Could you please help me out?

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Could you please help me out?

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Could you please help me out?
Could you please help me out?
2023-09-02 18:25:56 - last edited 2023-09-03 17:06:11

Hi,

First off, thanks for reading. I'm from Spain and my English is a bit on the rusty side..., so let me apologize in advance.

 

Recently, I've moved into a very complicated house. Its floor is about 100 feet long X 26 feet wide, kind of a sausage-shaped house. It's a two-story house in one end, whereas the the other end becomes a three-story house.

 

Fortunately, I've got several ethernet sockets in some key rooms, but as I said, sausages are very complicated. I know all deco units must be in AP mode when there is a switch in front. Given the circumstances, this is the set up I am giving some thoughts to:

layout

 

The idea is to provide distant rooms with a solid connection thanks to the wired units and reach the dead zones via Wi-Fi backhaul. 

 

QUESTIONS

  1. Would this this set-up would work from a technical point of view?
  2. I'm a bit confused because all setups I've seen in the Internet so far, begin by setting up a main unit. From my understanding, in this layout there is no "master" deco unit, so I don't really know how to connect the wireless deco unit to the wired ones.

 

Thank you very much

Joaquín

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Re:Could you please help me out?-Solution
2023-09-03 15:48:52 - last edited 2023-09-03 17:06:11

  @jopemedina 

 

I would strongly recommend not to buy P9s. Deco X55 is a good choice. If you need powerline connectivity for some of your Deco units, just buy regular TP-Link powerline adapters, configure them and connect X55 to (through) them. It'll work. 

 

When you perform initial Deco mesh setup, you'll take first unit, connect it by Ethernet cable to your home network, and configure it according to Quick Start guide that comes with Deco set. This will be your Main Deco.

By default, Main Deco will start in router mode. After it is configured and you see it online in Deco app, switch your Deco mesh to Access Point mode: Switching a Deco to Access Point (AP) Mode

 

After that, you will need to add Satellite Deco to your Deco mesh. For their initial setup, have them in the same room as Main Deco, nearby, but do not connect them with Ethernet cables. Keep them wireless (that's why you need them near to Main Deco) and follow this process: How to add an additional unit to your Deco network

 

When you have all Satellite Deco online in Deco app, this is when you power them off, bring to their permanent places, and those that will be wired - connect them by Ethernet cables. 

 

After that, you may need to configure wireless Satellite Deco to where they should connect, because by default Satellite Deco prefers connection to Main Deco, even if signal from Main Deco is very weak. This is when you are going to use signal source selection (connection preference): How to select a preferred signal source on the Deco App

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Re:Could you please help me out?-Solution
2023-09-03 15:53:24 - last edited 2023-09-03 17:06:14

  @jopemedina 

 

One more thing: it is possible, they way you plan to deploy Deco units, that wired Decos will provide sufficient WiFi coverage over the house. So I would suggest to start with five X55 (one Main and four wired Satellites) and see if that is enough. If not, then get additional X55s that you plan to connect wirelessly to the Deco mesh - for places where WiFi coverage is not sufficient.

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Re:Could you please help me out?
2023-09-02 20:18:10 - last edited 2023-09-02 21:25:32

  @jopemedina 

 

This setup will work.

 

One of your Deco will be Main Deco, the one you configured first. It must be Ethernet wired to the router, so it'll be one of three that have Ethernet link to the switch. Any one.

 

You will need to configure how Satellite Deco connect to each other, the feature is called "preferred signal source," described here: How to select a preferred signal source on the Deco App

 

Not every Deco model offers that feature, so you have to be careful which you choose. If you wish, I may be able to help if you tell me which Deco models you consider. If you are not sure, tell me if you want Deco that supports just WiFi5, or also WiFi6, or even WiFi 6E. If you are not sure, just tell me what is the speed of your Internet connection and I may be able to help you with selection.

 

Once again, with your setup having "preferred signal source" feature is a must.

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Re:Could you please help me out?
2023-09-03 12:42:40

  @Alexandre. 

