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Setting up mesh with CPE510 and EAP225 and OC200 controller

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Setting up mesh with CPE510 and EAP225 and OC200 controller

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Setting up mesh with CPE510 and EAP225 and OC200 controller
Setting up mesh with CPE510 and EAP225 and OC200 controller
2020-01-03 02:10:43

Have 2 CPE510s linked together--no problem. I've done this before and it as easy. Now I want to add some EAP225s to set up a mesh network. There are lots of articles on the TP-Link site but they are leading me in circles. I kept looking for something like "setting up the EAP." No joy.

 

I set up the controller software and linked to the controller itself. I did it by cell phone and by web browser, so I know the unit is online. It does not find any EAP225. Do I have to set up each EAP separately before adding them to the netwrok? And just how do I do that? I'm confused.

 

Ultimately, I wish to have a CPE510 AP/Clent. The client should connenct directly to an EAP. I imagine it does this through the PoE connector. 

That EAP will be the main source of signal for the mesh network. I'll set up 3 more EAPs to complete the mesh.

 

But as I said, once I set up the Controller, it finds no EAP. I figure I need to set everything up here at the shop before trying to deploy them and end up looking like a fool not being able to do it!

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Re:Setting up mesh with CPE510 and EAP225 and OC200 controller
2020-01-03 14:29:21 - last edited 2020-01-03 18:56:03

 

Byteguy wrote

But as I said, once I set up the Controller, it finds no EAP.

 

There is definitely a routing problem. If I set up a directional link between CPEs and connect an EAP to the remote CPE, it immediately shows up as »Pending« in OC200 as well as in an Omada Software Controller (I run both controllers in the same network).

 

  • If you use Windows as a server, make sure to turn off the firewall and to disabe anti-virus software (does not apply to OC200).
  • Ensure that both CPEs have different IPs from the same subnet the controller is running in.
  • Check whether you can ping Omada controller from both CPEs (CPEs allow to ping other devices in the »Tools« menu).
  • Ensure that DHCP is working, else you would have to use  the EAP Discovery Utility to set the controller's IP address in the EAP.
  • Check whether you can ping the EAP from the CPE (find the EAP's IP by looking up DHCP leases on the router).
  • Also do a factory reset of the EAP before trying to connect it to the controller.

 

In most cases where people have problems setting up an EAP-based network, they configure just too much before doing the basic setup. You can always configure the nitty-gritty details of your EAP later; first make sure that basic connectivity is given.

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Re:Setting up mesh with CPE510 and EAP225 and OC200 controller
2020-01-04 23:18:50

@Byteguy You won't believe what the problem was--I was setting up the CPEs and accidently hooked the EPA to the AP and not the client. Had the network backwards. Seems after I finished setting up the CPEs I forgot which was which!

Anyway, once I hooked them up correctly, the first EAP showed up. I configured the network and logged onto it with my phone and it worked. It was listed as a standalone.

Then I fired up a second EAP.

Got onto the Omada controller and it showed one EAP connected and a second one pending. I clicked on the action and told it to acquire it. Darned if it didn't!

I saw 2 EAPs with the same SSID and wondered about that. When I next went to the Omada Controller, I clicked on the mesh tab and both EAPs showed up.

The original EAP shows 0 hops and the wireless one shows 1 hop, so it appears I'm golden.

Initial install will consist of the two CPEs and 2 EAPs just to see the coverage. Then we'll add in the third and fourth EAP to complete the mesh. Hope that works like I think it will.

 

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Re:Setting up mesh with CPE510 and EAP225 and OC200 controller
2020-01-05 01:08:10 - last edited 2020-01-05 01:28:06

 

Byteguy wrote

You won't believe what the problem was--I was setting up the CPEs and accidently hooked the EPA to the AP and not the client. Had the network backwards.

 

If you use one CPE in AP mode and the other in client mode, it does not matter to which one you connect your EAPs. There is no direction involved regarding data flow in AP/client roles ...

 

AP/client roles (or to be precise: MASTER and STA modes) are just needed for initial WiFi connection; once connected, the link is bi-directional and data flow is possible in both directions. I often use reversed roles to create wireless relays, e.g. in:

 

router----CPE #1 STA-))) (((-CPE #2 MASTER----EAP #1

      \----OC200                          \-))) (((-CPE #3 STA----EAP #2

 

Of course, this does not apply to AP Client Router mode (where the STA interface is the WAN interface and the MASTER is the LAN interface) and AP Router mode (where the LAN port is the WAN port).

 

Just a note on meshing/wireless adoption: if you use a management VLAN, EAPs can't be adopted wirelessly. One has to adopt them using a cable to configure the management VLAN and then remove the cable and adopt them wirelessly with the mgmt VLAN in place. This can be a big surprise when sending a brand new EAP at factory defaults to a customer and tell them to just power it on for wireless adoption. ;-)

 

Latest firmware has a fix to retain IP addresses set in standalone mode when adopting the EAP in the controller. I'm curious whether the firmware also will retain the mgmt VLAN set manually, which would fix the problem with wireless adoption when a mgmt VLAN is used.

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Re:Setting up mesh with CPE510 and EAP225 and OC200 controller
2020-01-05 01:52:21
Well, the way I hooked them up initially there was no internet access. I was in a hurry. Doesn't pay. The next morning, I was a bit more careful and it worked. The instructions on the site said to upgrade the firmware on the EAPs to enable the mesh function. I did not do that, as mesh worked. I'm thinking I should go ahead and do the upgrade. As far as giving the EAP to the client and telling them to hook it up, that won't happen. They are having me do the entire install and then I will manage it.
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