@Strat640 

 

I have suggestions on improving general layout of your home network, will you be interested in trying those?

 

If you are, would you be OK to run Deco mesh in Access Point mode? It runs by default in Router mode, but you don't need that because you already have Sky Router. Having Deco mesh in AP mode gives substantial flexibility in Deco units deployment through home network. 

If you are OK, switch Deco mesh to AP mode and let me know when it is done: Switching a Deco to Access Point (AP) Mode. After, I'll tell you what to do next.

 

I can't guarantee when we go through all my suggestions this will fix whatever issue it is with powerline link to shed/office, but it might. 

 

Also, what is the brand name and model number of 5-port switch in the shed?

  @Alexandre. Hi, thanks for quick reply and suggestions. I have no issue with trying suggestions and will do so hopefully sometime today once kids give permission to loose Internet for a time! I will change WiFi name etc from router to match what the DECO was providing to hopefully remove any possibility of lost connection to existing devices. Would be a pity to loose Guest network but will live with that if can get shed up and running.

 

Correction on my device types...8 port switch used in shed (not 5) and is type TP Link TL-SG108S gigabit ethernet switch.

  @Strat640 

 

Great. No rush, do it at your convenience.

 

To clarify: I am asking you to change Deco mesh Operation Mode to Access Point.

 

This should not impact devices connectivity, they will be able to connect using same SSID/password. You do not need to enable WiFi on Sky router, that could only add to confusion. Most devices will just reconnect, but if one or two won't - restarting them (or powering off/on) should fix that.

Deco mesh will keep running Guest Network in Access Point mode, you will not be losing Guest Network.

 

If you find you can't run Deco mesh in AP mode for whatever reason, you can easily undo that by changing Deco Operation Mode back to Router.

 

Still, it is important troubleshooting step on which other steps depend, so hopefully switching Deco mesh to Access Point mode will be successful.

 

 

 

 

  @Alexandre. Evening! 

 

OK, my apologies for again confusion. I thought in AP mode you lost alot more 'functionality' including guest mode, which of course is un true. Equally, I forgot that in AP mode you can still broadcast a unique SSID compared to the router (in my case router had A SSID, DECO had B SSID), so thanks for the clarification. I have since changed system in AP mode and reconnected PLC. So far i can say that all seems OK. I am about to watch something on streaming from main house so will see how quality is. While I am not at 'work' in my shed, I can see via the DECO app the backup hard drives and PC which is a positive sign along with the Belkin router (not Netgear - sorry). I will try and get over to test system tomorrow or next day and report back. Thanks again for suggestions so far.

 

On another note, should I see devices such as HD, belkin router etc which are connected via the PLC device as stated 'PLC' on the app? I have read other fourm entries which talk about such but I see any Shed device as connected by ethernet on the app...is this correct?

 

 

Thanks again

Equally, if this works ok, i will test replacing, the Belilkin router with the last DECO M4 unit i have and post back

  @Strat640 

 

Now that you have Deco mesh running in AP mode, I have another suggestion for your home network.

 

What you have now is all traffic to/from Internet going through Main Deco. With Deco mesh in Router mode it is necessary, but now - it is not.

You have E4 as Main Deco and it is not the best Main Deco to pass all traffic through. Deco E4 has 100Mbps Ethernet ports - when or if your Internet link becomes faster than that E4 will throttle it. In general, not having all Internet traffic going through Main Deco will improve your home network performance even more.

 

I suggest the following: disconnect Main Deco from Sky router and connect 8-port Ethernet switch to Sky router. Your network diagram will look as following:

 

 

If you can't lay Ethernet cable from Sky Router to 8-port switch or don't have free port on switch to connect the cable, let me know and I'll give you another option which will achieve same result.

 

In any case, I strongly recommend you do that change: remove Main Deco from your Internet traffic path.

  @Alexandre. Evening! 

 

OK so I have done what you suggested as per the pic. While it would seem streaming seems better (no buffering to note), loading pages or Netflix for example can take a few beats longer...and Web pages, apps etc, on the phone, much longer...(I'm writing this on 5G and not my WiFi :(   ).

 

At the moment, the E4 deco in the living room is located next to my router and 8 port switch. As such it was no issue wiring as you suggested. Also, the router broadcasts a different SSID (had to when DECO was in router mode).

 

Some suggestions...

 

1) should I change the SSID on router to have same name and password as DECO units? This would allow (or so I think) me to utilise the living room DECO unit someplace else to ensure no dead spots. From my understanding, this might be OK as long as I make one of the other units the 'main'...?

 

2) would it be better to make the M4 DECO unit main? Is it any better or much the same?

 

3) thinking now, I have the ability to connect the sky router to second 8 port switch as this is in the attic and I have an ethernet port in the wall next to the router...better would you think?

 

4) lastly, might there be any other settings I can change? Looking at the app, mesh technology is turned on (at least in the device I selected...my phone). 2.4 and 5 GHz is being used. Operation mode: Access Point. Smart DHCP: enabled. Fast roaming: disabled.

 

Thanks again for input! 

