NWA50AX - just upgraded firmware and speed now really slow

Andercam · January 17

I am experiencing the same issues. I would like to know how to roll back to a previous firmware please.

I was running on .3 and upgraded to .4 this morning when my issues started. I have 4 SSID's, and the SSID for my IoT devices is forced to 2.4ghz (5&6 turned off). "IF" I can connect to the internet on that SSID, my speeds are single digit speeds down, and even slower up (if it completes). My devices won't stay connected to the SSID for very long. My log is full of disconnects, handshake errors etc…

To confirm my suspicions, I turned the 5 & 6ghz radios off on another one of my SSID's, and after I finally got connected to it, my speeds were very low until it timed out. I turned 5ghz back on, and my speeds were back to normal and connectivity was good.

I have a few devices hardwired to the same vLan I'm having issues with, and the hardwired devices are running great. So this also points to an issue with the new firmware.

The five NWA50AX devices I have are all connected to Nebula. I've looked there, and directly on the device and cannot figure out how to roll back to the previous firmware. Please provide instructions on how to do so.

Thanks

Zyxel_Nami · January 17

Hello @Adrian_w

When I look at the 2nd floor one I'm a bit confused when it says the connected device is the Office one. Why would that be?

⇒ This is related to how Nebula processes LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) data. When an AP connects to an uplink device like a switch or router, it learns about this uplink through LLDP and recognizes it as such, subsequently sending this LLDP data to Nebula. However, not every device supports LLDP. In your case, it seems the 2nd floor AP has identified the Office AP through this process, leading Nebula to display the Office AP as a connected device. This behavior does not affect the wireless performance issue you're currently experiencing.

I made the changes you suggested and it seems to be a bit better but I'm still getting inconsistent performance

⇒ To address the inconsistent performance, could you describe more details? Also, does it impact a particular end device or all devices? Please provide the name of the end device or MAC address (via a private message) as it appears in Nebula.

Furthermore, I've noticed in your Nebula » Clients » Access point clients section that there's a mix of devices with varying capabilities, some supporting 802.11 a/b/g/n and others ac/ax. To enhance performance, we suggest separating SSIDs for different bands. This means that you may create one SSID to operate exclusively on the 5GHz band while configuring the existing SSID to function only on the 2.4GHz band.

To do this, enable 'Advanced mode' on Configure » Access points » SSID settings. Then, on the 'Advanced settings' section, select the specific band.

Lastly, I recommend enabling 'Assisted Roaming' and '802.11r' to support end devices in roaming better.

Let me know if this helps or if you need further assistance.

Zyxel_Nami · January 17

Hi @Andercam

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/comment/60943#Comment_60943

Thank you for detailing the issues. It seems the connectivity and speed problems are mainly affecting your 2.4GHz SSIDs.

To assist you effectively, could you let us know how you performed the speed test? Please provide a speed test result or a screenshot showing the low speeds you mentioned. This information will help us better understand and promptly address the issue.

Additionally, enabling Zyxel Support Access will allow us to investigate the matter under the existing environment. Here's how you can enable it:

The five NWA50AX devices I have are all connected to Nebula. I've looked there, and directly on the device and cannot figure out how to roll back to the previous firmware. Please provide instructions on how to do so.

⇒ Regarding your request to roll back to the previous firmware, you can perform this action via ZON. However, please keep in mind that downgrading firmware should be a last resort, as it may affect other functionalities and prevent us from thoroughly investigating the low speed issue in the new firmware version you mentioned.

Andercam · January 17

Nami,

Should I create a new thread for this? I don't want to hijack Adrian_w's thread.

I downloaded the ZON application; however it doesn't work correctly. It tells me it's an "invalid administrator password". Yes, I used the password from the Nebula website. I was able to use the Nebula password in the ZON app to "change" the password on AP's successfully, so the password is valid. I then used the password I changed the AP's to (1234) to roll back the firmware, and received the same invalid password message. I don't seem to be the only person to experience this issue based on this thread (albeit he was working with Switches, not AP's). The issue was not resolved in this thread.

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/15862/zon-utility-invalid-administrator-password-after-initial-configuration

I re-read Adrian_w's post where it appears they upgraded to .3 (not .4) and are having the issues. I recently installed these AP's and have been fighting through connectivity issue since day one on the .3 firmware. I was hoping the .4 release would resolve these issues; however it has made them worse! (note to anyone reading this, DON'T UPGRADE TO THE .4 RELEASE on the NWA50AX). I want to roll back to the .2 release to see if it resolves my intermittent connectivity and speed issues until you guys get things figured out.

Please help me to do this.

Zyxel_Nami · January 18

Hi @Andercam

Yes, please create a new thread for easy follow-up.

For the ZON, did you use the password at Configure > Site settings as below?

Also, please enable Zyxel Support Access on Nebula for us to investigate the issue.

Adrian_w · January 18

Hi Nami,

I've done the changes that you recommended and also set up a separate test SSID and have tried just running 5GHz on the main SSID. Has made no difference at all. Given this seems to be an issue with the release of the firmware can you not release a 'new' version of the old firmware so that we can get back to stability again? This is crazy and has now taken almost a week and I'm no further forward after having downloaded your new release last friday

Zyxel_Nami · January 18

Hi @Adrian_w

I noticed that you haven't disabled the "Avoid 5G DFS channel" yet. Could you please try to disable it and observe the performance?

If the issue still exists, please provide us with the screen record showing the low speed you are experiencing. It can help us to understand the issue clearly.

Adrian_w · January 21

Hi Nami, I have disabled the 5G DFS now. What I have also done is to replace the 2 units (one in Office and one in 2nd floor bathroom) with Netgear units. These work with no problem so given when I replaced the kitchen units with the office and bathroom ones they worked ok this points to a problem with your firmware on the units. Can you tell me when you will be releasing a new version of the firmware or re-releasing the old version? Thanks

Zyxel_Nami · January 22

Hi @Adrian_w

Considering both the Garage and Kitchen APs, updated to the latest firmware, are working fine as you mentioned, it seems the issue isn't with the firmware itself.

Upon reviewing your site, I noticed all devices currently connect to the Kitchen AP via your main SSID, which is set to 5GHz only although you have another SSID (Test) with all bands enabled (2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz).

Besides, an IoT device with 802.11a/b/g/n capability in your network is connected to the 5GHz band at a signal strength of -83dbm. This means the device is far from the AP and is not effectively roaming to other APs for a better signal. Typically, IoT devices perform better on the 2.4GHz band due to its longer range. While the 5GHz band provides faster speeds, its range is more limited. For improved connectivity and stability, it's recommended to connect this IoT device to the 2.4GHz band, which is generally more suitable for such devices.

As recommended in an earlier comment, please try to enable only 2.4GHz on the 'Test' SSID, along with Assisted Roaming and 802.11r. This action will separate the connections between different bands, especially for devices better suited to the 2.4GHz band like many IoT devices.

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/comment/60976#Comment_60976

Please observe the connection for a while. If the issue still exists, you may use the specific end device to test the connection showing low speed or unstable performance. Then, please share the screen record with us, and provide with the end device information (model name, MAC, network card if any) via private message for security concern.

NWA50AX - just upgraded firmware and speed now really slow

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