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MR18 AP switching from gateway to repeater (mesh) mode but not switching back to gateway.
We have 4 or 5 MR18 AP connected on a small MS-220-8P on many remote locations.
All AP are configured with a static IP, so there is no DHCP running on the network.
At the setup, all AP are in gateway (normal) mode, no problem at all.
Then, after some months, we see some AP are switching in repeater (mesh) mode. Even if the ethernet link is still up, because they receive the PoE on it.
And more problematic, they never switch back to gateway (normal) mode.
We saw than with a cycle of the switch port or a reboot of the AP, they goes back in gateway mode.
I read here two informations:
https://community.meraki.com/t5/Wireless-LAN/Meraki-AP-s-working-as-a-mesh/m-p/188#M15
1. The AP should never go in mesh mode with a static IP. As I can see here, this is not true.
2. Maybe our AP does not switch back in gateway mode because there is no DHCP?
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Jerome
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All correct replies, more often than not this points to a physical layer issue, and I'd also suggest opening a ticket with Meraki Support and this will likely be the first thing they troubleshoot, I'd suggest a support ticket because they can have deeper troubleshooting visibility than would be visible in your Dashboard. Another good suggestion by @JPena was checking the firmware version, go to your Organization > Firmware Upgrades page not only to see what your running, but look through the release notes for your specific AP models and firmware rev (plus previous revs) to see if anything applies. There were some mesh/repeater issues and other general stability/performance improvements specific to mesh/repeater functions over the last year, I think mostly back in the earlier 24.X versions. But even if nothing shows up in the release notes, still worth checking with Support who may have more details than what's in the release notes and change log. Firmware fixes may have more to do with actual mesh/repeater operations, perhaps not what is causing your APs to sporadically fall into repeater mode, which brings us back to checking those L1 issues with cabling, patch panels, and any power injectors first. Ring out those cables with the cable test button (since it's a Meraki switch) but also with an external TDR cable tester if you have one. Also, if not enabled already, you can enable alerts anytime a gateway AP becomes a repeater AP under Network Wide > Alerts.
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Also, is your firmware up to date?
Network Support Engineer @ Cisco Meraki .:|:.:|:.
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I experienced this issue a significant amount of time. Each time it was either a bad switch port or bad cabling (most of the time).
If one pin on the patch panel or patch cable is bad, the AP will still receive PoE but may switch to repeater mode and will not switch back to Gateway until the problem is resolved.
I will strongly recommend that you look closely at the cables and pins.
If that does not resolve the issue, call Meraki support.
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I agree with @OyinTech. I have also seen AP's going into repeater mode when they get PoE but something is wrong with the cabling or switch port configuration that prevents the AP from communicating via its Ethernet port.,
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Run a cable test, also bouncing the port usually brings it back. But probably still a cable issue.
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All correct replies, more often than not this points to a physical layer issue, and I'd also suggest opening a ticket with Meraki Support and this will likely be the first thing they troubleshoot, I'd suggest a support ticket because they can have deeper troubleshooting visibility than would be visible in your Dashboard. Another good suggestion by @JPena was checking the firmware version, go to your Organization > Firmware Upgrades page not only to see what your running, but look through the release notes for your specific AP models and firmware rev (plus previous revs) to see if anything applies. There were some mesh/repeater issues and other general stability/performance improvements specific to mesh/repeater functions over the last year, I think mostly back in the earlier 24.X versions. But even if nothing shows up in the release notes, still worth checking with Support who may have more details than what's in the release notes and change log. Firmware fixes may have more to do with actual mesh/repeater operations, perhaps not what is causing your APs to sporadically fall into repeater mode, which brings us back to checking those L1 issues with cabling, patch panels, and any power injectors first. Ring out those cables with the cable test button (since it's a Meraki switch) but also with an external TDR cable tester if you have one. Also, if not enabled already, you can enable alerts anytime a gateway AP becomes a repeater AP under Network Wide > Alerts.
