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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After setup of the Deco M3-s in Wireless mash - it all works. But when I hook up a cable to unit 2 (or 3), the unit will show a RED led (I think it is rebooting) before coming online. After one minute or so, the process (reboot) repeats.
- initially, I accidentally had a DHCP server on the network, but that is no longer the case
My setup :
It works with disconnected M5 #2 and #3
When I hook up M5 #2 reboot loop starts.
Deco M5 firmware: latest (1.1.6 build 20171103 rel 47257) on all Deco's
So M5#1 : in router mode
I have tried starting up network with other nodes switched off. It seemed to be stable for a short while.
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Dear Adriaan,
Thank you very much for your email requesting information about our product.
Sorry for all the inconvenience caused to you.
As we can see in your network, there are three switches which are connected to the main deco. Would you please do the following test with me?
1. Disconnect all of your switches in the network, connect the Deco#2 to the main one with an Ethernet cable directly and check if the connection is good.
2. If yes, please try to connect one of the switch (called it switch #1)to the Deco#2 and test the connection again.
3. If still works fine, please add another switch(called swicth #2) to the swicth #1 and check if the connection is good.
You can add one device in each step until we find the one which making the system reboot.
Have a nice day.
After having performed these steps (in multiple variations, also with new cables) I have concluded that Deco M5 works is not compatible with Switch#1 D-Link DGS-1008D 8 port unmanaged switch (reboots occur with just 2 Deco M5 notes and this switch connected)
Two different switches (D-Link DGS-1005D and a 5-port switch from SiteCom) could be inserted between Deco M5 nodes without problem. Also connecting my remaining network equipment through a secondary switch worked.
My remaining problem is what switch to use as primary switch (I would need to buy a new switch for this purpose). Also I'm not happy with 'reboot loop as a diagnostic indication'. The firmware stability does not give me confidence.
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I have to say consumer care was very helpful through email. I hope app and firmware will evolve to address missing functionality - also w.r.t. problem diagnostics. Rebooting as an indicator is not what I expect.
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It's a D-Link DGS-1100-26 managed switch. When I connect 2nd Deco to the D-Link switch, they just keep rebooting.
I replace it with my old Cisco switch, it works fine.
Don't know why.
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i tried multiple options and none work. Only connecting both decos directly.
I've tried connecting both directly to my router ZTE H298. also connecting via a D-Link DGS-1008D swith. I even tried using another router as a switch (TPLink AC1200). No luck either.
I think there is something wrong with this functionality. It's not normal that it's not compatible with so many different network equipments...
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Damo01 wrote
Here is the reply from tp-link support. Interesting that the dont post it them self. ”Recently we get some feedback that Deco cannot work properly while connected to some D-Link switches. After a series of tests, we find that it's because some D-Link switches cannot handle and forward the Ethernet II control packet that based of the standard IEEE 1905.1 protocol, which is adopted by Deco to set up a wired network. TP-Link and other brands of switches can forward these packets normally.Regarding this case, it's recommended to replace the D-Link switch with another one for a check. Or contact D-Link support for a solution”I dont buy this answer... so because I have bought a set of deco, i need to replace my other switches just to get the deco to work? As i recall, there was no pre req about this..
Having been in the same situation - I share your frustration. But - since in my job I also cope with interoperability issues caused by one manufacturer - I understand the TP-Link position. Standards are important, and one cannot be held responsible for the failures of other manufacturers. The D-link switch did it's job well for me until recently, but only now I recognize why my previous NAS had issues with jumbo frames (and the same - pretty old switch)
Where I believe TP link should improve:
- diagnostics (and since all Deco's are connected to one account and have IP communication - I believe this should be well achievable)
- a step wise setup for wired backaul from app would be very helpful)
- graceful degradation : if no IEEE1905.1 then... sorry - your infrastructure seems not compatible - ignoring ethernet connection
- I do miss the standard things from web interfaces (DHCP troubleshooting, syslog server,...)
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