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I had a related problem with their PowerLine TPA-4220 devices yesterday. It turns out there's a DHCP server on it that you can't turn off! It's supposed to be s

I had a related problem with their PowerLine TPA-4220 devices yesterday. It turns out there's a DHCP server on it that you can't turn off! It's supposed to be smart and know when there's another DHCP server on the network, but it appears that this sometimes doesn't work. So I found that my laptop sometimes ends up configured on the wrong subnet, which of course kills the internet connection. The thing is, the web interface does not have a setting to shut off the rogue server. If I hadn't done a CCNA I don't think I would have ever figured this out. I don't know what ordinary people do when this happens to them.

ceejayoz 5y ago
I had a similar experience with my Netgear Orbi; they have a dual 2.4/5 GHz network on the same SSID, but certain devices just cannot handle it (including apparently Facebook's Oculus and quite a few smart home devices). Turns out you can split them up into separate SSIDs, but only by telnetting into your base station and each satellite and running some cryptic commands on each. It used to be possible via the web UI, but they just... dropped it.
- easton 5y ago
  Our network at home has both 2.4 and 5 on the same SSID, with no issues (and I have an oculus). Is this just a Netgear thing?
  - ceejayoz 5y ago
    No clue. Very possible it's specific to the Orbi, or possibly the spots in our house the Oculus and LG washer/dryer are located - perhaps the signal strength is just iffy enough they hop between the two frequencies sometimes. A full restart of the devices helps, but usually only for 15-30 mins.
    - icebergonfire 5y ago
      > A full restart of the devices helps, but usually only for 15-30 mins. This rings a bell. Do you have an Orbi mesh by any chance? I used to experience this with specific cheap IoT devices that were constantly hopping to different Orbi satellites. There is an option somewhere in the UI to bind a device to one specific access point, and you can tag a device as IoT or smart speakers which (based on feeling) seems to change the steering heuristics to something that stops this from happening.
      - ceejayoz 5y ago
        Yeah, we use the Orbi mesh network, but they don't mind hopping between satellites if 2.4 and 5 are split. Given the way my kids move the Oculus around a lot between rooms, being able to hop is important.
- reaperducer 5y ago
  they have a dual 2.4/5 GHz network on the same SSID, but certain devices just cannot handle it My Canon wireless printer is one of those devices that can't handle it. If they both have different SSIDs, then it will connect fine. But if there are two with the same SSID, during setup if fails to ask the user for a password and therefore cannot connect. Meanwhile, Amazon's eero has removed the option to have different SSIDs for each network. The two mistakes combined (Canon's and eero's) mean it's not possible to use the Canon on an eero network. Unless... What I ended up doing was unplugging the eero, and setting up an Airport Express I used to use for traveling with the SSID I want for the eero. Hook the Canon up through the Airport. Unplug the Airport and turn the eero back on and it connects. A stupid workaround.
  - brewdad 5y ago
    I ended up naming my SSIDs SSIDNAME and SSIDNAME2.4 for just this reason. I had all kinds of problems getting my 2.4GHz devices onto my network when they shared the same name. PCs and tablets did fine but anything more obscure (smart switches for instance) was a mess. I did not know that about the eero devices. Really glad I didn't "upgrade" to the newest Ring base station with eero built-in.
- datameta 5y ago
  Yep, smart bulbs from most manufacturers need 2.4GHz. Had to go back to owning my own router (thankfully) after a brief stint with the standard Spectrum one.
35mm 5y ago
Perhaps they would buy a new router, then replace other things randomly until it worked again. This approach might even be quicker. Much more wasteful however.
fomine3 5y ago
This feature is stupid. I never buy TP-link products because I can't believe people who ship like this. ref: https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/160293 https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/160293
- 3np 5y ago
  THANK YOU for that link, I didn’t realize that our self-hosted DHCP was facing attacks not only from the shitty ISP cable modem but also from the TP-Link APs. Hopefully an upgrade will fix that. It really says something about their attitude: > And there seemed to be some misleading about "smart DHCP". This feature would not be enabled for no reason. It took >2y and >100 forum posts on the issue before they even acknowledged that even in “AP mode” it silently enables a DHCP server as long as it doesn’t get a DHCP reply within 60s from boot.
  - BenjiWiebe 5y ago
    I see. So that's why our network broke when the power failed. My Linux router is slow to boot, and the tp-link's in AP mode ran out of patience.
    - genewitch 5y ago
      Tenda devices do this as well, and some other thing I have, maybe a gl.inet. if my main connection dies for more than 15 minutes, it's anyone's guess which device will win the race to break dhcp.
- 3np 5y ago
  THANK YOU for that link, I didn’t realize that our self-hosted DHCP was facing attacks not only from the shitty ISP cable modem bit also from the TP-Link APs. Hopefully an upgrade will fix that. It really says something about their attitude:
jck 5y ago
My TP Link wifi router loses the ability to list connected clients if you switch it to access point mode. I discovered that this problem affects many models and people have been posting about it in the tp link forums for many years and have only received annoying "we'll look into it" customer service responses. I will never buy a router I can't put openwrt on again.
- bserge 5y ago
  Ironically, TP-Link is often the best choice for OpenWRT. Cheap, good hardware and most importantly, a supported chipset.
mpalczewski 5y ago
They do what I kept on doing with these devices, unplug them and then plug them back in again.
Terry_Roll 5y ago
You can use wireshark to access the server on the device, its what they use when they update firmware, but have you used a modded powerline adaptor to access engineering settings in white goods like modern fridge freezers because alot of them have a cpu controlling everything and you access it using the mains plug?
- dddddddan 5y ago
  What? Do you have any proof of that?
javiercr 5y ago
I've been suffering this for years with a TL-WPA8630P v2.0 and so far the only solution from TP Link [1] is a firmware update that disables DHCP only until you reboot it (or the power goes out). It's ridiculous. [1] https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/265692 https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/265692

ceejayoz 5y ago

I had a similar experience with my Netgear Orbi; they have a dual 2.4/5 GHz network on the same SSID, but certain devices just cannot handle it (including apparently Facebook's Oculus and quite a few smart home devices). Turns out you can split them up into separate SSIDs, but only by telnetting into your base station and each satellite and running some cryptic commands on each. It used to be possible via the web UI, but they just... dropped it.

