Ruckus Wireless as an Unifi alternative?

[Vesalius]

Following this on 200.15 I get
ruckus(config-apgrp)# model r710 port-setting
ap_name: r710
The model could not be configured in unleashed.

I'm pretty sure I have done this before, not sure if it is related to 200.15.
Anyone else has seen this? Trying to fix multicast for sonos.

Or you can ssh into the Master AP and use any of the following below you want to try:

enable
ap-mode
set qos igmp_query v2 enable
set qos igmp_query v3 enable
set qos mld_query v1 enable
set qos mld_query v2 enable
set qos eth0 mld enable
set qos eth1 mld enable
set qos eth0 igmp enable
set qos eth1 igmp enable
set qos eth0 directed multicast disable
set qos eth1 directed multicast disable
set qos directedRA disable
set qos directedDHCP disable
set qos forward_querier enable
quit

This works on my r650 or r750. I no longer have a r710 to test. I also ssh into all the other AP and enter the same commands, just skip the enable, ap-mode and quit commands. So far these do not survive a reboot though, I'm still working on that.
You can check most parameters with get qos and get qos eth0\eth1.

 

[ms264556]

If somebody wanted to obscure seriously, we would not find workaround so quickly.

I think they were semi-successful in this case. They decrypt the symmetric key using a public key, which is e.g. long-since deprecated in openssl, so I couldn't quickly find easy-to-use Python/JavaScript libraries supporting this. Even on C# I had to use BouncyCastle rather than built-in System.Security methods,. so it can't just be pasted into PowerShell.

 

[ms264556]

I used the Unleashed Remote Control cloud solution today. It's good.

You get an exact copy of your local Unleashed website and CLI.
This is much more useful than the Unleashed phone app, and you can add as many Unleashed networks to your cloud account as you like.

Watching the Haier Home Assistant debacle, it's nice to see a company producing a fully local solution, with free cloud functionality if you want it.
Especially nice that Ruckus extended the software support life for wave 2 AC models so they could also get this.

...Now Ruckus need to release a 200.15 version without all the bugs....

 

[Gerhen]

For those with Thread/IOT devices, I’m assuming Unleashed isn’t an option as it won’t let the Thread/IOT devices work properly due to lacking IPV6 at this time?

 

[kpfleming]

What do you mean by 'lacking IPv6'? I use Unleashed on my APs and also use IPv6 extensively on my network. Works fine.

 

[Gerhen]

What do you mean by 'lacking IPv6'? I use Unleashed on my APs and also use IPv6 extensively on my network. Works fine.

I saw it posted in some documentation and a post on their community about it not being supported. I don’t know if this affects all of their APs or some or only on certain versions of Unleashed but it’s confusing which is why I asked.

“While many ZoneDirector features are included, Unleashed does not provide the entire ZoneDirector feature set.

The following features are either not supported, supported but with limitations, or are currently unsupported but planned for a future release:

• No layer 3 roaming; all APs must be in the same subnet.
• Tunneled WLANs are not supported.
• IPv6 is not supported.
• No interface to communicate with SmartCell Insight analytics engine or SPoT location services.
• No Northbound Interface to pass client authentication responsibility to an external entity.
• No WLAN Groups.”

Commscope Technical Content Portal

docs.commscope.com

Best option for IPv6 support?

I've got a small business network using an R500 running as an Unleashed manager (on version 200.7.10.202.118). One of the WLANs on the Unleashed config is an experimental IPv6-only network which uses NAT64/DNS64 to get to external IPv4-only sites, and the other WLANs are IPv4/v6 dual-stacked...

community.ruckuswireless.com

 

[kpfleming]

I believe that only means that the Unleashed web interface, and the communication between the APs, is IPv4-only.

 

[Vesalius]

For those with Thread/IOT devices, I’m assuming Unleashed isn’t an option as it won’t let the Thread/IOT devices work properly due to lacking IPV6 at this time?

I use a lot of Homekit over thread and Matter over Thread devices with Unleased and no issues once at least directed multicast is disabled on the SSID and ETH ports

 

[diode]

I was curious how the smart redundancy option works for Unleashed. I was looking to enable this option as I snagged two R730s which I've flashed. Unleashed only mentions what happens when there is a failure wit the master and doesn't really address the sequence for recovery.

"Enable Smart Redundancy to ensure continued operation of your network in the event of a Dedicated Master failure or power loss. If the active Dedicated Master loses connection, the standby Dedicated Master will automatically take over.`

1. If I add the second R730(fake R850) as a fail over backup, does that disable all WiFi like it does on the current master?
2. If there is an issue with the master and it fails over, will it return the master roll back to the initial R730 once it comes back online, or is there a manual way that I would need to force the changes in roles?


For the latest Unleashed update, is there a consensus if the kernel panic that some are posting is due to the hack of the R730s or just an overall issue with the updated version in general? I think that I've seen about a 50/50 in this thread on the success rate. Has that improved?

 

[ms264556]

"Enable Smart Redundancy to ensure continued operation of your network in the event of a Dedicated Master failure or power loss. If the active Dedicated Master loses connection, the standby Dedicated Master will automatically take over.`

1. If I add the second R730(fake R850) as a fail over backup, does that disable all WiFi like it does on the current master?

