WRT1900ac: Defects, Issues and Other

Question

This is follow up on the issues, I had with WRT1900ac, in case others stumble over them as well.
Setup:
+-----+----(R) Internet - via Cable-modem 30Mb/5Mb
|Fire |----(O) Internet Spur – to switch (here for completeness)
| wall|----(G) Protected wired network – to switch
|-----+----(B) Protected wireless network
+-----+----(I) Internet Port – connected to FW(G) via switch
|WRT  |----(S) Switch 10/100/1000 ports – connected to FW(B)
| 1900|----(2) 2.4GHz wireless
+-----+----(5) 5.0Ghz wireless
+-----+
| RPi |----(R) Internet – '11n via WRT(2)
|  FW |----(G) Protected wired network (Private) – to switch
+-----+
+-----+----(2) '11n – connected WRT(2) – Also default router
|Desk |      \- Vnet0 for vmware Vms
| Top |----(E) Ethernet – connected to RPi(G) via switch
+-----+      \- Vnet2 for vmware VMs
Other wireless devices set to use WRT(2)
4 phones
3 tablets
3 media players
4 desktops/laptop/netbooks
DHCP Servers and the subnets they control:
FW(G)  x.x.13.0/24
FW(B)  x.x.23.0/24
RPi(G)  x.x.0.0/24
Tests:
1) Disconnecting FW(B) from WRT(S) and WRT1900ac is DHCP server.  All traffic is then passed through WRT(I) to FW(G) and finally to Internet.  Gateway via DHCP is point to WRT(S,2,5)
2) FW(B) us connected to WRT(S) and WRT1900ac DHCP server is turned off.  All traffic is then passed thought FW(B) and finally to Internet.  Gateway via DHCP is pointing to FW(B)
Defects:
1) Cannot connect between wireless channels even though they are on the same subnet.  A device connected to WRT(5) cannot ping nor connect to service on WRT(2).  This prevents a device on WRT(5) form using a printer on WRT(2).  Similarity, a media device on WRT(5) cannot access a media server on WRT(2).
WRT (S) (2) (5)
(S)  OK  OK  OK
(2)  OK  OK  __
(5)  OK  __  OK
Workaround is using two wireless routers.  One handling 2.4 traffic and the other 5.0 traffic, internet connect routers together via a switch port.
2) Connectivity → Local network → Router Details is not editing IP address telling you are duplicating another address on the subnet.  Instead it acts like it made the change you asked, then changes it to a random IP address in 10.0.0.0/24 network.  If WRT1900ac is the DHCP server, then this change is not too bad, since it changes the DHCP Ips also to this new subnet and DNS server in the WRT1900ac hands out the correct new information.  You are left thinking all is OK, but it is not what you set out to do.
If you are changing this IP and Turning off DHCP server same time (they are on the same panel), then the action will basically leave you with an unreachable WRT1900ac.  It will forward traffic between wired and wireless, but you are unable to connect to it to make any changes. From a user veiw, the WRT1900ac “console” is gone.  You have to do a hard factory reset to gain access again.
Work around be very careful.
Suggested solution would be for the WRT1900ac to valid the address the user has requested to change to.  Like DHCP server validates the address there is with-in the subnet of WRT1900ac own IP.
Further since this function of checking and change IP is part of base system, if the IP is changed, then the DHCP server should be corrected and re-enabled as well.  This would allow the user regain access to the WRT1900ac and correct the error with a full factory reset.
Lastly an error panel should display once the user signs into the WRT1900ac, telling what the router did to make it work again.  Further assisting the user is making correct entries.
3) WRT1900ac (via looking at Network Map) incorrectly identifies if a device is connected via wired or wireless, leading to bad return routes.
In Test1, when WRT1900ac was controlling the DHCP. When a vm was started on the Desktop use Vnet0 that bridged network via WRT(2), the VM would get an IP and would show up on the Network Map.  But the connection Icon shows up as wired and not via 2.4 wireless.  After a few moments (less than min) all tested (one at time, Linux, BSD, and WindowsXP) lost the connection though Network Map showed them as if the MAC manufacturer ID (the first three hex pairs) were used to determine the route in WRT1900ac.  When I switched the from Vnet0 to Vnet2 (private network with Rpi acting as the DHCP server and wireless bridge) all got connections and were able to work correctly (as expected).
In Test2, did not have an issue with this vm bridge function.  Though Network Map does not display hosts.  Yes, I turned on all View Device and Connection Types.
There was one strange thing did happen though, when WindowsXP was connecting, Network Map changed the Linux Desktop Host Name to WindowsXP name as all capitals.  The WindowsXP host did still appear all lowercase with an icon wired.  WindowsXP worked longer than the others, as if this “cross wiring” help WRT1900ac understand the route better.
4) When force to do factory reset, WRT1900ac does reset the hardware password to that on the router, instead assigns a random password.  It does for default correctly for wireless WPA2.  By not defaulting back to to the known hardware password, the user is forced to go through the simplified configuration including connecting WRT(I) to an Internet connection.
Issues:
