Third Deco won't connect
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Hi.
I set up 3 Deco M4s in a bar.
First one is connected physically to the modem.
Second one is in the bedroom.
I can't seem to connect the third one which would be in a straight line and it has to go through a wall and into a room about 80 to 100 feet away.
I thought the Decos would transmit up to 4,000 feet so I am wondering what I can do.
Third one works fine in the bar and I don't think I can turn off WiFi in the modem so any help would be appreciated.
If you are talking about Deco Access Point mode, that would not extend the range. The distance at which you can place WiFi mesh node and speed of WiFi connection depends on hardware: how many antennas inside, how powerful they are. Access Point is software setting for Deco, it won't change hardware specs.
You might find WiFi mesh brand other than Deco, which is marketed as having extraordinary good WiFi. The fact is, every electronic device sold in your country legally must be certified by the government entity. That entity defines how strong WiFi signal can be. The maximum WiFi signal level they define is for you to have nice WiFi experience, but not to fry your brains too fast.
You might find something that is much more expensive than Deco and has slightly stronger WiFi signal. But because Deco is above mid-range WiFi mesh system by performance, you won't find anything dramatically better than it.
Good news and bads news: no need to waste more money on something more expensive, but if Deco won't work for you - different WiFi mesh brand won't work, too.
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If you meant something different under "Access Point," such as additional Deco node, or non-Deco WiFi Range Extender sold as "Access Point," please clarify.
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You can use Deco app to find how far you can move Satellite Deco. In Deco app, open information screen for your third Satellite Deco, you should see its Signal Source and how good it is. This is Satellite Deco connection to the rest of your Deco mesh. Example:
As long as it shows three or two blue bars, Satellite Deco has good connection to Deco mesh. This is what Satellite Deco needs: good connection.
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The process of finding the right place for the third Deco.
Bring your third Deco to the bar, power it on and check Signal Source. You know where you want to have this Deco permanently placed, so unplug it, walk a bit in that direction, find power outlet and plug Deco there. Wait till it is online and check its signal source.
Repeat that. You can keep walking and plugging 3rd Deco for as long as you can see two bars in Signal Source. When you see less, walk back to the previous place where you plugged Deco, and this will be as far as you could place it.
Plug it there, double check Signal Source, if it is good leave Deco there and now walk remaining distance to that room 80-100 feet away from the bar and see if WiFi signal from that Deco reaches there. WiFi signal might not be very strong, but if you are lucky you may have WiFi link from that far away, and that's the best you can get with what you have.
Of course, this only works if you are inside your property and there are electrical outlets conveniently located. If "room 80-100 feet away" means walking from your bar, crossing the street and entering another building with the room where third Satellite Deco was supposed to be, your options are limited.
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I also suggest you check Signal Source for Satellite Deco in the bedroom. If it is less than 2 bars, same rule applies: move it closer to Main Deco if you can. Even if you can't take that Deco from the bedroom, placing it as close to the wall in the direction of Main Deco as possible might give you Internet speed boost in that bedroom.
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Finally, if everything inside your property but "the process" did not work for you, and you are not giving up on Deco, there might be additional options. For example, some people have had luck with powerline adapters. I can share some ideas with you if you'll be interested, but most of them require some additional hardware and/or effort, also I'll be asking more about your property layout and walls and such to better understand which of these ideas make sense specifically for your situation.