Proxmox Server via Wifi - List of Wifi Bridge Adapters which work with Proxmox

[RolandK]

There is a very pessimistic statement at https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/WLAN :

• Wi-Fi adapters can only be used as Linux bridge interface through workarounds, as most Access Points (APs) will reject frames that have a source address that didn’t authenticate with the AP.

I also read several discussions on this, that proxmox via Wifi won't be a good idea.

Hereby, i'd like to compile/share a list of wifi range extenders which i have successfully (but not thorougly/long term) tested (yet) , whith those i have been able to hook up a proxmox server via wifi and where i could reach VMs on the proxmox host accross/behind the wifi/lan adapter.

Please share your own experiences with this or other hardware, i.e. please submit info here so we can add it to the list - to make a reliable source of information for people who want to hook up their proxmox via wifi.

what i mean is the so called "bridge mode / wifi client mode" , which some wifi range externders support - shown in this graphic taken from https://www.edimax.com/edimax/mw/cufiles/files/download/manual/EW-7438RPn_Mini_User_Manual_EN.pdf




What i have tested so far:

Device	Firmware	briding method	Status	Performance*	Comment
TP-Link TL-WA850RE v2.0		machines + VMs behind router are getting mapped to individual mac adresses, first 3 byte apparently starting with some "random" logic and last 3 byte with the original mac adress values.	ok		in this fw revision, you can disable wifi AP ($SSID_EXT), so it's "client only"
TP-Link TL-WA850RE v1.3			ok		cannot disable range extension wifi AP/SSID. No option in webgui. Option in Mobile Setup App, but does not work
TP-Link TL-WA850RE v7.0			ok		"
FRITZ! WLAN Repeater 300E		machines + VMs behind router show up on wifi with their original mac address !!!	ok
Edimax EW-7438RPn Mini			ok		device sucks, setup via browser has outdated ssl and works totally unreliable. setup is a nightmare, won't recommend it. can reach my proxmox server and VMs, though
Medion MD 86738 / P89137			ok
Apple Airport Express 802.11n 1st gen ( Model A1264 )			ok	<= 2,5MByte/s	need Apple client for configuration
Apple Airport Express (Model A1088)			not ok		apparently does not bridge wifi. setup is a pain and/or needs old windows util, as mac util does not support it for many osx releases
TP-Link AC750 Wi-Fi Travel Router TL-WR902AC v4		machines + VMs behind router getting mapped to same mac adress (that of router wifi interface)	ok	95 Mbit (via 5Ghz Wifi)	my favourite device so far unfortunately can only use channel 36/40/44/48 on 5ghz and not the higher DFS channels, so be aware that it may be disconnected automatically from fritzbox when you do not have configured static channel for 5Ghz
TP-Link TL-MR3020			not ok		has client mode, but does not bridge connections
TP-Link TL-WR802N v4		machines + VMs behind router getting individual mac adresses starting with 0e:80:63:...	ok		2,4Ghz only
TP-Link TL-WR702N			seems to have issues. it worked initially, but suddenly both adapters i own failed to work. i guess it's something about wifi channels , channel load or fritzbox compatibility. will need to investigate further meanwhile i found, that this device has weird issues also reported by others: https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/2040		setup is a little bit awkward/tricky, as you need to choose "bridged" mode instead of client mode, need to turn of dhcp explicitly and cannot use automatic scan of wifi for selection - at least at my home the firmware freezes at that point. i guess there are too many wifis in my neighborhood and this is a bug.

* performancetest was done from pve host with wget download of large file from 2 nearby locations

 

[ProxP4]

Can you please elaborate on where or how the AP is to be disabled on the TP-Link TL-WA850RE V2.0?

I just downloaded the manuals for both V2.0 and V7.0 and looking at both I do not see any mention of this feature.

The reason I ask is that V2.0 is now old and buying the adapter today would most likely result in much newer version, which likely would not support this feature.

 

[RolandK]

@ProxP4

Firmware: 1.0.0 Build 20220615 Rel. 52081

 

[RolandK]

hello.

is anybody using proxmox behind a wifi repeater in "wifi client mode" and likes to share his experience here ?

many repeaters provide that "wifi client mode" features and my experience with this is more and more promising,

the more adapters i'm testing (currently i ordered some tp-link 3020 , which is available well below 10 euro), the more i'm convinced this is the way to go to hook up a proxmox server to wifi.