@gc089627 

Hi Kevin,

 

Any news?

I've noticed this onemesh-problem spreads on forums.

 

Peter

  @Kevin_Z 

 

I have an MR500, purchased in Australia, and I see no option to turn off the one mesh. This should be communicated to potential buyers or I would NOT have purchased the product. Please advise whether there is a firmware upgrade that will allow me to turn off the hidden network. Thanks.

https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/271574?sortDir=ASC&page=1

https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/267610

 

They are working on it... MR200, 400 and 600 have already custom firmware.

You are VERY right. it should have been noticed. Now customers are emitting AP's without knowing. Could harm medical equipment or worse...

Mesh is a very questionable system. My neighbours have 2 meshadapters and their provider's router. The 2 mesh-adapters create 10 AP's (ten!), providers' router 2, that makes 12 AP's (twelve!) in a small house. They don't care, because nothing about it in the manual.

 

So  "does mesh work?" Yes, how? It disables surrounding networks. And it bypasses the max -20dbm-rule, because that rule is for each AP individually.

I did a test with 3 mesh-adapters: makes 15 (fifteen) signals. 4 would make 20, 5 would make 25. All plus the 2 of the provider's router. That's crazy... I hope it will be regulated soon. In your "available wifi-tab" you'll see only a few AP's. Don't let that fool you, it's a lot more.

In houses as mine and the neighbours: 2 AP's (2.4 and 5) were always more then enough. Even 1, because 2.4ghz covers internetspeed fine.

Now: I don't use wifi anymore. IMPOSSIBLE. Disconnects every half hour or worse. Equipment dies. I have everything oldscool wired again. Sad.

I could use Mesh in my house too. I strictly don't, I have other neighbours.

 

By the way: a hidden AP is an AP. Just the name is hidden. A hidden AP is as disturbing as a none-hidden AP. It also delayes known clients accessing known wifi-networks when surrounded by a bombardment of hidden AP's from another network.

 

I've read on other forums that it already is communicated with FCC.

I think TPLink is not to blame, it's 3th party. But some details in the manual would be nice.

The fact that the mesh network cannot be disabled makes a COMPLETE mockery of having a wifi on/off button on the router!!??

Does the 'off' solution on these physcially turn it off properly, or just remove the hidden network from sight? If the MR500 is not due for this firmware soon I'll ask for a refund and purchase a different model.

  @_Jack_ 

 

I have the mr200. Loaded the beta firmware.

When the mesh-button is OFF  I detected nothing anymore. Nor with windowsbased scanner nor with linuxbased scanner. So I think it's completely off. The beta firmware works.

Linux scans the best. It reveals part of the hidden ssid. Along with the mac's you can determine where it comes from.

 

Be patient, I noticed that the mesh on/off will be present in the standard firmwares. (as it should from the start, and it should be "off" in factorystart)

You can find the already made betas in de links above.

 

The physical wifi-button turns only wifi off, mesh stays on. Haven't tested that with the beta firmware.