TP-Link Omada Access Point causing issues

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Mark61

11 posts

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#304604 19-May-2023 19:10

Hi All, this is not my area of expertise so apoligises in advance for the non-techyness.

I'm hoping that someone here can help out with an issue I have after installing a TP-Link Omada EAP110 N300 Wi-Fi Access Point at home.

I have a Spark modem HG6569b, and fiber. For many months it all worked fine, I have patch leads from the modem to two desktops and the modem provides wifi through most of the home.

I have a shed approx 40m from the modem, to get wifi in the shed I purchased the AP from PBTech and connected it up as per the guide supplied. That is; connected the supplied lead from the modem to the PoE Adapter, connected the Adapter to the AP out in the shed, plugged the PoE Adapter into power socket, switch on. Set it up and great, we have wifi in the shed, awesome!

Then I found that if the AP is left on , as described above, we cannot get wifi in the home from the Spark wifi modem as we could before. Unplug the AP and house wifi is fine.

I did a few google-searches on the subject and came up with nothing...

What's going on here? Why should it affect the wifi in the home as it appears to be doing

GMB

robjg63

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#3078006 20-May-2023 09:55

Does the wireless access point have the same SSID names as the wifi in the house?

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Mark61

11 posts

Geek

#3078131 20-May-2023 20:38

No, I have renamed the TP-Link AP, so it is different.

robjg63

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#3078200 21-May-2023 07:40

When you said:

"Then I found that if the AP is left on , as described above, we cannot get wifi in the home from the Spark wifi modem as we could before. Unplug the AP and house wifi is fine."

Can you still see and connect to the house wifi - but just find you can't access any web sites?

Presumably, the two desktops connected via ethernet cables still work ok?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

PJ48

295 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3078204 21-May-2023 07:51

When you say you can no longer get wifi from the spark modem, can you tell us what wifi network SSID your devices are trying to connect to when they are in the house. Can they not "see" any SSID or connect to it, are they trying to connect to the HG659B, or the TP-Link Omada?, and do the ethernet connections still work?

PJ48

295 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3078223 21-May-2023 09:34

Followup to previous post - I am wondering if the TP-Link Omada is set to very high transmit power and somehow maintaining a wifi connection to devices back in the house so they can't work, because they are too far away to transmit back?

robjg63

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#3078227 21-May-2023 10:18

If this setup guide is anything to go on, they are pretty much install and go and it seems that is what Mark61 has done and its been working ok for a while.

The type of thing that might muck up things, would be if somehow the access point was trying to take over DHCP or something - but it doesnt look like it should.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Mark61

11 posts

Geek

#3078252 21-May-2023 11:34

Firstly, I really appreciate your help.

After viewing your posts I have tried to ascertain exactly what the problem is.

To clarify: the house is supplied with underground fibre to Spark HG569b modem. Two desktops connected via Cat5 ethernet, one TV connected via Cat5 ethernet.

The Spark modem makes two wifi networks available 4G and 5G.

My android phone has all three wifi networks set up in ‘connections’ and selects the strongest available.

At 11:00am this morning, Desktop speedtest by Ookla

Dnld – 323 Mbps

Upld – 109 Mbps

Did walkaround test this morning using android phone, no other internet users. TPLink connected.

In most areas of the house phone connects to the 4G wifi, signal strength varies, as the HG569b modem is in a closed cupboard in the office, so in the extreme corners of the home, further away, it does fade out.

As I walk out the backdoor, the house 4G fades to a single bar. As I reach the shed house 4G is gone. Walk into the shed and TP-Link pops up as an available network and immediately connects with full strength. Grand.

Walk out of the shed, within 5m TP-Link network drops off and the phone starts looking for another connection, all good. Phone finds the 4G again as I enter the house, gets stronger as I get near the modem, as expected. BUT now there’s an issue. Phone says “Checking the quality of your connection…” along with the throbber, then, after about 30secs “Internet may not be available” and it isn’t.

This state continues until the TP-Link is disconnected. Now, on the phone, I need to turn wifi off, then back on and it immediately sees the 4G network, connects and internet is available at 104 Mbps. (2m from the modem)

I am also able to select the 5G network, it immediately sees that network, connects and internet is available at 650 Mbps. (2m from the modem)

So, it appears to me to be only an issue after connecting to the TP-Link and then trying to re-connect to the house wifi. The TP-Link has to be turned off, then phone connections toggled off/on to establish internet access.

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networkn

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#3078268 21-May-2023 12:16

Any chance there is an IP address conflict?

robjg63

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#3078276 21-May-2023 13:03

OK - Just for the record - your wifi will be 2.4GHz and 5Ghz.

4G is usually when people are referring to mobile phone coverage 3G 4G and 5G.

5GHz is faster wifi, but doesnt carry so far and the signal drops off quicker. As you noted, the 2.4Ghz has better range.

Is the problem just confined to one mobile phone?

What you are describing almost seems like the phone is having an issue reconnecting back to the 2.4Ghz wifi in the house.

When you are at that point back in the house (after repeating your experiment) - when you get that message about 'internet may not be available', what happens if you just reboot your phone? Does it reconnect to the house wifi ok after a phone reboot?

EDIT: Duh! I typed 2.5GHz when I meant 2.4GHz - Fixed now....

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Mark61

11 posts

Geek

#3078359 21-May-2023 19:27

Thanks for clarifying the 4G 5G / 2.4GHz and 5GHz thing Rob, I was a little confused with the terms they use.

The problem is exactly the same on two different android phones.

So, I just tried the experiment again. When back in the house and phone says “Checking the quality of your connection…” along with the throbber, then, after about 30secs “Internet may not be available” and it isn’t. I first tried phone wifi off, then back on, no change. Then I just rebooted the phone, by that I mean Restart. No Change, still will not connect to the 2.5GHz or 5GHz house wifi.

Then I disconnected the TP-Link, then toggled phone wifi Off/On. Immediately selects the strongest network and connects, I have phone internet access.

So far, the only way to enable the android phone to reconnect to the house wifi is to disconnect the TP-Link AP. I can then reconnect the TP-Link AP and phone wifi is not then disrupted.

networkn

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#3078430 21-May-2023 23:17

Have you tried factory resetting your TP-Link?

robjg63

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#3078463 22-May-2023 08:17

networkn: Have you tried factory resetting your TP-Link?

Might be worth doing. I can't really think what is going on there.

Just one thought. When you do your test...

If you had phone number one connecetd to the house wifi and leave it near the wifi (out of range of your Access Point) and then do the test with the second phone.

Bring the second phone back where it tries to reconnect to your house wifi then tells you there is no internet.

If you pick up the first phone - is the internet still working on the home wifi?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Mark61

11 posts

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#3078750 22-May-2023 19:05

I'll try the AP reset idea and the test using two phones and get back with a result.

elpenguino

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#3078805 22-May-2023 21:39

I find this kind of thing easier to debug with a laptop with some basic tools e.g. ping.

It can be helpful figuring out what 'layer' the problem is occurring. For example, your Wifi layer might be good but you're not getting an IP because the DHCP pool is exhausted, or it looks like internet is down because DNS is incorrectly configured.

You need to break it down into pieces beyond 'it doesn't work'.

Do you have a laptop?

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