 

Ps still need to try the office/shed now that the PLC is connected to router/8port switch and not via DECO units.

 

PPS. When I tried to access my router XXX.XXX.0.1, while I get main home page of the router, should I try and select another page such as 'ethernet' I get a login page for TP-LINK...?

  @Strat640 

 

I would suggest, for the purpose of troubleshooting, to turn off Sky router WiFi. If your devices connect by WiFi to Sky and to Deco, randomly, it would be harder to figure where the problems are.

Leave this to when you are satisfied with Deco mesh performance.

 

It would make sense to make M4R Main Deco. That was going to be my third (and last) suggestion after switching Deco mesh to AP mode and moving Main Deco away from staying between Sky router and rest of wired network.

Follow this document to promote one of M4R to Main Deco: Changing the Main Unit for your Mesh Network. Then, you will need to swap it with E4 that used to be Main Deco. That E4 will go to replace M4R wirelessly connected to Main Deco. After all these changes the network diagram is going to look as following:

 

 

 

I can't tell right now what makes loading pages slower. The steps I am providing are aiming to remove Deco mesh from critical path of your home network, and to reduce your home network dependency on Deco mesh. We started with Deco being integral part of your home network, but when you make that final change and with this network diagram Deco nodes are just clients. 

In AP mode each Deco node talks directly to Sky router, not through Main Deco. The delay must be minimal and performance should be maximum possible. Why it is not so hard to tell now.

 

Please make that change, with M4 becoming Main Deco, and we can then focus on troubleshooting Deco mesh performance.

 

Also, to save time, for that I'll need you tell me the following:

 

1. What is speed of your Internet link?

 

2. Do you have hardwired devices such as desktop/laptop where you can test how web pages load and Netflix runs? If you do, please run tests with them and let me know if issues also exist for hardwired devices.

 

3. After you made changes to Main Deco, please make screenshots of the following pages of Deco app and share them here:

 

A) Update Deco

B) Show Map

C) Show List

 

Examples of these pages from my Deco app:

 

 

 

 

 

 

  @Strat640 

 

Answering your questions in a separate response, to not make one post extremely long.

 

>1) should I change the SSID on router to have same name and password as DECO units? 

 

Deco mesh runs its own WiFi network, Sky Router runs its own WiFi network. I would recommend to turn off Sky Router WiFi and only rely on Deco for WiFi coverage.

Even if you need to keep Sky router WiFi on, for example some old device can't connect to WiFi mesh, Sky WiFi should have different SSID.

 

> 2) would it be better to make the M4 DECO unit main?

 

Yes, it would. 

 

> 3) thinking now, I have the ability to connect the sky router to second 8 port switch as this is in the attic and I have an ethernet port in the wall next to the router...better would you think?

 

It is hard for me to visualize what this will be, if you can update network diagram with how you want to connect Sky router that would help.

 

> 4) lastly, might there be any other settings I can change? Looking at the app, mesh technology is turned on (at least in the device I selected...my phone). 2.4 and 5 GHz is being used. Operation mode: Access Point. Smart DHCP: enabled. Fast roaming: disabled.

 

Fast roaming should be enabled.

Mesh should be enabled for all devices.

If you can turn off 2.4GHz band, do that and leave just 5GHz. You may find that some of devices need 2.4GHz to connect, if you have those (usually security cameras, IoT) - keep 2.4GHz enabled.

 

>When I tried to access my router XXX.XXX.0.1, while I get main home page of the router, should I try and select another page such as 'ethernet' I get a login page for TP-LINK...?

 

If you are asking how to connect to Main Deco. Open Main Deco info page in Deco app and you'll see its IP address. You can access Main Deco with that IP address in browser.

  @Alexandre. 

 

Afternoon! 

 

Ok so the update! I decided to delete the Network I had and start again with the DECO units setup as you mentioned. For Some reason the setting up was not as easy as before (personal note, when setting up more than one, once the first is complete select DONE instead of ADD ANOTHER. Once setup complete with one unit, then go and add second, and so forth. Do not try and add all units before selecting DONE in case one unit fails and you need to start all over again!). 

 

Anyway...! After getting the Network setup, sadly the internet loading etc. via the phone was lagging. I then tried to turn off the WiFi from the router but when dialing into it (Laptop internet would not work), I would sometimes get a TP Link login page (router is SKY type). Long story short, one of the 8 port switches (TL-SG108E) was set to the same IP address as the router.  I was able to set the router as XXX.XXX.0.100 and once done, everything seems to be up and running, phones, laptops, TV's etc. 

 

I have yet to setup the last DECO unit out in the shed but I can see from connected devices that the PLC is working since I can see a backup HD device on the network. Hopefully there will be no issues with that. 

 

This is the updated Network map (with Office DECO still to be installed)...

 

 

Below are the pics you requested so if there is any changes you can recommend then please do! 

 

Any reason why the Movie Room DECO unit does not display the connection type? It should state ETHERNET??   Also, I don't get the choice to display SHOW LIST...?

 

 

 

 

 

Huge thanks again for all the assistance. Hard time to be at home with 3 kids and sketchy internet!!