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[aznphatb0i]

- Brand new DIR-890L
- 1.06.B04 Firmware
- Access Point Mode
- Smart Connect
- SSID not default / not conflicting with other networks

I have 30+ wireless devices. Intermittently, some devices will not be able to connect to the router. Devices will attempt to connect but be unable to do so.

I previously had another router (EA6500) in the same network configuration where the DIR-890 is now, and did not experience dropped connections.

I think this is only happening on 2.4GHz devices but am not 100% certain on this fact.

I have used an SSID channel tool and confirmed that Smart Connect has selected the most clear channels.



I am not interested in disabling SmartConnect because I need the router to assign devices to 5GHz/2.4GHz intelligently rather than let dumb user devices choose incorrectly when SSID is set the same on 2.4/5 and do not have the luxury of setting two SSIDs.




What is the time frame for releasing a new firmware that addresses this issue?

[FurryNutz]

What region are you loacatd?

Is this router being used for home or business?
What happens if u disable Smart Connect and set manual SSIDs and use same same across all radios? Just as a test...

[aznphatb0i]

Located in North America.

Router is being used in a small office.

Haven't tried disabling smart connect yet, but it was my understanding that if Smart Connect is disabled and the same SSID is set for 2.4GHz/5GHz  - then the user devices will choose which band to connect to, and dumb user devices like Android phones will 2.4GHz when 5GHz is available.

I can't test now as it will interrupt user service, but will let you know feedback if I can perform your test.


Has D-Link reproduced this problem with Smart Connect?

[Kakashi::.]

Hi there aznphatb01,

When you say North America, is that USA or Canada?  Just trying to assess the possible level of escalation we, as a USA forums, would have to assist you on your issue.
 
Could you provide the list of devices connecting and if possible the OS version of those devices having a problem?
We have seen some issues with Android devices running aOS 5.0 and we are currently trying to identify the culprit. 


Thanks!

[aznphatb0i]

USA, California, Los Angeles.

Devices on the network include: Android media players running 4.0, 4.4.4, and 5.1, Multiple MacBooks running mostly Yostemite, multiple Windows computers running mostly 8.1, and multiple iPhones mostly on IOS8 and Android phones mostly on 5.0 or 4.4.4

I have so far seen the issue occur first hand on a number of the Windows devices (running 8.1) and Android devices running 4.0 and 4.4.4


I think all devices exhibiting the problem were 2.4GHz band.

[FurryNutz]

Let us knowif u can test with SC disabled.
Id start w a couple of devices and graduate turning on orhers. Might try one at a time as well.

[aznphatb0i]

Since this issue is persisting, I will be forced to turn off SC and see if it resolves the problem.

That's quite disappointing as SC was one of the primary reasons for selecting this device.

I don't have the luxury of being able to start with a couple of devices and graduate up to troubleshoot the issue with SC on because it's deployed in an active business environment and the issue is sporadic.

[FurryNutz]

Well, being a business envrionment, you maybe hitting the max limits of a home class router...

Keep us posted...

[aznphatb0i]

Well, being a business envrionment, you maybe hitting the max limits of a home class router...

All of the heavy lifting is being done by an Edgerouter Lite3 which is acting as the router.

The DIR-890L is simply acting as a WiFi AP. This business environment is a small office with only about 30 devices.

A Linksys EA6500 was previously in the same position the DIR-890 is now, and did not encounter any issues.

[FurryNutz]

Even if the 890L is not doing any "heavy lifting", the wireless portion of the 890L is. There are some limits in regards to bandwdith and wireless devices. ALso there maybe other FW and client HW issues as well.

If you use the Linksys router, why not take the 890L home or to a different location and see if it runs differently...it would be a good test to see if the problem follows.

I have about 20 devices online and I have not seen any issues with this router.

[aznphatb0i]

Keep us posted...

I disabled SC and it seems to have resolved the issue.

Even if the 890L is not doing any "heavy lifting", the wireless portion of the 890L is. There are some limits in regards to bandwdith and wireless devices. ALso there maybe other FW and client HW issues as well.

I understand that, but a device as powerful as the DIR-890L should be able to handle 30 devices. None of the devices are doing anything packet intensive, most traffic is standard web browsing traffic. The issue obviously lies with the SmartConnect implementation. If an issue occurs across such a diverse range of client hardware, then the issue is clearly not with the implementation on the client end.

If you use the Linksys router, why not take the 890L home or to a different location and see if it runs differently...it would be a good test to see if the problem follows.

I specifically replaced the EA6500 with the DIR890L to take advantage of the Smart Connect functionality so that client devices would be sorted to the optimal band. The 2.4GHz band is congested in this area, and the goal is to have client devices connect to 5GHz whenever possible. We need to have a single SSID to be 'user friendly.'

