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Archer BE550 Mesh Node – DHCP Client Renews Lease Every ~30 Seconds (Firmware Bug)

Archer BE550 Mesh Node – DHCP Client Renews Lease Every ~30 Seconds (Firmware Bug)

Archer BE550 Mesh Node – DHCP Client Renews Lease Every ~30 Seconds (Firmware Bug)
Archer BE550 Mesh Node – DHCP Client Renews Lease Every ~30 Seconds (Firmware Bug)
Monday
Model: Archer BE550  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: Firmware: 1.2.1 Build 20250813 rel.27119(4555)

Summary

When an Archer BE550 is used as a mesh satellite node (wireless backhaul), its DHCP client enters an abnormal renewal loop, sending DHCP RENEW requests every ~30–40 seconds despite receiving a long lease time (several days).

This behavior can overload or destabilize some DHCP servers and is not compliant with normal DHCP client behavior.

Observed Behavior

  • The mesh node successfully receives a DHCP lease with a long duration (≈ 7 days).

  • Immediately after receiving the ACK, the node logs:

    “1/2 lease passed, enter renewing state”

  • The node then renews the lease repeatedly every ~30–40 seconds.

  • This loop continues indefinitely.

Expected Behavior

  • DHCP renewal should occur at T1 ≈ 50% of lease time, not immediately.

  • With a multi-day lease, renewals should happen after several days, not seconds.

Key Evidence (from device logs)

Example pattern observed repeatedly:


 

receive ack from server with lease ≈ 600000 seconds 1/2 lease passed, enter renewing state send renew request

This indicates that the DHCP client miscalculates the lease timer.

Scope of the Issue

  • Occurs only on the mesh satellite node

  • The main BE550 (root node) does not show this behavior

  • Occurs with:

    • Wireless mesh backhaul (Wi-Fi 6/6E/7)

    • Smart Connect enabled or disabled

    • MLO enabled or disabled

  • The issue persists even with:

    • Fixed channels

    • Reduced channel width

    • Long DHCP lease times

Workarounds Tested

  • Using a static IP on the main node stops the issue for that device.

  • Mesh satellite nodes cannot keep a static IP (settings are overridden in mesh mode).

  • DHCP reservation on the server side keeps the IP stable but does not stop the renew loop.

  • Changing Wi-Fi performance settings may reduce frequency but does not fully fix the issue.

Impact

  • Excessive DHCP traffic

  • Potential DHCP service instability on some routers/firewalls

  • Difficult to diagnose unless DHCP logs are inspected

  • Affects advanced network setups more severely

Conclusion

This appears to be a firmware bug in the DHCP client implementation of the Archer BE550 mesh satellite node, where the lease timer is incorrectly evaluated, causing immediate renewal loops.

A firmware fix is recommended to correct DHCP lease timing logic in mesh mode.

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#1
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4 Reply
Re:Archer BE550 Mesh Node – DHCP Client Renews Lease Every ~30 Seconds (Firmware Bug)
Tuesday - last edited Tuesday

Hello @oliiilo ,

Welcome to our community.

 

May I know the whole network topology? For example:

 Main router—Satellite BE550)))((( client devices

(Note: — stands for wired connection,)))((( stands for wireless connection )

Also, what is the model of your main router? Have you been able to set it to be the satellite router for comparison?

We've received similar feedback before, and our initial assessment was that the Satellite router was sending these DHCP requests to confirm its connection with the main router.

We understand that you and other users find the high frequency of these requests inconvenient. We want to escalate your case to our engineers. If you have any further questions, please reply via email.

 

Nice to Meet You in Our TP-Link Community. Check Out the Latest Posts: △Pre-release Firmware for Archer AX50 Introduces New Parental Control Features and Enhancements △Introducing AI QoS: Elevate Your Gaming Experience on the Archer GE800 Gaming Router △Connect TP-Link Archer BE550 to Germany's DS-Lite (Dual Stack Lite) Internet via WAN △Tether KidShield Test Recruitment - Safeguarding Children's Online Experience If you found the post or response helpful, please click Helpful. If an answer solves your problem, click "Recommended Solution" so that others can benefit from it.
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#2
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Re:Archer BE550 Mesh Node – DHCP Client Renews Lease Every ~30 Seconds (Firmware Bug)
Yesterday

  @Joseph-TP 

 

Hello,

Thank you for your reply and for taking the time to look into this issue.

Here is the current network topology:

Sophos XG firewall (main router & DHCP server)
—(wired)— Archer BE550 (main unit in Access Point mode)
)))((( Archer BE550 (satellite node in mesh mode)
)))((( Client devices

So the BE550 units are used purely as access points (main + satellite), while routing, NAT, and DHCP are handled by a third-party device (Sophos XG).

Regarding your question about comparison:
Yes, when the BE550 is used as the main router with another BE550 as satellite, the issue does not appear to be noticeable, since the DHCP server is also handled by TP-Link. However, in my current setup, where DHCP is provided by an external firewall/router, the high-frequency DHCP RENEW traffic from the satellite node becomes clearly visible and can impact the DHCP service.

This aligns with your assessment that the satellite router is sending these DHCP requests to confirm its connection with the main router. The behavior is understandable from a mesh connectivity standpoint, but it becomes problematic in more advanced or heterogeneous network environments.

I appreciate that you are willing to escalate this case to your engineers. Please let me know if you need:

  • additional logs,

  • packet captures,

  • or further details about the observed behavior.

I am happy to assist further if it helps improve compatibility and robustness in future firmware versions.

Kind regards,

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#3
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Re:Archer BE550 Mesh Node – DHCP Client Renews Lease Every ~30 Seconds (Firmware Bug)
23 hours ago

  @oliiilo 

 

Hi,

 

Just for the record. The behavior you are observing has been reported here previously and it is believed that all models of EasyMesh routers that TP-Link has on offer are like this. Certainly the four different models I have at hand are showing this behavior.
A couple of user posts for example:

https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/832102

https://community.tp-link.com/us/home/threads/topic/727408

 

The same behavior can also be observed when TP-Link's routers are set to "Access Point Mode". In "Access Point Mode" the DHCP renews can be stopped by setting a static IP address on the access point. However, this workaround can't be used for EasyMesh Satellites, because in EasyMesh Satellite mode the routers do not provide a way for the user to set a static IP address.

 

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#4
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Re:Archer BE550 Mesh Node – DHCP Client Renews Lease Every ~30 Seconds (Firmware Bug)
14 hours ago

  @woozle 

I'm able to fix the ip of my easymesh node by using mac binding. Whether you can try for this? See the issues still happen?

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#5
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