WLAN Troubleshooting Basics

Foreword

 Wired LANs are expensive and lack mobility. The increasing demand for
portability and mobility requires WLAN technologies. As the most cost-
efficient and convenient network access mode nowadays, WLAN allows
users to freely move within the covered area.
 Common faults on a WLAN include AP join failures, STA access faults, and
other faults caused by incorrect configurations. This course describes the
basic WLAN troubleshooting process.

1 Huawei Confidential
 Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

 Summarize common WLAN faults.
 Describe the WLAN troubleshooting process.
 Know common troubleshooting methods.

2 Huawei Confidential
 Contents

1. Overview of WLAN Troubleshooting

 General Troubleshooting Process

▫ Common System Maintenance Methods

▫ Common System Maintenance Commands

2. Troubleshooting APs' Failures to Go Online

3. Troubleshooting STAs' Issues

4. Troubleshooting AP Signal Issues

3 Huawei Confidential
General Troubleshooting Process
 The common troubleshooting process is as follows:

Evaluate fault severity.

Collect information and fill in a fault report.

Locate the fault.

Rectify the fault.

Verify that services are restored.

4 Huawei Confidential
Evaluating Fault Severity
 Upon a fault, analyze the fault symptom and confirm the fault scope to determine how to process it
further.
 If all the users encounter a fault, check whether other users or devices connected to the same upper-layer
device also encounter this fault.
 If only certain users encounter the fault, perform the following operations:
 Check the type of the faulty service to find out whether other services are faulty.
 Check whether the AC port to which the faulty user is connected has normal users connected.

 Faults are classified into the following levels based on the fault severity:
Critical Major Minor Warning

An alarm severity An alarm severity that indicates the An alarm severity that indicates
An alarm severity that
that indicates a possibility of some service-related the problems without affecting
indicates a condition
severe resource problems with the resource. The services. The problems of this
exists that could
problem disrupting severity of the problem is relatively severity may result serious
potentially cause a
or severely impeding high and the normal use of the faults, and therefore you need
problem with the resource.
normal use. resource is likely to be impaired. to take some corrective actions.

5 Huawei Confidential
Collecting Information
 After a fault occurs, collect detailed fault information immediately, helping locate the fault accurately. Collect the
following information before troubleshooting a fault:

No. Item Collection Method

Draw a network diagram, showing upstream and downstream devices and
1 Networking information
interconnection interfaces.
Record the system running status before and after a fault as well as the
2 Running status
generated log information.

3 Fault symptom Record the fault time, fault symptom, and operations that may cause the fault.

4 Hardware status Record the model, version, and running status of the faulty device.
Collect system information by running the display current-configuration
5 System information
command in the system view.

6 Huawei Confidential
Common Methods for Collecting Information (1/3)
 Collect information by one click. This method is used to display or export diagnosis information during system running to a .txt file.
The diagnosis information includes the startup configuration, current configuration, interface information, time, and system version.
<Huawei> display diagnostic-information dia-info.txt
This operation will take several minutes, please wait.........................
..................................................................................................................................
Info: The diagnostic information was saved to the device successfully.
 By default, diagnostic information is saved to the root directory of the default storage device (flash:/ or sdcard:/). To verify that the file is correctly
generated, run the dir command in the user view.

 Obtain logs (including user and diagnostic logs), which record user operations, system faults, and system security information.
<AC> save logfile
<AC> system-view
[AC] diagnose
[AC-diagnose] save diag-logfile
[AC-diagnose] return
 After the preceding commands are executed, user logs and diagnostic logs are saved in log.log and log.dblg files, which are saved in the log directory
(for example, flash:/logfile).

7 Huawei Confidential
Common Methods for Collecting Information (2/3)
 Query the interface status.
[Huawei] display interface brief

 Query the MAC address table.

[Huawei] display mac-address

 Query the ARP table.

[Huawei] display arp all

 Query the current configuration.

[Huawei] display current-configuration

 Query the device version.

[Huawei] display version

8 Huawei Confidential
Common Methods for Collecting Information (3/3)
 Check AP online failure records.
<AC> display ap online-fail-record mac xxxx-xxxx-xxxx

 Check the AP status.

<AC> display ap all

 Check the IP address of the AP.

<AP> display ap-address-info

 Check the CAPWAP link status of the AP.

[AP-diagnose] display capwap link all

 Check the CAPWAP configuration on the AC.

[AC] display capwap configuration

9 Huawei Confidential
Locating a Fault
 Locating a fault quickly and accurately is important for troubleshooting in the following ways:
 Improves troubleshooting efficiency.
 Effectively prevents the fault from occurring at other locations.
 Provides guidance and reference for troubleshooting.

 Preliminarily locating faults

Fault Symptom Possible Cause
Services on a single AP are
Faults of STAs, lines, switch ports, power supply, etc.
interrupted.
Services on all APs are interrupted. Faults of the AC or lines, network attacks, etc.
Services on multiple devices are
Faults of upper-layer devices, data configuration errors of devices, etc.
interrupted.

10 Huawei Confidential
Common Methods for Locating Faults
 Observation: Observe device alarms and indicator status.
 Exclusion: Disable a suspicious function or feature to eliminate its impact on the problem. For example,
if the fault is rectified after encrypted authentication is disabled, the fault is caused by this function. If
the fault persists, the problem is not caused by this function.
 In terms of hardware, if a device may cause the fault, directly replace the device to check whether the fault is
rectified.

