Using EE Smart Hub with a TP-Link Deco Mesh setup

[BonhardBeej]

Hi all,

First up, apologies, as I know these type of questions have been posted many times, although I am somewhat confused with the range of answers. Hoping that XRaySpex can maybe provide me with a conlcuding answer as to the way forward.

I won't go into the reasons as to why I am installing a TP-Link Deco M9 Mesh System, sufficed to say I live in an old stone-build farm property. I would like to continue to use the EE Smart Hub, although forcing it into acting as a Modem only, which I would then plug up with my first TP-Link node. I have seen many people stating that this cannot be done, and then some saying it can, and then some contradicting themselves.

I have a fibre plan with EE, although the fibre is only to the box down in the village, which is then standard copper up to the Farmhouse, about 500 - 600 yards up the road, so I am on ADSL. I get between 47 and 40Mb download, which believe me is good for my rural area, and acceptable to us for what we need to do. My plan is to switch off the WiFi in the Smart Hub config pages, and do the same with the DHCP. Cannot actually switch off NAT, as there is no option for this, although I do not have any Port Forwarding setup anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I called EE Broadband technical help this morning, and a chap named Paul told me to excatly the same as I have decribed above, and all would be well in the world. But based on the feedbacks I have read on this and other forums, I am looking for that warm to hot feeling that what I intend to do is correct, acceptable, and wil work.

Thanks so much in advance for any help you lovely people can offer up.

[XRaySpeX]

Suck it & see.

FYI: You are not on ADSL but on VDSL (FTTC).

[BonhardBeej]

Thanks XRaySpex, just wanted to view your take on this going forward, ie: am I wasting my time? Thanks for the feedback, and for the correction to my initial detail.

[nutsnut]

It can't be done, I'm in the same situation and have tried everything. Despite its name, the smart hub is a dumb piece of trash. 

I just disabled WiFi on the hub, ethernet to the m9, and changed the m9 to access point only to avoid double routing/nag. 

[BonhardBeej]

Thanks for taking the time to reply nutsnut. This is largely what I was expecting. So putting the Deco M9 into Access Point works then, is that right? Albeit some functions disabled, such as Parental Controls.

[nutsnut]

That's how I have it set up, with no parental controls as you say. 

I tried the dhcp tricks, and calling tech support but nothing worked. Your mileage may differ, but I suspect not. 

[BonhardBeej]

Morning all. Well, I have had some success. The 3 pack Deco M9 was received yesterday, so I decided to simply connect the first node (primary node) to my EE Smart Hub without disbaling anything within the Smart Hub, and it worked a treat. Don't quite understand!

This meant that I had still had my wireless network emitted from the Smart Hub, as well as my new Mesh network. Added the other two Deco nodes, and checked that the Deco was actually working in Router mode, and not Access Point, which indeed it is. Tested throughout the house by moving around with laptop and mobile phone, and both devices managed to maintain the Deco SSID at full strength, so it is definitely working as a Mesh system 😁

Deco setup showing IPv4 as Dynamic IP, across a range 192.168.68.100 to 192.168.68.250, whereas the EE Smart Hub is 192.168.1.164 to 192.168.1.253. So I effectively have 2 routers systems working. I have now switched off the WiFi entirely from the EE SMart Hub, so only have the one WiFi Mesh Network now (as was the plan), and it's still working. Note that I still have the EE Smart Hub DHCP Server set to Enabled.

What I have notied is that there now seems to be a a Hidden/Other Network transmitting on the same channels, but doesn't seem to be causing a problem, as it's not providing an SSID. The phone WiFi doesn't see this though, just the laptops 🤔

Thought it best I get back to you all, and maybe some of you can shed some light on why this seems to be working perfectly well?

[XRaySpeX]

Isn't that how it's meant to operate? Why should anyone be surprised?

Remember you are still double NAT'ing to avoid which others have tried to jump through the hoops. 

[BonhardBeej]

Yes, I was merely trying to be helpful XRaySpeX. NAT would only be a problem if you were Port Forwarding, which I am not.

[nutsnut]

I couldn't have the double routing/nat. 

It will work fine as you have it set up if the above isn't a problem.