Official How to set up Ethernet Backhaul with your Deco devices

Ethernet Backhaul is a feature that makes it possible to wire the Deco units together.
Thanks to this feature, every two Deco units can be wired with an Ethernet cable. And Deco will transmit data between the two units through the Ethernet connection, which is more stable and faster than Wi-Fi. Once Ethernet backhaul is established, the Wi-Fi backhaul connection will disconnect automatically.
Here are two typical connection structures for Ethernet Backhaul:
Notes:
1. Please note that the main Deco unit will act as a NAT router by default.
2. Please add the Deco units on the same network at first through the Deco app before you wire them together.
3. Please make sure there aren't any other DHCP servers behind the main Deco. Otherwise, it will cause the second and third Deco units to obtain an invalid IP address that doesn't have internet access.
4. If you have switches on the network and find Ethernet Backhaul not working, please check the management IP address of your switches. It's possible that some switches adopt 192.168.0.1 (which is the same as the LAN IP address of the main Deco) as the management IP, which may cause some conflicts on the network. In this case, it's recommended to change the management IP address of switches to another subnet.
Frequently Ask Questions
Q1: Can I connect all the Deco units directly to my home modem/router?
* In Router mode
Only the main Deco could be connected to your home modem/router. Other slave Deco units should be connected behind the main one, just as the Star Network shows. If not, they may be in a network loop and cause unexpected dropout issues.
* In Access Point mode
You can connect all the Deco units directly to your home modem/router/switch as you want. The system will work as expected.
Q2: How to turn on the Ethernet Backhaul feature?
No need to switch on this feature manually.
Just add your Deco units in the same Deco network and wire them together as per the above network structure. Then Ethernet Backhaul will take effect automatically.
Q3: How do I know if Ethernet Backhaul takes effect?
Launch the Deco app, tap on "Internet". Then tap on the slave Deco unit which is wired to other Decos and you can see its backhaul status.
Q4: To use the Ethernet Backhaul feature, do I need to wire all my Deco units?
Nope. You can set up one for wireless backhaul, and the other one for Ethernet backhaul as what you want.
For example, if you have three Deco units and want to create Wi-Fi not only in your house but also in the garage, which is a little far from the house and without Wi-Fi coverage. Then you can put the main Deco and slave Deco 1 in your house (wireless backhaul). As for slave Deco 2, you can place it in the garage with a long Ethernet cable connected to the main or slave 1 unit. In this case, the slave 2 unit will work through Ethernet backhaul, while the main and slave 1 will work through wireless backhaul.
Q5: Why my Decos become unstable once they're connected via a switch?
It's probably that you're using a D-Link switch.
The Deco Ethernet backhaul feature is based on the standard IEEE 1905.1 protocol. However, we find that some D-Link switches will not forward packets based on IEEE 1905.1 protocol, causing all Deco units in a loop and become quite unstable. If you have a D-Link switch and encounter unstable issue with Ethernet backhaul, we recommend to change another brand of a switch or contact D-Link support directly for a fix.
If you're not sure which switch to use, TP-Link switches may be a good choice.
Q6: Can I set up Ethernet Backhaul through a powerline connection?
That's okay if the powerline connection doesn't block any data flow.
Typical topology is, modem ---- main Deco ---- Powerline unit~~~Powerline unit ---- slave Deco
Q7: Can I set up different Deco models such as M5 and M9 Plus together through Ethernet backhaul?
Yes, just configure and add different Deco models in the same Deco network. After that, you can wire them to set up the Ethernet backhaul connection.
You could refer to the link below for how to add different Deco models in the same network.
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Hi there!
It seems you're trying a setup similar to the one I tried, trying to use the modem/router lan ports as some kind of switch. I even started a new thread about it: Ethernet Backhaul through modem/router
Did yours work?
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dmitryperets wrote
Hi,
Does Deco support the following topology?
|- DECO #1
MODEM/SWITCH |
|- DECO #2
In words: It is basically similar to the start topology described in this post, but the modem and the switch is actually the same device.
I have my modem installed at the entrance of the house, and it can also act as router/switch/whatever. And I have a wired connection from each room to it. It does bridging between all these wires. So I'd like to interconnect the DECOs using these wires.
Will it work...? In your topology, you use separate WAN and LAN ports. But in my case, WAN and LAN port is actually the same... going to the modem/switch.
Hey there, it seems your setup is similar to the one I tried, using the modem/router lan ports to connect two Deco units. I even posted about it: Ethernet Backhaul through modem/router.
Have yours worked? If so, the Deco units were within wi fi range? I mean, has the ethernet backhaul worked or were they only connected through wi fi?
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Here is the answer from TP-Link. I have now set-up my network with TPLink switch and it work find. Still tgere is no way to validate if the network is really using the Ethernet Backhaul.
Mbilodeau wrote
Thanks for the information, I also struggling with DLink switch and trying to make it work with Deco in Ethernet BackHaul Mode. I will try a different brand of switch and it should be OK. This is still very anoying, I have spend several hours to figure this out.
Dear Customer,
Thanks for your feedback.
The issue you mentioned seems an issue with the D-Link switch as we also received several feedback from other customers using D-Link switch as well.
After a test, we have located the root cause. Deco adopts the IEEE 1905.1 standard protocol to create the Ethernet Backhaul network. When Ethernet backhaul is working, Deco will disconnect the Wi-Fi backhaul to avoid the network loop issue.
However, we find that some D-Link switches won't forward the IEEE 1905.1 packets, causing that both Ethernet and wireless connections between Decos are working at the same time, which resulting in a network loop, causing the whole Deco system becomes unstable.
We already tested with switches of some other brands (unmanaged or managed), all work fine except some of the D-Link switches. Even some D-Link managed switches are working fine by forwarding the IEEE 1905.1 packets as expected.
Regarding this case, we recommend to contact D-Link support for a solution. Or change another switch such as TP-Link unmanaged switch which is confirmed working with Deco Ethernet Backhaul connection.
Here is the reference link for TP-Link switches: https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/switches/
Thanks.
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If only I'd read this thread earlier...
I just connected my Deco's to a D-Link DGS-1008A and it broke my whole network.
Luckily I had a spare Netgear GS105 which works beautifully.
TP-Link (and D-Link) should specify the requirement and lack of IEEE 1905.1, respectively!
Also, the Deco app should show whether ethernet backhaul mode is working (correctly.)
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The issue only occurs on some D-Link switches, TP-Link switches can work with Deco properly.
In future updates, will show how Decos are connected in Deco App.
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hi i have a doubt i hope you can help me?
I have 3 units DECO M5 the main one is connected to my Internet provider via ethernet the other units are connected to each other through the WIFI and everything seems to be fine and not give problems.
I have a DVR on top of my house and I connect the Ethernet to the DECO 2 but it works super slow and the DVR takes years to respond then to solve that pull an Ethernet cable to the Main DECO (1) and I see that the DECO have two Ethernet ports then connect it directly to that port being the other is busy to connect to the Internet provider but I do not understand why it does not give me a signal for that port of the DECO Principal or will I have to configure something special or perhaps the DECO Main Does not have the other port in operation because it is the main one?
My other idea is to connect a Swicth in the surplus port of the DECO to pull the cables directly to the other devices.
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Please rephrase your question (questions?) - a >100 word sentence does not make it easy to answer.
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