Yes

2. If there is an issue with the master and it fails over, will it return the master roll back to the initial R730 once it comes back online, or is there a manual way that I would need to force the changes in roles?

I haven't tested Unleashed but, assuming this works like ZoneDirector, there's a good description here of the smart redundancy failover scenarios. I can't find the equivalent Unleashed documentation.

For the latest Unleashed update, is there a consensus if the kernel panic that some are posting is due to the hack of the R730s or just an overall issue with the updated version in general? I think that I've seen about a 50/50 in this thread on the success rate. Has that improved?

We think maybe the issue is related to the radio drivers - Dedicated Master APs have upgraded successfully but normal APs haven't.

This would be ok for the initial upgrade to 200.15 - if you factory reset and the radios are re-enabled then the backup partition will still have a 200.14 install so rollback will be successful.

But if you upgraded to 200.15 then subsequently upgraded to a 200.15 bugfix release then both partitions will have 200.15 so I guess a factory reset would brick your AP until you recovered in u-boot with a serial cable.

 

[ViciousXUSMC]

Just checking in got my two R730 from eBay the other day, sat down with my laptop and flashed both of them to R850 with 200.14.6.1.203 they seem to be working well.

I saw the note to not try 160mhz channel width, for me in the web interface I only have up to 80mhz channel for 5ghz and 40mhz for 2.4ghz.
So guessing to do 160mhz you need to do it from console or something.

Tested head to head against my WAX630 they performed exactly the same, the UI for the WAX630 has a bit more information and looks a little nicer, but I prefer the self manged nature of Unleashed and it has one feature missing from Netgear, blocking a host.

I have no idea why such a simple and basic feature is missing from Netgear, but yeah you cant disconnect or block someone with there system using the insight cloud management.

I also just ordered two Zyxel WBE660S for my current "endgame" wanted to add true 6ghz in the house and just made more sense to go straight to Wifi 7, I could not find many Wifi 6E access points, and the few I did find had major let downs like only 2 streams for 2.4ghz or 2 streams for 5ghz the WEB660S is the cheapest Wifi 7 AP I could find with x4 Triband.

So the concensus for the modified R730 is do not upgrade firmware?

 

[vulture]

I saw the note to not try 160mhz channel width, for me in the web interface I only have up to 80mhz channel for 5ghz and 40mhz for 2.4ghz.
So guessing to do 160mhz you need to do it from console or something.

If you look in the AP settings in unleashed, there is a setting for "performance" vs "compatibility" mode (cant recall exact wording). The latter is the default. If you set the AP to performance mode the 160mhz option in the channel selection will show up. Also, even with 160mhz available, given that this is a pre-release ax chipset, 160mhz is unreliable/should not be used.

 

[iceman_jkh]

I'm after advice on whether to upgrade to an R730 from my R710 (worldwide).

I can get a second-hand R730 (US model) for ~$250 AUD (whereas a second-hand R750 is $950AUD and R650 is $650).

The R710 has been good, but I'm wanting to upgrade from WIFI5.
The R710 provides enough signal to cover my entire 2 storey apartment (just barely at the far corners though).
I am running 5 SSIDs and 4 VLANs, so this functionality is important to retain.

I have ~10 personal devices (iphones, android phones, PCs, laptops, PC, Google TV) and ~30 IoT devices.
Most of the phones and PCs are modern (Wifi5 or 6).

My main concern is:

1. Whether firmware 200.15 is the end of the R730->R850 upgrade.
2. Whether I will I get any appreciable improvement to my wifi coverage, reliability, speeds.

Do you think R730 is a worthwhile upgrade for $250AUD or should I be looking at something else (or even WIFI7)?
I'm happy to buy second-hand and would rather not spend above $350AUD.
Thanks.

 

[sic0048]

I'm after advice on whether to upgrade to an R730 from my R710 (worldwide).

I can get a second-hand R730 (US model) for ~$250 AUD (whereas a second-hand R750 is $950AUD and R650 is $650).

The R710 has been good, but I'm wanting to upgrade from WIFI5.
The R710 provides enough signal to cover my entire 2 storey apartment (just barely at the far corners though).
I am running 5 SSIDs and 4 VLANs, so this functionality is important to retain.

I have ~10 personal devices (iphones, android phones, PCs, laptops, PC, Google TV) and ~30 IoT devices.
Most of the phones and PCs are modern (Wifi5 or 6).

My main concern is:

1. Whether firmware 200.15 is the end of the R730->R850 upgrade.
2. Whether I will I get any appreciable improvement to my wifi coverage, reliability, speeds.

Do you think R730 is a worthwhile upgrade for $250AUD or should I be looking at something else (or even WIFI7)?
I'm happy to buy second-hand and would rather not spend above $350AUD.
Thanks.

Well the R730 was designed/produced before the Wifi6 standard was certified. So it is virtually worthless as a WiFi6 AP because it uses "pre-standard" protocols which are very unreliable when used with devices that expect the WiFi 6 standard.

