Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network

Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network

Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
a week ago - last edited a week ago
Model: Deco X60  
Hardware Version: V20
Firmware Version: 1.5.5 Build 20240718 Rel. 44414

For the last 5 years I've had issues with our routers going down roughly one day per week. Techs said it was always our hardware (have bought a half dozen brand new top of the line routers over the last few years). I got fed up with our routers always droppping internet and switched to a mesh setup. Miraculously, it fixed our issue!

Here's my major issue: Whenever I connect an (unmanaged) switch to the extra ethernet port on my master node, we get a red light and internet goes down until I unplug it. I'm using mostly default settings from the original mesh setup.

I'm a web3 developer by trade so my home is completely wired up with ethernet connections and switches as I run servers, miners, and nodes/validators. Due to the nature of my work, not only do I require near 100% uptime, but some of the devices require ethernet. I need to get a gigabit switch working on my master mesh node, but it crashes the network every time (red light, no WiFi). My wife and I work 100% remote, and our livelihood is dependent on our network.

I'm currently running 3x Deco X60 Mesh Nodes and no no router, and am trying to hook up a single gigabit switch to connect the devices that are unable to use WiFi and don't have enough extra ports on my mesh nodes alone (or enough nodes). I'm trying to avoid backhaul due to the placement of the nodes, and avoid connecting a node through a switch from a router. Ideally I'm trying to do this:
 

  1. hook the master node to the modem
  2. add a 16+ port Gigabit switch to the same master node
  3. have all the other nodes run as wireless satelittes
  4. not using a router, mesh only
  5. never have to see another Spectrum truck in my driveway 🙂


I've had terrible luck with routers dropping out multiple times per week (leading to substantial financial losses due to the nature of my work running web3 validators and serversmoney due to mining rigs and validators).
 

Over the last 5 years, the mesh system is the only thing that has worked with constant uptime, but this lack of being able to add wired support is a major issue. Whenever I have tried adding a router to my network (always new), the result is it disabling internet connection completely after a few hours to a day. This is the main reason I would like to avoid introducing a router to the mix, but open to suggestions if someone has a fix for this as well.
 

My current ISP is Spectrum, they are aware of the issue and have been out to my property so much over the last few years I know them all by name. I'm in a fairly rural area but all my neighbors (and even an in-law suite on my property with a separate plan) have zero issues like mine. Unfortunately, there are no other ISPs in my area to even switch to.

I've attached a blueprint of my current setup, what I added, removed, and would like to do along with notes and goals.

 

Any help would be so appreciated!

ethereum-dad-network-setup

 

Cheers,

ethereum-dad

I swallowed a dictionary once... it gave me thesaurus throat I've ever had
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#1
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1 Accepted Solution
Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network-Solution
a week ago - last edited a week ago

ethereum-dad wrote 

I connect the new switch to the main Deco (which is connected to the modem via it's other port) and all three nodes would turn red. The switch had the same issue with every node that I plug it into.

 

However, after posting this last night, I went through and tried as many combinations as I could, and some things are working now.

Currently if I:

  • connect switch to X60 with no additional cables plugged in — all okay, light stays green
  • plug only cable which goes to my server room switch — all okay, light stays green
  • plug only cable which goes to the switch that manages the rest of my home — red light, internet shuts of

 

Just last night, my server switch cable was causing the network to crash, so maybe just waiting and trying again will do the trick? lol

Regardless, I'm not sure why a switch would cause the network to cease working in the first place though, and if there's any kind of precautions I should be taking with a mesh network or settings I should be using to ensure it doesn't happen again.

  

I'm still not positive why the switch was causing my network to fail yesterday, even though the network setup that is now working is identical, but for the sake of completion, here's how I was able to get my switch working. Noting that my mesh is in router mode, not AP.

 

  1. unplugged my server room switch and removed all of the attached cables
  2. did the same for the switch that handles ethernet for the rest of my home
  3. powered up my TL-SG608 switch
  4. reconnected my other two switches (home + server room)
  5. connected TL-SG608 switch to my master Deco X60 mesh node, confirmed that the light remained green
  6. plugged the cables from my other two switches into the TL-SG608 switch

 

Everything worked immediately and my network is back up and running more organized and faster than ever!

