SmartLink log in fails with "429 error" under Windows 11

Lu Romero

I am the Admin for a multi user club based Flex remote system. We have 14 users with three Signature Series radios (2x6400 and1 6500) Since SmartLink is not user granular, we are all forced to share one SmartLink account with one set of identical credentials. Switching to VPN is not feasible alternative for our users and their level of IT knowledge.

13 of our users are on Windows 10. Our latest user is on Windows 11. All of the system users currently have no issues logging in to SmartLink. The latest user was set up with SmartLink and he had no issues logging in to the system for one week.

Then Windows Update happened.

After the latest Windows update for Windows Security, All of the Win10 users can still log in to SmartLink as before. However, the user on Windows 11 cannot log in to SmartLink... BUT, he COULD log in previously before the update.

I have had all of our users log off and log back on to SmartLink, just to see if this made a difference, but ONLY our Windows 11 user is not able to log in to SmartLink. When he attempts to log in to SmartLink, he gets a "429" error. I have remoted into his PC, and made sure the correct credentials are being used, attempted to log in to SmartLink and I also get the "429" error.

What is a 429 error in SmartLink?

Any one else experience this issue? Here are the computer parameters for this user:

• Lenovo T580 PC with i7, 16GB RAM and 512 SSHD
• Windows 11 Pro 23H2 as of 1/4/24
• Feature Pack 1000.2264.1000.0
• Core Isolation is off (if we turn it on, DAX crashes - Flex really needs to fix this!).
• OneDrive is disabled.

I have not generated a ticket for this ATM, expecting an "easy fix" via some Windows 11 settings to save Flex Support resources, but if there is no simple fix, I will then generate a ticket.

Thanks in advance for any clue as to what is going on here.

Luis Romero - W4LT - Tampa ARC Remote Admin

PS: I have another user with the IDENTICAL PC HARDWARE to the one having the 429 error. This user's PC runs under Windows 10, and has no issues... Only the Windows 11 user is having issues. So it is definitely a Windows 11 problem.

Mike-VA3MW

Support ticket created.

Lu Romero

As of this evening, the user is now up and running on Windows 11 on the Lenovo T580 PC. Here’s the situation and its resolution:

The user's LAN uses an ASUS RTAX92 mesh router with two satellite mesh AP’s. Has cameras and IOT on 2G WiFi, has two 5G channels, 1 for devices the other for the mesh backhaul. The backhaul 5G channel is isolated and is only used for AP backhaul. The SmartLink dialog shows all the available radios via SmartLink, however, the CONNECT box is gray. That’s a new one for me.

Here is where I found that the issue lies. The user tells me he remembers that his access was working fine until he installed a Microsoft Livecam Cinema USB PTx8211404-001. After that installation, the problem began. He removed the camera via Add/Remove programs and rolled back the driver. The problem persists, though. Note that this is a very old driver – dated 2006! (See attached photo).

At this point Im pretty certain that there is something corrupted in this Win11 install that began with the installation of the Webcam, but since I am not very experienced with Win11, I thought the better solution would be to “refresh” this install, since I suspect that the webcam has done something somewhere (doesn’t make sense, though...); Since the problem started with the webcam install and removing it doesn’t return the system to operation, that seems to be the prudent choice.  

My only other recourse is to downgrade this PC to a Win10 license. A PC Reset with a Win11 download from the web was started overnight to get as clean as an install as possible. Since other users will eventually transition to Win11, I may as well get some experience with Win11 and SSDR.

Upon the refresh's completion, the following was done:

- Installed all updates to current OS

- Disabled Core Isolation for DAX to be happy under Win11

- Installed RustDesk RDP

- Installed SSDR v3.6.8

- Installed and configured WSJT-x v2.6.1

- Installed FRStack3 

- Installed and configured remote access to our rotors through Green Heron Everyware client

- Started SSDR.  

- Logged into SmartLink on all 3 Flex apps and FRStack3

Everything now connects and works perfectly on both production radios from the user's PC over his LAN. The lab radio shows a yellow update dot as it should.

I recommended that he not attempt to install that Webcam on this PC (or any PC, for that matter) and if he wants a webcam, either use the built in one or get something more modern. The offending MS Webcam now resides in a recycle bin. I hope all of you forgive me for not attempting to break Win11 with the webcam install again to prove it was the culprit. The PC is now not broken and I don’t want to fix it. 

The user can now connect both using his local SSDR install and over RDP to the clubhouse remote PC's. As users migrate to Win11, I’m sure I’m going to find additional compatibility issues with existing hardware and drivers. I will try and document them if I can when this happens.

I can now officially close the ticket generated for this issue. If anything changes, I will post an addendum.

KD0RC

Thanks for the complete description, Lu! It really helps to have all the details when this happens to someone else.

Did Dave B. ever get the antenna disconnector / bandpass filter selector working? I haven't heard back for a long time.

Lu Romero

Hi Len:

Sorry for the delay in responding, as usual, I got tied up with another project, this one for the XYL, so the importance factor increased to DefCon4 :)

Re: Dave, he did get the project partially operational. I believe he has put this project on the back burner as he investigates CW keying with sidetone from third party apps.

Ive plenty to do with the users for the remotes and our club repeaters, so the project resides on Dave's plate at the moment. It has not been deployed in production as of today.

73

Lu Romero - W4LT