Switched from BT router to EE router - Mercusys mesh system not working

[jm2105]

Recently renewed my BT broadband contract and so moved to EE broadband - (all rounder Full Fibre Gigabit). 

Previously had connected Mercusys H80 mesh (as AP) to BT broadband router (am wired between router/main halo and the two satellite halo via unmanaged switch) .    EE router installed, disabled wifi on router, mesh connected.

Mesh now only shows as wired to one satellite and wifi to the other which gives poor performance - tried various troubleshooting to no avail.  Any suggestions? (eventually reverted to BT router so have connectivity).

Also when firmware upgraded on router, it reset the wifi to enabled! (not helpful) - assuming can get mesh working, any way to stop firmware upgrades reverting custom settings?

Thanks for help.

[bobpullen]

Out of curiousity, is there any reason why you're not using the H80's in isolation i.e. without the EE hub?

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@jm2105 wrote:

Mesh now only shows as wired to one satellite and wifi to the other which gives poor performance - tried various troubleshooting to no avail.  Any suggestions? (eventually reverted to BT router so have connectivity).

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Bit confused by this statement. Can you elaborate on exactly how things are cabled in respect to the Mercusys units i.e. how many units you have and what is plugged in where?

You can't stop the EE hub from updating, however I'd like to think that the settings regression is a bug that will be fixed over time. Worth keeping an eye on and shouting if it happens again.

[Mustrum]

@jm2105   as above, just connect your first Mesh device as a router and remove the EE or BT Hub.

Settings are simple and all in this Help Page https://ee.co.uk/help/broadband/getting-started/using-and-configuring-a-third-party-router 

[jm2105]

Sorry pressed wrong button and made this the solution!

Re why not use H80 in isolation - i understood i needed to keep EE hub if i have Digital Voice, so was using H80s as AP instead.

I have 3 Mercusys units.  Main one is plugged into Router, router is connected to unmanaged switch, both satellite units are also connected to same switch.

With BT Router, within Mercusys it shows WAN/Router connected to Main Halo and wired connections to both satellite Halos.

When i switched out BT Router with EE router, it showed WAN/Router connected to Main Halo, wifi connection (poor) to first satellite Halo and then wired from first satellite Halo to second satellite Halo.

[jm2105]

Thanks for your response, not sure the H80 have integrated VDSL modem? Not mentioned on spec.

[Mustrum]

@jm2105   you said in your first post you were on  (all rounder Full Fibre Gigabit). therefore you do not need a VDSL modem, the ONT is a fibre modem.

However if you do have Digital Voice, then yes you need the EE or a BT router to be the first connection to the Internet/ONT.

Not sure what various troubleshooting you have done, but I would start with resetting all devices including the switch, and trying different LAN ports. 

[bobpullen]

You don't require a VDSL modem as you no longer have a VDSl service. The Openreach ONT/box on the wall is effectively acting as your modem in a full fibre setup. That said, you will need the EE hub if you're dependent on the voice service.

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@jm2105 wrote:

I have 3 Mercusys units.  Main one is plugged into Router, router is connected to unmanaged switch, both satellite units are also connected to same switch.

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Whilst I can't explain why it works with one hub and not the other, this strikes me as a little odd. When configuring mesh equipment to use wired backhaul, you would typically have the secondary access points wired 'directly' back to the main unit (via switches if required). In your setup, you have the EE router in the middle.

Personally, I would try one of the following: -

Unplug the main Mercusys unit from the EE hub and plug it into a spare port on the unmanaged switch, or...
Unplug the unmanaged switch from the EE hub and plug it into a spare LAN port on the main Mercusys.

[jm2105]

Thank you both.  Debating getting rid of voice service - not sure £3 a month for the occasional nuisance call is worth it - in which case i'll try using Mercusys only.

If not, i'll try the troubleshooting suggested regarding router placement in Mesh (have already tried reboots, new cables, diff switch ports).