Deco BE11000 + Tapo C120: Camera enters “Zombie” state (Online in Deco, Offline in Tapo)
Problem Description
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Device: Tapo C120 located on the front porch.
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Symptom: The camera enters a "Zombie" state where:
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Deco App shows it as Connected with strong signal.
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Tapo App shows it as Offline (or fails to load Live Stream).
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Ping tests fail completely (100% packet loss). Crucially, this ping failure occurs whether the camera is connected to the Main Network OR the IoT Network.
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Trigger: The issue often triggers immediately after running “Network Optimization” in the Deco app.
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Fix: The only way to clear this state is a Full Network Reboot (all 4 units) OR 2–3 consecutive reboots of Satellite 3. A single reboot is often insufficient.
Network Topology
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Mesh System: 4x Deco BE11000 units (Firmware: Latest).
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Main Deco: Connected to AT&T Gateway (IP Passthrough Mode, IPv6 Disabled).
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Satellites 1 & 2: Connected via Ethernet Backhaul (Working perfectly).
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Satellite 3 (The Problem Node): Connected via Wireless Backhaul (Using dedicated 5GHz/6GHz).
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Note: Other devices connected to this Wireless Backhaul node (including other cameras) work perfectly. The backhaul itself is stable.
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Troubleshooting & Observations
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Isolation: I have swapped Satellite 3 with a different BE11000 unit. The issue persists on the new hardware in that location, ruling out a defective Deco unit.
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Backhaul Integrity: Since other devices on Satellite 3 function correctly, the Wireless Backhaul itself is functioning. The issue is specific to the Deco's handling of this specific client's association.
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Settings Tested:
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Static Channel: Manually setting 2.4GHz channel did not resolve it.
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IoT Network: Moved camera to 2.4GHz-only IoT Network (WPA2).
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Features: Disabled Fast Roaming, Beamforming, and Mesh Technology for this device.
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IP: Assigned Static IP (Address Reservation), have also tried a static IP in the Tapo app as well.
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This has been happening more often over the last month since upgrading firmware to 1.2.10. I am curious if a bug was introduced with that version creating issues for some cameras?
