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Connection Preference not appearing in the Deco app (Deco M5), devices only connecting to satellites

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Connection Preference not appearing in the Deco app (Deco M5), devices only connecting to satellites

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
Connection Preference not appearing in the Deco app (Deco M5), devices only connecting to satellites
Connection Preference not appearing in the Deco app (Deco M5), devices only connecting to satellites
2023-03-10 14:27:11 - last edited 2023-03-10 14:46:31
Tags: #Bandwidth Control/QoS #Roaming
Model: Deco M5   Deco E4  
Hardware Version: V3
Firmware Version: 1.6.5

I recently purchased a Deco M5 as a new main unit, with my 2 existing E4s now acting as satellites. Upon closer inspection in the app, I saw that most devices in my family hardly if ever connect to the M5 but only with the satellites (1 of them running Ethernet backhaul). When I look in the app, I saw that there's no option for Connection Preference despite my M5 already being at the latest 1.6.5 firmware.

I do wonder then if the feature is not available for a mixed network, and if so is there a workaround to the issue I'm facing?

Setup: Deco M5 + 2 Satellite Deco E4s (currently experimenting with 1 or 2)
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#1
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Re:Connection Preference not appearing in the Deco app (Deco M5), devices only connecting to satellites-Solution
2023-03-10 14:38:15 - last edited 2023-03-10 14:46:31

  @MinamiHopeful 

 

This feature is not available for the Deco mesh consisting of M5 and E4s. If you want to have that feature, you'll need to replace all your E4s with M5s and remove E4s from your Deco mesh. 

This is one of those new features that requires all Deco mesh units to support it, to become available.

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Re:Connection Preference not appearing in the Deco app (Deco M5), devices only connecting to satellites-Solution
2023-03-10 14:38:15 - last edited 2023-03-10 14:46:31

  @MinamiHopeful 

 

This feature is not available for the Deco mesh consisting of M5 and E4s. If you want to have that feature, you'll need to replace all your E4s with M5s and remove E4s from your Deco mesh. 

This is one of those new features that requires all Deco mesh units to support it, to become available.

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#2
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Re:Connection Preference not appearing in the Deco app (Deco M5), devices only connecting to satellites
2023-03-10 14:47:12

  @Alexandre. Thanks for the clarification! Now I wonder if there's an alternate way to make sure my devices connect to the main unit then...

Setup: Deco M5 + 2 Satellite Deco E4s (currently experimenting with 1 or 2)
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Re:Connection Preference not appearing in the Deco app (Deco M5), devices only connecting to satellites
2023-03-10 14:54:24

  @MinamiHopeful 

 

The only workaround I can think of:

 

Power off all Satellites. All devices will have to connect to Main Deco. For those devices that you want to keep connected to Main Deco, open device page in Deco app and turn off its "Mesh Technology" toggle. When done, power back on Satellites.

 

This workaround only makes sense for stationary devices (PC, security camera, smart thermostat, etc.) and with "MAC address randomization" disabled on device if it has that option.

Also, it'll only work until either device or Deco mesh is restarted - so it is not ironclad.

 

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In general, for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets it is better to let them roam the way they want to on WiFi mesh. For stationary devices that do not generate much traffic, such as smart plug and smart thermostat - also does not make the difference which Deco node they are connected to.

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Re:Connection Preference not appearing in the Deco app (Deco M5), devices only connecting to satellites
2023-03-10 14:56:17

  @Alexandre. Alright, thanks for the help!

Setup: Deco M5 + 2 Satellite Deco E4s (currently experimenting with 1 or 2)
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Helpful: 2

Views: 4647

Replies: 4

Tags

Bandwidth Control/QoS Roaming
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