Thank you everyone who took the time to assist me 🙂

I swallowed a dictionary once... it gave me thesaurus throat I've ever had
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Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
a week ago

  @ethereum-dad 

 

Some switches do not support Ethernet backhaul, and I have encountered this issue before.

After switching to a different model, the problem was resolved. I contacted the switch vendor, and they informed me that switches purchased before need to be sent back to their office for a firmware upgrade to enable Ethernet backhaul support.

 

Before one is QNAP QSW-2104-2T-A  and current one is TL-SG108E.

c520d61e81454d26bbbd45e7c6d1ef5b

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Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
a week ago

  @ethereum-dad 

 

Is your Deco mesh running in Router or in AP mode?  If your modem acts as a router (DHCP, NAT), you could perhaps run your Deco in AP mode, and see if it helps.

 

Do you mean that you connect the new switch to the main Deco, that there is nothing else plugged into the switch, and that it makes the main Deco turn red?  Did yo try with other cables and other ports?  Is the switch running well when connected to another Deco?

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Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
a week ago

Jasson_Hong wrote

  @ethereum-dad 

 

Some switches do not support Ethernet backhaul, and I have encountered this issue before.

After switching to a different model, the problem was resolved. I contacted the switch vendor, and they informed me that switches purchased before need to be sent back to their office for a firmware upgrade to enable Ethernet backhaul support.

 

Before one is QNAP QSW-2104-2T-A  and current one is TL-SG108E.

 

  @Jasson_Hong Thanks for the reply Jasson. The switch that I purchased was a tp-link TL-SG608. I ditched my old switch to get one that I was told by the tech at Best Buy was compatible and is the default switch they sell with the Deco mesh network.

I swallowed a dictionary once... it gave me thesaurus throat I've ever had
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Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
a week ago

yves_b wrote

  @ethereum-dad 

 

Is your Deco mesh running in Router or in AP mode?  If your modem acts as a router (DHCP, NAT), you could perhaps run your Deco in AP mode, and see if it helps.

 

Do you mean that you connect the new switch to the main Deco, that there is nothing else plugged into the switch, and that it makes the main Deco turn red?  Did yo try with other cables and other ports?  Is the switch running well when connected to another Deco?

 

@yves_b Deco mesh is running in Router mode. My modem doesn't have any router functionality, just a modem.

 

I connect the new switch to the main Deco (which is connected to the modem via it's other port) and all three nodes would turn red. The switch had the same issue with every node that I plug it into.

 

However, after posting this last night, I went through and tried as many combinations as I could, and some things are working now.

Currently if I:

  • connect switch to X60 with no additional cables plugged in — all okay, light stays green
  • plug only cable which goes to my server room switch — all okay, light stays green
  • plug only cable which goes to the switch that manages the rest of my home — red light, internet shuts of

 

Just last night, my server switch cable was causing the network to crash, so maybe just waiting and trying again will do the trick? lol

Regardless, I'm not sure why a switch would cause the network to cease working in the first place though, and if there's any kind of precautions I should be taking with a mesh network or settings I should be using to ensure it doesn't happen again.

I swallowed a dictionary once... it gave me thesaurus throat I've ever had
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Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
a week ago

 

ethereum-dad wrote

Jasson_Hong wrote

  @ethereum-dad 

 

Some switches do not support Ethernet backhaul, and I have encountered this issue before.

After switching to a different model, the problem was resolved. I contacted the switch vendor, and they informed me that switches purchased before need to be sent back to their office for a firmware upgrade to enable Ethernet backhaul support.

 

Before one is QNAP QSW-2104-2T-A  and current one is TL-SG108E.

 

  @Jasson_Hong Thanks for the reply Jasson. The switch that I purchased was a tp-link TL-SG608. I ditched my old switch to get one that I was told by the tech at Best Buy was compatible and is the default switch they sell with the Deco mesh network.

@ethereum-dad

I'm not sure if Deco mesh previously supported Ethernet backhaul or if it only worked with wireless mesh. From what I understand, once Ethernet backhaul became available, some switches might no longer be compatible and would depend on the vendor for potential firmware updates to enable support. Maybe u can email TPLink for the switch mode TL-SG608 support ethernet backhaul or not.

