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 guys, I will appriciate some help over here.
I am trying to add 2 Decos M5 to my existing home network.
The existing home netwok topology (before adding the Decos) is as per the following:
[Modem] --- [TP-Link Archer C7 with NAT, DHCP, WIFI] ~~~
I want to avoid any cable connection and just add the Decos to the network as access points, affectivly creating a mesh network with one device in every room.
The topology I am trying to achive is this:
[Modem] --- [TP-Link Archer C7 with NAT, DHCP, WIFI] ~~ [Deco1] ~~ [Deco 2]
Unfortunatly, it seems that I cannot configure any of the Decos without a wired connection (even if they are configured as access points)
I want my current TP-Link router to keep transmitting WIFI on the same network as my Decos and make them work together to create a mesh.
@TP-Link how do I set up such a network?
Thanks,
Alex
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What is best practice for running switches in multiple locations?
Current setup is:
Modem—>M5-1–>switch
M5-2–>wireless
I want to add a switch to the room M5-2 and wire with ethernet, should I add the switch after the m5 or before?
ethernet cable in to room—>m5, second port to switch
or
ethernet cable—>switch—>m5
same scenario for third unit.
Thoughts/Experience?
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If I may offer a point of reference, my setup works as follows:
Modem > Router > Deco 1 (port 1) : Deco 1 (port 2) > Switch (via Powerline) > Deco 2 (via Powerline) : Deco 3 (via Ethernet)
I chose to maintain the use of my ISP Router as it has a backup USB 4G dongle attached to it as well as the port for my VOIP service.
The only Ethernet connection from the Router is to Deco1.
wifi is disabled on my ISP Router.
Blogger7 wrote
Ethernet backhaul is NOT working for me can you please help? Here is my setup:- Model:-> Deco 5 :-> Gigabit Switch 1:-> Gigabit Switch 2:-> second Deco 5 (Not working) l-> Third Deco 5 (Not working) I problem help
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Both scenarios work.
The only thing that needs attention (Router Mode) is that all the remote Deco units should be connected behind the main Deco. In other words, you could connect the remote Deco directly to the Ethernet LAN port of the main Deco, or connect the remote Deco to a switch which is connected to the Ethernet LAN port of the main Deco. However, you cannot connect both Deco units directly to the same root router.
Wrong topology: Internet ---- ISP router ---- (switch) ---- main/remote Deco
Correct topology:Internet ---- ISP router ---- main Deco ---- (switch) ---- Other Decos/switches
In Access Point mode, no such limitations.
emrdrgz wrote
What is best practice for running switches in multiple locations?
Current setup is:
Modem—>M5-1–>switch
M5-2–>wireless
I want to add a switch to the room M5-2 and wire with ethernet, should I add the switch after the m5 or before?
ethernet cable in to room—>m5, second port to switch
or
ethernet cable—>switch—>m5
same scenario for third unit.
Thoughts/Experience?
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The main Deco should be wired connected to the front-end modem/router. Thus your setup won't work in this case.
We recommend to set up Deco as the main router. As for Archer C7, you could let it connect to the Deco network via the WDS bridging feature.
AlexGal wrote
Hi guys, I will appriciate some help over here.
I am trying to add 2 Decos M5 to my existing home network.
The existing home netwok topology (before adding the Decos) is as per the following:
[Modem] --- [TP-Link Archer C7 with NAT, DHCP, WIFI] ~~~
I want to avoid any cable connection and just add the Decos to the network as access points, affectivly creating a mesh network with one device in every room.
The topology I am trying to achive is this:
[Modem] --- [TP-Link Archer C7 with NAT, DHCP, WIFI] ~~ [Deco1] ~~ [Deco 2]
Unfortunatly, it seems that I cannot configure any of the Decos without a wired connection (even if they are configured as access points)
I want my current TP-Link router to keep transmitting WIFI on the same network as my Decos and make them work together to create a mesh.
@TP-Link how do I set up such a network?
Thanks,
Alex
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Hi, I have a set of Three Deco M5 and need to understand the best structure to work as access point and Ethernet Back Haul.
The proposed structure is:
ONT+Router (Internet Provider) > Main Deco M5 > TP Link Switch > Deco M5 2 and Deco M5 3
Is there any other way that the newtwork would work better?
Unfortunately, my Internet and TV provider won't allow the V'Lans to be used directly at Deco M5, putting their router in Bridge mode.
Thanks
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In AP mode, while you could have the Deco ahead of the switch, there is certainly no need to (and why pass all of your outbound wired LAN traffic through the Deco if it isn't handling routing and security anyway?). All of this stuff is in the same broadcast domain in your topology. The only thing that sits outside of it is the ISP-facing WAN segment. In AP mode, think of the Decos as a big wireless switch. Anything connected to physical ethernet ports is passed right through, while wireless clients are subject to Wi-Fi security.
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my current setup is a bit complicated which includes switch module for router and Deco in AP mode only..etc but below i tried to simplify it for you
Simplified view#1 (inserting a Switch is not an option):
Router <> (Port 1) Deco#1(Port2) <> Power line <> Deco#2
Simplified view#2 (Using switch):
Router <> (Port 1) Deco#1(Port2) <> Switch <> Deco#2 (if you wanna add more just connect Deco #3 to switch)
****** I'm impatiently waiting for the new firmware which apparently will show the wired backhaul working******
btw , any web interface access would be appreciated although i know it'd fall in deaf ears
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hi there!
I want to set up the following:
2 Internet connections with 2 isp routers then both connected to a router witch unifies the internet speed, then connected to a switch and then connect 6 deco m5 to the switch with ethernet.
Is it possible??
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Hey mate,
As far as I understand it's not possible in wired backhaul model, deco is designed for a Hub-Spoke model and only hub is allowed to have internet connectivity. if spokes receive the ISP Router/Gateway ARP , it'll break the model for the wired backhaul.
Also deco is not that intellligent (at least features are not visible via app) to detect dual path and path preference. it's very very basic designed for no clue home users.
In your best case scenario , you'd be looking at below: (In this model you'll be confined to Deco Hub 1Gig uplink capacity , hopefully you dont need more )
Active/Standby Internet:
You need to run HSRP/VRRP on the inside interfaces of your ISP routers so deco always talks to active router. (Incase you can access those routers)
Active/Active Internet:
You may need to do some GLBP on ISP routers, if you use a device capable of it
Hope it helps
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