@Maciej I returned one ax11000 already. I have standard  Wi-Fi repeaters that uses a wired backhaul . I get similar speeds as what are being posted here and it's reliable. I plan to switch to a similar named model but a different brand that actually supports a real mesh network. I don't plan to invest more into TP-Link.

@Kevin_Z 

Quick update on the current BETA firmware.

Complete failure of 2.4ghz network, reboot and channel changes have fixed some minor issues however various devices fail to connect to the network.

Unfortunately the AX11000 firmware with onemesh is a long way off from being suitable for a stable release.

I'm getting to the point where this hardware is just useless in comparison to the cost.

If people are seeking stable onemesh networks then TP-Link isn't the solution with current hardware and software.

Hello @Scott79 

Thank you for your update and truly very sorry to hear about your experiences.

1) I must say that the stability of my OneMesh setup has improved considerably over the past few days, however - HOWEVER - I do not see any tangible increase in actual speed when compared to using the RE505Xs in Repeater or, better still, Access Point mode. The latter is especially beneficial as the connection with the router is perforce ethernet, so practically no link rate/speed drops there.

The sole advantage of OneMesh being that it is easier to connect the RE505Xs, because if I want to use them as repeaters or access points with an SSID identical to that of the router, I first have to downgrade security on the router to WPA2 - otherwise, nothing will connect to the extended 5 GHz band of either RE505X. I have mentioned this problem before on the forum; it is caused by the fact that the RE505X (and the same goes for the RE605X) does not support WPA3.

2) I've now noticed that in OneMesh, the router and the nodes are very “sticky”, meaning that devices do not switch between them seamlessly, remaining connected to the router/node until its signal practically disappears. I do not know what could be causing this, as Tether (when I can connect to it, which is not often) indicates that the nodes (RE505Xs) are placed perfectly. Incidentally, one of the much touted benefits of a mesh system is the avoidance of such "stickiness".

3) If you are planning to switch from TP-Link to some other manufacturer to get a working mesh configuration, I think Asus would be the best bet, as they've been developing their own solution (they call it AImesh) for years now.

However - HOWEVER - many of their sets, for example the ZenWifi XT8, are absolutely hideous to set up and nearly always do not work as advertised. You'd think that a manufacturer with so much experience would offer a working solution, but no, it all seems to be in beta. And I'll just add that recently a friend asked me to help troubleshoot his XT8 config; we laboured on this for days without success, and he ended up returning it.

This is meant simply as a warning that TP-Link is not the only manufacturer with mesh system troubles, far from it.

Basically, if I were to go down this route, I would buy a few different products from various manufacturers and just keep the one which works in my scenario.

It's been a rambling post, so time for some closing thoughts:

- I am underwhelmed by OneMesh for the reasons outlined above and in other posts/threads. I was convinced that after working on the new firmware for the AX11000 for so long, TP-Link would offer a painless, working solution.

- Perhaps the new models of TP-Link routers, such as the AX90 or GX90, with one "weak" 2.4 GHZ band, one "weak" 5 GHz band, and one "strong" 5 GHZ band, are better suited for OneMesh, i.e. because the repeaters would latch on to the "weak" bands? Who knows, however this would require purchasing new hardware to test, and I'm hardly ready for this.

- I really hope that the engineers can come up with something, as I've been sending them logs for a week now.

Best regards,

Maciej

@Kevin_Z 

Have had the AX11000 since Autumn '20. When I added a nest outdoor camera, it would occasionally drop out or even get no signal at all (was actually quite disappointed with this being the Halo router from TPlink).

My solution was to ethernet (via homeplugs) to a spare Airport in the garage which I enabled the 2.4GHz antenna on (same ssid and pswd) and put it in Bridge mode (DHCP turned off).....acting like a hardwired backhaul Mesh system really. This allowed the camera to latch onto the 2.4GHz band but I still got occasional buffering issues.

I have now switched to the OneMesh system with the Beta FW and adding an RE605X node into the mix:

1. Main Router = Archer AX11000 upstairs in study. Node = RE605X downstairs in hallway.

Setting Up: Probably useful to add setup actions here as it isn't mentioned elsewhere and even the manual concentrates on Extender Mode instead:

To set up OneMesh with the RE605X, plug it in within range of the main router. Press the WPS button on the AX11000. Press the WPS button on the RE605X. That's it! Everything gets set up and configured correctly on it's own.

2. How large of the house? Upstairs (main router) = 800 sq ft, Downstairs (node) = 940 sq ft. Node indicates signal strength of 4/5.

3. Performance = Much more stable signal with front Nest Camera with no buffering anymore. This has allowed me to retire the Airport so I'm running just on AX11000 and RE605X alone.

I could probably improve things even more by repositioning the RE605X or by adding a third one but as it is I have seen an improvement with just the one.

Also worth adding my AX11000 setup is the same (I have SMART connect enabled, no Guest Network, fed from Virgin Router in Modem mode on their 350MBPS network) and everything seems to be working OK at the moment.

@Kevin_Z  Bonsoir, j'ai un ami qui lui a désactivé la norme Ax dans le wifi, il a laissé le 802.11a / n / ac et il m'a dit que c'est devenu hyper stable pour lui. Plus aucune perte de synchro, perte de vitesse et il a mis un redémarrage du routeur tous les 3 jours pour que le réseau sois toujours frais. Avant il doit désactiver le pare-feu et les Alg. Dans l'antivirus il avait tout enlevé aussi. Maintenant tout est actif, il dit que pour le moment ça reste stable de toute la semaine. Si ça peut donner des idées aux autres et aux techniciens Tp-link.

Kevin_Z wrote

@Gaffer  @Magico 

Thank you both for the valued feedback, this will certainly encourage others who want to use the Onemesh on their AX11000 and the extenders.

Which extender do you recommend?

To get max speed, is RE650 (1733 Mbps AC) better than RE605X (1201 Mbps AX)?

@ThiamHui 

The RE650 v1 doesn't support OneMesh, while information about the RE650 v2 is totally confusing - on its TP-Link product page you'll find no information about it being compatible with OneMesh, nor is it mentioned in the official OneMesh compatibility list. The instruction manual, however, contains numerous references to OneMesh.

And even if we assume that it is compatible, the actual speeds that you'll get will depend on your specific scenario.

Basically, comparing a theoretical link rate of 1733 to a theoretical link rate of 1201 will get you nowhere.