Solution to Problem with Wired Backhaul not Working for XE5300 - Loses Internet Connection

Problem Statement

Using 3-pack XE5300 (Deco 6e), as soon as I connected any Deco to the main Deco via ethernet cable, the main lost connection with the internet.

Setup

Fiber Modem -> (Lan Port 1 in) XE5300 Main (Lan Port 3 out) -> TP-Link switch -> (Lan Port 1 In) XE5300 Deco

Research

After a lot of research, I read one post that mentioned that he had his WAN connecting to the main deco via port 3 and was having the same issue.  When he moved the WAN to port 1, it started working.  I was alread using port 1 for WAN.  So, I tried moving it to port 3.  My hard wired backhaul started working.

Solution

Experiment with the ports you are using. Try using port 1 for the WAN input for your main deco and port 1 for the ethernet input to your other decos.  If this doesn't work, change the WAN input to port 3 for your main deco and change the ethernet port in to port 3 for your other decos.  The port number seems to make a difference.  But apparently, which port to use for upstream connection varies between Decos.

Experiment

Fiber Modem -> (Lan Port 1 in) XE5300 Main (Lan Port 3 out) -> TP-Link switch -> (Lan Port 1 In) XE5300 Deco

Fiber Modem -> (Lan Port 3 in) XE5300 Main (Lan Port 1 out) -> TP-Link switch -> (Lan Port 3 In) XE5300 Deco