 Comparison: Locate a fault by comparing the faulty component or fault symptom with a functional
component or normal condition, respectively.
 Interchange: Locate a fault by interchanging a possibly faulty component with a functional component
and comparing the running status before and after the interchange.

11 Huawei Confidential
Rectifying a Fault
 Fault rectification is the procedure for restoring the system by taking proper measures. After
locating the fault, rectify it as follows:
 Isolate the fault to prevent it from occurring at other locations and reduce impact on services.
 Troubleshoot the fault by checking and repairing lines, replacing components, or modifying
configuration data.
 For hardware faults: Reset or replace the faulty component.
 For configuration faults: Modify configuration data or upgrade software.

12 Huawei Confidential
Service Verification
 After rectifying a fault, verify that the affected services are restored.
 Verify that the fault has been rectified and no new fault occurs.
 After the fault is rectified, work out a troubleshooting report and summarize cases as
soon as possible.

13 Huawei Confidential
 Contents

1. Overview of WLAN Troubleshooting

▫ General Troubleshooting Process
 Common System Maintenance Methods

▫ Common System Maintenance Commands

2. Troubleshooting APs' Failures to Go Online

3. Troubleshooting STAs' Issues

4. Troubleshooting AP Signal Issues

14 Huawei Confidential
Restoring Factory Defaults
 When a fault, such as a device login failure, occurs due to incorrect configurations, hold
down the Default button to enable the device to restart using the factory defaults.
 To restore the factory defaults of the device, hold down the Default button for at least 3s
after the device is started. The device then restarts and loads the factory defaults.
 Alternatively, run the reset factory-configuration command to restart the device and restore
the factory defaults.
 After factory defaults are restored, the original configuration file still exists. To change the
startup configuration file, run the startup saved-configuration command.
<Huawei> startup saved-configuration vrpcfg.cfg
<Huawei> reboot fast

15 Huawei Confidential
Restarting the Device
 When a network fault occurs, restarting the device may clear the fault.
 The following methods are available for restarting a device:
Method Description
To perform a cold restart, power off and then power on the device again, which is
usually used by onsite maintenance personnel.
Cold restart
Running configurations will not be saved during the cold restart. Therefore, save
configurations before restarting the device.
A warm restart is performed using the reboot command, which is usually used by
Warm restart (using maintenance personnel for remote device management.
the CLI) During the warm restart, the system displays a message, asking you whether to save
the configurations. This prevents loss of configuration data.

16 Huawei Confidential
Transferring Files Using FTP/TFTP (1/3)
 The PC functions as an FTP server. In this mode, you must install the FTP server software on your PC. You only need to configure an
IP address for the interface connecting the device to the PC, and then run the put or get command to upload or download files.

192.168.0.1/24 192.168.0.2/24
GE0/0/0
FTP client FTP server

 Configure an IP address for the interface.

<Huawei> system-view
[Huawei] interface gigabitethernet 0/0/0
[Huawei-GigabitEthernet0/0/0] ip address 192.168.0.1 24
[Huawei-GigabitEthernet0/0/0] ping 192.168.0.2
PING 192.168.0.2: 56 data bytes, press CTRL_C to break
Reply from 192.168.0.2: bytes=56 Sequence=1 ttl=128 time=4 ms
Reply from 192.168.0.2: bytes=56 Sequence=2 ttl=128 time=3 ms
Reply from 192.168.0.2: bytes=56 Sequence=1 ttl=128 time=4 ms
Reply from 192.168.0.2: bytes=56 Sequence=2 ttl=128 time=3 ms
...

17 Huawei Confidential
Transferring Files Using FTP/TFTP (2/3)
 Log in to the FTP server.
<Huawei> ftp 192.168.0.2
Trying 192.168.0.2 ...
Press CTRL+K to abort
Connected to 192.168.0.2.
220 FTP Server ready.
User(192.168.0.2:(none)):ftpuser
331 Password required for ftpuser.
Enter password:
230 User logged in.

 Upload files.
[Huawei-ftp] put vrpcfg.zip

 Download files.
[Huawei-ftp] binary
[Huawei-ftp] get devicesoft.cc

18 Huawei Confidential
Transferring Files Using FTP/TFTP (3/3)
 The device functions as an FTP server. In this mode, you must configure an IP address for the device and configure
an FTP user, without the need to install the FTP server software on the device.
 When there are a large number of devices on a network, the PC is recommended as the FTP server.
<Huawei> system-view
[Huawei] ftp server enable
[Huawei] aaa
[Huawei-aaa] local-user huawei password irreversible-cipher huawei@123
[Huawei-aaa] local-user huawei service-type ftp
[Huawei-aaa] local-user huawei ftp-directory flash:
[Huawei-aaa] local-user huawei privilege level 15
[Huawei-aaa] quit
[Huawei] quit

19 Huawei Confidential
 Contents

1. Overview of WLAN Troubleshooting

▫ General Troubleshooting Process

▫ Common System Maintenance Methods

 Common System Maintenance Commands

2. Troubleshooting APs' Failures to Go Online

3. Troubleshooting STAs' Issues

4. Troubleshooting AP Signal Issues

20 Huawei Confidential
display Commands
 The display commands are essential fault locating tools, so it is important that
maintenance engineers master these commands. The display commands can be
executed in any view and show the following information:
 Current device status
 Neighboring device information
 Overall network information
 Network fault location

21 Huawei Confidential
Common display Commands (1/2)
Item Command Description
Displays basic system information, integrating the outputs of multiple
display diagnostic-
Basic information common display commands, such as display version and display
information
current-configuration.
Device Displays the device status.
display device
information If the status of a device is displayed as Abnormal, the device is faulty.
Interface Displays various interface information to help analyze the cause of
display interface
information interface interconnection failures and check statistics on lost packets.
Version Displays versions of the system software, BootROM, MPUs, and fan
display version
information modules, as well as sizes of storage devices.
display patch- Displays current patch information, including the patch package version
Patch information
information and name.
Electronic label Displays electronic label information. Electronic labels identify
display elabel
information information about hardware components of a device.
Device state Displays the temperature, power supply, fan, power, CPU usage, memory
display health
information usage, and storage medium usage of a device.

