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ericzolf's avatar
ericzolf
Aspirant
Sep 30, 2023

R7800 reboots when Pinebook Pro uses the Wifi in AP mode

Hi,

I recently got a PineBook Pro (aka PBP, from pine64.org) and I have now the issue that each time the PBP uses the Wifi a bit more heavily, the R7800 chokes and reboots.

 

I am ready to admit that the PBP is doing something strange and I reported the issue also there the issue https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=18739 but:

  1. this hints at a denial of service weakness in the R7800 which could be used for malign purposes
  2. I'd appreciate some help to debug the issue from the R7800 side, where the logs are absolutely useless, and gone after a reboot. I've discovered https://nighthawk.home/debug.htm but missing documentation on how to use it.

Thanks, Eric

Some more information: I have two R7800 both configured very similarly as AP against the same 3rd party router, latest firmware, and both showing the same behavior. Depending which Wifi is used by the PBP, the corresponding R7800 reboots.

Troubleshooting

14 Replies

  • plemans's avatar
    plemans
    Guru - Experienced User
    Oct 02, 2023

    does it matter if its connected to the 2.4ghz or the 5ghz?

    • ericzolf's avatar
      ericzolf
      Aspirant
      Oct 03, 2023
      plemans wrote:

      does it matter if its connected to the 2.4ghz or the 5ghz?

      No, it doesn't. My normal configuration is with "Smart Connect", so both under the same name, and the issue appeared. I split them for troubleshooting, but both cause the reboot.

    • ericzolf's avatar
      ericzolf
      Aspirant
      Oct 03, 2023
       
      Kitsap wrote:

      One option would be to consider the Voxel firmware for your R7800s.  Be sure and review the Readme file linked in the banner.

       

      https://www.voxel-firmware.com/Downloads/Voxel/html/index.html

      I didn't know about the Voxel firmware, but I was considering OpenWrt if everything else breaks. What would be the advantages/disadvantages of both, if we arrive to this stage? From what I could find, Voxel, like the stock firmware, is also based on OpenWrt.

      The nearest to a comparison I could find is https://www.snbforums.com/threads/voxel-firmware.50141/post-587447 and it's  already more than 3 years old, so possibly/probably outdated.

      • Kitsap's avatar
        Kitsap
        Master
        Oct 03, 2023
        ericzolf wrote:
         
        Kitsap wrote:

        One option would be to consider the Voxel firmware for your R7800s.  Be sure and review the Readme file linked in the banner.

         

        https://www.voxel-firmware.com/Downloads/Voxel/html/index.html

        I didn't know about the Voxel firmware, but I was considering OpenWrt if everything else breaks. What would be the advantages/disadvantages of both, if we arrive to this stage? From what I could find, Voxel, like the stock firmware, is also based on OpenWrt.

        The nearest to a comparison I could find is https://www.snbforums.com/threads/voxel-firmware.50141/post-587447 and it's  already more than 3 years old, so possibly/probably outdated.

        My only experience is with Voxel, none with OpenWrt.  I ran Voxel on my R7800 for three years before I put it in backup status.  Now on my R9000 it has performed well for the last couple of years.  Both routers were obtained second hand.

         

        Voxel is based on stock firmware with many of the Netgear imposed limitations removed.  This has a more substantial impact on the R7800 than on the R9000.  I obtained the R9000 because it has an optical SPF 10Gb WAN port.

         

        Voxel is easy to get into or get out of.  However, he is a one man show.  If something happens to him I expect the project to disappear.  I am on board as long as it is available.

         

        Most users that install Voxel firmware on their router never look back.