@Bahamas 

 

To avoid further interruptions to your Deco mesh Main Network WiFi, I would suggest the following:

 

Enable Guest Network with its own SSID and password, and with same Security as Main Network. Disable 5GHz on Guest Network, set it to run with 2.4GHz only.

Experiment with it. Specifically: see if smart thermostat can connect to Guest Network SSID and see if iPhone smartphone can connect to Guest Network SSID.

 

  @Alexandre. Thank you for your immediate response.

 

When I turn on the Guest network (with its own SSID), it shows up in the list of networks. When I then limit it to 2.4 GHz, it drops off the list.

Also, when I then look at all available networks

(in terminal: "sudo /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport /usr/sbin/airport -s")

the guest network is not there, while other 2.4 GHz networks are (marked in green) below.

 

Obviously, Deco X50 does not provide 2.4 GHz service!

 

          SSID BSSID             RSSI CHANNEL HT CC SECURITY (auth/unicast/group)

                    TP-Link_00D0 54:af:97:41:e2:cb -84  11      Y  -- WPA(PSK/AES/AES) RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                 CasaGialla_Nova 04:95:e6:a9:53:6c -78  40      Y  US WPA(PSK/AES/AES) RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                CasaGialla_Guest 36:87:ba:b2:a2:33 -74  48      Y  DE RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                CasaGialla_Guest 3a:87:ba:b2:a2:27 -74  48      Y  DE RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                      CasaGialla 32:87:ba:b2:a2:27 -74  48      Y  DE RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                      CasaGialla 28:87:ba:b2:a2:33 -74  48      Y  DE RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                 CasaGialla_Nova 04:95:e6:a9:53:69 -68  6,-1    Y  -- WPA(PSK/AES/AES) RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                 CasaGialla_Nova 04:95:e6:a9:53:61 -54  6,-1    Y  -- WPA(PSK/AES/AES) RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

              TP-Link_CasaGialla 10:27:f5:dc:cc:e8 -48  11,-1   Y  -- RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                 CasaGialla_Nova 04:95:e6:a9:53:59 -43  6,-1    Y  -- WPA(PSK/AES/AES) RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                 CasaGialla_Nova 04:95:e6:a9:53:5c -59  40      Y  US WPA(PSK/AES/AES) RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                CasaGialla_Guest 3a:87:ba:b2:63:3f -56  48      Y  DE RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                      CasaGialla 36:87:ba:b2:63:3f -54  48      Y  DE RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

         DIRECT-2B-HP M428fdw LJ 16:cb:19:95:3b:2b -53  48      Y  -- RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

                 CasaGialla_Nova 04:95:e6:a9:53:64 -52  40      Y  US WPA(PSK/AES/AES) RSN(PSK/AES/AES)

  @Bahamas 

 

Deco X50 is supposed to provide 2.4GHz service when enabled in WiFI settings. It is possible, you've got defective Deco node or whole set. If you can, return it.

 

I would also suggest installing WiFi analyzer on one of iPhones you have. I am using WiFiman from Ubiquiti and can recommend it, you can find it in Apple app store. WiFi analyzer can give you same info on surrounding WiFi networks, but in easier to read way.

 

I would also suggest you do the following test with WiFi analyzer on smartphone, with Deco Guest Network enabled and broadcasting 2.4GHz only: stand very close to Deco node, flip WiFi off/on in smartphone to force it rescan networks, check in WiFi analyzer if it sees Guest Network. Repeat with each node.

It will tell you if you have single defective Deco node, or two out of three, or all three.

 

 

  @Bahamas Thank you again for your response.

 

I have used NetSpot on my Apple devices: after turning off 5GHz for the "Guest" account, it no longer shows up in listings anywhere. Out of curiosity, I have installed NetSpot also on an HP laptop (Windows): and there it shows up at channel 1.

 

I then remembered that another access point from TpLink (with an LTE / 4G modem) also didn't show on any of our Apple devices as long as it defaulted to channel 1. Only when I had forced it - via its WEB interface - to go to Channel 6 could I see and connect the Apple devices.

 

This avenue seems unavailable on the Deco: the channels cannot be set AFAIK.

 

This is a strange incompatibility at the core of Apple's treatment of WiFi channel 1 and/or TpLink's configuration of same.

 

I seem to be stuck - this isn't an obvious technical defect of the Decos. Maybe I have to defect to another brand, unless I find a way to force a different channel.

 

Cheers, Hm

 

 

 

  @Bahamas 

 

What you are saying makes sense. It would be very unlikely to have hardware failure on all three Deco from the set. 

 

There are just two things as a result of your findings. I've been on this forum for two years, you are the first to notice Apple devices can't use channel 1. Perhaps, other are luckier to have Deco going with different channel, or maybe they don't miss much 2.4GHz band for Apple devices.

Which bring me to the next thing: is your smart thermostat also from Apple? Because, if it is not, the chance is you could make it connect to Guest network which runs on 2.4GHz only, even if it uses channel 1.

 

You can't force Deco to use a specific channel. You could run Network Optimization from Deco app or reboot Decos and that might force them to switch the channel, but at some point of time they might switch back to channel 1. 

  @Bahamas 

 

Did you find any solution to this?
I'm having the same issue trying to connect some Mill Heaters to my Deco X60.

It worked last winter, so its kinda strange.

If i use 2.4g only, nothing can connect.

Can we get more customisation to our equipment? It is novice friendly, however it can only get so far. I have waited years for seperate dhcp pool, seperate ssid, wireguard vpn.

I also have a G4 router where I can set the channel through the web interface, and I set it to "2". I then reset the Decos and recreated a new mesh network, with the G4 router already up and running. This time the Deco mesh chose channel "4", and has kept it ever since. On channel 4, my IOT devices had no problem connecting. I still think that auto-channel override should be an option in the "Advanced" section of the Deco app. You may want to try this approach: good luck!