This is exactly the problem Smart Connect is supposed to solve, and why this router was purchased.



This is quite disappointing. I really hope some engineering resources will be assigned to set up a test bed to reproduce this issue and release a firmware fix.


To recap for any engineers; When Smart Connect is enabled an intermittent problem happens where many 2.4GHz devices fail to connect to the network. These include Windows laptops/desktops from a range of manufacturers all using different wireless chipsets, and a range of Android devices using different wireless chipsets (I can tell you many of them are using RTL8188 and RTL8192 based adapters).

Smart Connect successfully chose the least congested 2.4GHz channel / it is not an interference problem.

A router reset temporarily resolves the problem.

The problem does not seem to occur on 5GHz devices.

[FurryNutz]

IF you believe the area is congested with WiFi then this could be an additional problem with any router as congestion on 2.4Ghz can cause problems with any router.

The reason of asking you to to test the 890L in a different location would be to see if the problem follows or not. Would be a short test.

Another point would be that maybe you have a fauly router and would need to test another 890L to see if the same thing happens.

I recommend that you phone contact your regional D-Link support office and ask for help and information regarding this. We find that phone contact has better immediate results over using email.
Let us know how it goes please.

[aznphatb0i]

IF you believe the area is congested with WiFi then this could be an additional problem with any router as congestion on 2.4Ghz can cause problems with any router.

The 2.4GHz band is congested. I've manually determined the best channel using tools like WiFi Analyzer and InSSider. However this is clearly not the root cause because the issue resolves itself when SC is disabled, and a previous router did not exhibit the issue described.

The reason of asking you to to test the 890L in a different location would be to see if the problem follows or not. Would be a short test.

This would an extremely difficult and long test, because I would need to relocate not only the router, but 30 something devices.

Another point would be that maybe you have a fauly router and would need to test another 890L to see if the same thing happens.

I recommend that you phone contact your regional D-Link support office and ask for help and information regarding this. We find that phone contact has better immediate results over using email.

What is the contact # for Los Angeles?

Is it worth my time making a phone call? Will I just talk to a tier 1 support rep? Are you suggesting it's a hardware issue and I should just get an RMA?

[Kakashi::.]

Let's now jump to conclusion so quickly gents,  after all we have only one environment and 30 different devices that is experiencing some issues. Most of the testing information for this model, come from running the router mode,  which is the primary function of this home router, and the results have been great.  AP mode may or may not have some problems, as found in this scenario, but it should not be the reason to put a label on the product.

Yes, calling the support line will get the attention of D-Link's technical services department and they may collect information and escalate to their engineering team, so there are benefits of calling them, but that usually takes some time to sort the information and look for the solution once the issue is found.  Depending on how soon you need this fix and how much time you are willing to wait for it, this may not be the best solution. If you are willing to stick around, I'm wondering if you would be willing to maybe run some test on BETA or RC firmwares, or if this may not be possible since this is a production network and all... Let us know what you think.

Like in the case of FurryNutz, I run about 37 devices in my home network, but only 27 of them are connected using wireless to this router and I have no incidents to report so far with Smart Connect function. Maybe because most of them are 802.11ac with the exception being a printer and two old laptops using 802.11n built-in adapters, I'll try to see if I can replicate something in my network.

This model with three Wi-Fi radios (One 2.4 GHz and Two 5 GHz) handling 30 clients should not be something to consider a problem as long as there is combination of 2.4 and 5.0 GHz clients. In my personal opinion, with each radio supporting around 15 clients (theoretically speaking), this router would support up to 45 clients connection, again with diversity in the two bands.

Give Tech Support a try (ask to be escalated to a L3 technical agent) and let us know.

[FurryNutz]

Any staus on this? 

IF you believe the area is congested with WiFi then this could be an additional problem with any router as congestion on 2.4Ghz can cause problems with any router.

The 2.4GHz band is congested. I've manually determined the best channel using tools like WiFi Analyzer and InSSider. However this is clearly not the root cause because the issue resolves itself when SC is disabled, and a previous router did not exhibit the issue described.

The reason of asking you to to test the 890L in a different location would be to see if the problem follows or not. Would be a short test.

This would an extremely difficult and long test, because I would need to relocate not only the router, but 30 something devices.

Another point would be that maybe you have a fauly router and would need to test another 890L to see if the same thing happens.

I recommend that you phone contact your regional D-Link support office and ask for help and information regarding this. We find that phone contact has better immediate results over using email.

What is the contact # for Los Angeles?

Is it worth my time making a phone call? Will I just talk to a tier 1 support rep? Are you suggesting it's a hardware issue and I should just get an RMA?