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Extending existing EAP215-Bridge Kit with additional devices as a client/ap

Extending existing EAP215-Bridge Kit with additional devices as a client/ap

Extending existing EAP215-Bridge Kit with additional devices as a client/ap
Extending existing EAP215-Bridge Kit with additional devices as a client/ap
2025-08-17 02:20:18 - last edited 2025-08-20 03:37:39
Tags: #Network Connectivity
Model: EAP215-Bridge KIT  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: v1 kits 1.0.4, v2 kits (just purchased) is 1.0.2

Purchased an EAP-215 Bridge kit less than a year ago.  Works excellent, no complaints or issues.  I have used Omada throughout my house and several acres around the house, and it's great to be able to see all details for various devices (camera, PC, Fire TV Stick, etc).  I have a lot of acres, and I have used bridges to connect to other parts in our land using parts of TPLink CPE510 and CPE710 where I would add a primary/master, and would then have other devices connect as a client/AP.  I had purchased them at various time, with different versions... no issues.  This isn't the case with the EAP215, as the one I bought in the fall is a v1 version of the device.   The new one is a v2, and of course, the v1 and the v2 aren't compatible.  Why... I'm not sure, but if it knows the name and password, it should be possible. Or at least, if using the Omada controller, the v1 doesn't detect the v2, and the v2 doesn't detect the v1.   I might be able to get it to work by removing them from the omada controller, do a factory reset, and then I might be able to get them to connect that way... though the whole point i started migrationg from the CPE devices so that I could see all devices within the omada controller dashboards.

 

Anyways, hopefully someone else has ran into this and knows a way that this is possible and/or hopefully, TPLink is planning on fixing this issue?   As there should be no reason this isn't possible.

 

Thanks,

Matt

 

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Re:Extending existing EAP215-Bridge Kit with additional devices as a client/ap-Solution
2025-08-20 01:28:09 - last edited 2025-08-20 03:37:39

  @Vincent-TP ordered additional v2 kits, and it was pretty easy to set up multiple clients from various kits. However, it has to be the same version, which you already stated. However, I couldn't do it in the controller itself and instead had to set up the 2nd kit directly to an Ethernet connection to the devices in the kit, and had to change the device whose default role was "main" and had to change it to "client" as well as defining the Bridge SSID and p/w to connect to. It would be nice to do this in the Omada controller itself, and the "v2" already has a lot of it in place... 

 

I'm a software engineer, and not a product manager. Still, when thinking of that role, currently, the bridge device(s) whose role is set as the "main" bridge show an additional configuration option within the controller -> configuration -> "Bridge" which allows you to specify the "Bridge SSID" and password (at least, in the Bridge v2, the v1 doesn't have this setting).  This area should be there regardless of the role specified, and should allow you to select/change the "role", and, if the "main" role, it has everything.  For the client, and/or if a bridge device is set as a "client" role, use the same UI that already shows the "Bridge SSID" and password, which would allow you to specify the bridge details to connect. The kit itself is designed to have them already configured, but it would be nice to allow you to connect the bridge SSID explicitly, regardless of which role (just have a drop-down and show the UI as it is).  Which... after stating all this, this was the annoying part when stating you can't connect the v1 to a v2, especially when claiming it is the hardware... that said, I'll leave that part be.  I threw money to get several additional v2 kits in order to set up everything the way I wanted, and I'm going to forget about the v1 -> v2 issue lol.

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Re:Extending existing EAP215-Bridge Kit with additional devices as a client/ap
2025-08-18 07:39:38

  @mdg215199

 

Thanks for posting here.

 

 

There are significant hardware differences between different versions of EAP bridges. Therefore, V2 and V1 models cannot be used together to build a wireless bridge..

We recommend either:

  1. Contacting your retailer to exchange the V2 unit for a V1 model, or
  2. Connecting the V1 client and V2 AP directly via Ethernet cable--This could, to some extent, also improve the performance on the V2 side.

