Just bought 2x Deco M5's! Got a quick question.

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Just bought 2x Deco M5's! Got a quick question.

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Just bought 2x Deco M5's! Got a quick question.
Just bought 2x Deco M5's! Got a quick question.
2019-09-22 00:13:37 - last edited 2019-09-24 08:43:26
Model: Deco M5  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version:

I updated the firmware because I'm trying to use them to spread out the connection in my home, MESH mode I believe this is called.

 

I've set my Decos to Access Point mode but the SSID I had to set up is still showing up in nearby wifi connections. Is it still set up correctly? I'm trying to make sure it's working, my family gets very upset when their wifi is interrupted.

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Re:Just bought 2x Deco M5's! Got a quick question.-Solution
2019-09-22 17:40:54 - last edited 2019-09-24 08:43:26

@ajharvey 

I figured that out myself. I thought that having Decos would expand my existing network with the same SSID. I had a device that did that for me with AT&T but it was not compatible with the equipment with my new ISP. Either way, I have it working for me now. I needed the Decos to hit dead zones within my home and not for any of the other stuff that the app supplies. I suppose I can try to swap it back to Router mode for the antivirus. 

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Re:Just bought 2x Deco M5's! Got a quick question.
2019-09-22 11:52:21

 

Xion wrote

I updated the firmware because I'm trying to use them to spread out the connection in my home, MESH mode I believe this is called.

 

I've set my Decos to Access Point mode but the SSID I had to set up is still showing up in nearby wifi connections. Is it still set up correctly? I'm trying to make sure it's working, my family gets very upset when their wifi is interrupted.

 

Deco’s have always been a mesh device.  The setting in new versions is just an option to turn roaming within the mesh off for some devices that can’t cope (for various reasons). The Decos still operate as a mesh among themselves. 

 

Whatever mode you have the Decos in there must be an SSID. That’s how WIFI devices know which network to join. What were you trying to achieve with Access Point mode?  Most people want router mode to allow the Deco to perform malware filtering, apply parental controls or content filters, report on usage, etc.    Access Point mode is usually used where you want the ISP supplied box or another device to perform those functions (and a few other special scenarios). 

 

 

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Re:Just bought 2x Deco M5's! Got a quick question.-Solution
2019-09-22 17:40:54 - last edited 2019-09-24 08:43:26

@ajharvey 

I figured that out myself. I thought that having Decos would expand my existing network with the same SSID. I had a device that did that for me with AT&T but it was not compatible with the equipment with my new ISP. Either way, I have it working for me now. I needed the Decos to hit dead zones within my home and not for any of the other stuff that the app supplies. I suppose I can try to swap it back to Router mode for the antivirus. 

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Re:Just bought 2x Deco M5's! Got a quick question.
2019-09-23 08:58:05

 

Xion wrote

@ajharvey 

I figured that out myself. I thought that having Decos would expand my existing network with the same SSID. I had a device that did that for me with AT&T but it was not compatible with the equipment with my new ISP. Either way, I have it working for me now. I needed the Decos to hit dead zones within my home and not for any of the other stuff that the app supplies. I suppose I can try to swap it back to Router mode for the antivirus. 

@Xion 

 

Well, using several different access points with the same SSID does expand your network, but clients stay on the first node they connect to until the signal drops out completely, then they search again.  Ok if your other node is the shed, but not so good if the ranges overlap.  Decos give you the ability to roam to stronger nodes with hand-off so the transition is smoother.  There are some up-and-coming schemes for roaming across different devices,  but the market does not seem to have stabilised yet, and Deco only supports other Decos for this function.  

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Re:Just bought 2x Deco M5's! Got a quick question.
2019-09-24 08:42:16

@Xion 

 

Thanks for your updates, glad to hear that you figured it out finally.

 

The Deco supports router mode and access point mode, both operation modes support mesh wifi network, and the SSID of the 2 host networks are the same, which cannot be separated. 

 

To make the Deco work as the access point mode, there should be another wireless router existed. 

 

Good day. 

 

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Re:Just bought 2x Deco M5's! Got a quick question.
2020-08-03 12:09:01
Just return them: https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/219968
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