TP-Link_Deco wrote

@jpasan 

May I know the model number of your DSL modem? Will appreciate it if you can give your network topology.

On what clients will you encounter this issue, wired devices or wireless clients?

 

Due to the description, it seems that Deco enables the smart DHCP option as it fails to obtain an IP address from the DSL router. Smart DHCP is a mechanism that will enable Deco's DHCP server to assign IP addresses temporarily when the front-end router doesn't assign a valid IP address to Deco, so that you can still manage the Deco system although the front-end gateway is dead. Once Deco obtains an IP address, it will disable its own DHCP server immediately.

Next time if you encounter the same issue, please kindly check the client list on your DSL router and find if all the three Deco units are online. Then you can try to ping their IP address from a client that is connected to the DSL router and has internet access. 

@TP-Link_Deco 

Hello.

My modem is a Thomson TG784n. The network topology was something like this:

DSL router is connected via ethernet to Main Deco obviously. Main Deco and Deco 3 were connected directly to power outlets, so Powerline backhaul should be available. Deco 2 was connected to a power cord due to lack of outlets.

Deco 2 had the only wired client connected, an IPTV set-top box from the ISP and it was running well. All other clients were wireless.

But apparently the issue isn't restricted to the Main Deco as I though. Yesterday night two equipments that had been off for a while, a Smart TV and an Xbox One S, were turned on. Given they're in the same room, I assume they were connecting to Deco 3, we have no way to find that out currently in the P9s, and the same was happening. Gateway was the Main Deco, but the DNS server was the router. End result, no Internet. A PC that was on roughly in the middle of all Decos was suffering from the same problem.

Curiously my work and personal laptops that I used in the vicinity of Deco 3 never had issues.

Out of curiosity I repurposed my old TP-WPA8630P V2 kit (of which I'm still waiting for the roaming and OneMesh firmware updates) to see if it would help without having to restart the Main Deco to avoid disconnecting all client not physically connected to the modem, but it too received as the Gateway the Main Deco and wouldn't work. Going to the configuration page and forcing the gateway IP address of the router, it started to work.

I can't run any more tests now, as I just ended up disconnecting the whole Deco system and going back to the old Powerlines I had. I had replaced them with the P9 because of the extender started losing connectivity with the Adapter out of the blue, and it was affecting my ability to work. Hopefully they'll hold on until I get a proper replacemente, because I'm returning the P9s tomorrow. Besides the great WiFi coverage, the product just doesn't seem to in condition to be available yet.

I hope at least this helps you make some improvements to it

@jpasan mine (and everyone else's) does exactly the same. I can still return it to amazon though and get it rufunded and buy a mesh system that works. Is there any sollution to this TP-Link? 

@TP-Link_Deco 

Hello.

After returning the P9s and trying other alternatives that also proved not reliable, I'm considering giving the P9s another go. The P7s seem more mature, but given that 2 cost the same as 3 P9s and I need at least 3, the P9s are seemingly a better choice. Also I given the only backhaul possible I have is Powerline, these are the only two systems that I know have it.

The thing is that the firmware status and that smart DCHP apparent bug, are really putting me off. I happened to have a TL-WR902AC router lying around that I had repurposed as a Wireless bridge to connect my Sony Android TV that just wouldn't connect to the WiFi from the P9s, but it seemed to work. After removing the P9s and connecting directly to the router wifi, the TL-WR902AC seems to suffer from the same problem. I have the option of Smart DCHP and Fixed IP, but the Smart DCHP never did seem to get a proper IP from the router and was giving a different subnet to the TV, which made it not work. In Fixed IP mode it worked, but since you can't even do that in the P9s, it's another cons against them.

Can you tell me if there's any fix for this on the P9s and if there's a chance of getting another firmware? Because as they were it was to random to go on a leap of faith.

Also if there's any commonality between the smart DHCP in the P9s and the WR902AC, then it seems a genereal bug

@jpasan I've been online to support constantly. My "chat" was upgraded to senior team and they have not emailed me in 4 days. Absolute joke. They know it's broken, and they can't fix it, so they ignore their customers. 

@Scoredo as an update to this, they finally contacted me back and gave me the same solution that hadn't worked from previous conversation, and then asked me if the lights were solid, ping when it fails etc etc. So basically the "senior" team are as useless as the normal team and they can't fix there crap product. It's going back in the box and being returned. 
 

NEVER BUYING ANOTHER TP-LINK product again. 

@TP-Link_Deco