Detailed Deco M5 router mode setup guide with screenshots

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Detailed Deco M5 router mode setup guide with screenshots

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
Detailed Deco M5 router mode setup guide with screenshots
Detailed Deco M5 router mode setup guide with screenshots
2019-06-13 14:50:07 - last edited 2019-06-13 22:31:10
Model: Deco M5  
Hardware Version: V2
Firmware Version: 1.28

Picture the scene:

Deco M5 arrives. In order to avoid the wife and family rioting in the hallways over lack of internet access and me losing work time (working from home) I quickly disable the existing wifi devices and set up the Deco M5 in AP (access point) mode with the same main and guest wifi SSIDs and passwords that existed before. This way I don't cause disruption to existing wired network devices (NAS, VOIP telephone hub, home automation device hub) occupying static IP addresses assigned by the existing router DHCP service. And most devices in the house reconnect to wifi as normal.

In under 30 minutes I have an amazing wifi service around the whole house that allows me to also remove the old ethernet oer power circuit wired network. The only casualty is the old Nintendo Wii that cannot connect to wireless n or ac (oh well) and a laptop that had to have a wifi driver update forced on it to successfully connect.

 

I really want to use the M5 in router mode, but I also want to plan exactly how I will configure it before I start to minimise downtime of internet access to prevent the afore mentioned rioting plus I depend on internet access to earn a living.

I especially want to leave the VOIP hub and home automation device hub on the old router (they only need internet access), move the NAS to the main Deco M5 LAN port and make sure the M5 DHCP does not assign IP addresses that conflict with the VOIP hub and automation device hub. The M5 DHCP can give the NAS a new static IPv4 address. 

 

I cannot find any youtube video or other online information that gives me the all the details and options for router mode configuration complete with screen shots. I get it that TP-Link want the smartphone app to be so intuitive and easy that you don't need an instruction manual, and I think this is as successful as can be expected, but in my situation I want to "design" my solution before I do it to minimise downtime.
 

Is there any info online that can show me what I want to see?

 

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Re:Detailed Deco M5 router mode setup guide with screenshots
2019-06-15 15:22:07

That's very similar to my situation; I can only do changes saturday or sunday mornings when everyone is asleep. First two attempts to set up Deco system failed (horribly and difficult to recover) because it turned out D-Link switches won't pass the protocol that Deco uses. I changed out all the switches for Netgear ones, tried again, and this time all went smoothly and I had a great system with three Deco M5's running in AP mode using ethernet backhaul, while the old BT Smart Hub provided DHCP routing service.

 

Now I want to switch off DHCP in BT Hub and switch Deco M5's to router mode. I tried the simple option of turning off DHCP in BT Hub, rebotting it, and also rebooting Deco M5's to router mode.

 

Everything ground to a halt and it took me ages to get it all back to the original stable setup.

 

I'd appreciate a guide for how to do the changeover. At the moment my idea is to factory-reset all the Deco's and add them to the BT Hub (with DHCP turned off) after a reboot, as you would do if you had just unpacked them.

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#2
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Re:Detailed Deco M5 router mode setup guide with screenshots
2019-06-18 06:58:56

Hi,

 

There is a setup video available for the Deco M9 plus, while you can refer to even though the model is different. 

https://www.tp-link.com/support/setup-video/ 

 

You can try to bridge the old router and configure the M5 as a wireless router or you can remove it and connect the M5 to internet source directly; 

 

For the Deco M5, the IP address can be changed; once you open Deco app, go  to advanced-IPv4 to do that. You can refer to the instruction below:

https://www.tp-link.com/support/faq/1855/ 

 

May it help and have a nice day. 

 

 

Nice to Meet You in Our TP-Link Community. Check Out the Latest Posts: Connect TP-Link Archer BE550 to Germany's DS-Lite (Dual Stack Lite) Internet via WAN Archer GE550 - BE9300 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Gaming Router Archer BE800 New Firmware Added Support for EasyMesh in AP Mode, DoH&DoT, and 3-Band MLO Connection Archer AX90 New Firmware Added Support for EasyMesh and Ethernet Backhaul If you found a post or response helpful, please click Helpful (arrow pointing upward icon). If you are the author of a topic, remember to mark a helpful reply as the "Recommended Solution" (star icon) so that others can benefit from it.
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Re:Re:Detailed Deco M5 router mode setup guide with screenshots
2019-06-18 07:02:17

Hi,

 

With DHCP server disabled on BT hub, it is suggested to setup BT hub as bridge mode and the re-add the Deco M5 and configure it as wireless router mode. 

 

You can give it a go first, any updates, just let us know.

 

Have a nice day. 

Rockdoctor wrote

That's very similar to my situation; I can only do changes saturday or sunday mornings when everyone is asleep. First two attempts to set up Deco system failed (horribly and difficult to recover) because it turned out D-Link switches won't pass the protocol that Deco uses. I changed out all the switches for Netgear ones, tried again, and this time all went smoothly and I had a great system with three Deco M5's running in AP mode using ethernet backhaul, while the old BT Smart Hub provided DHCP routing service.

 

Now I want to switch off DHCP in BT Hub and switch Deco M5's to router mode. I tried the simple option of turning off DHCP in BT Hub, rebotting it, and also rebooting Deco M5's to router mode.

 

Everything ground to a halt and it took me ages to get it all back to the original stable setup.

 

I'd appreciate a guide for how to do the changeover. At the moment my idea is to factory-reset all the Deco's and add them to the BT Hub (with DHCP turned off) after a reboot, as you would do if you had just unpacked them.

 

Nice to Meet You in Our TP-Link Community. Check Out the Latest Posts: Connect TP-Link Archer BE550 to Germany's DS-Lite (Dual Stack Lite) Internet via WAN Archer GE550 - BE9300 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Gaming Router Archer BE800 New Firmware Added Support for EasyMesh in AP Mode, DoH&DoT, and 3-Band MLO Connection Archer AX90 New Firmware Added Support for EasyMesh and Ethernet Backhaul If you found a post or response helpful, please click Helpful (arrow pointing upward icon). If you are the author of a topic, remember to mark a helpful reply as the "Recommended Solution" (star icon) so that others can benefit from it.
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#4
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