Archer c6 in access point mode randomly drops all wireless clients. Only fix is to reboot.
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I've had the Archer C6 for a about 6 months. I bought it to use in access point mode with my edgeRouterX as the main router. It has worked fine until last month. At some random point the C6 simply stops handling requests from wirless clients. The only thing that fixes it is a reboot. I also have devices wired to the C6. These devices somehow continue to work just fine. The C6 wireless signal remains up and my wireless devices attempt connect but get stuck in a loop of waiting for an IP address. DHCP is disabled on the C6 (it is in access point mode) and DHCP is enabled on the edgerouterX. All my devices use DHCP, none are configured with a static IP except for the C6.
When the problem occurs I notice that on the tplink web interface it shows 0 wired and wireless clients even after a reboot. Even though there are in fact devices connect and are able to access the internet normally. The only thing that fix this is a factory restore.
What could be the problem? I'm about ready to throw this Archer C6 away. It was really nice until now.
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@meeDamian
This goes for anyone else. I don't think its a firmware problem anymore. I tried different firmware, did a bunch of debugging and sent info the TP team as they requested. In the end I got myself a new router/access point. I think the Archer C6 has a hardware problem with the 2.4 ghz antenna. It seems to just stop working properly after operating for a while. The time it takes to malfunction is random. Since I got my new access point I have better connection speeds to my TV which is in the same room. I'd like to emphasize the signal strength appears to be the same, but the actual connection speed is a lot better for some reason. I have not encountered any resolution changes when watching netflix on wifi which was extremely frequent on the Archer C6. And lastly, I've never once had my connection drop in the 3 months I've been using my new access point.
My recommendation to everyone with the same problem of the 2.4Ghz radio dropping all your clients, is to get a new access point / router. The Archer C6 v2 just can't be fixed. I've confirmed its not a configuration issue with th TPLink team. Everything they've asked me to send and try hasn't resulted in any improvement.
TL:DR;
Get yourself a new router/access point. Don't bother with the Archer C6 is you have the same problem I had when I made this thread. It cannot be fixed.
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Hello,
Do you mean the wireless devices are showing connected to the C6 wireless network but failed to access any webpage? If so, please confirm some details as below and we will try to fix it:
1. Are these wireless devices connected to the C6 2.4GHz wireless or 5GHz? Are they still getting a correct IP address from the main router, can you ping the gateway?
2. What is the model number of your main edgeRouterX, what if you connect some devices directly to it, will the internet work fine?
3. Try to reset the C6 and configure it as an Access Point like below:
https://www.tp-link.com/support/faq/1384/ (Case 2)
May it help.
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Hello,
To answer your questions:
1. They are unable to complete the connection process to the wireless network because they are constantly "obtaining IP address". Therefore the wireless devices are not getting an IP address from the main router. All of them are on 2.4 GHz.
2. My devices work fine when wired to the main router (EdgeRouterX). My wired devices also continue to work just fine when plugged into the C6 even when the issue with wireless network occurs.
To clarify again. I have wired and wireless devies connected to the C6 in access point mode. When the issue occurs, the wireless clients are unable to receive an IP address when trying to connect to the access point. However the WIRED devices connected to the access point are still able to obtain IP addresses via DHCP.
3. I will try case 2 settings and see if it works. The problem is the issue seems to happen randomly. It might happen once a day or every other day.
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I can confirm that setting up access point mode using "case 2" in the link you provided does not stop the problem from occuring.
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@Kevin_Z US version
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Hi, I have sent you a private message, please confirm if the issue will be resolved, thanks.
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Hello,
Thanks for the link. I will test it out and get back to you if the problem happens again.
Sorry for taking so long to reply.
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Hello,
The firmware solution you provided worked well for a week. I had the same issue again today. Had to reboot the router for wireless clients to connect. I manually configured the router as an access point (without using access point mode) with the beta firmware. It worked well for a week but today the problem reoccurred.
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Hello, sorry to hear that.
If that is the case, we will escalate your case to the engineers and they will email you, if you are willing to do further analysis, please check your inbox and respond.
Thanks for your cooperation and support. Good day.
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