Wired backhaul configured but still shows WLAN Backhaul Statistics

[heathweather]

I've got an RBR-50 (configured as an AP) with satellites configured using wired ethernet backhaul.  The GUI shows all the satellites connected using wired backhaul.

When I go to advanced -> administration -> router stats , there's still a significant amount of traffic being reported over the WLAN backhaul ?

With everything being configured as wired for the backhaul, these numbers should not be incrementing? 

[interestedperso]

I would advise to untick 'enable daisychain topology " it should not be getting used when connected via ethernet but it is and it has a negative affect on wiresless speed i have found.

[FURRYe38]

What Firmware is currently loaded?
Are RBS directly connected to the RBR or thru a LAN switch? 

What is the Mfr and model# of the ethernet switch if one is in the configuration.

Let us know if disabling Daisy Chain does anything differently for you.

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@heathweather wrote:

I've got an RBR-50 (configured as an AP) with satellites configured using wired ethernet backhaul.  The GUI shows all the satellites connected using wired backhaul.

When I go to advanced -> administration -> router stats , there's still a significant amount of traffic being reported over the WLAN backhaul ?

With everything being configured as wired for the backhaul, these numbers should not be incrementing? 

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[heathweather]

The "enable daisychain topology" is not ticked.  That was a lesson learned in getting the ethernet backhaul to work.  Thank you for the reply.

[FURRYe38]

What Firmware is currently loaded?
Are RBS directly connected to the RBR or thru a LAN switch? 

What is the Mfr and model# of the ethernet switch if one is in the configuration.

[heathweather]

Firmware: 2.3.5.30

Both RBS connected through tplink TL-SG1024DE ( it is a managed switch, I've got IGMP snooping disabled )

I do not have daisychain enabled.

Thanks for your reply. 

[FURRYe38]

What is the status if you connect one of the RBS or both as a quick test directly to the RBR with out the switch in the middle? 

One other factor of the switch that may be a cause, your switch seems to have Green Ethernet features: "Innovative energy-efficient technology reduces power output by up to 18%" Something that also causes Orbi to not work well. 

[heathweather]

Trying it now - will post the results. 

[heathweather]

Current config -  RBR50 (AP) with one RBS50 directly cabled

Interesting - there doesn't appear to be any backhaul traffic, outside of what appears to be a beacon of 59 packets transmitted every five seconds. 

I'm going to attach the second RBS50 through the tplink and see what we get. 

[FURRYe38]

So did the one RBS directly connected to the back of the RBR show wired or wireless as the status? 

[heathweather]

The directly cabled RBS showed wired. 

Then I connected another satellite through the switch, and it too showed wired, but then backhaul traffic started. 

I've got two satellites hooked up now, directly attached, and after a little activity on the wireless backhaul, it has gone quiet. 

My next trial will be connecting an 8 port unmanaged gigabit switch to the RBR50, then the satellites to the 8 port switch, and see how that goes. 

[FURRYe38]

Let us know....whats the Mfr and model# of the unmanged switch? 

Possible that your managed switch, even though had IGMP disabled, the green ethernet features maybe playing a roll in the bad behavior seen on Orbi. 

[HTBruceM]

This post caught my attention. I've got wired backhaul from an RBR50 to (2) RBS50s. Direct connected - no intervening switch. I also see between 44-59 TX packets and 0-2 RX packets every 5 seconds on the WLAN Backhaul stats. Maybe some sort of minor housekeeping broadcast always running over WLAN backhaul?

[heathweather]

I'm almost certain its a hardware watchdog of sorts, polling continuously.  My RxPkts has not increased at all, while the TxPkts increases by no more than 59 every five seconds.

[FURRYe38]

So how is the system working with out the managed switch in the mix? 

Were you able to connect a non managed switch into the mix? 

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@heathweather wrote:

I'm almost certain its a hardware watchdog of sorts, polling continuously.  My RxPkts has not increased at all, while the TxPkts increases by no more than 59 every five seconds.

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[ekhalil]

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@heathweather wrote:

......

When I go to advanced -> administration -> router stats , there's still a significant amount of traffic being reported over the WLAN backhaul ?

With everything being configured as wired for the backhaul, these numbers should not be incrementing? 

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Were the Satellites synced using wireless backhaul before the Ethernet wiring is done between the nodes? If yes then I believe that's why you see the two-way communication between Router and Satellites. I believe that this is what is causing the IP loops and wifi disturbances in the latest software releases.

The following procedure should always be followed when using wired backhaul.

