There may be reports of similar issue from May 2019 (“Mesh status screen – not resolving node names”), possibly resolved in a Jan 2022 Nightly (https://github.com/aredn/aredn_ar71xx/issues/204). Here is my issue.
I have an Ubiquity Rocket XW radio with a low-mounted 90-deg sector antenna (indoors - temporary fixture). AREDN 3.22.1.0. R-Pi hard-wired to radio. No WiFi or wired Internet on the R-Pi. I can see a nearby Rocket XM in the XW’s Mesh status along with a few other nodes. Only one of these distant nodes ever shows non-zero NLQ value, and it often shows on order of 0.5 TxMbps even with NLQ = 0. The indicated received signal strengths (WiFi Scan) of distant nodes are in range -70 to -91dBm. The nearby node shows about -54 dBm.
I am 10-13 km from the distant nodes. I have been told by the group that runs them that they are configured with “auto distance to farthest node”. I configure my radios for 16 km max distance. I think our AREDN environment is not very dense.
Sometime when I open Mesh Status, I see mesh connectivity (many Remote Nodes but no good ETX). Mesh Status displays the names of almost all of the 4-6 distant nodes I see. If I then look at WiFi Scan, I see nodes with names (usually more nodes than Mesh Status window). But when I quit WiFi Scan and open Mesh Status, the connectivity is gone (no Remote Nodes displayed) and the Current Neighbor node names are replaced by node IP addresses.
Why do all the node names except the nearby Rocket go away at the same time? What to do to make node names hold in Mesh Status?
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Mesh Status with No Node Names
Tue, 04/19/2022 - 11:19
#1
Mesh Status with No Node Names
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Hi, Timothy:
It might be sufficient to answer your last query.
What to do to make node names hold in Mesh Status?
Ensure that your node is displaying 100% LQ and NLQ with its neighbor.
If you have more than one neighbor...expect the LQ/NLQ to vary.
As data increases on any transmitter in your receive passband, LQ/NLQ will vary.
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Q. But when I quit WiFi Scan and open Mesh Status, the connectivity is gone (no Remote Nodes displayed) and the Current Neighbor node names are replaced by node IP addresses.
Why do all the node names except the nearby Rocket go away at the same time?
A. Because you just did a Wi-Fi Scan and your radio was busy listening on all channels instead of only the channel of your link neighbor(s).
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Here is my issue.
I have an Ubiquity Rocket XW radio with a low-mounted 90-deg sector antenna (indoors - temporary fixture).
Note that all/most/many sector antennas have built-in down-tilt.
If your antenna is 'low' and your neighbor's antenna is 'high', you may need physical 'up-tilt' to optimize signal strength.
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R-Pi hard-wired to radio. No WiFi or wired Internet on the R-Pi.
I think this information is not relevant.
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I can see a nearby Rocket XM in the XW’s Mesh status along with a few other nodes.
Where do you 'see'?
On your nodes '/mesh' display or '/scan' ?
Are you saying that there are multiple nodes on the same channel?
If multiple nodes, then your network may have hidden transmitters and/or exposed nodes.
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Only one of these distant nodes ever shows non-zero NLQ value,
(this is a huge problem)
and it often shows on order of 0.5 TxMbps even with NLQ = 0.
That is a horrible TxMbps value.
The indicated received signal strengths (WiFi Scan) of distant nodes are in range -70 to -91dBm.
The nearby node shows about -54 dBm.
The SNR that seems to be the important item.
A minimum of 15 dB SNR seems to be required to obtain any throughput.
20+ dB SNR usually indicates reliable throughput.
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I am 10-13 km from the distant nodes.
I have been told by the group that runs them that they are configured with “auto distance to farthest node”.
I configure my radios for 16 km max distance.
I recommend setting 'Distance to FARTHEST Neighbor' to zero (0) for distances > 4 kilometers.
I use D2FN=1km when testing only devices on my property.
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I think our AREDN environment is not very dense.
I am unsure what you mean by 'dense'.
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Sometime when I open Mesh Status, I see mesh connectivity (many Remote Nodes but no good ETX).
Mesh Status displays the names of almost all of the 4-6 distant nodes I see.
If I then look at WiFi Scan, I see nodes with names (usually more nodes than Mesh Status window).
What to do to make node names hold in Mesh Status?
I would not use 'connectivity' to describe a circuit with < 100% LQ/NLQ and/or TxMbps < 1 megabit.
I would call that 'I can hear an occasional beacon'.
I hope this helps,
Chuck