TP Link Wi-Fi extender will not work

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ssbain
Comes here often

TP Link Wi-Fi extender will not work

I am trying to use a TP Link extender to provide Ethernet to a printer. For some reason it does not work with my Meraki Go Gateway and AP and I can't figure out why. I tried to setup another Meraki GO AP using the Mesh functionality hoping it would work as a network bridge but that does not seem to work with the GO system. Anyone have any ideas?

1 Accepted Solution
Xydocq
A model citizen

I've had a similar setup some time ago. Wifi-network with an TP-Link extender as wireless adapter to wired devices.

 

Bridge-Mode on Meraki go doesn't stand for wifi-bridge-mode. But it is needed to make things work the way you want it to be.

 

You can find some information on this pages:

Meraki Go - Wireless Meshing - Cisco Meraki

Configuring VLANs in Meraki Go - Cisco Meraki

Meraki Go - Wireless Address Translation - Cisco Meraki

Meraki Go - When Bridge Mode is not Available (Auto NAT) - Cisco Meraki

 

Your Meraki go has to be set to "bridge mode" to allow communication between VLANs.

NAT-Mode allows Internet-access only. Devices connected to a NAT-type VLAN can't be explored.

So your guest-wifi needs to run on a NAT-type VLAN, while devices you wish to share (printer, scanner, etc) or connect to (server, NAS, etc.), need a Bridge-type VLAN.

Your TP-Link extender needs to have a static IP once connected to the Meraki Go wifi. Meraki Go - Local Network Addressing - Cisco Meraki

Make sure you picked the right VLAN for those settings.

 

DHCP-Server on the TP-Link needs to be turned off. This should allow devices connected to it getting the IPs assigned by Meraki Go.

 

When you're doing the setup, use a Laptop or PC wired to the TP-Link and keep it close to the area where one of your APs or even better your router is located. Try to reach a device connected to the wired Meraki Go VLAN before you move the repeater to it's place.

 

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5 Replies 5
Xydocq
A model citizen

Hello @ssbain 

 

Saying you want to provide Ethernet to a printer means your printer has no wifi-capability?

 

Looking at the Onboarding guide

guide.png

The LAN-Port on the AP-Devices can only be used as WAN-Port or to power the AP over PoE but it's not used to connect wired devices to the wifi.

 

Your TP-Link extender might have this capability but to answer that, we would need to know the model.

 

Cheers 

ssbain
Comes here often

Thanks @Xydocq 

 

The printer is not Wi-Fi capable. It is a small impact printer for a point of sale

 

I missed that information in the guide. I guess I was hoping since you can mesh them together it would work as a bridge for ethernet also.

 

The TP Link device does work this way and I have it setup this way at other locations not using the Meraki Go system and it works great. But when I set it up with the Meraki Go it won't work. I don't know if the Meraki Go is blocking it or what is going on. It shows as a WiFi ext and I can connect to it via WiFi but it will not allow me to connect to the printer. It is a TP-Link RE105 device

Xydocq
A model citizen

I've had a similar setup some time ago. Wifi-network with an TP-Link extender as wireless adapter to wired devices.

 

Bridge-Mode on Meraki go doesn't stand for wifi-bridge-mode. But it is needed to make things work the way you want it to be.

 

You can find some information on this pages:

Meraki Go - Wireless Meshing - Cisco Meraki

Configuring VLANs in Meraki Go - Cisco Meraki

Meraki Go - Wireless Address Translation - Cisco Meraki

Meraki Go - When Bridge Mode is not Available (Auto NAT) - Cisco Meraki

 

Your Meraki go has to be set to "bridge mode" to allow communication between VLANs.

NAT-Mode allows Internet-access only. Devices connected to a NAT-type VLAN can't be explored.

So your guest-wifi needs to run on a NAT-type VLAN, while devices you wish to share (printer, scanner, etc) or connect to (server, NAS, etc.), need a Bridge-type VLAN.

Your TP-Link extender needs to have a static IP once connected to the Meraki Go wifi. Meraki Go - Local Network Addressing - Cisco Meraki

Make sure you picked the right VLAN for those settings.

 

DHCP-Server on the TP-Link needs to be turned off. This should allow devices connected to it getting the IPs assigned by Meraki Go.

 

When you're doing the setup, use a Laptop or PC wired to the TP-Link and keep it close to the area where one of your APs or even better your router is located. Try to reach a device connected to the wired Meraki Go VLAN before you move the repeater to it's place.

 

ssbain
Comes here often

Had everything setup correctly with the exception of the DHCP turned off on the TP-Link. Now I can actually see the printer on the network and even connect to it and configure it. I have it set to a static IP so I tried to set it to DHCP and it got an IP Address from the Meraki and I could still see the printer on the network. I just can't print to it! Dumbest thing I have ever seen.

I know this setup works with my POS because I take it off of the Meraki and put it on a different network and it prints great. No idea why it has such on issue with the Meraki.

Thank you so much for all of your help @Xydocq 

Xydocq
A model citizen

Sorry to hear the printer isn't doing what it's supposed to do.

 

I have one last question: When you were able to see the printer on the LAN, did you try to print right away or did you delete the printer first from the computers and did a fresh install?

 

I have all my printers set to print on Standard-TCP/IP-Port with static IP. I don't remember what the other connection type was, that was used by default, but it sure was the reason for the problems I had with my printers. 

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