@David-TP 

Hi David, thank you very much for your reply and for your help.

 

Sure, here is the information you asked for:

 

MAC address of the problematic Deco X60: B0-A7-B9-6A-A3-F8

Model: Deco X60 (US)

Hardware Version: V3.0

Serial Number: 22183V3A00028

 

Yes, I already tried connecting this Deco X60 via an Ethernet cable to another Deco X60 and then adding it again in the Deco app. Unfortunately, the result was the same: the app could not detect it.

 

I have had this unit since June 8, 2022. I have the invoice.

 

I also wanted to add an important detail that I noticed after I posted my first message in the community. I could not mention it in the original post because I only realized it afterwards.

 

After the factory reset, the Deco did not broadcast its default SSID from the label (Deco_A3F8). Instead, it started broadcasting a different SSID such as Deco_25:00. The Deco app was already unable to detect it at that stage.

 

After noticing this, I searched for more information and found suggestions to try the emergency recovery method and reinstall firmware. I followed those suggestions and did the following:

 

The unit responds to ping at 192.168.0.1 in recovery mode.

I accessed the recovery web page and successfully installed firmware 1.0.15 Build 20221111.

Then I also tested firmware 1.0.13 Build 20220805.

Both installations completed successfully.

 

After rebooting, the LED blinks blue (setup mode), but it still broadcasts Deco_25:00 and the app continues to show “We couldn’t find any new Deco”, whether I try Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

 

For reference, my other three Deco X60 units are currently running firmware 1.3.0. I could not find that version available for download to test on this unit.

 

I really appreciate the Deco system. I have 10 units at home (6 M5 + 4 X60), and they have been essential for my work and for stable coverage. In Argentina these devices are very expensive, so replacing one is difficult for me. Even if this unit might be out of warranty, I would be very grateful for any guidance or options you may have to help recover this Deco if possible, or to confirm what the best path forward would be from your side.

 

Thank you again, David.

Gaston

  @David-TP 

Hi, thank you again for the follow-up.

 

Before assuming a hardware failure, I would really appreciate a deeper review. The behavior I’m seeing does not match a physical hardware fault. It is closer to what happens when an internal software component, partition or configuration block becomes inconsistent.

 

In fact, everything that is hardware-dependent (radios, Ethernet, CPU, power regulation) works completely fine. The unit boots, broadcasts Wi-Fi, and responds normally. The only issues appear when the system tries to load or rewrite specific configuration data — which is typically stored in software-managed partitions (ART/EEPROM/NVRAM), not in the physical radio hardware itself.

 

For this reason, jumping directly to “hardware replacement” feels premature.

 

I am fully open to testing additional steps such as:

 

• forcing a complete low-level reset (beyond factory reset)

• reinstalling the firmware image manually, not only upgrading

• flushing or rebuilding the configuration partition if possible

• testing additional recovery tools, if the team has any

 

If the problem were truly hardware, we would see persistent failures at radio level, boot instability, heat-related shutdowns, or total loss of function — none of which occur here.

 

I’m not dismissing the possibility, but based on the evidence it seems more like a software/partition inconsistency.

Could you please escalate this case or provide any deeper-level recovery steps before concluding that the unit must be replaced?

 

I appreciate your help and your time.

 

Best regards,

Gaston

 

 

Hi, thank you for your reply.

 

I have already tried contacting the local technical support.

I sent an email to soporte.ar@tp-link.com more than a week ago and never received any answer.

I also call the support number 0800-888-7808 every day, several times a day, and nobody ever picks up.

 

Given that I cannot get any assistance through the local support channel, I would really appreciate if this case could be reviewed again or escalated. At the moment I am completely unable to receive help through the official local support line.

 

Thank you very much for your time.

Best regards,

Gaston

  @David-TP 

Hi again,

 

I’m writing just to follow up because I still haven’t received any reply from local support.

 

At this point I would really appreciate your guidance, because I’m honestly concerned:

– The local TP-Link support email (soporte.ar@tp-link.com) has not responded in more than a week.

– The official support phone number in Argentina (0800-888-7808) never answers, no matter the time of day.

