RE200 not working on any version of linux

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RE200 not working on any version of linux

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RE200 not working on any version of linux
RE200 not working on any version of linux
2021-07-14 21:51:55
Model: RE200  
Hardware Version: V4
Firmware Version: 1.0.7

First, some specifics on my setup. I use a TP-Link RE200 in "Repeater" mode to extend the signal (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz) of my home Wi-Fi network, which I find to be quite slow. Connecting to the Wi-Fi extender offers faster speeds than my router on almost all of my devices pretty much everywhere in my house, so, on that front, it's been a massive success.

 

Where it doesn't work is on desktop linux. I've tested this several times over the year I've owned the extender, on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Debian and Fedora. All of them can connect fine directly to my main router. But, although all of them detect the extender and allow me to input the password, none allow me to connect. The computer tells me it's connecting for a little while, then it fails, then it tries again, then it fails, and so on...

 

I've done a little research into what could be causing the problem, and I believe it has something to do with Linux not being able to properly access the DHCP server on my main router through my extender. I believe this is the case because, when trying a bunch of stuff to try and solve the problem, I changed NetworkManager's (that's the software that manages network connections on most Linux distributions) default DHCP client to dhclient, and I was actually able to successfully connect to the Wi-Fi extender network. This seems like it would fix my problem, except that a) download speed is slightly slower on my PC than other devices (kind of annoying), b) the connection drops occasionally (very annoying), and c) alternative DHCP clients for Linux like dhcpcd5 or Kea don't work with the Wi-Fi extender network.

 

I've made some changes to my setup in an effort to fix the problem, including resetting my Wi-Fi extender and router, assigning static IPs to both my router and extender, creating a DHCP reservation for my PC from my router (using the bizarre "virtual MAC address" the extender insists on assigning my PC), and changing my router's DNS settings back to default (I was using Google's DNS servers before). None seem to have made any difference (aside from the DHCP reservation, which I can confirm is giving me the IP address I want when I connect to the extender with dhclient).

 

I honestly have no idea what could be the problem or how to fix it. If anybody has experienced this problem in the past or has some ideas please let me know, at this point I'm willing to try anything. Thanks in advance for any help.

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Re:RE200 not working on any version of linux
2021-07-15 03:21:50 - last edited 2021-07-15 06:38:26

@Bimblesticks  Hello, 

Do you mean other devices except for Linux computers could obtain stable  from RE? 

RE should provide Wireless and Ethernet connection to clients and does not have compatible issue with certain Windows system. 

If Linux computers use Wireless connection, you could try to upgrade driver for the wireless adapter on Linux computer, or try a different wireless adapter for Linux and see if that helps. 

 

May I know the model of router and the  detailed network topology?  Thank you. 

e.g. Router Model XX ))) wireless ((((RE200 )))) wireless ((( Linux computer (in bedroom )

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Re:RE200 not working on any version of linux
2021-07-15 09:59:02
Hi, First of all, yes, my Linux PC cannot connect to the extender network while other devices can. My router is a Vodafone Gigabox (hardware version VOX30R1). My extender is a TP-Link RE-200 (hardware version 4.0). My PC is running Linux kernel 5.4 (although no kernel works with the extender, I've tested others) with a WiFi adapter with the RTL8192EE chipset. I've tested both the default Linux kernel drivers and alternate drivers for that chipset from online, both work with the router, neither with the extender.
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#3
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Re:RE200 not working on any version of linux
2021-07-15 12:24:16

@Bimblesticks Hello,

Thanks for providing the details, as this issue you are experiencing sounds unusual. To address the issue and try to fix it, we would like to have a specialist look into this further via email. Please check your mailbox later, and let us know if the issue is resolved. Thank you!

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