Hello,

I have a network made up of several TP-Link Deco devices across three series:

• Deco BE65 – 3 units (all connected via Ethernet), one of which is the main Deco connected to the router.

• Deco X60 – 3 units (all connected via Ethernet)

• Deco M9 Plus – 3 units (2 on Ethernet, 1 on Wi-Fi only)

All Ethernet cables go through 3 switches that are properly linked together.

Issue Observed:

One of the M9 Plus units that connects via Wi-Fi is not respecting the preferred connection settings.

• When the "Preferred Deco" is set to Auto, it connects to another M9 Plus, which is on a different floor with a poor signal.

• There is a BE65 unit on the same floor, just a few meters away, with good signal, but the M9 Plus does not automatically connect to it.

• Even when I manually set the preferred Deco to the nearby BE65, it still connects to the far M9 Plus or switches back to it later.

Expected Behavior:

The Wi-Fi-only M9 Plus should automatically connect to the node offering the strongest and most stable signal, which in this case is the nearby BE65.
At the very least, it should respect the "Preferred Deco" setting and maintain its connection to the selected BE65 unit.

Request:

• Is this behavior expected in a mixed-model mesh setup?

• Are there known limitations with enforcing preferred Deco connections, especially with Wi-Fi-only nodes?

• Are there any workarounds or upcoming firmware fixes that can address this issue?

Thank you in advance for your help.