P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect

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P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect

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P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
2020-10-28 14:03:08 - last edited 2020-10-29 06:45:16
Model: Deco P7  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: 1.4.9

Hi, I have 2 P7's and one is connected to the main Router and works well, the other one is about 200 meters away in my Guesthouse. The light of the AC connectivity is showing green (I guess clearly seeing they are connected), however the connection indicator on the P7 stays blinking red (not connected).  I am confused, it only seems to work if the P7 is near enough the other P7 deco to connect, but should it not cover long distances over the AC cable when its not close enough..

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect-Solution
2020-10-29 06:45:12 - last edited 2020-10-29 06:45:16

@LDE 

 

Hi, thanks for reaching out.

 

I'm afraid 200 meters is too far away for the P7 to build up the internet connection, even thought the AC indicator is green, that only means the PLC connection is built up successfully, and it doesn't mean the internet can pass through.

 

Sorry about that, but I think you cannot extend the network to that far with the two Deco P7s.

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect-Solution
2020-10-29 06:45:12 - last edited 2020-10-29 06:45:16

@LDE 

 

Hi, thanks for reaching out.

 

I'm afraid 200 meters is too far away for the P7 to build up the internet connection, even thought the AC indicator is green, that only means the PLC connection is built up successfully, and it doesn't mean the internet can pass through.

 

Sorry about that, but I think you cannot extend the network to that far with the two Deco P7s.

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
2020-10-29 09:03:58

@TP-Link_Deco , what i don't understand is that when i use a tp-powerline adaptor it works without issues, but when i put in the P7 (which includes a powerline setup) it seems to be requiring to be picking up the wifi from an other Deco system, meaning it seems to ignore the powerline capability to setup a network ?

 

I am wondering if the powerline actually is doing anything.. if i get closer to one of my other deco's (but still very far away), it connects but it gives me a 2Mbps, the green light indicating it has a powerline connection keeps green at all times but does not seem to increase speed,

 

thx for your support,

 

Leon.

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
2020-10-29 11:21:14

@LDE 

 

Hi Leon, thanks for the update.

 

Do you mean the previous powerline adapter can work in this way? May I have the model number?

 

Is it still available now? If yes, you may try to connect the Deco P7 and the poweline adapters as below and see if it works:

main Deco P7---Ethernet cable---powerline adapter A====powerline cable====powerline adapter B---2nd Deco P7

 

Thanks.

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
2020-10-29 16:09:55

@TP-Link_Deco ,

 

That works, but i was hoping i could take out my TP powerline adaptor set in between, why would the P7 not be able to build that powerline connection (as the powerline should be included, AV600). With the setup you've proposed i using 2 P7 nodes (which according to specs, includes a AV600) and 1 TL-WPA4220 KIT (which only is AV500).. 

 

The AV500 kit works perfectly, but the P7 seems to be relying on being connected to the other P7's wife connection vs powerline. 

I want to disable (or not use) the abilty to connect to the other deco's on wife but just use the powerline.

 

Hope that makes sense,

 

Leon

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
2020-10-30 02:10:58

@LDE 

 

Hi, thank you so much again for the valued info.

 

Is it possible to share with us the link rate on the Powerline Utility when using the WPA4220 KIT? We just want to confirm if that link rate is good enough to build up the internet connection, then we can take further steps to solve the P7 issue, thanks a lot.

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
2020-10-30 08:03:10

@TP-Link_Deco,

 

I am getting 14 ms ping response and a 40Mbps download / 4Mbps upload (Not bad for a 50Mbps /5Mbps internet subscription).. So the connection speed seems good enough and i must say the setup (P7 ------ TL-PA4010 )---- powerline------(TPWPA-4220 -------P7) works really well. I just don't understand why if i have a P7 (AV600 included) i need another powerline set ... I want to disable the P7's trying to use Wifi to connect, but just use the build in powerline feature.. (Which is why i bought them in the first place, it now looks as if i just have a M5)..

 

thx,

 

Leon.

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
2020-10-30 08:34:20 - last edited 2020-10-30 09:05:33

@TP-Link_Deco

 

I've had a similar problem - and can confirm the behaviour of the Deco P7 is very dodgy when there's a decent powerline link but poor WiFi. 
 

Prior to using the P7 system I had a TP-Link powerline adaptor and separate WiFi access point at the edge of my existing WiFi coverage. This worked perfectly, with a stable 150mpbs+ powerline connection. 
 

I thought I could make my setup more elegant by replacing my router/WiFi APs/powerline adapters with a number of P7 units around my home. 
 