22 Huawei Confidential
Common display Commands (2/2)
Item Command Description
Current system display current- Displays all configuration information on a device. You can specify a regular
configuration configuration expression to obtain the required configuration information.
Displays the startup configuration of a device.
• To check the system configuration saved last time, run the display saved-
display saved-
Saved configuration configuration last command.
configuration
• To check the last time when the system configuration is saved, run the
display saved-configuration time command.
Time information display clock Displays the current system date and clock setting.
display logfile buffer
User log information Displays user logs saved in the log buffer.
(diagnostic view)
Diagnostic log display diag-logfile buffer
Displays diagnostic logs saved in the log buffer.
information (diagnostic view)
Alarm information display trapbuffer Displays information recorded in the trap buffer of the information center.
Memory usage display memory-usage Displays the memory usage of a device.
CPU usage display cpu-usage Displays the CPU usage of a device.
Running status of an AP display ap run-info Displays the running status of an AP.
AP status display ap all Displays the AP status.
display access-user
Access user information Displays information about access users.
display station

23 Huawei Confidential
Reset Commands
 When you use the ping command to test link connectivity, you also need to run the display interface or
display ip interface command to check whether packets are correctly sent and received on interfaces
and whether there are CRC errors. Then you can locate the interface if a fault occurs. The display
command output shows packet statistics generated after the device starts or the counter is reset;
therefore, the packet statistics may contain unnecessary information that interferes with fault location.
 In this case, run the reset command to clear the statistics as required.
 The display interface command shows counters to collect statistics about transmitted and received Layer 2
packets. The reset counters interface command resets these counters.
 The display ip interface command shows counters to collect statistics on sent and received Layer 3 packets. The
reset ip statistics command resets these counters.

24 Huawei Confidential
Ping & Tracert
 The ping command is used to test network connectivity and device reachability.
ping [-a source-ip-address | -c count | -f | -s packetsize | -t timeout] host

 The tracert command is used to detect the gateways that packets pass through from the source to the destination,
helping you check network connectivity and locate faulty nodes.
tracert [ -a source-ip-address | -f first-ttl | -m max-ttl | -q nqueries | -w timeout ] host

 During routine system maintenance, you can run the ping command to check network connectivity. If the ping
operation fails, run the tracert command to locate the fault on the network.

25 Huawei Confidential
 Contents

1. Overview of WLAN Troubleshooting

2. Troubleshooting APs' Failures to Go Online

3. Troubleshooting STAs' Issues

4. Troubleshooting AP Signal Issues

27 Huawei Confidential
Common Causes for an AP's Failure to Go Online
 The AP fails to obtain an IP address or obtains an incorrect IP address.
 The network between the AP and AC fails.
 The AP fails to be authenticated.
 The number of APs on an AC exceeds the AC's specifications.
 The AP is faulty.

28 Huawei Confidential
Troubleshooting Process
The AP fails to go N Perform operations based on Is the fault
Is the AP faulty?
online. the AP status. rectified? Y
N
Y

Has the AP obtained N Is the fault

Check the DHCP server.
an IP address? rectified? Y
N
Y

Is the network
N Check and modify network Is the fault
between the AP and
configurations. rectified?
AC normal?
Y
N
Y

Is the AP successfully N Is the fault

Add the AP to the whitelist.
authenticated by the AC? rectified?
Y
N
Y
Does the number
Y Is the fault
of APs exceed the authorized Apply for and load a license.
rectified?
specifications?
N Y
N
Are the configured N Is the fault
AP parameters the same as Modify AP parameters.
rectified?
the actual ones? Y
N
Y

Is the device Y
Seek technical Is the fault
hardware Replace an AC or AP. End
support. rectified? Y
faulty?
N
N

29 Huawei Confidential
Checking the AP Status
 Log in to the AC and run the display ap all command to check the AP status.
<AC> display ap all
Total AP information:
idle : idle [1]
nor : normal [1]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ID MAC Name Group IP Type State STA Uptime
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0 60de-4476-e360 L1_003 default 192.168.109.254 AP7060DN nor 0 2D:5H:48M:44S
1 dcd2-fc04-b500 dcd2-fc04-b500 default - AP7060DN idle 0 -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total: 2

• normal: An AP is working properly. • commit-failed: WLAN service configurations fail to be delivered to an AP after
• standby: An AP is in normal state on the standby AC. it goes online on an AC.
• idle: It is the initialization state of an AP before it • config-failed: WLAN service configurations fail to be delivered to the AP when
establishes a link with the AC for the first time. the AP is going online on an AC.
• download: An AP is in upgrade state. • name-conflicted: The name of an AP conflicts with that of an existing AP.
• fault: An AP fails to go online. • xxx-mismatch: The xxx parameter of an AP does not match that on the AC.
• unauth: An AP fails to be authenticated.