1. Switch off the Satellite
2. Go to Attached Devices in the web GUI and click on the "Disconnect" button beside the Satellite in questions
3. Turn on the Satellite and use a paper clip to factory reset the Satellite
4. When the Satellite is up after factory reset, press the Sync button on the Satellite (while the Ethernet cable to the Router is connected) and then on the Router
5. When the Satellite is added it should behave correctly.

[heathweather]

My Router is an R7900, and for some reason, when I rebooted it Friday, it completely lost its configuration. Not sure why that happened, but anyway.....

I've been trying different things out, and it seems that in most cases, there is always a little wireless backhaul traffic while the system is booting, then the wired takes over, and the only WLAN backhaul traffic I see is the polling/beacon its doing under TxPkts. 

Currently the config is. CableModem -> WAN port R7900P > R7900 (port 3) -> TP-Link TL-SG108 unmanaged switch -> All Orbi

                                                                                               R7900 (port 1) -> TP-Link managed switch -> everything else on my network

The RBR50 (still configured as an access point) and all satellites are plugged in to the TL-SG108

In over three days, the RxPkts for the WLAN backhaul has not budged.  There was a little WLAN backhaul traffic at reboot, and nothing since, outside of the polling/beacon. 

I'm going to try moving the entire orbi back to the managed switch and see what happens.

[FURRYe38]

The TPLink switch maybe the issue as well:

https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/unmanaged-switch/tl-sg108/

I see it has green ethernet features. This doesn't work well with Orbi. 

[Retired_Member]

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@heathweather wrote:

My Router is an R7900, and for some reason, when I rebooted it Friday, it completely lost its configuration. Not sure why that happened, but anyway.....

I've been trying different things out, and it seems that in most cases, there is always a little wireless backhaul traffic while the system is booting, then the wired takes over, and the only WLAN backhaul traffic I see is the polling/beacon its doing under TxPkts. 

Currently the config is. CableModem -> WAN port R7900P > R7900 (port 3) -> TP-Link TL-SG108 unmanaged switch -> All Orbi

                                                                                               R7900 (port 1) -> TP-Link managed switch -> everything else on my network

The RBR50 (still configured as an access point) and all satellites are plugged in to the TL-SG108

In over three days, the RxPkts for the WLAN backhaul has not budged.  There was a little WLAN backhaul traffic at reboot, and nothing since, outside of the polling/beacon. 

I'm going to try moving the entire orbi back to the managed switch and see what happens.

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WOW....which one of these devices is handinling your DHCP server duties?

[heathweather]

The R7900 handles DHCP.

Moved everything back to the 24 port managed switch, and power cycled only the RBR50. 

Silence other than the beacon on the WLAN backhaul. 

[Retired_Member]

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@heathweather wrote:

The R7900 handles DHCP.

Moved everything back to the 24 port managed switch, and power cycled only the RBR50. 

Silence other than the beacon on the WLAN backhaul. 

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...and how did you configure the Orbi??

[heathweather]

Left its configuration alone - it's still in AP mode. 

I rebooted it through the GUI, and there was a small amount of WLAN backhaul traffic. 

I've just powered off all satellites and the RBR50, and now powered on the RBR50.  I'm going to observe as each satellite comes online. 

[heathweather]

After the reboot, there was a little traffic on the WLAN backhaul, and it's been quiet since, outside of the polling/beacon.  All satellites show up as wired.

The statistics for WLAN are odd.  For example, the WLAN Backhaul Tx B/s and Rx B/s values gradually decreased over time to now, where Tx is 0 and Rx is 2, as if the metric is Bytes/Up Time and not Bytes in the polling interval. 

[heathweather]

It's been just over a week, and everything is working well.  In the last 7+ days, there has been very little WLAN backhaul traffic.

After the last reboot, there had been 526 RxPkts, now its at 2248 RxPkts.  The TxPkts has continued to increment from its polling/beacon, I believe this must be the RBR50 sending a beacon for potential satellites (perhaps new ones?)  

I never did as @ekhalil recommended and reset all the satellites. 

What I did do was move all the satellites to an 8 port switch, everything seemed good.  Then moved back to the 24 port switch, everything has been right since. 

No idea why it had gotten to the point where it was heavily using the WLAN backhaul even through it showed all the satellites as wired. 

It still shows as wired on the backhaul now, as it did before, but all the traffic is not on the WLAN backhaul, it's on the wired LAN.

Thanks to everyone that has chipped in, I appreciate your help!