 

Thanks so much for your help.

 

I didn't know you about the preferred signal source. I have a 600mpb symmetrical Internet connection. My main working station is wired, so transferring big chunks of data through Wi-Fi is not a big deal for me.

 

I was considering the Decos P9 for its integrated PCL feature, but I don't know whether the P9s support this feature or not. I am also considering the Decos X55. Apparently, this Wi-Fi 6 model supports the preferred signal source. None too sure about this either.

 

Roughly, this is my house layout, and the strategy I'm planning:

 

house

 

As far as I know, I think I can set up as many decos as needed provided that they are wired. As for wireless units, I have to be more careful. It seems that more does not necessarily mean better.

 

I am still trying to understand the need for a main deco when all units are in AP mode. It seems it simply works that way.

 

Q1. Let's assume, for example, I set up the living-room deco as the main unit in AP mode. If I set up the office deco afterwards... will the main deco detect this office unit since they are connected to the same switch?

Q2. If so, would you set up the wired units first and then the wireless ones?

 

Thanks so much

Joaquín

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Re:Could you please help me out?-Solution
2023-09-03 15:48:52 - last edited 2023-09-03 17:06:11

  @jopemedina 

 

I would strongly recommend not to buy P9s. Deco X55 is a good choice. If you need powerline connectivity for some of your Deco units, just buy regular TP-Link powerline adapters, configure them and connect X55 to (through) them. It'll work. 

 

When you perform initial Deco mesh setup, you'll take first unit, connect it by Ethernet cable to your home network, and configure it according to Quick Start guide that comes with Deco set. This will be your Main Deco.

By default, Main Deco will start in router mode. After it is configured and you see it online in Deco app, switch your Deco mesh to Access Point mode: Switching a Deco to Access Point (AP) Mode

 

After that, you will need to add Satellite Deco to your Deco mesh. For their initial setup, have them in the same room as Main Deco, nearby, but do not connect them with Ethernet cables. Keep them wireless (that's why you need them near to Main Deco) and follow this process: How to add an additional unit to your Deco network

 

When you have all Satellite Deco online in Deco app, this is when you power them off, bring to their permanent places, and those that will be wired - connect them by Ethernet cables. 

 

After that, you may need to configure wireless Satellite Deco to where they should connect, because by default Satellite Deco prefers connection to Main Deco, even if signal from Main Deco is very weak. This is when you are going to use signal source selection (connection preference): How to select a preferred signal source on the Deco App

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Re:Could you please help me out?-Solution
2023-09-03 15:53:24 - last edited 2023-09-03 17:06:14

  @jopemedina 

 

One more thing: it is possible, they way you plan to deploy Deco units, that wired Decos will provide sufficient WiFi coverage over the house. So I would suggest to start with five X55 (one Main and four wired Satellites) and see if that is enough. If not, then get additional X55s that you plan to connect wirelessly to the Deco mesh - for places where WiFi coverage is not sufficient.

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Re:Could you please help me out?
2023-09-03 17:45:17 - last edited 2023-09-03 18:16:46

  @jopemedina 

 

Thanks so much for your help. I haven't bought any mesh system yet. Glad I posted here before jumping in.

 

Which Decos are compatible with "preferred signal source"? This is something which should be easily found on the Internet, but I'm struggling with it.

 

Thanks

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Re:Could you please help me out?
2023-09-03 20:25:13 - last edited 2023-09-03 23:59:35

jopemedina wrote

Which Decos are compatible with "preferred signal source"? This is something which should be easily found on the Internet, but I'm struggling with it.

 

  @jopemedina 

 

You are not the only one. Unfortunately, TP-Link does not support consistent list of features for all of their huge list of Deco models, and also they don't provide comprehensive feature list.

 

Deco X55 most likely has "preferred signal source," according to this: https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/614754

Note that features differ not only between Deco models, but their hardware versions. For example, Deco M4 from that link only has "preferred signal source" for hardware version 4 (V4). If they sell M4 with different hardware version in your country, you won't be getting that feature.

 

 

 

 

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