Unable to join R770 APs to existing Unleashed networks

[sjg72]

I have four R770s that I am running into issue with when trying to join to an existing Unleashed network. I had an existing network with 4 R650s. I was unable to get any of the R770s to join that network, so what I initially did was rebuild all of the network settings on one of the new R770s. At that point, I was able to joint the remaining R770s to the network.

This worked fine for a couple of weeks, until I had an Internet outage. At that point, two of the R770s began a reboot cycle and would no longer re-join the network. As before, I ended up resetting one of the APs and reconfiguring the Unleashed network. However, this time I could still not get any of the R770s to join the network without going into a reboot cycle. At this point I reset the R650s I was previously using, and all of them immediately joined the Unleashed network and worked as expected.

I have tried multiple factory resets on the R770s, including flashing back to standalone firmware and then back to Unleashed firmware again. This definitely seems specific to the R770s since I had no issues with the R650 APs. I have also tried to set up a new Unleashed network on an isolated LAN and still cannot get more than a single R770 into an Unleashed network.

I see this in the event log for the R770s that try to join:

AP[xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx] joins with uptime [58] s and last disconnected reason [AP Restart : application reboot]

AP[xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx] reset to disable mesh function

AP[xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx] reset due to IP address change

After that, they join the network, briefly show as working, and then reboot.

I also see this in the logs: 

XXX-WLAN stamgr: M00141aS0De stamgr_handle_add_del_vap_reply():APxx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx is restarted because VAP config is out of sync= 

I am wondering if this has something to do with how the R770s handle mesh, which I did have configured on the initial R650 network, and also enabled after I created a new one with the R770s. All of the R770s were root nodes, I just needed mesh for an Ethernet bridge to one of the rooms in my house.

In any case, I'm assuming there is something with the R770 Unleashed firmware that is causing this behavior but wanted to see if anyone had any ideas.

[michealclarke]

@sjg72pabyplate wrote:

I have four R770s that I am running into issue with when trying to join to an existing Unleashed network. I had an existing network with 4 R650s. I was unable to get any of the R770s to join that network, so what I initially did was rebuild all of the network settings on one of the new R770s. At that point, I was able to joint the remaining R770s to the network.

This worked fine for a couple of weeks, until I had an Internet outage. At that point, two of the R770s began a reboot cycle and would no longer re-join the network. As before, I ended up resetting one of the APs and reconfiguring the Unleashed network. However, this time I could still not get any of the R770s to join the network without going into a reboot cycle. At this point I reset the R650s I was previously using, and all of them immediately joined the Unleashed network and worked as expected.

I have tried multiple factory resets on the R770s, including flashing back to standalone firmware and then back to Unleashed firmware again. This definitely seems specific to the R770s since I had no issues with the R650 APs. I have also tried to set up a new Unleashed network on an isolated LAN and still cannot get more than a single R770 into an Unleashed network.

I see this in the event log for the R770s that try to join:

AP[xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx] joins with uptime [58] s and last disconnected reason [AP Restart : application reboot]

AP[xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx] reset to disable mesh function

AP[xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx] reset due to IP address change

After that, they join the network, briefly show as working, and then reboot.

I also see this in the logs: 

XXX-WLAN stamgr: M00141aS0De stamgr_handle_add_del_vap_reply():APxx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx is restarted because VAP config is out of sync= 

I am wondering if this has something to do with how the R770s handle mesh, which I did have configured on the initial R650 network, and also enabled after I created a new one with the R770s. All of the R770s were root nodes, I just needed mesh for an Ethernet bridge to one of the rooms in my house.

In any case, I'm assuming there is something with the R770 Unleashed firmware that is causing this behavior but wanted to see if anyone had any ideas.

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The R770 APs in an Unleashed network may face issues due to firmware inconsistencies, mesh configurations, or VAP sync errors. To resolve this, ensure all R770s run the latest Unleashed firmware and factory reset them.

[sjg72]

Wanted to provide an update in case anyone else has a similar issue. I was finally able to resolve the problem I was having. In order to get the R770s to join an existing Unleashed network, what I ended up doing:

1) Factory reset a single R770. On the initial setup wizard, all I did was the most basic initial setup. I did not change any settings or configure any additional SSIDs other than the one created by the setup wizard.

2) At this point, I factory reset the other APs and added them to the Unleashed network one at a time.

3) Finally, I configured the rest of the Unleashed setting and created SSIDs.

What it appears is happening is that if anything more than the most basic initial setup is done, no other R770s will be able to join the network. Anytime I tried joining to a network that I had already configured, I saw the log entries in my initial post and the AP I was trying to join went into a restart loop and failed to join. I am not sure exactly what settings were causing the APs to fail to sync with the master, but I am pretty certain at this point that there is a firmware issue that is causing this behavior. Unfortunately until this is resolved, it is not possible to add additional R770s to an existing network (at least how mine is normally configured, which was fairly simple), and if one of the R770s currently in the network is factory reset, it will not be able to rejoin.

[michealclarke]

---

@sjg72compass wrote:

Wanted to provide an update in case anyone else has a similar issue. I was finally able to resolve the problem I was having. In order to get the R770s to join an existing Unleashed network, what I ended up doing:

1) Factory reset a single R770. On the initial setup wizard, all I did was the most basic initial setup. I did not change any settings or configure any additional SSIDs other than the one created by the setup wizard.

2) At this point, I factory reset the other APs and added them to the Unleashed network one at a time.

3) Finally, I configured the rest of the Unleashed setting and created SSIDs.

What it appears is happening is that if anything more than the most basic initial setup is done, no other R770s will be able to join the network. Anytime I tried joining to a network that I had already configured, I saw the log entries in my initial post and the AP I was trying to join went into a restart loop and failed to join. I am not sure exactly what settings were causing the APs to fail to sync with the master, but I am pretty certain at this point that there is a firmware issue that is causing this behavior. Unfortunately until this is resolved, it is not possible to add additional R770s to an existing network (at least how mine is normally configured, which was fairly simple), and if one of the R770s currently in the network is factory reset, it will not be able to rejoin.

---

To resolve R770s joining issues in an Unleashed network:

1. Factory reset one R770 and complete only the basic setup in the initial wizard.
2. Factory reset additional APs and add them one by one to the network.
3. Configure other Unleashed settings and SSIDs after adding all APs.

Avoid making advanced configurations during the initial setup, as it may cause APs to fail syncing and enter a restart loop, likely due to a firmware issue.