It turns out the P7 unit at the fringe of my WiFi coverage caused nothing but problems. Its borderline / unstable WiFi backhaul causes it to regularly drop out or offer dismal speeds to connected clients - despite having a perfectly robust high-speed powerline link to the main deco, which it could opt to use instead.

 

The promise of the P7 and wider Deco ecosystem is that it would form a smart mesh, intelligently combining the available backhaul/mesh connections to deliver a robust connection. This is clearly not the case. It should be simple for the P7 to use a reliable powerline link over an unreliable WiFi backhaul - but it simply does not. 
 

I got the P7 units when they just came out, and put the initial problems down to teething issues - hoping TP-link would put out firmware updates to fix these obvious issues. With P7 approaching (approached?) end-of-life, I've now given up hope. 
 

Oh, and per your own documentation a green led on the powerline adapter should mean a link with speeds of 50mbps+. Of course there was a promised software update for over a year which would show actual PL backhaul speeds in the app, but this has not yet materialised. Neither has the ability to manually select a backhaul source which could fix this issue. 
 

I recommended the Deco system to many people, the concept is great and the hardware is great. Unfortunately it seems to be let down by shoddy software (many clear easily reproducible glitches all over the place - reported constantly on this forum: devices losing connectivity, units needing restarting, connected devices in the app not refreshing, overall decay of stability with uptime) and this has not been something tp-link has proven capable of addressing over the years. I'd now hesitate to recommend the system again. Shame - there's such wasted potential here - with the right focus on software tp-link could have the best home mesh network system on the market - by far. 

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
2020-10-30 11:02:46

@LDE 

 

Hello, sorry for any inconvenience caused.

 

To locate this issue and try to fix it, we would like to follow up on your case via email. Please check your inbox and provide the information that we need.

 

Have a nice day.

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
2020-10-30 11:28:37

@Zone-MR 

 

Hello, sorry to let you down. Even though the Deco P7 is now discontinued, we can try our best to help you solve the issue you have, so can you please kindly draw us a simple network layout in your house, how many Deco P7 units in total and how are they placed?

 

One more thing, to build up a stable powerline backhaul, ensure you are putting all P7s into the wall socket directly, no power extension or power strips, and ensure there are all in the same circuit without any surge protectors.

 

When the internet drops, how about the LED indicators on all the P7s, are they still solid green or flashing red? How would you recover the connection?

 

Have a nice day.

 

 

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Re:P7 Powerline light green, but is not able to connect
2020-10-30 11:47:14 - last edited 2020-10-30 11:51:30

@TP-Link_Deco

 

Thanks for your offer to help. I have four P7's in the following topology:

 

Home Office Deco P7

(Main Deco)

 

Connected to VDSL Modem

(PPPoE Internet Connection)

Garage Deco P7

 

Connects to Main Deco

(2-Bar WiFi Signal Strength

+ Powerline)

Bedroom Deco P7

 

Connects to Main Deco

(2-Bar WiFi Signal Strength

+ Powerline)

Lounge Deco P7

 

(On the edge of WiFi signal,

fluctuates between weak / no WiFi connection

to Garage / Bedroom Deco).

 

Powerline link reliably Green)

 

All P7s are plugged directly into a socket and have a solid Green powerline indication. Having previously used a different TP-Link powerline adaptor, I can confirm the wiring supports 150+mbps reliable speeds and roust connectivity.

 

In general the Lounge Deco has caused a lot of problems. It's clear it doesn't like the fact that it has a weak/unstable wifi connection. Devices connected to it end up with a very unreliable connection - frequently cutting out entirely - despite the fact that it has a stable Powerline backhaul that it could use to reinforce the borderline WiFi link. As a workaround I have now moved this device to a different corner of the lounge, where it has a more stable WiFi link with the Garage Deco - but this is a suboptimal placement for my needs and defeats the point of the P7 supposedly being able to use Powerline to ensure a stable connection even with a weak WiFi backhaul.

 

In addition to the above, I also encounter:

 

  • When the system has been running for a while, random individual devices often lose their connectivity. Disconnecting and reconnecting them from WiFi doesn't help. The main Deco needs to be rebooted every so often - which resolves the problem for a week or two - but it's obviously frustrating to regularly see devices lose their connectivity and need to kick the system.
  • At first, after the main Deco is started, the devices list reliably shows which devices are connected, alongside their up/down speeds. New devices which connect to the network show up in the list and dispatch a push notification. Within a day, the up/down speeds stop showing (merely display '--'), and any new devices connecting to the network don't show up in the list or trigger a notification until the system is restarted. I have exactly the same problem at my workplace (Deco M5s) and at my parents' house (Deco P9 + Deco M5 mix) - so clearly this is a universal issue
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