Introduction

The Wireless Failures page shows details for all connectivity issues in both timeline and tabular form, offering key insights for network health.

In the example below, we can see how Meraki DataMagic identifies a serious, customer-affecting issue and verifies the fix.  The timeline clearly shows a drop in wireless failures on 2025-09-26 after 14:40 UTC.

 

Meraki Wireless Failure Types and Remedies

The table below consolidates the common failure types reported by the Meraki API, detailing their nature, typical causes, and the corrective actions network engineers can take to resolve them.

Failure Type	Description	Common Causes	Remedial Actions
Association	The client device attempts to establish a basic radio link with the AP but is rejected or fails to complete the process.	Poor Signal/Coverage: Client is too far from the AP or is experiencing high interference.	**Increase AP Density**: Add more APs to improve coverage. **Check RF Environment**: Use Meraki tools to check channel utilization and noise floor; adjust channel plan or AP power settings.
Authentication (PSK)	Client fails the Pre-Shared Key exchange.	Incorrect Password: User entered the wrong password. Client Configuration: Stored, incorrect credentials on the device.	**Verify PSK**: Confirm the correct password is being used. Instruct the user to "Forget" the network on the client device and reconnect.
Authentication (RADIUS)	Client fails authentication against an external RADIUS server (e.g., using 802.1X).	RADIUS Server Unreachable/Down: Network path issue or server service failure. Incorrect Credentials/Certificates: Invalid username/password or expired client certificate.	**Check RADIUS Logs**: Inspect the external RADIUS server logs for the exact rejection reason. **Verify Connectivity & Secrets**: Confirm the APs can reach the server (firewall/routing) and validate the shared secret.
WPA-PSK Auth Fail	A specific error during the WPA handshake.	Timing/Replay Issues: Less common, but can indicate deeper network or client stack issues.	**Firmware/Driver Updates**: Ensure both the AP and client device have current software/drivers.
DHCP Failure	The client successfully associates and authenticates but does not receive a DHCP offer.	DHCP Pool Exhaustion: The IP address range for the VLAN/SSID is full. Switch Port Configuration: The AP's trunk port is missing the necessary VLAN, or the VLAN ID is incorrect.	**Check DHCP Server Status**: Ensure the server is online and has available leases; if not, expand the IP pool. **Verify VLAN Tagging**: On the AP's connected switch port, confirm the correct VLAN is tagged (trunked) and allowed.
DNS Failure	Client has an IP but fails DNS lookups (often a secondary symptom).	Incorrect DNS Server: AP or network is handing out a wrong or unreachable DNS server IP.	**Verify DNS Settings**: Check the Meraki Dashboard network-wide or SSID-specific DNS configurations. **Test DNS Server Reachability**: Ping the DNS server from a device on the affected VLAN.

Table Definition

Schema for Table: "WirelessFailedConnections"

Name	Type	Description
Id	uuid	Unique identifier for the entity record
DeviceId	uuid	Foreign key reference to the Device where the connection failure occurred
MacVendorId	uuid	Foreign key reference to the MAC vendor information for the failing client
SsidNumber	integer	SSID number identifier for the wireless network connection attempt
Vlan	integer	VLAN ID associated with the failed connection attempt
ClientMac	text	MAC address of the client that failed to connect
Serial	text	Serial number of the access point where the connection failed
FailureStep	text	Step in the connection process where the failure occurred
Type	text	Type or classification of the connection failure
OccurredAt	timestamp with time zone	Timestamp when the wireless connection failure occurred
Created	timestamp with time zone	Timestamp when the record was initially created in the system
LastModified	timestamp with time zone	Timestamp when the record was last modified or updated