30 Huawei Confidential
Checking Whether the AP Is Faulty
 Observe the AP. Check whether the AP indicator blinks normally. If not, check whether the power cable and
network cable are connected properly. If so, replace the AP.
Indicator
Information Type Color Description
Status
Default status after
Green Steady on The AP is just powered on and the software is not started yet.
power-on
Steady on after After the system is reset and starts uploading the software, the indicator blinks green
Software startup status Green
blinking once once. Until the software is uploaded and started, the indicator remains steady green.
• The system is running properly, the Ethernet connection is normal, and STAs are
Blinking once
associated with the AP.
every 2s (0.5 Hz)
Running Green • The system enters the Uboot CLI.
Blinking once The system is running properly, the Ethernet connection is normal, and no STA is
every 5s (0.2 Hz) associated with the AP. The system is in low power consumption state.
• The software is being upgraded.
Blinking once • After the software is loaded and started, the AP requests to go online if it works in
Alarm Green
every 0.25s (4 Hz) Fit AP mode (until the AP successfully goes online and a CAPWAP link is set up).
• The AP works in Fit AP mode and fails to go online (CAPWAP link disconnection).
A fault that affects services has occurred, such as a DRAM detection failure or system
Fault Red Steady on software loading failure. The fault cannot be automatically rectified and must be
rectified manually.

31 Huawei Confidential
Checking Whether the AP Has Obtained an IP Address (1/2)
 On the DHCP server, run commands to check whether the AP is assigned an IP address.
 Assuming that the AC serves as a DHCP server, run the display ip pool command to check allocated IP addresses.
Determine whether the AP has obtained an IP address based on its MAC address. If so, ping the IP address.

<AC> display ip pool interface Vlanif1219 used | include dcd2-fc22-d880

Pool-name : Vlanif1219
Pool-No :4
Lease : 1 Days 0 Hours 0 Minutes
...
Network section :
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Index IP MAC Lease Status
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
4090 10.1.15.251 dcd2-fc22-d880 9368 Used
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

32 Huawei Confidential
Checking Whether the AP Has Obtained an IP Address (2/2)
 If another device functions as a DHCP server, check whether the AP has obtained an IP address on the DHCP server.
 If the AP does not obtain an IP address, check whether the DHCP server and related device interfaces are correctly
configured.
 If the AP fails to obtain an IP address, check whether:
 The link between the AP and AC is properly connected.
 The management VLAN is created on intermediate devices between the AP and AC.
 All the interfaces between the AP and AC are correctly configured and allow packets of the management VLAN to pass through.
 The Option 43 or Option 15 is configured in the IP address pool when the AP and AC are connected through a Layer 3 network.
 The AP is powered on properly.

33 Huawei Confidential
Checking Whether the AP Is Authenticated by the AC
 Run the display ap global configuration command on the AC to check the AP authentication mode.
<AC> display ap global configuration

 If MAC address or SN authentication is used, run the display ap unauthorized record command to check whether
any AP fails to be authenticated.
<AC> display ap unauthorized record
Unauthorized AP record:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AP type: AP7110DN-AGN
AP SN: 210235555310D1000067
AP MAC address: dcd2-fc22-d880 //The AP with MAC address dcd2-fc22-d880 is in the unauthorized AP list.
AP IP address: 10.1.7.251
Record time: 2019-11-17 10:36:43
Run the ap-confirm mac dcd2-fc22-d880 command to confirm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total number: 1 unauthenticated APs.
Alternatively, run the ap whitelist mac dcd2-fc22-d880 command to
add the AP's MAC address to the whitelist.

34 Huawei Confidential
Checking Whether the Number of AP Connections Exceeds
the Threshold
 Run the display license resource usage command to check the current service capability set based on the keyword
resource usage. If the number of normal APs reaches the capability set, new APs cannot go online. In this case,
purchase a new license.
<AC> display license resource usage
Activated License: -
FeatureName | ConfigureItemName | ResourceUsage

CRFEA1 LH85WLANAP00 4/4

 The number of APs that can be connected to an AC depends on the following factors:
 License resource items: The total number of common APs and central APs cannot exceed the number of license resource items.
RUs do not occupy license resources.
 Maximum number of APs that can be managed by an AC:
 The total number of common APs and RUs cannot exceed the maximum number that can be managed by an AC.
 The total number of central APs does not exceed the maximum number that can be managed by an AC.

35 Huawei Confidential
Checking CAPWAP Link Information
 Log in to the AP and run the display capwap link all command in the diagnostic view.
[AP-diagnose] display capwap link all
Info: This operation may take a few seconds. Please wait for a moment.done.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ID MAC CPort DPort Type State Role VPN DstAddr SrcAddr
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0 7079-90ba-8ea0 5246 5247 AC RUN Client - 120.120.1.1 120.120.5.60
1 7079-90ba-8ea0 5246 5247 AC RUN Client - 120.120.1.2 120.120.5.60
2 4cfa-caff-f560 55450 65535 INAP RUN Server - 120.120.7.6 120.120.5.60
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Pay attention to the link whose DstAddr is the CAPWAP source address of the destination AC.
 If information about the CAPWAP link to the destination AC does not exist, check the status of other links whose Type is AC.
 If there is such a link and the status is RUN, the AP goes online on another AC. You can locate the AC based on DstAddr.

36 Huawei Confidential
Common Causes for APs to Go Offline
 A common cause for an AP to go offline is heartbeat timeout. To find out the specific cause, run the display ap
offline-record command or collect AC logs.
 The method for locating this fault is the same as that for locating the cause for an AP's failure to go online.

