Looking to replace Spark Smart Modem and 2x Meshes

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Looking to replace Spark Smart Modem and 2x Meshes

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shk292

2853 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2620084 11-Dec-2020 12:58

dwilson:

Sorry guys, my other message wasn't clear.

The setup I am replacing is:

Spark Smart Modem, plugged directly into ONT and directly into a Gbps switch which in turn serves the rest of the network
Spark Smart Mesh #1, using backhaul on Gbps ethernet (cable running the length of the house from the switch)
Spark Smart Mesh #2, backhaul on WiFi (guest house out in the yard with no chance of a cable to be run any time soon)
So I would be looking for like-for-like replacement. So getting the 3-pack M5's seems to do what I need.

All I wonder about is the comment above "It's a good setup. They won't quite do full Gbps to WAN though", does this mean my network won't use the full potential of my fibre?

Cheers.

Noroad has answered most of your questions. My setup is identical to yours, except I also have a couple of Gbps switches hanging off the second unit, which connects to my NAS and some AV stuff in a second lounge

I wouldn't worry about speed - as noroad says, it's about 600M with AV on - we have multiple full HD streaming going on in the house, plus gaming and all the other stuff teenagers get up to and I haven't had a single complaint about speed.

Likewise, the app is great, it just works and you can use WPS to connect devices once you've set it all up. The parental controls are excellent, and you get a report each month of what each user has been up to

I actually bought mine from Amazon, they were much cheaper but you'll need to use travel adapters to plug the power supplies in, or use different power supplies

dwilson

162 posts

Master Geek

#2620092 11-Dec-2020 13:23

Thank you all, you've all been very helpful.

I returned the Smart Meshes to Spark. What an absolute shame. I so wish the issues I began to uncover were mere bugs, but we're going to see a lot more complaints as time goes on.

As discussed, given the timing until Christmas, I will need to buy the M5s locally.

INFO: For anyone else googling/searching this in future, I decided to run an app on my pc to stream my phone too, so I can type long wifi passwords with a keyboard to set them up the first time. Will use QR code for family to scan. There are other ways to deal with fat thumbs, that was the solution we're going with on this occasion :P

dwilson

162 posts

Master Geek

#2620359 12-Dec-2020 04:21

Hi guys,

I was just triple checking the original requirement of needing guest network and found conflicting information with a few google searches.

The FAQ is clear to me: https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1461/

But some posts are saying the guest network is isolated only in router mode, they go on to say that in AP mode the Guest Network can access the main network, but the dates of the posts are unclear.

Are either of you able to confirm that you can get an isolated Guest Network on your M5s when running AP mode please?

Cheers.

EDIT:

To clarify, the test would be:

1. Confirm M5's in AP mode is broadcasting both the guest and main networks.

2. Connect to a M5 in AP mode guest wifi and attempt to view/do things on the main network. Ensuring you are definitely not connected to the M5 running as router mode guest network.

Hopefully, this is a simple confirmation and no hassle that you can do without leaving the couch? Sorry to be a pain, but those few Google searches put the security willies up me despite what the FAQ says.,

noroad

949 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#2620412 12-Dec-2020 10:19

To clarify, the test would be:

1. Confirm M5's in AP mode is broadcasting both the guest and main networks.

2. Connect to a M5 in AP mode guest wifi and attempt to view/do things on the main network. Ensuring you are definitely not connected to the M5 running as router mode guest network.

Hopefully, this is a simple confirmation and no hassle that you can do without leaving the couch? Sorry to be a pain, but those few Google searches put the security willies up me despite what the FAQ says.,

Units I can readily test are running in router mode. I have one in bridge mode off a vdsl router but I can't readily do testing on that system. Personally I run Grandstandstream AP's and a Nokia Mesh platform (not readily available to purchase) at home and they do both isolate gusts in bridge mode. I would recommend the Nokia units but unless you are an ISP its pretty hard to source them. The Grandstreams are great (had them before the mesh) but can be more complex to setup and administer than drop in mesh platforms. I recommend the tp-link solution as they represent the best price/performance I have found that are readily available and can be deployed by anyone (you don't have to be an expert to set them up).

If you have UFB and are not requiring voip I really don't see any reason why you would not run in router mode.

dwilson

162 posts

Master Geek

#2620434 12-Dec-2020 11:31

Thanks, I thought it had to run in AP mode, just to clarify, can I run the right-hand (#3) M5 in router mode?

The far-right unit (#3) is where I must have isolated guest wifi :)

noroad

949 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#2620438 12-Dec-2020 11:47

dwilson:

Thanks, can I run the right hand M5 in router mode?

You run the primary (connected to the ONT) in router mode you should be good. Guests connected to any subsequent devices should be isolated yes.

dwilson

162 posts

Master Geek

#2620440 12-Dec-2020 11:51

noroad:

You run the primary (connected to the ONT) in router mode you should be good. Guests connected to any subsequent devices should be isolated yes.

Yup, so maybe the Google posts I dug up were older.

Some were saying Guest Networks are only isolated when a M5 is running in router mode, when running in AP mode the guest network was not isolated. Guests could view main network shares.

Wise

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shk292

2853 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2620445 12-Dec-2020 12:37

My understanding is that the AP/Router mode thing only applies to how the first (ONT connected) device is configured. If you have this in router mode, all features are mirrored by the connected devices

shk292

2853 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2620492 12-Dec-2020 14:10

I just checked and I definitely can't access network resources on the main network when I'm connected to the guest one, using one of the "slave" APs

dwilson

162 posts

Master Geek

#2620552 12-Dec-2020 15:43

shk292:

I just checked and I definitely can't access network resources on the main network when I'm connected to the guest one, using one of the "slave" APs

Thank you so very much for that test, that's 100% confirmation for me.

Computer Lounge will have it to me by Thursday I think, just in time for the following weekend and the family start arriving.

dwilson

162 posts

Master Geek

#2622697 16-Dec-2020 13:25

Follow-up post

The TP-Link Deco M5 is a fantastic piece of kit, the guys' recommendations here were spot on the money.

Setup was a breeze, my concerns about a phone only configuration UI were unfounded - it's got nifty wifi password sharing built-in with a huge number of options. Guest network is available in my guest unit now, just in time for the holidays.

A couple of pleasant surprises, Address Reservation is helpful for me since I have a few things that require an IP address to reach a configuration page - so having the IP stay the same is great. There is functionality to turn off the led lights at night time too :)

The other surprise was my ability to configure my network from outside of my network, I was just playing with the interface now while at work and it seems to be making live changes on the network. I don't know what black magic is involved but it might be helpful at some stage.

Noticed a drop in Speed Test results, but don't care, will have zero real-world impact on us.

Ended up price matching at the local JB HiFi, I misread the Computer Lounge page, it was out of stock.

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