 

Wish you a happy life and smooth network usage!  >Omada US Enterprise Beta Program Launch< >Get the Latest Omada SDN Controller Releases Here< >Experience the Latest Omada EAP Firmware<
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Re:Extending existing EAP215-Bridge Kit with additional devices as a client/ap
2025-08-18 19:01:47

  @Vincent-TP correct... or at least, from reading the documentation, that is what my understanding was as well. Though I don't know why the hardware would prevent this?  It would be awesome if there were an option of having similar capabilities that you could have on the CPE products, which would let you connect via modes (AP, Bridge, etc) as well as using proprietary vs open source standards (MAXtream, for example).  This product has been in the market for a little over a year, and it's rather infuriating to have breaking changes. I'm not sure why a more expensive product has fewer capabilities than its predecessors. 

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Re:Extending existing EAP215-Bridge Kit with additional devices as a client/ap
2025-08-19 02:22:43

Hi  @mdg215199 

 

Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding our product. We truly appreciate your insights and understand your concerns about feature consistency and compatibility.

Different products are designed with specific use cases and technical considerations in mind, but we always strive to balance performance, stability, and user experience.

Your suggestions are valuable to us, and we will forward them to our product team for future evaluation and potential improvements. 

 

Thank you for your continued trust in TP-Link.

Wish you a happy life and smooth network usage!  >Omada US Enterprise Beta Program Launch< >Get the Latest Omada SDN Controller Releases Here< >Experience the Latest Omada EAP Firmware<
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Re:Extending existing EAP215-Bridge Kit with additional devices as a client/ap-Solution
2025-08-20 01:28:09 - last edited 2025-08-20 03:37:39

  @Vincent-TP ordered additional v2 kits, and it was pretty easy to set up multiple clients from various kits. However, it has to be the same version, which you already stated. However, I couldn't do it in the controller itself and instead had to set up the 2nd kit directly to an Ethernet connection to the devices in the kit, and had to change the device whose default role was "main" and had to change it to "client" as well as defining the Bridge SSID and p/w to connect to. It would be nice to do this in the Omada controller itself, and the "v2" already has a lot of it in place... 

 

I'm a software engineer, and not a product manager. Still, when thinking of that role, currently, the bridge device(s) whose role is set as the "main" bridge show an additional configuration option within the controller -> configuration -> "Bridge" which allows you to specify the "Bridge SSID" and password (at least, in the Bridge v2, the v1 doesn't have this setting).  This area should be there regardless of the role specified, and should allow you to select/change the "role", and, if the "main" role, it has everything.  For the client, and/or if a bridge device is set as a "client" role, use the same UI that already shows the "Bridge SSID" and password, which would allow you to specify the bridge details to connect. The kit itself is designed to have them already configured, but it would be nice to allow you to connect the bridge SSID explicitly, regardless of which role (just have a drop-down and show the UI as it is).  Which... after stating all this, this was the annoying part when stating you can't connect the v1 to a v2, especially when claiming it is the hardware... that said, I'll leave that part be.  I threw money to get several additional v2 kits in order to set up everything the way I wanted, and I'm going to forget about the v1 -> v2 issue lol.

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Re:Extending existing EAP215-Bridge Kit with additional devices as a client/ap
2025-08-20 03:37:31

Hi  @mdg215199 

 

Thank you for your detailed feedback and insights on the Omada Bridge v2 setup! We truly appreciate your thorough explanation, especially your suggestions for improving role configuration within the controller UI. Your perspective as a software engineer is valuable, and we’ll forward your ideas to our product team for consideration in future updates.

 

We’re glad to hear the v2 kits met your needs, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the v1/v2 compatibility limitations. Your support means a lot to us!

If you have any further questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out.

 

Happy networking!

Wish you a happy life and smooth network usage!  >Omada US Enterprise Beta Program Launch< >Get the Latest Omada SDN Controller Releases Here< >Experience the Latest Omada EAP Firmware<
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