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[Weaver]

I have a number of ZyXEL NWA 3560-N dual radio WAPs plus Apple iPads and iPhones. I am wondering which 5GHz channels work with the iPad ? I get feeling that the channels ≥ 100 are not chosen by the iPad, or are maybe invisible to it altogether.

The WAPs say that they are using channel 100 say, in the sense that it does not moan when I set a radio to that channel number in the WAP, but when this is so, no ipad picks that particular radio. I reduce the channel number and then my iPad chooses that radio.

It could be something about the WAP for all that I know. I have not proved that there is actually any output at all from the WAP on channel 100.

I am wondering about countries. Does this matter at all? I do not know how to check which country the WAP thinks it is in, nor do I know how this is configured or whether it depends on different firmware variants. I have not seen different firmware variants advertised on the ZyXEL website so I am wondering if there is one international firmware load. But in that case how would I tell the WAP which country it is current parked in? I can not see anything in the config file that looks related to this.

[Weaver]

Avery likely found an answer to this now.

I talked with Apple who said that iPad / iPhone can use channels ≥ 100. I then talked to ZyXEL, who were much more clued up. Suggested that it might be a mandatory 10 min or whatever delay while the radio listens for radar before it is allowed to transmit if channel is ≥ 100. I had tried channel 108 and then channel 100. But I had thought that the range that suffers from this listen-delay restriction was a rather higher small block starting at something like channel ~120 or thereabouts. Anyway, assuming this is right, our ZyXEL man and I decided that it might start working after however many minutes. But of course when testing I have always given up long, long before then and have simply pronounced it broken.

But the Apple person did not spot that so null points for Apple’s general technical know-how.

[chenks]

correct, there is an approx 10 minute wait, this is not unique to Zyxel though.

beware though that there are some devices that can't use those >100 channels.
the same issue can be had with 2.4Ghz on those higher channels on that band too.

i have a Nexus 5 phone that i was trying to connect to my wifi and it wouldn't see my wifi at all on 2.4 or 5.
that was because i was using higher channels on both.
i had to drop my 2.4 down before the nexus 5 could see my wifi and connect.

[Weaver]

I assumed that ZyXEL was not special. I cannot find out how to see the country code setting.

I am not following you regarding the 2.4GHz band, to clarify: is that channel 13 that is not understood by some devices?

[chenks]

correct.
even though it was UK model it didn't support DFS so channel 13 was out.

something to bear in mind, you often have to cater for the lowest common demonitor in terms of devices that may connect to your network.
this is what i had configured previously



i had to change 2.4GHz to channel 11 to allow that device to connect.

[Browni]

Your channel 13 problem is unrelated to DFS.

Routers built to North American standards don't support channel 13 unlike the rest of the world (wiki)

[chenks]

The problem wasn't router related, it as the mobile phone.
Channel 13 worked fine for others.

Ps the phone was a UK model, but explicitly didn't support 13.

[parkdale]

A lot of the channel 13 problems are down to which firmware has been used.
I have an old Dell mini 9 laptop I use with Lubuntu, if I load the Broadcom firmware I am limited to channel 11, if I use the open source driver all is well again...
So same chipset but diff 

Robin

Info https://www.dell.com/community/Linux-Developer-Systems/Broadcom-wireless-and-channels-12-13/td-p/4730322