<AC> display ap offline-record all

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAC Last offline time Reason
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0023-0024-0080 2015-01-31/16:21:50 Reboot by ap-reset command
60de-4476-e360 2015-01-31/14:02:35 Reboot by ap update reset command
1047-80b1-56a0 2015-01-31/13:52:35 Echo timeout
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total records: 3
Common heartbeat timeout causes are as follows:
• The AP is powered off, which can be found in the AP restart reason.
• The network between the AP and AC is unstable or a loop occurs. (For
example, the AP goes offline and online repeatedly.)
• The AP is faulty and does not send packets, and the switch cannot learn
the AP's MAC address.
• The power supply of the AP is insufficient, and the negotiated rate of the
peer port is incorrect.

37 Huawei Confidential
Case: An Exception on the Intermediate Network Leads to
an Abnormal AP Status (1/2)
 Networking information

10.23.100.128 10.23.100.1

AP LSW Intermediate AC
network
 Symptom
 The AP and AC can ping each other.
 The AP status is cfg-failed or cmt-failed in the display ap all command output.

38 Huawei Confidential
Case: An Exception on the Intermediate Network Leads to
an Abnormal AP Status (2/2)
 Troubleshooting procedure
 Run the display ap all command to query the AP status. If the AP status is cfg-failed or cmt-failed, the AP fails to go online. config-failed indicates
that the AP initialization configuration fails, and commit-failed indicates that the service configuration fails to be committed. In this case, check
network connectivity between the AP and AC.

 Ping the IP address of the AP from the AC. The ping operation succeeds. However, the ping with large packets fails.

<AC> ping –s 1500 10.23.100.128

 Perform a ping test segment by segment using the dichotomy to check whether an intermediate node fails to be pinged. The recommended method is
to check whether MTU discarding is configured on an intermediate node. If so, check whether the intermediate network can allow packets whose
length exceeds the MTU to pass through.

 The customer cannot change the MTU of an intermediate node. Therefore, change the MTU to a smaller value on the AC's CAPWAP interface.

[AC-Vlanif110]mtu 1000 //Changing the MTU value does not affect services on the live network.

39 Huawei Confidential
 Contents

1. Overview of WLAN Troubleshooting

2. Troubleshooting APs' Failures to Go Online

3. Troubleshooting STAs' Issues

 Troubleshooting STAs' Failures to Go Online

▫ Troubleshooting Slow Internet Access of STAs

4. Troubleshooting AP Signal Issues

40 Huawei Confidential
Troubleshooting Process
Can the failure Y
The STA fails to go cause be Take corresponding measures Is the fault
online. displayed? based on the failure cause. rectified? Y
N
N

Does the STA N Ensure that the service VLAN

Is the fault
obtains an IP and DHCP are correctly
rectified? Y
address? configured.
N
Y

Y Identify the cause of high

Is the channel Is the fault
channel utilization and take
utilization high? rectified?
corresponding measures. Y
N
N

Is the packet Query the packet sending

Y
sending queue on the Wi-Fi queue and user packet buffer, Is the fault
driver abnormal? and take corresponding rectified? Y
measures.
N
N

Is the CAPWAP Y
Optimize the CAPWAP Is the fault
timeout interval
timeout interval. rectified?
too long? Y
N
N

Y Check the configurations of

Is the intermediate Is the fault
Seek technical support. the intermediate switch and
network faulty? rectified? Y
authentication server.
N
N

End

41 Huawei Confidential
Checking Causes for a STA's Failure to Go Online (1/2)
 Run the display station online-fail-record sta-mac sta-mac command to check causes for the STA's failure to go
online.
[AC-wlan-view] display station online-fail-record sta-mac f06b-ca63-313d
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STA MAC AP ID Ap name Rf/WLAN Last record time Reason
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
f06b-ca63-313d 2 ap-10 0/1 2020-07-03/19:05:12 The STA is in the VAP's blacklist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total stations: 1 Total records: 1
 Rectify the fault based on the specific cause.

42 Huawei Confidential
Common Causes for a STA's Failure to Go Online
Cause Handling Suggestion

• Run the display sta-blacklist-profile command to check information about STAs in the blacklist.
The STA is in the global blacklist.
• Run the undo sta-mac mac-address command to delete the STA from the blacklist.

Run the display wlan ids dynamic-blacklist all command to view attack records and check whether the STA
The STA is in the dynamic blacklist.
initiates attacks.

Access from legacy STAs is denied. Run the undo legacy-station disable command in the SSID profile view.

Check whether the STA uses a static IP address. Unless otherwise specified, configure the STA to obtain an IP address
The STA uses a static IP address.
dynamically.

Authentication fails. Enter the correct WLAN key on the STA and attempt to access the WLAN again.

The number of STAs exceeds the

physical specifications allowed by the Expand the network capacity or retain the current configuration as required.
AP.

• Run the display sta-load-balance static-group command to check load balancing information.
The STA associates with a heavily
• In static load balancing profile mode, run the gap-threshold command to adjust the load balancing threshold.
loaded radio.
• Alternatively, run the undo sta-load-balance static-group command to disable the load balancing function.

43 Huawei Confidential
Checking Causes for a STA's Failure to Go Online (2/2)
 If the fault cause cannot be located, perform the following steps to rectify the fault:
 If the STA fails to obtain an IP address, check the IP address, VLAN, and DHCP
configurations, and the link between the STA and the DHCP server.
 Run the display vap command to check whether the SSID of the VAP contains special
characters.
 Run the display radio ap-id 0 command to check whether the AP radio channel utilization
is high.

