How to set up Tenda Nova mesh for wired backhaul - MW5, MW6, etc.

[Seán]

This should work, with all 6 nodes configured with the same Mesh network, the 3 relying on Wi-Fi should automatically connect to the nearest wired nodes. One issue I did recall someone mentioning is where they had a wireless node keep connecting with another wireless node, resulting in poor speeds from going over a double wireless hop.

I suggest start by setting up the wired nodes and ensure they are operating fine, i.e. showing the <--> indicator for the Connection Quality status. Then join the wireless nodes one by one and run a speed test before setting up the next node. If a wireless node gets very poor speed, then it is likely linking up with another wireless node, in which case you can try moving it to another spot or avoid using a node in this spot.

[wonus]

This should work, with all 6 nodes configured with the same Mesh network, the 3 relying on Wi-Fi should automatically connect to the nearest wired nodes.  One issue I did recall someone mentioning is where they had a wireless node keep connecting with another wireless node, resulting in poor speeds from going over a double wireless hop.

I suggest start by setting up the wired nodes and ensure they are operating fine, i.e. showing the <--> indicator for the Connection Quality status.  Then join the wireless nodes one by one and run a speed test before setting up the next node.  If a wireless node gets very poor speed, then it is likely linking up with another wireless node, in which case you can try moving it to another spot or avoid using a node in this spot.

OK! Many Thanks! I Try

[james]

ive setup my home mw6 mesh wifi through this guide following method 2 wired backhaul and everything was working fine for months, until recently my smart home devices kept dropping off the connection randomly which i do not know how to solve. i tried restarting the main isp router but doesnt help in most cases, normally i had to restart the primary node so that the whole mesh system would restart all together, but this also does little help. for instance after resetting the smart device A would the be able to connect back to the network but the it would cause smart device B from another location of the house to be offline and unable to connect back to the network. if i get lucky after countless times of restarting the primary node everything gets connected and works well in the house until 1 or 2 days later one of the secondary nodes starts crashing turning red or the whole network crashes leading the whole operation back to the beginning and i have to do this all over again and again which is really frustrating, does anyone experience the same as i am? is there any way to fix this issue? i am using the method 2 wired backhaul by Dave and internet speeds are great, i have 7 mw6 connected throughout the whole house at different locations and 6 of them are secondary nodes connecting to LAN port via network switch.

at first i thought it was the ISP issue and had called them to investigate, they came and check on my internet and said everything was a ok. they recommended me to upgrade the modem and router since it was old to try see whether it resolves the issue that is under ISP company devices just newer models which i agreed and after upgrading they were the same, all tenda's around the house still causing the same issue. my tenda connection is under DHCP setting am i doing anything wrong? how can i solve this issue

[Seán]

I suspect one of the secondary nodes is failing, in turn bring down the rest of the mesh network.

To rule out any potentially corrupt cached configuration, I recommend turning off all nodes and turn on just the primary node. Once its LED stops blinking, turn on a secondary node and wait for it to go sold green before turning on the next and on.

If the issue returns, try to identify a node that you can take out of the mesh temporarily, unplug it and get the rest of the network back online as outlined above.

If the network still goes down after a few days, this rules out the unplugged node. In this case, swap one of the secondary nodes with the unplugged node, Leave that node unplugged and see if the network holds up over the next few days. Hopefully by repeating this process for each secondary node, the network will stay up once the faulty node is unplugged.

Finally if the all the secondary nodes are ruled out, the primary node is likely the failing node.

[pumpkins001]

Great thread here all. I've also been having problems all of a sudden with my MW3 3-node setup that's been running fine for years. Over the last couple of months I've had wifi dropouts, most notably seen on my cell phone / mobile phone as I use wifi on that when at home. My phone drops internet connection but wifi connection is still there - I look at the MW3 node and the green light is flashing. But I can jump onto my PC that's connected to the same switch as the node and the internet is fine - no change. After a minute or two, the led goes back to solid green and the internet comes back on.

Happens across all 3 nodes. All 3 nodes are wired backhaul. Primary node set to bridge mode, and is the only thing between my ISP router and my entire network - ISP router connected to WAN port, LAN then goes to switch that connects to all the other nodes via their LAN port.

I've tried powering all the nodes off and bringing them back online. All firmware is updated. Capacity-orientated mode off, fast roaming on. The events don't affect any of my other wired devices (TVs, 3 x PCs, power logging, hardwired Chromecast etc) that are all connected to the same wired network as all the nodes.

Any thoughts?

[Seán]

As all three nodes have this issue, it is possibly the power supply failing on the primary node. The Wi-Fi module is the most power intensive component in the node, so it may be power cycling, which would cause the other nodes to re-establish their backhaul links.

Try another 12V power supply (DC centre positive tip) on the primary node just to rule it out. If you don't have one handy, you can try swapping its power supply with one of the secondary nodes.