Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode

Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode

Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode
Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode
2024-07-15 12:53:01 - last edited 2024-07-17 08:27:14
Model: Deco X50  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: Deco X50(EU)_V1_1.5.1_240417

Hello everyone,

 

I have this Deco X50 connected to a Mikrotik CRS326-24G-2S+, configured with a PPPoE connection to my ISP.

The Deco X50 works perfectly in router mode, but as i set it in access point mode, the main deco light turns solid red, and the satelite Decos lights turn blinking red.

And, despite they all get an IP address from the DHCP server and all the wireless devices connect to the Decos and work properly, i can't ping any of the Decos and i can't access them from the TP-Link app.

 

I'm out of ideas... what could it be?

 

Thank you

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#1
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2 Accepted Solutions
Re:Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode-Solution
2024-07-16 13:41:57 - last edited 2024-07-17 08:27:14

  @falp 

 

I wonder if you have stale DHCP lease info in Mikrotik.

 

Can you run the following test:

 

1. Power off all Deco units, Main and Satellites. Check if you are still getting WiFi (you should not).

2. Power off Mikrotik.

3. Power on Mikrotik. Check its active DHCP leases, you should not see Deco units there.

4. Power on Main Deco (and Main Deco only). Give it about 5 minutes.

 

If after 5 minutes Main Deco LED is still red, check if you see Main Deco in Mikrotik DHCP leases. Also, check if you are getting WiFi now.

 

Finally, do you have any content filtering, DNS queries blocking, spam filtering, etc. set on Mikrotik?

 

----------------

 

In AP mode, Main Deco behaves just like any wired client: it should get IP address from the router, it should be pingable from the LAN. Deco red LED could mean either physical link failure or its (Main Deco) inability to perform Internet link health check - which is DNS queries sent to your DNS server (Mikrotik?) for random popular Web sites. If you block these DNS queries, Deco LED may go red. Symptoms don't match completely, because even in that scenario you should be able to ping Main Deco.

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Re:Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode-Solution
2024-07-17 08:26:19 - last edited 2024-07-17 08:27:16

Ok. So: in the end i figured out what the problem is: in Access Point mode the Deco works only as an extender, not as an "actual" access point. So, to make it work properly, at least the router itself should be wireless capable (mine is not), or i should have another device acting as main access point.

Too bad. Those Deco X50 were very nice, but they doesn't fit my needs.

 

Thank you all for the support and the replies.

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#7
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Re:Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode
2024-07-16 06:16:00 - last edited 2024-07-16 06:16:20

  @falp 

Hi,

 

According to your description, if you set up PPPoE on the Deco X50, then the Deco should work in router mode.

 

If you already have another router in the front and set up PPPoE and work as DHCP server, then you can change the Deco into Access Point mode.

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Re:Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode
2024-07-16 11:21:33

Sunshine wrote

 

If you already have another router in the front and set up PPPoE and work as DHCP server, then you can change the Deco into Access Point mode.

  @Sunshine yes, this is exactly my case. But: i get the wifi working, i get a solid red light on the main Deco X50, flashing red light on the satellite Decos and the TP-link Deco App is unable to find them when i'm connected to the wifi...

 

Thank you for the reply :)

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Re:Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode
2024-07-16 12:00:33 - last edited 2024-07-16 12:02:01

  @falp 

 

Interesting... You can't ping Main Deco, which means data link between  Mikrotik and Main Deco is broken. I can confirm that under normal circumstances Main Deco running in AP mode is pingable.

Still, while data link is broken, somehow you are getting Internet from Deco mesh.

 

1. Are you sure the Internet connection comes from Deco mesh and not from some other network and/or cellular data? To test, just power off all Deco units and check again.

 

2. If you can't access Main Deco info page in Deco app, how do you know which IP address it gets when in AP mode? Meaning, how do you know you ping the right IP address?

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Re:Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode
2024-07-16 13:24:32

Alexandre. wrote

  @falp 

 

Interesting... You can't ping Main Deco, which means data link between  Mikrotik and Main Deco is broken. I can confirm that under normal circumstances Main Deco running in AP mode is pingable.

Still, while data link is broken, somehow you are getting Internet from Deco mesh.

 

1. Are you sure the Internet connection comes from Deco mesh and not from some other network and/or cellular data? To test, just power off all Deco units and check again.

 

2. If you can't access Main Deco info page in Deco app, how do you know which IP address it gets when in AP mode? Meaning, how do you know you ping the right IP address?

  @Alexandre. 

 

The PPPoE connection is set on the Mikrotik router, so it is giving the internet connection. Plus even the dhcp server is running on the Mikrotik device; all the Decos and all the devices connected to the Decos are getting the IP addresses from the Mikrotik switch (i can see them on the DHCP leases list on the Mikrotik switch management interface). Nevertheless, i can ping all the devices, including the wireless ones connected via the Decos, but i can't ping the Decos, nor see them on the mobile phone Deco app...

 

Thank you

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Re:Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode-Solution
2024-07-16 13:41:57 - last edited 2024-07-17 08:27:14

  @falp 

 

I wonder if you have stale DHCP lease info in Mikrotik.

 

Can you run the following test:

 

1. Power off all Deco units, Main and Satellites. Check if you are still getting WiFi (you should not).

2. Power off Mikrotik.

3. Power on Mikrotik. Check its active DHCP leases, you should not see Deco units there.

4. Power on Main Deco (and Main Deco only). Give it about 5 minutes.

 

If after 5 minutes Main Deco LED is still red, check if you see Main Deco in Mikrotik DHCP leases. Also, check if you are getting WiFi now.

 

Finally, do you have any content filtering, DNS queries blocking, spam filtering, etc. set on Mikrotik?

 

----------------

 

In AP mode, Main Deco behaves just like any wired client: it should get IP address from the router, it should be pingable from the LAN. Deco red LED could mean either physical link failure or its (Main Deco) inability to perform Internet link health check - which is DNS queries sent to your DNS server (Mikrotik?) for random popular Web sites. If you block these DNS queries, Deco LED may go red. Symptoms don't match completely, because even in that scenario you should be able to ping Main Deco.

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#6
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Re:Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode-Solution
2024-07-17 08:26:19 - last edited 2024-07-17 08:27:16

Ok. So: in the end i figured out what the problem is: in Access Point mode the Deco works only as an extender, not as an "actual" access point. So, to make it work properly, at least the router itself should be wireless capable (mine is not), or i should have another device acting as main access point.

Too bad. Those Deco X50 were very nice, but they doesn't fit my needs.

 

Thank you all for the support and the replies.

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#7
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Re:Deco X50 Solid Red Light in Access Point Mode
2024-07-17 12:14:34 - last edited 2024-07-17 12:15:02

falp wrote

In the end i figured out what the problem is: in Access Point mode the Deco works only as an extender, not as an "actual" access point. So, to make it work properly, at least the router itself should be wireless capable (mine is not), or i should have another device acting as main access point.

  @falp 

 

I don't know why can't you make Deco mesh work with Mikrotik in Acess Point mode, but your conclusion is incorrect.

 

Deco mesh in Access Point mode behaves exactly by original definition of WAP: "A wireless access point (WAP) is a networking device that allows wireless-capable devices to connect to a wired network."

It is for that reason Main Deco must be hardwired to the router, which upsets some people who expect Deco AP mode to be as an extender of router's WiFi. It is not.

 

Deco mesh in Access Point works the best with routers that do not have WiFi. For routers that do have WiFi it is recommended to turn it off. It is how I run Deco mesh in my house: in Access Point mode with WiFi disabled on ISP provided router.

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