (no connectivity issue

Forum Nickname: [User Provided]

Thread URL: https://community.tp-link.com/us/home/forum/topic/867210?moduleId=2424

Model&Version: [User Provided]

Description: [User Provided]

Any Other Relevant Information (Logs, Config Files, Images, etc.): [User Provided]

In the template above please fill in the areas that say [User Provided].  This will open a case with our engineering team, and they will work with you via email. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need help with the Deco app, setup, Ethernet backhaul, network switch or rolling back firmware? Router or AP mode? https://community.tp-link.com/us/home/forum/topic/699816?page=1
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#3
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Re:BE13000 — continuous "wandetect3: fopen /tmp/access_mode failed." in syslog (no connectivity issues)
11 hours ago

  @HelpFixDecoApp "I recommend sending an email to forumsupport.usa@tp-link.com with the following information:"

 

Done

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#4
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