easton 5y ago
Our network at home has both 2.4 and 5 on the same SSID, with no issues (and I have an oculus). Is this just a Netgear thing?
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  No clue. Very possible it's specific to the Orbi, or possibly the spots in our house the Oculus and LG washer/dryer are located - perhaps the signal strength is just iffy enough they hop between the two frequencies sometimes. A full restart of the devices helps, but usually only for 15-30 mins.
  - icebergonfire 5y ago
    > A full restart of the devices helps, but usually only for 15-30 mins. This rings a bell. Do you have an Orbi mesh by any chance? I used to experience this with specific cheap IoT devices that were constantly hopping to different Orbi satellites. There is an option somewhere in the UI to bind a device to one specific access point, and you can tag a device as IoT or smart speakers which (based on feeling) seems to change the steering heuristics to something that stops this from happening.
    - ceejayoz 5y ago
      Yeah, we use the Orbi mesh network, but they don't mind hopping between satellites if 2.4 and 5 are split. Given the way my kids move the Oculus around a lot between rooms, being able to hop is important.
reaperducer 5y ago
they have a dual 2.4/5 GHz network on the same SSID, but certain devices just cannot handle it My Canon wireless printer is one of those devices that can't handle it. If they both have different SSIDs, then it will connect fine. But if there are two with the same SSID, during setup if fails to ask the user for a password and therefore cannot connect. Meanwhile, Amazon's eero has removed the option to have different SSIDs for each network. The two mistakes combined (Canon's and eero's) mean it's not possible to use the Canon on an eero network. Unless... What I ended up doing was unplugging the eero, and setting up an Airport Express I used to use for traveling with the SSID I want for the eero. Hook the Canon up through the Airport. Unplug the Airport and turn the eero back on and it connects. A stupid workaround.
- brewdad 5y ago
  I ended up naming my SSIDs SSIDNAME and SSIDNAME2.4 for just this reason. I had all kinds of problems getting my 2.4GHz devices onto my network when they shared the same name. PCs and tablets did fine but anything more obscure (smart switches for instance) was a mess. I did not know that about the eero devices. Really glad I didn't "upgrade" to the newest Ring base station with eero built-in.
datameta 5y ago
Yep, smart bulbs from most manufacturers need 2.4GHz. Had to go back to owning my own router (thankfully) after a brief stint with the standard Spectrum one.

35mm 5y ago

Perhaps they would buy a new router, then replace other things randomly until it worked again. This approach might even be quicker. Much more wasteful however.

fomine3 5y ago

This feature is stupid. I never buy TP-link products because I can't believe people who ship like this. ref: https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/160293 https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/160293

3np 5y ago
THANK YOU for that link, I didn’t realize that our self-hosted DHCP was facing attacks not only from the shitty ISP cable modem but also from the TP-Link APs. Hopefully an upgrade will fix that. It really says something about their attitude: > And there seemed to be some misleading about "smart DHCP". This feature would not be enabled for no reason. It took >2y and >100 forum posts on the issue before they even acknowledged that even in “AP mode” it silently enables a DHCP server as long as it doesn’t get a DHCP reply within 60s from boot.
- BenjiWiebe 5y ago
  I see. So that's why our network broke when the power failed. My Linux router is slow to boot, and the tp-link's in AP mode ran out of patience.
  - genewitch 5y ago
    Tenda devices do this as well, and some other thing I have, maybe a gl.inet. if my main connection dies for more than 15 minutes, it's anyone's guess which device will win the race to break dhcp.
3np 5y ago
THANK YOU for that link, I didn’t realize that our self-hosted DHCP was facing attacks not only from the shitty ISP cable modem bit also from the TP-Link APs. Hopefully an upgrade will fix that. It really says something about their attitude:

jck 5y ago

My TP Link wifi router loses the ability to list connected clients if you switch it to access point mode. I discovered that this problem affects many models and people have been posting about it in the tp link forums for many years and have only received annoying "we'll look into it" customer service responses. I will never buy a router I can't put openwrt on again.

bserge 5y ago
Ironically, TP-Link is often the best choice for OpenWRT. Cheap, good hardware and most importantly, a supported chipset.

mpalczewski 5y ago

They do what I kept on doing with these devices, unplug them and then plug them back in again.

Terry_Roll 5y ago

You can use wireshark to access the server on the device, its what they use when they update firmware, but have you used a modded powerline adaptor to access engineering settings in white goods like modern fridge freezers because alot of them have a cpu controlling everything and you access it using the mains plug?

dddddddan 5y ago
What? Do you have any proof of that?

javiercr 5y ago

I've been suffering this for years with a TL-WPA8630P v2.0 and so far the only solution from TP Link [1] is a firmware update that disables DHCP only until you reboot it (or the power goes out). It's ridiculous. [1] https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/265692 https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/265692