I really haven't experienced such timeouts with wired connections. If the switch is going bad, I'm assuming it should be completely removed from the network while I'm testing? I might also set up that C50 again instead of the EAP for a few days. I'm just hoping the problem is a setting in the EAP as I really like that device and the price I got it for (new, but past my in-store return window).

Thanks again you for your reply. You've given me a few ideas to try.
The TL-R600 seems to be known to have flakey DNS/DHCP issues within a week and there hasn't been new firmware for a while. Those issues present differently and are resolved by a hard reset. Since I added the EAP a few weeks ago, the wifi problem began, but seem to be getting worse. The switch and TL-R600 VPN router (only active DHCP service) + modem are located in a 6U cabinet where wifi is obviously not effective. I can try the C50 again as an AP, or with some difficulty, bypass the core switch entirely.

The LAN setup seems like a basic star topography with two AP's.
Modem -> TP-R600 (Firewall/Nat/DHCP/VPN) -> TL-SG1024 (rack switch) all in a 6U cabinet.
Also in cabinet: NAS, NVR (cameras on separate physical switch with own POE), Rasp Pi, TL-WPA4220KIT AV500

EAP245 is at an endpoint or the C50 was setup as an AP (no DHCP)
TL-WPA4220KIT has wifi 2nd device in detached garage with a TL-WR802N nano router setup in AP mode with DHCP disabled (because that AV kit doesn't like to pass around DHCP packets after 24 hours). They don't overlap enough to confuse even the dumb android wifi.

Also on network:
Wifi:
5 chromecast audio
2 chromecast video
3 wemo
2 phones
3 tablets
1 thermostat
1+ laptops

Wired
1 PC
2 steam links
3 android boxes
1 ps4

Basically, I got to buy and wire everything the way I wanted to during a reno but now I've got some - I believe the technical word is - "gremlins".

Hi Canuckie,

how often does the problem happen? And when the problem happens, will all the other devices have the same problem at the same time?

May we can make an appointment for a remote access by using TeamViewer, so that we can check the configuration for you directly.

Best Wishes,

Thank you Tom. I'll let you know when I've exhausted all my testing.
For now, I've plugged the EAP directly into the firewall (where the another port on the firewall is plugged to the the rack switch). I've set up an old laptop on wifi logging pings and a PC (wired to core switch) logging pings. Speed tests from my phone (<10' from EAP) and an Android box / PC are pretty consistent showing me close-enough to my 100/10 service. From time-to-time, I do see tests result in 2-3Mbit/10 from a device I test on whereas another device still tests fine (wired and wifi). 3 minutes later, I've seen their results flip. I'm suspecting this is more of an ISP issue at this point where speedtest.net hosts are being throttled differently. I've setup my old C50 router and is on standby to swap with the EAP. I suspected the EAP because it was the only change that happened shortly before observing these Internet timeouts.

Canuckie wrote

From time-to-time, I do see tests result in 2-3Mbit/10 from a device I test on whereas another device still tests fine (wired and wifi). 3 minutes later, I've seen their results flip.

You have a 100Mbps/10Mbps line and when you test the speed wirelessly, it only has 2-3Mbps download speed which is not satisfied, right?

Please note that the speed test result generally has no relationship with the ping test result. (But if there are many devices running the speedtest, which will saturate the bandwidth or airtime, you will get also get some ping latency or ping drops). So here are some test and troubleshooting recommendation:
1. when you do speed test wirelessly, please make sure there are only one devices do the test. And if you test with several wireless clients, the total bandwidth equals to the sum of all the wireless clients' test result due to the shared property of the wireless network.
2. Wireless network are easy to be affected by RF interference, this could be other wireless AP, blueteeth device, cordless telephone, microwave oven devices. So please make sure the AP is not near these devices. And if necessary, turn off these devices and test again.
3. You are also recommended to do some spectrum analysis with tools like inSSIDer, WiFi Analyzer to choose a better radio channel. If the RF environment is congested, it's recommended to use 20MHz channel width as well.
4. To find out whether the problem happens to 2.4G only, 5G only or both 2.4G and 5G radio, we can try to separate the 2.4G and 5G radio with different SSID for test purpose. Of course, if the 2.4G network is congested, it's recommended to separate the 2.4G and 5G radio, so the customer can use 5G radio only and use the 2.4G network as a backup.

Best Wishes,
Tom.

Thank you Tom, That's a great list. I'm pretty sure I will have to call in support to RMA his one. I've been using wifi analyzer for a number of years now (been in IT for 15 years). When I say disconnect, I'm seeing timeout messages from my apps (games, amazon, NetX Pro, ES File Explorer not being able to access a NAS, etc.) I don't see any visible sign of a disconnection from the Android OS. Also, it isn't affecting all wireless devices at the same time, but sometimes does. I've concluded that the EAP245 is the problem and chasing the ISP has become a red herring as their service speeds aren't significantly or consistently dropping at times the EAP does. The issue is wireless only, but is profound on only on a few connected devices but, most are passive. As the price point - performance were both good, I tested everything but the obvious scenario because I wanted it to continue using the EAP. At any point, I typically have 12 mostly passive devices on 2.4 and two or three on 5Ghz (same SSID - does not change if SSID's are same or different). The frustrating thing is trying to test out an intermittent issue like this with many distractions [the family] in the household mad e the 14 day return-window lapse.
Here are the scenarios:

Bad core switch? : Tested the EAP directly into the firewall vs the switch. no change
[*]Bad firewall? :setup the basic C50 wifi router in place of firewall - no change
[*]Bad ISP? : connection into modem nominal; Speed Tests from LAN or other wireless devices at a period when one is acting are also nominal.
[*]Bad EAP?: returned to my pre-EAP setup with the C50 setup as an AP - nearly perfect, but AC1200 speeds
[*]Channel congestion - 5Ghz - there's only one other router in the neighborhood visible. I've manually changed the bands opposite on the spectrum without any improvement. 2.4 is busy, but testing within a brick-walled detached corner house isn't a problem.
[*]On the EAP Monitoring tab:
[INDENT=2]LAN - No Errors or dropped packets
Wifi - 2.4 Ghz - Rx errors only, and quite a few
Wifi - 5Gz - Both Tx and dropped packets in significant numbers
[/INDENT]


Extraneous tests:
Baby video monitor (normally the worst offender aside from microwaves for untraceable interference) - only bad if sitting beside a laptop connected to the 2.4 band. Disconnects occurring just as often when the monitor is on vs off
[*]Bluetooth / Cordless phone interference NIL. Only 2.4 channel interference are TV remotes.
[*]There are a V1 Chromecast video and Chromecast audio within 3' of the AP - but that would be more of a Bluetooth issue.

Thank you for continuing this thread.

Your tests are comprehensive. It shows there are somethings wrong with the 5G radio. Please make sure you are using the latest firmware (for now, it's 170828 version) to avoid the possible firmware bug. If the problem persists, it's recommended to perform a RMA.

Please keep me updated if anything gets better with the replacement.

Best Wishes,
Tom,