Model: Deco BE65 V2

Firmware: 1.2.10 branch discussed here: https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/851568

Topology:

• 2 x Deco BE65 V2
• Mesh network
• MacBook connected by Ethernet when docked, Wi-Fi enabled in background
• One shared main SSID across 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz
• 6 GHz enabled
• 5 GHz enabled
• 2.4 GHz enabled
• 2.4 GHz channels were changed by Network Optimization during testing

Client:

• MacBook
• Wi-Fi interface MAC seen in logs: CA:23:1B:7D:63:55
• Wi-Fi client IP: 192.168.x.x
   

Issue summary: When Ethernet is unplugged, the Mac does not reliably recover to usable Wi-Fi. With 2.4 GHz enabled on the main SSID, the Mac often gets placed on 2.4 GHz instead of 5/6 GHz. When 2.4 GHz was disabled for testing, the Mac still did not reconnect correctly after Ethernet was unplugged.

Important additional observations:

• With Ethernet connected, Wi-Fi can remain associated in the background on 6 GHz
• With Ethernet connected, the Mac has been observed working on 6 GHz successfully
• However, when Ethernet is unplugged and 2.4 GHz is disabled, the Mac does not come online reliably on Wi-Fi
• Disabling 2.4 GHz does not simply move the client cleanly to 5 GHz or 6 GHz. Instead, 5 GHz and 6 GHz connectivity also start to fail or become unstable
• This suggests the failure is in failover/reassociation and possibly multi-band radio coordination, not just in 2.4 GHz preference

Observed from macOS:

• Mac supports 5 GHz and 6 GHz correctly
• Mac can connect successfully on 6 GHz in some conditions
• While Ethernet is plugged in, Wi-Fi can remain connected in the background on 6 GHz
• The failure appears during failover/reassociation, not because the client lacks 6 GHz support

Key evidence from Deco logs:
 

1. Deco mesh daemon nrd performs 802.11k measurement against the Mac while it is on 2.4 GHz:
   • "estimatorPerformMeasurement: Do 11k measurement for CA:23:1B:7D:63:55 on channels(2) 3,40, from serving BSS ..."
2. nrd then times out waiting for the client response:
   • "Timeout waiting for 802.11k response from CA:23:1B:7D:63:55"
3. Immediately after that, the Mac is disassociated from the 2.4 GHz radio:
   • "hostapd: ath0: AP-STA-DISCONNECTED ca:23:1b:7d:63:55"
   • "Client CA:23:1B:7D:63:55 disassociated on APId 255 ChanId 3"
4. At the same time, nrd repeatedly reports steering event parsing errors:
   • "wlanifBSteerEventsBufRdCB: Invalid message len: 48 bytes"
5. hostapd also reports invalid 20/40 MHz state during the same transition:
   • "20/40 MHz: center segment 0 (=5) and center freq 1 (=2422) not in sync"
6. Multiple radios then perform channel switch events on 2.4 GHz
7. After the disruption window, the Mac later receives DHCP ACK again in some cases, but failover behavior remains unreliable

Why this looks like a Deco issue:

• The Mac can connect and work on 6 GHz in some conditions
• The loss happens during steering/channel-management activity inside Deco
• The logs show nrd steering/11k activity, steering-event errors, disassociation, and channel-related hostapd issues in the same time window
• The failure is especially visible when Ethernet is unplugged and Wi-Fi must become the active path
• Disabling 2.4 GHz also destabilizes the remaining higher bands, which suggests a Deco multi-band coordination or radio reconfiguration problem rather than only a client band preference issue

Reproduction:

1. Keep Ethernet connected to the Mac
2. Keep Wi-Fi enabled on the Mac
3. Unplug Ethernet or force the Mac to rely on Wi-Fi
4. With 2.4 GHz enabled, the Mac may stick to 2.4 GHz
5. If 2.4 GHz is disabled for testing, the Mac still may fail to come online when Ethernet is unplugged
6. In addition, after disabling 2.4 GHz, the remaining 5 GHz and 6 GHz connectivity may also become unstable/fail

Expected behavior:

• Client should fail over cleanly to 5 GHz or 6 GHz when Ethernet is unplugged
• No long dead period after unplugging Ethernet
• Disabling 2.4 GHz should not destabilize 5 GHz and 6 GHz
• No forced disassociation followed by failed or delayed recovery

Actual behavior:

• Wi-Fi can become unusable during transition
• Client may remain on 2.4 GHz when 5/6 GHz are available
• Even with 2.4 GHz disabled, the client may fail to come online after Ethernet unplug
• Disabling 2.4 GHz can also destabilize 5 GHz and 6 GHz
• Deco logs show steering-related errors and disassociation during the transition
   

Request: Please investigate the nrd / band-steering / 11k handling for BE65 V2 in this firmware branch, especially around:

• 802.11k measurement timeout handling
• wlanifBSteerEventsBufRdCB "Invalid message len: 48 bytes"
• hostapd 20/40 MHz inconsistency during steering/channel changes
• client reassociation delay/failure after disassociation from 2.4 GHz
• failover behavior when Ethernet is removed and only 5/6 GHz remain available
• possible multi-band coordination or radio reconfiguration issues when 2.4 GHz is disabled