Firewalla DHCP => TP-Link Deco Mesh WiFi (devices drop from network constantly)
I am using Firewalla for DHCP. I have a TP-Link Deco set up as my WiFi Access Point(s).
Everyone in the household is experiencing connectivity issues on our laptops and phones. I've seen the issue with our WiFi-connected TV as well.
The phone will connect to the WiFi just fine. But it will eventually drop from WiFi with no error messages provided. I have to manually connect to the phone again to get it on the network. It take a considerable amount of time getting the IP address from the Firewalla.
I am experiencing this issue with devices that have reserved or dynamic IP addresses.
My laptop is hardwired to the Firewalla and has no issues with network stability.
My most recent test was to switch my TP-Link back to Router mode (so it provides IP addresses to all WiFi devices on my network). Since doing this, my issue has gone away.
I would like to go back to using the Firewalla for 100% of my DHCP needs (WiFi included). Does anybody have an idea how I should about fixing this?
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If your ethernet devices are not having issues, and when TPLink in router mode you are not having issues, then very likely (with a very high probability) that your WiFi may be buggy. And in your case, likely the TP-Link is not stable with it is AP mode. Not sure how you can fix this, but a few things
1. Check the network topology and make sure TPLink, when in AP mode, is corrected correctly.
2. We've seen eero having issues in AP mode and needing a network reset, and that usually fixes the issue.
3. In case any wiring is different when tplink in router and bridge mode, check cabling and make sure they are good quality.
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1. Hmm. I was thinking this pointed me to Firewalla being the culprit. I'll have to think about more tests I can perform as I really don't want to go straight to rebuilding. I haven't rebuilt the WiFi network from scratch (yet). (I was hoping to hold off on doing that if possible. I have 10 mesh points on my network! It is kind of a pain to get them all reset.*)
2. No change to wiring. FiOS => Firewalla => TP-LInk Main Mesh Point => Network Switch => The Rest of the Network.
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Well, I can confirm that the issue is definitely with the TP-Link Deco network. I'm still getting dropped -- just not as often -- but it does reconnect automatically most of the time. What a pain. Oh! And my phone is 10 feet from the main Deco unit, but instead of connecting to that one, it is connecting to one in another room or the one outside in the carport -- both of these are WiFi connections, not Ethernet, so there's no way they are faster for both (distance and wired/wireless) reasons.
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I had 7 when the problem started -- and had those 7 for 2 years with good stability. I did notice one of the additions created issues in one room, so I've turned that one (10th) off.
My network has been pretty stable since resetting the main Deco. I will be switching the Deco back to be just an access point and start using the Firewalla as my DHCP again for the wireless network.
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