44 Huawei Confidential
Case: STAs Fail to Associate with an AP Because the Number of
STAs Associated with the AP Reaches the Upper Limit (1/3)
 Symptom
 A STA cannot go online.
 According to the display station online-fail-record command output, the cause is The number of STAs exceeds
the maximum allowed in the VAP reported by the AP.

 Fault analysis
 The number of STAs associated with the target VAP has reached the upper limit, and new STAs cannot be
associated with the VAP.
 More STAs associated with a VAP or AP indicate fewer network resources available to each STA. To ensure
Internet access experience for users, set a proper maximum number of STAs that can be associated with a VAP
or AP. When the number of STAs associated with a VAP or AP reaches the maximum, new STAs cannot connect
to the network.

45 Huawei Confidential
Case: STAs Fail to Associate with an AP Because the Number of
STAs Associated with the AP Reaches the Upper Limit (2/3)
 Troubleshooting procedure
 Check the number of associated STAs.
<huawei> display station ap-id 0
Rf/WLAN: Radio ID/WLAN ID
Rx/Tx: link receive rate/link transmit rate(Mbps)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STA MAC Rf/WLAN Band Type Rx/Tx RSSI VLAN IP address SSID
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14cf-9208-9abf 0/2 2.4G 11n 3/8 -70 10 10.10.10.253 tap1
...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total: 32 2.4G: 20 5G: 12 //A total of 32 STAs are associated with AP 0.
 Check the maximum number of STAs supported by the AP in the product description of the corresponding AP model. Check
whether the actual number of STAs connected to the AP reaches the maximum value. If so, expand the network capacity.

46 Huawei Confidential
Case: STAs Fail to Associate with an AP Because the Number of
STAs Associated with the AP Reaches the Upper Limit (3/3)
 If not, adjust the maximum number of STAs that can be associated with the VAP.
<huawei> display ssid-profile name ssid-0
...
SSID hide : disable
Association timeout(min) :5
Max STA number : 32 //A maximum of 32 STAs can associate with a VAP.
Reach max STA SSID hide : enable
Legacy station : disable
...
<huawei> system-view
[huawei] wlan
[huawei-wlan-view] ssid-profile name ssid-0
[huawei-wlan-ssid-prof-ssid-0]max-sta-number 70 //Set the maximum number of STAs associated with a VAP to 70.

 To ensure proper service running, it is recommended that a maximum of 30 STAs associate with a single-band AP,
and a maximum of 50 STAs associate with a dual-band AP.

47 Huawei Confidential
 Contents

1. Overview of WLAN Troubleshooting

2. Troubleshooting APs' Failures to Go Online

3. Troubleshooting STAs' Issues

▫ Troubleshooting STAs' Failures to Go Online
 Troubleshooting Slow Internet Access of STAs

4. Troubleshooting AP Signal Issues

48 Huawei Confidential
Troubleshooting Roadmap
 Check whether the fault occurs on the wired or wireless side.
Wireless Side Wired Side

Check whether ARP packets are lost on the

Check whether VLANs are configured correctly.
intermediate network.
Check whether the AP's channel utilization is normal. Check whether a loop occurs on the network.
Check whether the AP's packet buffer resources and
Check whether the AP's CPU usage is normal.
packet sending queue are normal.
Check whether the signal strength of the AP is normal. Check whether the AP's IP address conflicts.
Check whether packet loss occurs on the AP.
Check whether there is heavy traffic of services from
low-rate STAs.

49 Huawei Confidential
Case: Slow Internet Access Due to Poor Signal Quality
 Symptom
 The signal strength of the STA is lower than –65 dBm.
 Possible cause
 The STA is far away from the AP.
 Obstacles exist between the STA and AP antenna.
 The AP antenna is not properly installed.
 The AP's transmit power is not the maximum.
 Troubleshooting procedure
 Refer to the method for handling poor AP signals.

50 Huawei Confidential
Case: Slow Internet Access Due to Co-Channel Interference
 Symptom
 At a site, two APs work on the same channel, and the difference between their signal strengths is
within 20 dBm.

 Possible cause
 Services are performed concurrently on two APs working on the same channel, leading to co-
channel interference. As a result, the service quality cannot be guaranteed.

 Troubleshooting procedure
 Check the AP's channel to determine whether co-channel and adjacent-channel interference exists.
 Check whether hidden nodes exist between APs.
 Check whether other Wi-Fi interference exists.

51 Huawei Confidential
 Contents

1. Overview of WLAN Troubleshooting

2. Troubleshooting APs' Failures to Go Online

3. Troubleshooting STAs' Issues

4. Troubleshooting AP Signal Issues

 No Signal for STAs

▫ Weak Signals for STAs

52 Huawei Confidential
Troubleshooting Process
N
A STA cannot detect Is a VAP created and Create a VAP and ensure that the Is the fault
Wi-Fi signals. running properly? VAP service and radio are enabled. rectified? Y
N
Y

Y
Is SSID hiding Is the fault
Disable SSID hiding.
configured? rectified? Y
N
N

Is the SSID profile N Modify the SSID profile Is the fault

correctly configured? configuration. rectified?
Y
N
Y

N Check the air interface

Does the AP send Is the fault
environment
Beacon frames properly? rectified?
and eliminate the interference.
Y
N
Y

Is the AP's transmit Y Is the fault

Increase the AP's transmit power.
power too low? rectified?
Y
N
N

N Modify the frequency band or

Does the STA
country code of the AP, and Is the fault
capability match the
update the network adapter driver rectified?
AP capability? Y
of the STA.
N
Y
End
Seek technical support.

