Archer c6 in access point mode randomly drops all wireless clients. Only fix is to reboot.
I've had the Archer C6 for a about 6 months. I bought it to use in access point mode with my edgeRouterX as the main router. It has worked fine until last month. At some random point the C6 simply stops handling requests from wirless clients. The only thing that fixes it is a reboot. I also have devices wired to the C6. These devices somehow continue to work just fine. The C6 wireless signal remains up and my wireless devices attempt connect but get stuck in a loop of waiting for an IP address. DHCP is disabled on the C6 (it is in access point mode) and DHCP is enabled on the edgerouterX. All my devices use DHCP, none are configured with a static IP except for the C6.
When the problem occurs I notice that on the tplink web interface it shows 0 wired and wireless clients even after a reboot. Even though there are in fact devices connect and are able to access the internet normally. The only thing that fix this is a factory restore.
What could be the problem? I'm about ready to throw this Archer C6 away. It was really nice until now.
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Sorry to hear that.
As per your description, it seems that the wireless network disappears? Does this issue stick to the specific AP unit? How about the wireless LED on it, is it flashing correctly? How about the Enable SSID broadcast for the 2.4G network, is it still checked?
If that is not too troublesome, please reset the C6 to factory defaults, then reconfigure it from scratch to confirm, thanks.
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Yes, this issue sticks to this specific unit. I have two. The wireless LED remain green when the problem occurs. SSID was enabled in settings.
Regarding the factory reset, I've done it several times already after the problem was detected the first time.
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@meeDamian
This goes for anyone else. I don't think its a firmware problem anymore. I tried different firmware, did a bunch of debugging and sent info the TP team as they requested. In the end I got myself a new router/access point. I think the Archer C6 has a hardware problem with the 2.4 ghz antenna. It seems to just stop working properly after operating for a while. The time it takes to malfunction is random. Since I got my new access point I have better connection speeds to my TV which is in the same room. I'd like to emphasize the signal strength appears to be the same, but the actual connection speed is a lot better for some reason. I have not encountered any resolution changes when watching netflix on wifi which was extremely frequent on the Archer C6. And lastly, I've never once had my connection drop in the 3 months I've been using my new access point.
My recommendation to everyone with the same problem of the 2.4Ghz radio dropping all your clients, is to get a new access point / router. The Archer C6 v2 just can't be fixed. I've confirmed its not a configuration issue with th TPLink team. Everything they've asked me to send and try hasn't resulted in any improvement.
TL:DR;
Get yourself a new router/access point. Don't bother with the Archer C6 is you have the same problem I had when I made this thread. It cannot be fixed.
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@e.daniel777 same here, seems to be a screwed router evolution from previous good one....
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bigearsman wrote
When the problem occurs I notice that on the tplink web interface it shows 0 wired and wireless clients even after a reboot. Even though there are in fact devices connect and are able to access the internet normally. The only thing that fix this is a factory restore.
What could be the problem? I'm about ready to throw this Archer C6 away. It was really nice until now.
Here is the workarround for this part of your issue.
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