@Carl 

I updated the firmware on the M5 units to 1.4.2.  However, I still am experiencing the same issue.

Just a few hours after the firmware upgrade, approximately 40% of the devices on my network dropped their connection and are getting unable to obtain IP address errors.  

@Carl 

My network started dropping devices (and not being able to reconnect them) for the second time within 24 hours of applying the 1.4.2 firmware to the M5 units.  

Rebooting the main deco allows 5-10 devices to connect, but the other 50+ devices are left in a "failed to obtain IP address" state.  Multiple attempts to reboot the decos have the same effect - it's just a different 5-10 devices that connect each time.  

It's like the network is getting overloaded and only a few devices can get connected before the overload prevents anything else from joining.

My only solution is still to use the circuit breaker in my house to turn everything off and then slowly turn everything on room by room.  This is not a viable solution when this issue is happening multiple times a week (or even a day)!

Please help!

@Carl 

1. Yes, same email address.

2. As for the logs, do you need them from a time when the issue was occurring?  The latest log file I tried to download just had activity for the last couple of hours.  Fortunately, I haven't had this issue since last Sunday.  Is there a way to access older log files?

Thanks, 

JimGT wrote

@Carl 

 

1. Yes, same email address.

2. As for the logs, do you need them from a time when the issue was occurring?  The latest log file I tried to download just had activity for the last couple of hours.  Fortunately, I haven't had this issue since last Sunday.  Is there a way to access older log files?

 

Thanks, 

I have the same issue did you find the solution?@JimGT 

@Liza_M_Aguilar 

I still have the same issue.  After many hours of debugging and many hours of TP-Link support connected to my system, the only progress I was able to make was to confirm that the router is getting overloaded with DHCP requests. 

I have done extensive testing to see if one of the M9 or M5 units is to blame or if a specific device on the network is causing the issue.  For example, running the network with only specific units on or off.  Long story short, it does not appear device specific.  The first device(s) to lose connections and start bombarding the network with DHCP requests are always different - no discernable patterns.

The partial work around for this is to change the IP configuration on each device to have a static IP (no DHCP).  I made a spreadsheet to track all the IP's I assigned to devices on my network so I don't assign anything the same IP.  I have updated all the devices I can (computers, phones, tv's, etc) to have static IP's. 

The issues with this partial work around are:

1. Certain devices (like TP-Link brand smart switches) only do DHCP.  The devices that only do DHCP will eventually get stuck trying to reconnect and remain offline.  After resetting the entire network, sometimes they will stay connected for weeks - sometimes just a few days before problems occur. 
2. Guest device wifi - once my network gets into a bad state, the only way to connect anything is with a static IP assigned.  Obviously, trying to tell a guest in your house how to setup a static IP (and pick one that isn't already taken) is less than desirable and essentially turns into something that only I know how to do.

I keep hoping every new firmware update will fix this, but it never does.  

At this point, I'm pretty annoyed with TP-Link and will never buy another one of their products.  It's ridiculous that the routers are getting overloaded by DHCP requests and their logs are so pitifully small that unless you find the issue within the first few minutes of it occurring, you lose the history of what happened.  After spending hours connected to their support line and talking to engineers, they had no answers.  They captured a lot of data and said they'd get back to me but never did even after I tried contacting them again.  Unfortunately, I've got 40+ of their devices installed around the house, so it's going to be slow to replace it all.  

If anyone can recommend a really great mesh wifi system for a large house, please let me know :-)

Just an update on the situation here... the issue described above definitely appears to be caused by the Deco units' poor DHCP server implementation.  

A few weeks ago, I switched all of my Decos into Access Point mode and turned on the DHCP server on my ISP provided modem/router.  I've had zero devices lose their network connection since this I made the switch.  

It's quite disappointing that the Deco system can't even match what my 5+ year old ISP modem can - namely, successfully acting as a DHCP server for the ~70 wifi connected devices in my house.  

It's also quite disappointing that I have to disable all the other features of the Deco system (e.g. Parental Controls) just to turn off DHCP on the Decos.  I feel like a standalone option to disable DHCP has been a basic feature of every networking device I've used in the last 20 years.  

I really like the vision for what TP-Link was trying to accomplish with the Deco product line, but unfortunately there seem to be many limitations lurking just beneath the surface that render these devices as very poor networking equipment.  I'll limp along with my current setup for a little longer, but I suspect these Deco units won't last much longer in my house.

@JimGT just added to deco M9s to my M5 mesh network and allowed M9 to become the main deco. What was once a reliable network has become buggy. I fault the M9s. Connections spin and spin. Sometimes the connection is resolved over the course of time (hours?). Sometimes I have to reboot the decos to make the connection. All in all, I am not too pleased. I will try and change to access point and let the ISP router do the DHCP distro and see if that fixes it. Not ideal, but better than what is currently happening.

Might be sending these M9s back.