53 Huawei Confidential
Checking Whether the VAP Status Is Normal
 Ensure that the AP is online and run the display vap command to check the VAP status.

[AC-wlan-view] display vap ap-id 4 radio 0

WID : WLAN ID
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AP ID AP name RfID WID BSSID Status Auth type STA SSID
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 9c50-ee45-6cc0 0 1 9C50-EE45-6CC0 ON Open 0 HUAWEI-WLAN
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total: 1

 For a normally created VAP, the value of the BSSID field is not all 0s. For a working VAP, the value of the Status field is ON.
 If the VAP fails to be created, run the display vap create-fail-record all command to check the cause for the VAP creation failure
and rectify the fault.
 If the VAP is correctly bound to the radio but the value of the BSSID field is all 0s, the configuration fails to be delivered.
 If the BSSID is displayed normally but the Status field displays OFF, the configuration may be incorrect. For example, the radio
or the VAP is disabled.

54 Huawei Confidential
Checking the SSID Hiding Configuration (1/2)
 If SSID hiding is configured, STAs cannot detect signals. The following methods can be used to hide
SSIDs:
 Hide the SSID in a VAP.
<AC> display ssid-profile name default
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Profile ID :0
SSID : HUAWEI-WLAN
SSID hide : disable
Association timeout(min) :5
Max STA number : 64
Action upon reaching the max STA number : SSID hide

 Run the undo ssid-hide enable and reach-max-sta hide-ssid disable commands in the SSID profile view to disable SSID
hiding and automatic SSID hiding when the number of access STAs reaches the maximum.

55 Huawei Confidential
Checking the SSID Hiding Configuration (2/2)
 When the number of access STAs on a radio reaches the maximum, the SSID is automatically hidden. Check
whether this configuration is enabled in the RRM profile of the radio.
<AC> display rrm-profile name default
-------------------------------------------------------------------
......
UAC channel utilization access threshold(%) : 80
UAC channel utilization roam threshold(%) : 80
UAC hide SSID : enable
......
-------------------------------------------------------------------

 Run the undo uac reach-access-threshold command in the RRM profile view to disable automatic SSID hiding when the
number of access STAs on a radio reaches the configured threshold.

56 Huawei Confidential
Checking the SSID Profile Configuration
 Check the SSID profile bound to the VAP profile.
<AC> display vap-profile name VAP-Profile-Name
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
......
SSID profile : guest
......
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Configure an SSID in the SSID profile.

[AC-wlan-view] ssid-profile name guest
[AC-wlan-ssid-prof-ssid1] ssid mySSID
Warning: This action may cause service interruption. Continue?[Y/N]y

57 Huawei Confidential
Checking Beacon Frames Sent by an AP
 SSID information contained in wireless signals is carried in Beacon frames sent by APs. If an AP does
not send Beacon frames, STAs cannot detect the corresponding signals.
[AP-1-diagnose] display Wi-Fi radio-statistics radio 0
......
[Beacon]
Transmitted : 41663
Missed : 13427
......

 If the number of Missed Beacon frames is greater than that of Transmitted Beacon frames, STAs cannot detect
signals.
 Beacon frames are lost because the air interface is busy and the AP cannot compete for the time to send
packets.
 Run the display ap traffic statistics wireless command to check the channel utilization and noise floor in the
current environment.

58 Huawei Confidential
Checking Interference in the Air Interface Environment (1/2)
 Channel utilization is a key factor representing the air interface status. If the service volume on an AP is
small but the channel utilization is high, interference is severe on the air interface.
 Check the interference rate on the AP.
[AP-diagnose] display Wi-Fi base-info radio 0
......
CoChanInterferenceRate(%) = 46
 Check whether other interference exists in the surrounding environment. In most cases, you need to use
scanning software to scan the surrounding air interface environment. Common scanning tools include
WirelessMon, inSSIDer, and Network Stumbler. The WiFi Analyzer software is available on Android phones.
 Based on the scanning result, other Wi-Fi signals on the working channel can be detected. If there are many
such Wi-Fi signals, the working signal is interfered. In this case, change the working channel of the AP to one
with less interference.

59 Huawei Confidential
Checking Interference in the Air Interface Environment (2/2)
 In addition to the interference caused by other Wi-Fi devices, devices that work on the same or similar
frequency band as the AP may cause non-Wi-Fi interference.
 APs can work on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands.
 The 2.4 GHz frequency band is the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) open frequency band. Interference
sources on the 2.4 GHz frequency band include cordless phones, microwave ovens, wireless cameras, Bluetooth
devices, infrared sensors, and fluorescent light ballasts.
 The 5 GHz frequency band has fewer interference sources than the 2.4 GHz frequency band. More and more
devices begin to work on the 5 GHz frequency band, such as cordless phones, radars, wireless sensors, and
digital satellites.

 These non-Wi-Fi interference sources have great impact on AP services, and are difficult to identify. In
most cases, spectrum analyzers and dedicated tools can be used to identify non-Wi-Fi interference
sources.