However, this is just my opinion, and it doesn't confirm that this is the actual root cause.

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Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
a week ago
I believe I've solved the issue, unfortunately I wasn't able to gain any insight into the cause of the problem. Decided to try one last time before I went and returned the switch and somehow the switch began working! I had only just installed the new mesh setup yesterday and updated all the firmware, perhaps there was some things that just had to "settle" first. Appreciate your insight though!
I swallowed a dictionary once... it gave me thesaurus throat I've ever had
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Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
a week ago

  @ethereum-dad 

 

The TL-SG608 switch is compatible with Ethernet backhaul, so there should not be any issues unless the switch is defective.

 

For the moment, let's set the switch aside. Please try connecting your modem directly to one of the Deco units. 

 

If you encounter a red light, please proceed to test the second Deco. Should you see another red light, kindly try the third Deco. 

 

If all three units display a red light, I recommend resetting each Deco by pressing and holding the reset button located on the bottom of each unit for a few seconds. 

 

This process will reset your entire network. After resetting, please connect one Deco directly to the router and attempt to set it up using the app. 

 

If the Deco lights up green, please connect a cable from the Deco to the switch and let me know the outcome.

 

If the Deco device remains green while connected to the switch, please attempt to set up a second Deco using the app, and then plug it into the switch. 

 

If the status remains green, proceed to set up the final Deco device in the app.

Need help with the Deco app, setup, Ethernet backhaul, network switch or rolling back firmware? https://community.tp-link.com/us/home/forum/topic/699816?page=1
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#8
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Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
a week ago

  @ethereum-dad 

I don't think this issue is fully resolved yet.

Based on my past experience, things may work fine at first, but after about 24 hours, the switch crashes again. I suspect this could be due to the IP renewal from the ISP or reboot or some other factor, which causes the crash to reoccur. But anyway, try to email the switch support to ask for RMA if possible.

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Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network-Solution
a week ago - last edited a week ago

ethereum-dad wrote 

I connect the new switch to the main Deco (which is connected to the modem via it's other port) and all three nodes would turn red. The switch had the same issue with every node that I plug it into.

 

However, after posting this last night, I went through and tried as many combinations as I could, and some things are working now.

Currently if I:

  • connect switch to X60 with no additional cables plugged in — all okay, light stays green
  • plug only cable which goes to my server room switch — all okay, light stays green
  • plug only cable which goes to the switch that manages the rest of my home — red light, internet shuts of

 

Just last night, my server switch cable was causing the network to crash, so maybe just waiting and trying again will do the trick? lol

Regardless, I'm not sure why a switch would cause the network to cease working in the first place though, and if there's any kind of precautions I should be taking with a mesh network or settings I should be using to ensure it doesn't happen again.

  

I'm still not positive why the switch was causing my network to fail yesterday, even though the network setup that is now working is identical, but for the sake of completion, here's how I was able to get my switch working. Noting that my mesh is in router mode, not AP.

 

  1. unplugged my server room switch and removed all of the attached cables
  2. did the same for the switch that handles ethernet for the rest of my home
  3. powered up my TL-SG608 switch
  4. reconnected my other two switches (home + server room)
  5. connected TL-SG608 switch to my master Deco X60 mesh node, confirmed that the light remained green
  6. plugged the cables from my other two switches into the TL-SG608 switch

 

Everything worked immediately and my network is back up and running more organized and faster than ever!

Thank you everyone who took the time to assist me 🙂

I swallowed a dictionary once... it gave me thesaurus throat I've ever had
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Re:Gigabit Switch Crashes my Entire Network
a week ago

Jasson_Hong wrote

  @ethereum-dad 

I don't think this issue is fully resolved yet.

Based on my past experience, things may work fine at first, but after about 24 hours, the switch crashes again. I suspect this could be due to the IP renewal from the ISP or reboot or some other factor, which causes the crash to reoccur. But anyway, try to email the switch support to ask for RMA if possible.

 
@Jasson_Hong This was a fear that was in the back of my head. I will do that in the morning!

I swallowed a dictionary once... it gave me thesaurus throat I've ever had
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