Extending our Deco M5 mesh via Powerline

Extending our Deco M5 mesh via Powerline

Extending our Deco M5 mesh via Powerline
Extending our Deco M5 mesh via Powerline
2 weeks ago
Model: Deco M5  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version: 1.7.8

We have a Deco M5 mesh system in our house, with three "nodes", as well as a network of TP-Link AV1000 powerline adapters.

 

We also have a "cabin" in the garden (AKA the "shed with benefits" 😅) with a mains power connection, that thankfully shares the same ring main as the house, so powerline connections work in the cabin.

 

Although we currently have an AV1000 powerline adapter set up in the cabin, I would like to replace it with a powerline WiFi "extender" (so we can use both Ethernet and WiFi there). I have been considering a WPA7617 unit; however, I did not realise until very recently, that Deco units from different model types can operate together.

 

As the Deco P9 has built-in AV1000 capability: would I be able to get a single P9 unit and connect it via powerline "backhaul" to the Deco M5 network in the house? Or, would I be better off finding a WPA7617 extender instead?

 

(I should mention that the Deco's WiFi just reaches the cabin as things stand, but the connection is not strong out there, so a WiFi extender of some kind would be welcome.)

 

Hope this is clear - many thanks in advance for any advice you can give 🙏🏻

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#1
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3 Reply
Re:Extending our Deco M5 mesh via Powerline
2 weeks ago

  @moorsider 

 

Single Deco P9 will not connect with the rest of M5 Deco mesh over powerline. P9 will not connect to TP-Link AV1000, too.

 

There is another option, which you can actually test before buying additional hardware. Deco M5 can use TP-Link powerline adapter to establish Ethernet backhaul over powerline. Which means, if you bring Satellite Deco M5 to the cabin and connect it to AV1000 adapter with Ethernet cable, M5 could establish Ethernet backhaul.

 

For that to work, one of powerline adapters in the house must connect to Main Deco M5, or to switch that connects to Main Deco. If you have that already, take one of Satellite M5s you already have and try it in the cabin.

 

If that works, buy additional M5 unit to complete the WiFi mesh setup. 

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#2
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Re:Extending our Deco M5 mesh via Powerline
2 weeks ago

@Alexandre. Many thanks for your quick reply - much appreciated 🙏🏻

 

This sounds like it might be the best solution; the Deco M5 system is already linked to the cabin over the powerline adapters (and that works), so as long as an extra M5 unit could use the powerline backhaul, we could have the same WiFi login in the cabin as in the rest of the house.

 

Time to go looking for another M5 unit... thanks again!

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#3
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Re:Extending our Deco M5 mesh via Powerline
2 weeks ago

Follow-up... I took one of our "satellite" Decos out to the cabin, and connected the AV1000 powerline adapter (already out there) as a backhaul.

 

I'm happy to report that it works the way I hoped it would 👍🏻 It made the cabin a part of our home Deco network: the link is not exactly speedy (I got about 50Mbps up/down, compared to about 300 over WiFi in the same room as the main Deco, and nearly 800 (!) with a direct Ethernet connection), but that's almost certainly down to the powerline adapters. (I've been pretty disappointed with the performance of the AV1000 adapters in our house, and wonder whether there's interference in our wiring or something...)

 

That said: I sometimes use the cabin as a "backup" office, and the network speeds I got out there should be sufficient for Zoom/Teams calls and the like. Many thanks again for suggesting an extra M5 unit 🙏🏻

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#4
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