please also allow users to change powerline network name for enhanced security

I have asked this (light color explanation) many months ago, but got no answer...

The powerline connection is totally undocumented in deco P7 and the Deco app has no information at all. In this regard Deco P7 is a black box and one just has to hope it is secure.

I cannot find any documentation abou the powerline connection. Is it encrypted or not? At the moment user cannot manually pair the adapters and enable the encryption. I live in a house with multiple apartments, where there is no guarantee that the electrical circuits between apartments are isolated. Even in separated houses powerline signal usually bleeds much further than anticipated.

Then there is the led on powerbrick which changes color and sometime flashes. No documentation of the states...

Last part is the general problem of not knowing which method of backhaul is in use. The documentation is also vague about whether the P7 uses only one backhaul channel at time of whether it uses multiple backhaul channels in combination (ethernet, powerline or wifi).

In my opinion the Deco app needs an urgent update with information about the powerline status. I'd also like an option to disable the powerline function if needed for example when one has an active ethernet backhaul. The information about and controls over powerline should also be available when the deco is in AP-mode instead of router mode.

Kevin_Z wrote

Hello, the powerline function is used to enhance the performance (speed & stability). it has nothing to with the powerline network, so you do not have to worry about the security. 

 And there is no option to manage it.

 

 For the color, you can refer to the above picture.

 

And there is a plan to add the function which shows the specific backhaul in use in next firmware.  And there is  no priority for any backhaul connection. Based on the APS (Adaptive Path Selection) mechanism, Deco will choose the best backhaul connection depending on its through

I know that the P7 uses powerline function as only as a backhaul.

By your marketing material I'm guessing the communication protocol conforms to the Homeplug AV2 specification. I know the communication is AES-128 encrypted, but by default with a common key shared with all TP-link powerline adapters (and propably with all other manufacturer adapters) to ensure one can just plug and play powerline adapters. If the user wants to secure the powerline network s/he has to pair the devices manually which creates a new key shared only with the paired devices and therefore forms a new logical powerline network.

A crude analogy would be if all the Wi-fi routers came configured with a same SSID and password. The communication is encrypted, but not secure since it is trivial to know the key.

TP-link documentation does not tell how the P7 powerline adapters are configured and it doesn't tell if the deco app pairs the poweline adapters when one sets up the decos via the app. There is also no documentation whether the data itself is encrypted by the decos. Analogy for this would be a VPN, where one accepts the fact that the network is shared with others and encrypts the data itself.

I guess I'll just have to buy one more powerline adapter and start poking around to see what is going on, your answer did not offer any technical explanation how the security within powerline backchannel is handled.