Deco M5 device connection issues

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.

Deco M5 device connection issues

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
Deco M5 device connection issues
Deco M5 device connection issues
2021-11-01 11:01:07
Model: Deco M5  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version: 1.5.3

Hi

i have been using a Deco M5 mesh system for the last 9 months and been increasingly frustrated by the almost daily frequency when devices randomly fail to connect to the network for no apparent reason. 
 

We are largely an apple household so it's a random mixture of iPhones iPads and MacBooks which will not connect (different days different devices) while at the same point others are fully active with good connectivity - this is equally true for wireless and Ethernet cabled devices and includes Samsung TVs and Sonos etc so doesn't appear to be apple specific. 
 

Setup is DecoM5 sitting in front of Virgin Media Home Hub3 - Deco acts as wireless router and Virgin Wi-fi is switched off. 
 

I have split the Deco 5Ghz and 2.4GHz using the guest network and have disabled fast roaming and beamforming. 
 

I tried tech support but they weren't much help so I hope that someone in the community can help or suggest a better mesh network. 
 

Thanks. 

  2      
  2      
#1
Options
4 Reply
Re:Deco M5 device connection issues
2021-11-02 10:10:54

@DecoM5user44 

Thank you for the feedback.

Have you tried to turn off the Mesh Technology on the Deco APP for these devices to have a look?

When the internet was disconnected, was the device still connected to Wi-Fi but no internet, or the Wi-Fi has been disconnected already?

And How did you restore the connection, restarting the Deco or the connection would come back automatically?

Later I might need to forward your case to the senior engineers for further assistance.

  0  
  0  
#2
Options
Re:Deco M5 device connection issues
2021-11-03 14:29:08
Thanks for replying. I have turned off Mesh technology for non mobile devices eg TVs but not mobile devices eg iPad iPhones etc. Still have same random connection issue for both types. In terms of restoring connection I try the usual - forget device etc but that doesn’t work. More often than not the device will connect itself after repeated device power cycles over a 15-30 minute period. If I power cycle the full Deco network that usually forces the connection.
  0  
  0  
#3
Options
Re:Deco M5 device connection issues
2021-11-03 15:14:49

@DecoM5user44 

 

This may be a long shot, but what if it is related to DHCP Issues With MAC Address Randomization? Here is description, see if it looks similar to what you see on your home network:

 

-----------------------

iPhone 5 or later, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 introduce a new Wi-Fi privacy feature: When an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch connects to a Wi-Fi network, it identifies itself with a unique (random) MAC address per network. 

 

As devices travel between different access points within a wireless mesh network, some devices are receiving multiple IP address leases from DHCP. This can cause the scope to be fully used and therefore will not allow new devices to connect since there are no more IP addresses to assign.

 

Some organizations will not let devices access Wi-Fi unless MAC address randomization is disabled. Another quick solution is to take measures to expand your scope. We would also suggest decreasing the TTL of your DHCP scope from days to hours.

 

-----------------------

 

  0  
  0  
#4
Options
Re:Deco M5 device connection issues
2021-11-03 21:13:12
Thanks - how do I disable MAC address randomization? Similarly how do I expand the scope of addresses and decrease the TTL of your DHCP scope from days to hours? Is this available within the Deco app? In trying to connect reluctant devices I do renew the DHCP lease but that doesn’t produce an immediate connection.
  0  
  0  
#5
Options