– I also tried contacting TP-Link Argentina through social media, with no reply there either.

 

Do you know if TP-Link still has active representation or technical support in Argentina?

If the local support channel is no longer operational, could you please tell me what is the official procedure for customers in this situation?

I want to make sure I’m following the correct process, but right now it is impossible to get any help through the local support line, which unfortunately leaves the brand very poorly represented in the country.

 

Any official clarification, guidance, or next steps would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again for your time.

 

Best regards,

Gaston

  @David-TP 

Hi, thank you very much for your reply and for referencing cases #603160 and #613896.

 

I understand and accept that the “Deco_25:00” symptom is internally classified as a hardware-related issue. However, there are several technical and support-related points I need to clarify, because in the current situation I am effectively left with no real support option.

 

From a technical point of view, what is happening in my case does not look like a typical “Wi-Fi module aging” problem, as suggested in your answer. It behaves much more like an identity/storage issue on the device:

 

• The Deco powers on correctly.

• It enters setup mode (blinking blue LED).

• It broadcasts Wi-Fi.

• It responds to ping at 192.168.0.1.

• It accepts entering recovery mode.

• It allows firmware upload through the recovery web page and reports “upgrade successful”.

 

In other words, the SoC, power, and networking paths are clearly operational. The critical symptom is that the unit loses its original factory identity (SSID/MAC from the label) and starts broadcasting something like “Deco_25:00”, and from that point it can no longer be adopted by the app. That points specifically to the area where the device identity is stored (an ART/EEPROM-type partition), not to a simple “natural Wi-Fi module aging after three years”, which is a technically weak explanation for a device of this type.

 

Beyond the label “hardware failure”, what I need from TP-Link is clarity on a few concrete points:

 

1. Does TP-Link consider this failure mode (identity loss, abnormal SSID “Deco_25:00”) to be irreparable even in a lab or service center?

2. Is there, or is there not, any internal procedure to reprogram or restore this identity information (which obviously exists at the factory level)?

3. Is there any officially recognized technical service in Argentina that can handle this type of case with manufacturer-level tools (not just normal user resets)?

 

In parallel, the support situation in Argentina is, with all due respect, extremely problematic:

 

• I sent an email to soporte.ar@tp-link.com more than a week ago and never received any answer.

• I call the official support number in Argentina (0800-888-7808) every day, at different times, and nobody ever answers.

• I also tried contacting TP-Link Argentina through social media and did not receive any reply there either.

 

Practically speaking, the local support channel is not operational. And from the global community I am told that this must be handled by local support. This leaves me in a complete “limbo”: the product fails in a way that is documented, the manufacturer classifies it as hardware-related, but there is no one who actually takes responsibility, not even to offer an in-person diagnosis or a repair/replacement path.

 

Given that in Argentina these devices are very expensive and I have 10 Deco units in my network, I need a more concrete answer from TP-Link:

 

• Can TP-Link confirm in writing that, in cases like this (Deco_25:00, identity corruption, successful recovery but not adoptable), the official policy is not to offer any kind of repair, in or out of warranty, and no effective technical channel in Argentina to address it?

• Can TP-Link confirm whether there is still active representation or technical support in Argentina and, if so, provide a contact that actually responds?

 

In parallel, and precisely because I cannot obtain any solution through the official channel, I am considering taking the device to an independent specialized technician to obtain a third-party report on the state of the memory/partition where the Deco’s identity is stored. If that report confirms that this is a manufacturing defect or a failure that could be corrected with manufacturer tools, I will have to evaluate other formal avenues of complaint under consumer protection and right-to-repair frameworks applicable in my country.

 

Confrontation is not my goal. What I am asking for is a clear, technical, and official answer from TP-Link on these points, because right now the message is essentially:

 

“The product failed by hardware, it is out of warranty, local support does not respond, and there is nothing else we can do.”

 

I would appreciate a more precise clarification on:

 

• the nature of the failure,

• whether there is or is not any possibility of repair under official service conditions,

• and how a customer in Argentina is supposed to proceed when the local support channel is not functioning.

 

Thank you very much in advance.

 

Gaston