@mno101 

 

If you plan to use your Deco in router mode, these are my answers on your questions.

 

> Will this cause a problem because there are effectively 2 routers in operation 

 

Depends on the definition of the problem. If question is, will mobile device connected to Deco access Internet (browsing, email, YouTube, etc.) seamlessly - the answer is, it will. Having one router behind another router should not cause such types of problems.

Usually. I had once bad experience with Belkin router behind Hitron router that can't reconnect after Hitron router restart. Reboot your Huawei HG658c, if Main Deco reconnects just fine and devices connected by WiFi to Main Deco have Internet access, that should be it.

 

The problems might exist and solutions for them may be required, if you have devices on your network wired with ethernet cable to Huawei HG658c, that talk to other devices on your network.

Examples of "problematic" devices: file server, backup server, networking printer.

 

So, for simplicity assuming you have nothing like that, and all your wired and wireless devices just need Internet access, having two routers behind each other should be fine.

Example of "not problematic" wired device that only needs internet access: you have high end gaming desktop you wired to Huawei HG658c and want to keep it that way because you value connection stability and low latency above all for your gaming experience.

 

>Should I disable the DHCP on the Huawei

 

Because Main Deco will need WAN IP address, and it'll ask for it from Huawei HG658c, the easiest is not to disable Huawei HG658c DHCP. There are alternative ways with DHCP off, but why bother? If one day you decide Deco in AP mode is good enough for you, you'll have less networking configurations to undo.

 

Leaving DHCP is also easier for troubleshooting. If you've lost Internet access, you can connect laptop or desktop by ethernet cable to Huawei, they will seamlessly get IP address from it and you'll be able to continue with troubleshooting. 

 

>I read some comments on the internet that if I switch off DHCP o the Huawei I would need to enable 'Bridging'....is this required

 

Don't switch off DHCP on Huawei and you won't need to mess with its networking configuration. 

 

>Should I just Disable Wifi on the Huawei?

 

Yes, you should. You bought Deco for mesh solution, use it for that. Less interfering networks in close proximity is better. 

Also, if you have really strong 5GHz signal from Deco everywhere, disable 2.4GHz on Deco. Benefits are two-fold: your neighbours have less ability to create interference on 5GHz network, and your devices won't occasinally fallback to 2.4GHz unnecessarily, thus decreasing their download speed.

 

If you see reason not to disable WiFi on Huawei, for sure create WiFi network name (SSID) on Deco that is different from one you have on Huawei. That might later help with troubleshooting, if it becomes necessary.

 

The only reason I can see to keep WiFi enabled on Huawei is if you have device that can't get WiFi signal from Deco but gets good WiFi signal from Huawei. Which is, I suspect, unlikely reason because if it is - perhaps that's not the right mesh system you've bought.

 

Actually, one more reason: if you manage Huawei wirelessly only, then of course you'll need to keep WiFi on it. Just in case all your Decos go down but you need access to Huawei web management interface.