Accepted Manual Signal Source Selection on Deco
Background:
Some users might notice that all satellite Deco units are connected to the main Deco, instead of the nearest satellite Deco.
Typical Layout:
Why does the satellite Deco still keep selecting the main Deco as a signal source instead of the nearest satellite Deco?
Deco will choose the best signal source by itself. The selection does not depend absolutely on the signal strength, but also on the connection rate. Sometimes satellite Deco units may get slower speed due to half-duplex mode and interferences caused by connected devices like phones, or other devices. To ensure the satellite Deco gets reliable speed, the main Deco stays selected by Satellite Deco after comparative analysis.
Some users tested that after moving one of the satellites far enough and not being able to reach the main Deco, they finally get the desired connection map:
However, the speed of the satellite becomes slower than what it could get when connecting to the main Deco directly. Due to the working pattern and protocol/regulation of Wi-Fi technology, the more wireless hops, the slower the speed would be. This rule applies to any kind of mesh or extender system. So it is not always good to connect to the nearest Deco unit.
Solutions
Deco Firmware Updates Adding Signal Selection and VPN for Multiple Models
Related FAQ:
How can I find a suitable spot for my Deco?
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Uh oh @TP-Link Australian Consumer Affairs is not a big fan of false advertising where the product is not fit for purpose.
Guess i'll be returning these and lodging a complaint
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Thank you for the notification.
Well, I don’t think there is any false advertising.
Deco is capable of both Daisy Chain and Star topologies.
And It will make its decisions depending on the spatial distance, barriers, and current Wi-Fi interference.
So you could see not all users only got star topologies and sometimes Deco will change between Daisy chain and Star topologies for better performance.
But considering that many customers tend to customize the signal source by themselves, we have already planned to add this option on the firmware 1.6.0, such as Deco M5 and other Deco models later.
The latest news I just got from the engineers, the official firmware of 1.6.0 could be expected in Q1 of 2022.
Thank you very much.
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@TP-Link I don't believe this is correct, none of my e4 or m4 devices will connect to anything other than the main device, even when the backhaul unit is located in the same room as the client e4/m4.
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Well.... Agree to Disagree.... I guess you are probably referring to what is "expected" or "supposed" to happen but realistically, that is not the case. I did a test with three X68 and there was absolutely no way for them to daisy chain. Look at the diagram I added in a previous post. My devices were pretty much in a straight line diagonally from floor to floor and, still, the basement one was connecting to the third floor one entirely bypassing the second floor Deco device.
Again, I believe more testing needs to be done, a manual source selection should be added to the firmware for customers to manually test different implementations and, most importantly, eliminate all options, but, most importantly, it needs to be clearly advertised because, in my case, it leads to wasting my time.
Also, I understand that the engineers may be doing everything they can but the support turnaround is not effective which is the primary reason why I decided to return all the units.
I'm more than willing to be a "test case" for this, just send me three units and we'll go back and forth with every scenario. Willing to even open terminal access to each of the devices for the engineer to configure directly.
I guarantee you, once this feature is added/corrected in the X68s or even X90s firmware (as an option), I will get the devices again but, in the meantime, happy with my Google devices...
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@TP-Link Hi, can you send me the beta firmware that allows daisy chain on Deco X5700? I sent you a couple of messages which never got replied. Thank you.
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I have 3 Decos
1. M9 (main deco)
2. M9 (sub deco)
3. M5 (sub deco)
Would this work for the M5 (which is the deco I want to manually connect to my sub-deco (M9)?
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@TP-Link I've installed the firmware from the first post in this thread on all 4 x of my Deco M9 v2. How do I now go about setting a manual source for the slave nodes?
I tried from the Deco app, the source signal isn't selectable. I also tried "Network Optimization" but it said my network is perfect.
Have I missed something?
Thanks!
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@magician Sorry for the inconvenience and please have a check of the private message.
@Chriszo Hi, It will give you an option to signal source on Deco M5 which has installed 1.6.0.
@DigitalDrifta The beta firmware for Deco M9 plus has not added the manual selection option yet and it would still automatically optimize the signal source selection.
Does it make any difference after you installed the beta?
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@TP-Link No it hasn't made a difference. The unit on the 3rd floor still connects to the main unit on the first floor. It should connect to the 2nd unit directly below it on the second floor.
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Thank you for getting back to me.
In this way, could you please send the following information to support.forum@tp-link.com:
1. A floor map about your network topology map about the location and distance between each unit.
3. A screenshot of the signal source page on the third floor Deco.
2. Is there any issue when third-floor Deco is not connected to the second-floor Deco, like unstable connection or slow speed?
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Replies: 155