While you can create a mesh network with openwrt, it's not the same as the one that TP-Link uses. So if you flash the V2s then the V3s will become useless since there currently is no openwrt for the V3.
If you really want to go with openwrt then I'd probably try and sell the V3s and buy used V1s, V2s or V4s.
But you might want to test the mesh network with your V2s before you commit to anything. The wifi drivers for the V1 and V2 aren't the greatest (and that won't change) and thus you can't create an access point network and a mesh network on the same radio at the same time without the link quality going down the drain. So you have to commit either the 2,4GHz or the 5GHz radio to the mesh network and only use the other radio for the access points. At least that was the case last time I tried it.
And just to prevent confusion since everybody has a different opinion about what a mesh network is: The mesh network is there for communication between the openwrt devices. Every one of those still needs an access point for end devices like smartphones or laptops. The mesh network basically only replaces a wired backhaul.
Of course if you can connect all of the openwrt devices with Ethernet cables then that works fine and has 2.4GHz and 5GHz access points available. My whole network is set up like that. But in that case you're not using the mesh functionality anymore.
And no, seamless roaming between access points is not equivalent to a mesh.
Hi Bob,
Thank you so much for your advanced reply. It is really helpful. So, I need to flash all the radios I want to use, even the non-primary ones?
Thanks
If you want the actual mesh backhaul to work then either all are using the stock firmware or openwrt.
But you don't need Decos for openwrt's mesh. Any openwrt device will do.
The Archer C6 V2 for example has the same hardware inside as the Deco M4R V2 but has actual antennas and a lot more switch ports exposed. And it's cheaper if you can find one on ebay.
Just to be sure, mesh is the technology in which how routers communicate with each other and roaming is a protocol that allows mobile devices to seamlessly transition between said routers, correct? And also from what I understand, if I was able to do a wired backhaul instead of the wireless mesh I would be able to make a single SSID that works both for 2.4 and 5 GHz, right?
Roaming isn't a protocol. Your smartphone simply chooses the access point with the strongest signal from the ones available with the same SSID.
There are protocols like 802.11r that help with the switch, but at the end of the day it's always up to the wifi client how it switches between access points.
Apart from that you've understood correctly.
Thanks! Will try to use a wired backhaul to make it as similar as possible to the original firmware. I have activated 802.11r before on the factory firmware but it seemed to have caused stability issues, will try it on OpenWRT as well but I am not super optimistic.
I have never worked with pppoe. And this isn't a question specific to Decos. You should ask it in the appropriate sub forum for openwrt settings.
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said free time is now available!
i'll post when there are relevant updates
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openwrt for deco m4r v3 (do ignore the 23.05 branch, changes are in 24.10)
bootloader patch will now be packaged into a clean shell script
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