Epic fail with TP-Link Deco mesh

Alter.Org.UA

<< Back

Home

Donate

Epic fail with TP-Link Deco mesh

#SysadminTales. About tp-link, may its Panama hat never empty (or is that what they say about ckbg?) and its management app (a unique variety of *censored*). Never do this on a Beerday :)

Had the pleasure of doing some tidying up with the wifi at a certain location. Frequency plan and so on. I got to a tp-link Deco Mesh dual-band repeater access point and a coffee maker (sarcasm). Nobody has the passwords, so off to reset it goes.

Seems all standard, a password-free network pops up, it has DHCP, we get in with a browser to the IP gateway... And there, well... how to say... screw it, basically. It says go to... Play Market. Yeah, grab your phone and go. And don't poke me with your laptop and touch me with your browser.

Google, how to config Deco from web browser... In short - no way. Everywhere links dig into the tp-link forum, where they are outright cursed, and support replies to everyone in the same way, saying they have an amazing local mesh network management system, which is very conveniently configured from mobile and even remotely via the internet...

What?!!!

Okay, I install that app... Register, it says. You need a tp-link ID.

What??!!!!!

Did as it wanted. I hope they keep the passwords in plain text and read them in the evening. Alright, let's set up that repeater or whatever it is? Nope. Give me your geolocation, it demands.

Do you know where "Moscow" warship is, I ask?

Yes, it replies. But without geolocation, it just doesn't work. Religion doesn't allow. Try again?

WTF???

If you think that's all... With geolocation, it got excited, spotted that barrel of... probably still wifi... And asks for the model... Could've figured that out by itself... . Yay, it says, I see, there is such a thing, only it doesn't have internet. I can't set it up...

facepalm.jpg Reminder. This is - a repeater. With a mesh function. For extending existing wifi coverage, maybe there's no internet here and never was...

With the internet connected, it happily meowed and asked to enter the network name. Thought for a moment and said that such SSID already exists and it will not work with it... Try again?

May as well smack it with a candelabra (c) joke.

In short, went looking to turn off paired devices because they still broadcast SSID, but there's no internet there anymore. Switched something to other points. But overall, the air got lighter. Because it took up the whole range in 5GHz and as much as it could in 2.4. With the predictable result.