Long story short, I would not upgrade to the R730 for "an upgrade from WiFi5". Either spend the money for a real WiFi 6/6e AP (one that was designed to use the real WiFi 6 standard), or don't upgrade at all. The WiFi 7 standard was just officially certified on Jan 8, 2024, so I would be hesitant to purchase any WiFi 7 AP currently being offered because they could also be using a "pre-standard" protocol.

 

[ViciousXUSMC]

Well the R730 was designed/produced before the Wifi6 standard was certified. So it is virtually worthless as a WiFi6 AP because it uses "pre-standard" protocols which are very unreliable when used with devices that expect the WiFi 6 standard.

Long story short, I would not upgrade to the R730 for "an upgrade from WiFi5". Either spend the money for a real WiFi 6/6e AP (one that was designed to use the real WiFi 6 standard), or don't upgrade at all. The WiFi 7 standard was just officially certified on Jan 8, 2024, so I would be hesitant to purchase any WiFi 7 AP currently being offered because they could also be using a "pre-standard" protocol.

I feel you on that and agree, thought I just did buy some Wifi 7 AP's lol. But, I did sent the company a request to produce information on certification and also checked the features offered against what the certification required and think I saw a match.

But I had this disaster with the Wireless N early standards and for Wifi 6 I feel like the real benefit comes in once you get Wifi 6e for 6ghz.

To be completly honest I could not find a good Wifi 6e Access Point that met my personal criteria (x4x4x4 Triband, good price, good management) so when I say I got Wifi 7, I really got it for Wifi 6e and that is probably why I was willing to take the risk. I dont even have a Wifi 7 device lol.

Ruckus is my favorite but have priced themselves out of prosumers like myself that want to use there stuff at home for any of the newer stuff.

The beamflex tech I think was a big win and I found Zyxel has a similar tech on the AP's I just ordered so I am very much looking forward to the upgrade, and its always nice to try multiple products so that I can remane neutral when giving my opinions/recommendations on things.

 

[ms264556]

1. Whether firmware 200.15 is the end of the R730->R850 upgrade.
2. Whether I will I get any appreciable improvement to my wifi coverage, reliability, speeds.

Do you think R730 is a worthwhile upgrade for $250AUD or should I be looking at something else (or even WIFI7)?
I'm happy to buy second-hand and would rather not spend above $350AUD.
Thanks.

1. If you're planning to use the R730 as an AP, rather than just a controller, then 200.14 is the end of the line, unless a subsequent Ruckus update unbreaks the kernel panic, or I manage to do something hacky.

2. My own experience was that the R730, running Unleashed 200.14, provided both higher maximum throughput (my WiFi6 clients get a 1200Mbps connection vs 833Mbps up close, and I get 1Gbps speed tests to my 1Gbps ISP), and better range (my 'dead spot' with non-Ruckus APs gets 38Mbps speed tests from an R710 and 108Mbps from the R730).

Pre-hack, other forum members reported far worse performance. So you should treat the R730 as a gamble: either you'll get a fantastic cheap home AP or a lemon. Even if it works perfectly for you, you may be unable to upgrade Unleashed to get new features or security fixes.

Well the R730 was designed/produced before the Wifi6 standard was certified. So it is virtually worthless as a WiFi6 AP because it uses "pre-standard" protocols which are very unreliable when used with devices that expect the WiFi 6 standard

The stuff which is disabled is mostly important in a high density environment. For a single home AP, with a dozen or two clients, I didn't have any issues. I have several WiFi 6 and WiFi 7 devices and all of them perform faultlessly. I can see a fair few features turned off when I check with Aruba Utility, but in terms of empirical performance I have no complaints.

I took a gamble (I bought an R730 not even knowing whether it could run Unleashed) and I'm happy.

 

[ms264556]

I can get a second-hand R730 (US model) for ~$250 AUD (whereas a second-hand R750 is $950AUD and R650 is $650).

I'm happy to buy the R730 off you if you end up not liking it. I'm in NZ so I imagine shipping will be cheapish.

 

[iceman_jkh]

@sic0048 @ViciousXUSMC @ms264556 Thanks for all the feedback/info and offer.

I'm definitely only interested in the R730's (high) performance with your modded firmware applied, so it would be sad if 200.15 has permanently killed this.
Based on all the info I've found, I'm leaning towards getting the R730 as I'm mainly looking for better wifi performance (wifi6) and don't have any wifi7 devices yet nor problems with security/etc at the moment, as my setup if for home use (not corporate/public facility).
For $250AUD it appears to be miles ahead (in performance and features) of anything else I can get hold of....even up to around $650AUD (for the second-hand R650).

 

[namezys]

maybe somebody has an idea:
* DHCP ip:10.101.0.0/16
* management interface: 10.2.2.1/16, VLAN 2

is it possible to set a gateway for management interface?

 

[ms264556]

maybe somebody has an idea:
* DHCP ip:10.101.0.0/16
* management interface: 10.2.2.1/16, VLAN 2

is it possible to set a gateway for management interface?

What's your Unleashed version? "Default Gateway" is directly below the Management Interface "Access VLAN“ setting on newish versions.