60 Huawei Confidential
Checking the AP's Transmit Power
 By default, automatic power calibration is enabled on an AP. To manually adjust the transmit power, disable this
function.
 Set the transmit power to a small value that is enough for STAs to detect signals. This is because a high transmit
power value may cause interference to other APs.
[AC-wlan-view] ap-id 1
[AC-wlan-ap-1] radio 0
[AC-wlan-radio-1/0] calibrate auto-txpower-select disable
[AC-wlan-radio-1/0] eirp 127

 To check the AP's transmit power, run the display radio command.
<AC> display radio ap-id 1
......
AP ID Name RfID Band Type Status CH/BW CE/ME STA CU
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 9c50-ee45-6dc0 0 2.4G bgn on 6/20M 11/32 0 39%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

61 Huawei Confidential
 Contents

1. Overview of WLAN Troubleshooting

2. Troubleshooting APs' Failures to Go Online

3. Troubleshooting STAs' Issues

4. Troubleshooting AP Signal Issues

▫ No Signal for STAs
 Weak Signals for STAs

62 Huawei Confidential
Common Causes for Weak Wi-Fi Signals
 The actual transmit power of an AP is low.
 The external antennas of an AP are not properly fastened or not installed.
 There are obstacles, such as walls and folding screens, between the STA and AP.
 The STA is connected to a remote AP.
 The STA is faulty.

63 Huawei Confidential
Reference Signal Attenuation of Typical Obstacles
2.4 GHz Signal 5 GHz Signal Attenuation
Obstacle Thickness (mm)
Attenuation (dB) (dB)
Synthetic material 20 2 3
Asbestos 8 3 4
Wooden door 40 3 4
Glass window 50 4 7
Thick colored glass 80 8 10
Brick wall 120 10 20
Brick wall 240 15 25
Armored glass 120 25 35
Concrete wall 240 25 30
Metal 80 30 35

64 Huawei Confidential
Troubleshooting Process
Is the AP's Y Y
Is the fault
Weak STA signals transmit power Increase the signal strength.
rectified?
low?
N N

Is the AP N Y
Check the antenna installation Is the fault
antenna correctly
and rectify the fault. rectified?
installed?

Y N

Is there any N Y
Clear obstacles or adjust the AP Is the fault
obstacle between the
position. rectified?
STA and AP?
Y N

Y
Does the Y Adjust the signal strength of the
Is the fault
STA connect to a remote AP or configure smart
rectified?
remote AP? roaming.

N N

N Y
Is the STA Update the network adapter Is the fault
Seek technical support. faulty? driver or replace the STA. rectified?
N
Y

End

65 Huawei Confidential
Weak AP Signals Caused by Obstacles in the Surrounding
Environment
 Symptom
 The AP antenna or STA is severely blocked by trees or walls.

 Possible cause
 The signal path loss is large due to obstacles such as trees and walls around the AP antenna.
 There is interference from devices such as microwave ovens, wireless mouses, and wireless headsets around the
STA, and the STA cannot directly "see" the AP antenna.

 Troubleshooting procedure
 Clean the obstacles around the AP antenna and properly place the AP antenna.
 Check the interference and obstacles around the STA, and place the STA in an ideal position.

66 Huawei Confidential
Common Installation Problems That Affect Wi-Fi Signals
(Indoor)
 When installing an AP, try to reduce the number of obstacles (especially metal obstacles) that signals pass through.

67 Huawei Confidential
Common Installation Problems That Affect Wi-Fi Signals
(Outdoor)
 Deploy APs far away from interference sources and directly face the network coverage area to ensure that the signal strength in
each area meets user requirements and to minimize co-channel interference between neighboring APs.

Incorrect installation
direction of antennas

68 Huawei Confidential
Weak AP Signals Due to Poor STA Performance
 Symptom
 Some STAs receive weak AP signals, while other STAs do not have this problem.

 Possible cause
 STA performance is low.

 Troubleshooting procedure
 Compare the test results of the same STA under different antenna angles, for example, placing a laptop's front
or rear facing the antenna, to find the optimal angle of the wireless network adapter antenna of the laptop.
 Replace the laptop or use an external network adapter. Generally, the performance of the built-in network
adapter on a laptop is poorer than that of an external network adapter, and varies greatly depending on laptop
models. You are advised to use multiple laptops for comparison tests.

69 Huawei Confidential
 Quiz

1. (Single Choice) Which of the following commands is used to query the cause for
a STA's failure to go online?
A. display ap online-fail-record

B. display vap create-fail-record

C. display station offline-record

D. display station online-fail-record

70 Huawei Confidential
 Quiz

2. (Multi-Answer Question) Which of the following symptoms may occur on an AP

that is interfered by air interface signals?
A. Low transmit power

B. High channel utilization

C. High noise floor

D. A large number of Missed Beacon frames

71 Huawei Confidential
 Summary

 This course describes the basic WLAN troubleshooting process and common
troubleshooting commands.
 We also go through how to troubleshoot typical WLAN faults, such as APs'
and STAs' failures to go online and signal interference issues.

72 Huawei Confidential
Thank you. 把数字世界带入每个人、每个家庭、
每个组织，构建万物互联的智能世界。
Bring digital to every person, home, and
organization for a fully connected,
intelligent world.

Copyright©2021 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

All Rights Reserved.

The information in this document may contain predictive

statements including, without limitation, statements regarding
the future financial and operating results, future product
portfolio, new technology, etc. There are a number of factors that
could cause actual results and developments to differ materially
from those expressed or implied in the predictive statements.
Therefore, such information is provided for reference purpose
only and constitutes neither an offer nor an acceptance. Huawei
may change the information at any time without notice.