Hello,

I've set up a mesh network at my home using the Deco M5 as the primary router, two E4R satellites connect to them.

Here are the firmware details:

• E4R (1.0): 1.5.4 Build 20211101 Rel. 75384
• M5 (3.2): 1.7.3 Build 20230906 Rel. 59213

Previously, my IoT devices were connected to the main network without any issues.

However, after transitioning them to the IoT network, I observed that they don't utilize the mesh technology. Instead of connecting to the closest E4R, they default to the M5 main router.

This isn't limited to just my smart switches; my iPhone 14 Pro (supporting 5GHz) behaves similarly. When connected to the IoT network, my iPhone defaults to the M5, but it promptly connects to the nearest deco device (E4R) when I switch back to the standard WiFi network.

Devices I'm trying to connect include Smart Plugs, Smart vacuum Robot, Philips Hue lights, and others, all of which seem to face the same connectivity pattern.

To provide some more details:

• My Deco devices are set to Router mode, and they connect seamlessly to each other.
• The IoT-connected devices have their mesh option enabled.
• I've toggled and tested the IoT network with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, but the problem persists.
• The Beamforming setting is active, Fast Roaming setting is disabled and I've reserved IPs for a few devices (a printer and PC), though I doubt this causes the issue.

Has anyone faced similar challenges? Any insights or solutions on how to make the mesh system function optimally with the IoT network would be greatly appreciated!