@TP-Link_Deco 

When will this be available, when you say in a future version?

@TP-Link_Deco 

Sam issue here, device will not select nearest Deco unit.

I have one less than 10 feet away and it select one 28 feet away

When will this feature be available?

THanks

@TP-Link_Deco 

Hi there,

same issue here with my Deco M4 (system of 3). Even if I turn OFF/ON device wifi it will connect to the Deco that was last used (not to the closest one). Maybe it was only me but I missed this part in the marketing material and listened only to the sentence 'Deco uses a system of units to achieve seamless whole-home Wi-Fi coverage — eliminate weak signal areas once and for all!' - this is exactly the very first sentence for this product on your website...

Replying to your points:

1) It would be nice if you could provide some more details about how to check if my device is supporting the roaming protocol. I have a Dell business laptop and 2 Android smartphones that don't seem to do so.

2) Unfortunately not. My devices reconnect to the last used Deco even after manually triggering a wifi OFF/ON cycle or after they lose connection completely for a couple of seconds (due to weak signal from distant Deco). It seems that for any reason the devices prefer one physical unit of my mesh system.

Issues to be added from my side:

• it is extremely hard to identify which Deco my device is momentarily connected to. Sometimes the Deco app displays it, sometimes it displays no connected devices while I am using the internet.

System setup:

- Archer MR600 main router, wifi turned off

- 3 pieces of Deco M4 units in AP mode, signal source: Ethernet. All Decos are connected with cable to the main router, via switches.

- on the Decos 2.4 and 5Ghz are turned on both for main and guest networks

In case you would need any further information just let me know.

@Pispidoor 

If you would like suggestions on improving device roaming performance, meaning helping devices (laptops, mobiles) select closest Deco node with strongest WiFi signal, here they are.

But, first, my experience: I do run Deco mesh with 3 nodes, they are located reasonably well from WiFi coverage point of view. I have two Android 9 smartphones that always connect to the node with the strongest signal and roam seamlessly as their owners walk through the house.

I also have Surface Pro that is a bit slow switching between nodes, but when it goes to sleep it turns off WiFi, and when user wakes it up - tablet connects to the Deco node with the strongest signal.

So, here are things to look at. Not that you have to, but doing it should improve device roaming in Deco mesh.

To better understand your network, I would suggest installing WiFi Analyzer on your smartphone. I am using WiFiMan from Ubiquiti and will be referring to it.

1. Disable 2.4GHz on Main Network.

Your smartphone will roam to closest Deco node faster, when it only runs on 5GHz. You will also see better download speeds.

Keep 2.4GHz for Guest Network, if you have devices that can't connect on 5GHz.

2. Node deployment, WiFi coverage.

Ideally, your Deco mesh nodes should be deployed in a way that in places which do matter you have only one node with strong signal, another node with weaker signal, and a third node with very weak or no signal. That will help your devices to choose the best node every time. Like that:

3. Keep relevant roaming settings enabled in Deco app.

That would be Fast Roaming, Beanforming and also Mesh per each device (enabled by default, but just check if it is).

4. For laptop specifically, see what Network device driver options it offers to improve WiFi roaming between mesh nodes

You can find these under Device Manager in Windows. In example below, you should choose 5GHz as Preferred Band and also should set Roaming Aggressiveness to High (or Highest).

Instead of "Roaming Aggressiveness" you may see "Roaming Sensitivity" or similar, depending on WiFi Network card brand. For laptop, make it High (Highest).

5. Enable "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" for Network adapter

I have Surface Pro 4 which does not offer roaming tuning options. When it is in use and moved in the house, it sometimes stubborny cling to the node it is connected to, till signal gets really weak.

As a workaround, I found the setting in Power Management for network adapter, to save power when idle/sleep, and turned it on. Surface Pro now powers off network adapter when it goes to sleep, turns it on and reconnects to the closest Deco node when user wakes tablet up.

If your laptop does not have band selection and roaming tuning options, consider using this as a substitution.

Note that these recommendations are valid for any mesh deployment, with only Item 3 specific for Deco - but other mesh systems may have similar configuration parameters that should be set same way.

Also, when troubleshooting your mesh (any mesh, not just Deco) you can use WiFi analyzer running on Android smartphone to get real time info about mesh node your smarpthone is connected to.

@TP-Link how do I get access to this beta? My issues is that I have 3 decos set up in my single floor condo that is only 1600 sq ft, however my deco in my bedroom is connecting to the main deco in my living room, instead of the hallway deco that was placed there for the very purpose of bridging the two. Why can I not change its signal source so it connects to the hallway deco instead of the much farther living room deco???? I bought this for the sole purpose of being able to work from my bedroom and instead of getting 200mbps like I do in my living room, I get the equivalent of dial up speeds 😑 this is a horrible user experience. 
 

@PriyaVenkat I have the exactly same problem, did you fixed it somehow?

@TP-Link Hello, how do I get my hands on the beta version so I can test it? Who do we contact with our findings, bugs and issues with the beta version?

@bgoncal Not yet. Planning to try the beta FW version to see if it fixes the issue.