1) Connectivity → Local Network once you click on this tab, you cannot click on any of the other tabs without getting “Save changes” panel.  The choice there are Cancel, Yes and No.  Only Cancel works.  Then you have to Cancel from prior to page to actually get out.
2) Network Map failing to correctly identify devices.  Showing devices with incorrect hostnames or descriptions.  Examples:
a) Win8.1pro on wireless has an icon of printer.
b) Linux box with vm of WindowsXP and Plex Web Server loaded, is showing with the XP machine host name and Manufacturer of Plex
c) iPad showing up a general network device, where an iPhone shows up as phone.  The both have the same release of iOS.
d) Windows phones and display as network with a host name of “Network Device”.
e) Epson wireless printers, only 1 out of 3 display with host name.
f) “Roku Streaming Player” is the same name of each Roku on the network, not the one that displays on iPhone or wireless or on the player itself.
Suggested solutions include:
a) Try using SMTP to get device information.
b) Looking up the device name via DNS then DHCP to show what other equipment calls it.
c) Showing the IP address for a host name instead of a nondescript “Network Device”
Other:
1) Only a single MAC address.  WRT1900ac uses a single MAC address.  This address is used for both internal [WRT(S,2,5)] and external [WRT(I)].  This maybe OK under connecting the WRT1900ac directly to Internet, but causes routing issues when both are connected to same internal hardware, since the ARP will have to routes to same “equipment”.  This found when determining why WRT190ac was changing its IP address from assigned.
Workaround is to go to Connectivity → Internet Settings → MAC Address Clone and enable it and makeup a MAC address for WRT1900ac.  I used added 1 to my WRT1900ac MAC.
2) Simplified setup does not allow setting 5.0GHz CCSID.  It will copy 2.4GHz ot add _5GHz on to it, but not to name it, this thrid option would be a great help.
3) Connectivity → Local Network → DHCP Server setup allows for 3 DNS, bBut this list is not sent to cleints.  Instead DHCP server sends the IP of WRT1900ac.  This is by design, since Linksys wants the “linksyssmartwifi.com” to resolve to 192.168.1.1, or what you set as WRT1900ac to under Router Details on the same page.
It would be better if those fields where moved from DHCP Setup, to at less the otherside of the panel so the user does not assume that these DNS will be informed to clients.
4) External Storage not only allows access to mounted usb drive, but access to /sda including subdirectories of .tmp and cache, which in turn gives access to client.data, db.info, tsbyebye, twonky.log, twonymedia-config.html and twonkymeida-locations-6.db.  
5) There is no effective method to block or tuen off the WRT1900ac from talking to Linksys Command and Control (for my router it was 50.18.198.232 port 5222), on the Internet except disconnecting WRT(I) wire.  Even if blocked in the firewall, the WRT1900ac keeps pounding the firewall, to get access to the Internet, at rate up to 1Mbps.
Yes, this means I have disabled the ability of WRT1900ac from auto-updating, but I also blocked the risk of someone gaining access to my router via Linksys Command and Control.  If you log-in via your email address and password, even if you “connected” directly in to the router (say 192.168.1.1), this traffic sent/validated though Linksys Command and Control (ie: a request leaves your router and sent over the Internet to Linksys CnC, then sent back).  The iPhone app again, goes through Linksys CnC, and with it ALL setting on the router, including passwords, SSID, open ports and device list with IP.  In the end, the router is not under your direct control or ownership, but that of Linksys and their ability to protect your information on their Amazon cloud server.
Miscellaneous:
1) The download EULA for the software update for this device is 117 pages long, with a two step acceptance.  The warranty is 135 pages long.
2) Calling Linksys Support Line custom for WRT1900ac, and after working with the person of almost 1.5hrs, found out the person had no clue what an IP was or how to configure normal static IP.  When requesting the next level for support, “They will call you back in 24 to 72 hours.”  After hanging up and starting again, found the next person equally unable to answer simple direct questions, asked for a manager.  She suggested that this call was really about Quality, then said “they will call you back in 2 to 5 days, after receiving the a support ticket.”
In closing:
Support for WRT1900ac is either massively back-logged with problems or so understaffed that there is no hope to get anything really fixed.  OpenWRT, at my last view, is still in testing phase and Linksys will not warrant any damage or problems that arise out it use.  So my only real option is return this equipment, since there is no likely fix any of the issues above.  Long term Linksys needs to work on its quality controls, and stop burning up goodwill that brand name had carried.

Answer 1

See if wireless isolation is enabled.
When logged into your WRT1900AC using local access replace the end of the browser URL with:
/dynamic/advanced-wireless.html
Please remember to Kudo those that help you.
Linksys
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