@TC83 

Welcome to the community!

If you assign the same SSID to all bands for TTT, your devices will roam between each band based on their own roaming algorithms combined with features within Deco Mesh technology to assist them with roaming between each band individually while connected to TTT.

However, only the MLO network (TTT_MLO) will utilize MLO features, and only MLO-enabled devices will be able to take advantage of them.

For more information on how TP-Link Wi-Fi 7 Routers and Deco Mesh Systems can take advantage of MLO, check out this article.

As for your question about which backhaul will be used:

The Deco BE85 offers flexible backhaul connectivity options to suit your network topology and requirements. You can choose to use wireless backhaul or wireless and wired combined backhaul based on your specific network layout and performance requirements.

Wireless Backhaul: By utilizing multi-band wireless backhaul, the system aggregates multiple bands, including 6 GHz, into a combined backhaul for connections between Deco units. It reduces user configuration by automatically adjusting to the optimal connection according to their device's performance. The system also ensures faster speeds and a stable connection while reducing latency and improving the overall throughput.

Wireless and Wired Combined Backhaul: When connecting the Deco units via Ethernet cables, they can also build the mesh system using Wired/Ethernet Backhaul simultaneously. This way, it greatly improves overall throughput and reduces latency, delivering broader coverage with more stable and reliable connections.

@yves_b 

Sorry for any confusion. I've edited my earlier post to provide more clarity.

If by "6 GHz SSID" you mean the separate, client-facing 6 GHz band that has a separate SSID configuration option (in contrast to the combined 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz SSID), that would generally mean we're referring to the non-MLO Network and its settings.

When the MLO Network feature is enabled, you will be presented with a separate set of network configuration settings specifically for the MLO network (e.g., SSID, password, security, etc.), and devices that support MLO will have the opportunity to connect to multiple bands simultaneously.

The main network and MLO network can be enabled and operated at the same time.

In this case, TC83 mentioned that their non-MLO network has the SSID "TTT." This non-MLO network allows devices to connect individually to whichever bands are enabled (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz) and supported by the client devices.

If they enable the MLO Network, they will have the option to assign it its own SSID. This network, separate from the main network, will support MLO features and MLO-enabled devices.

More details (including screenshots, menus, and FAQs) can be found in our global forum post here.

Hope this helps!

  @yves_b Glad to hear!

That is a fantastic question, and is a point I honestly thought about mentioning in my previous post - so I'm glad you asked.

One of the biggest contributing factors as to why the 6 GHz SSID (on the non-MLO network) has its own, separate configuration settings, is because WPA3 is the default (and required) encryption for this band. While WPA3 has become more widely adopted - even by some legacy client devices - it may not be fully supported by all legacy clients on a user's network.

Suppose the main network (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz) is configured with encryption lower than WPA3 in order to accommodate legacy devices that do not support the latest encryption standards, and the 6 GHz band is assigned the same SSID as the main network. In that case, this may introduce potential difficulties for devices that support all of the offered bands and encryption methods when attempting to roam between encryption standards (WPA2 AES, WPA3) between the main network and 6 GHz band. Especially if the client device has strict roaming preferences toward WPA3.

While it may be a bit less common these days since WPA3 has become more widely adopted, this is one of the reasons the 6 GHz SSID/band is separated. 

From what I've seen lately though, numerous users have reported no issues combining the main and 6 GHz SSIDs, so YMMV.