Nest Pro Wifi APs showing wireless when directly connected.

[kendallbj1975]

Hi,

I have 5 Nest Pro wifi units in my network.  I have my fios ONT connected to unit #1 (no issues with internet connectivity).  Unit #1 is connected to a TP Link TL-SG105 unmanaged switch.  The switch is connected to Unit2.  Unit 2 is connected directly to Unit 3.  Units 4 and 5 are not yet connected via wired connections (working on getting wires to the switch).  Currently units 2 and 3 are still showing as connected wirelessly even though they are directly connected.  Could it be my switch?  Or is it because I need to connect all units via wired connections before it will recognize them all as wired units?

Thanks for any feedback!

[MichaelP]

Hello @kendallbj1975 

If unit 2 is showing as being connected wirelessly, then it's wired connection isn't working properly. Focus on solving that before investigating unit 3, since that one's connection is going via Unit 2 (though, to be honest, I would recommend putting a small 5-port switch where unit 2 is and then connecting both unit 2 and unit 3 to it rather than going through unit 2).

I would try connecting unit 2 directly to unit 1 via a single known-good ethernet cable (leaving unit 3 unwired for now). Verify it shows as "wired". If not, investigate the cable. Then, put the switch back in place, but with only unit 1 and unit 2 connected to it. If unit 2 doesn't show as "wired", investigate both of those cables and maybe try different ports on the switch (sometimes just removing and reconnecting a cable can fix things). You might try connecting a computer to the switch to help validate cables are working properly.

[kendallbj1975]

Hi @MichaelP , I connected unit 2 to unit 1 directly via 2 different cables and it still shows wireless even after a reboot. Seems it’s probably not the switch. I was also able to connect my laptop to the switch and access the internet. Do you think i should factory reboot unit 2? Or restart the entire network? Thanks in advance!

[MichaelP]

Yeah, sounds like it's not the switch. Connecting a laptop to the switch when the switch is connected to unit 1 is a good test, but only as long as none of the other units are connected to the switch, since that can provide an alternate path. I don't think a factory reset or even a reboot is a solution here, to be honest. Which port on unit 2 are you using to connect to unit 1 / the switch? On secondary units, you can use either port, so you might just try the other one.

[kendallbj1975]

Unfortunately neither port will show wired connection. I did a network reboot to try and nothing.  Not sure what other options are available other trying a different unit to function as #2 and see if that works. 

[MichaelP · Accepted solution]

I would try putting unit 3 in place of unit 2 just as a test.

Building a mixed wired/wireless network can be more complex, but it works (the wireless units all need to be close enough to the primary to get a strong connection for themselves, while the wired units can be far away – even in another building if you want).

[kendallbj1975]

Hi @MichaelP  no luck unfortunately. I even connected all the units together and it still says wireless. Wireless mesh and internet works. 

[MichaelP]

This is really strange. If you've connected a laptop directly to unit 1's LAN Ethernet port and it worked, but connecting unit 2 (either port) to that same port on unit 1 doesn't show as wired, then I can't explain why that would be. The only thing left I can think of trying will require some work. Factory reset the entire system and swap a different unit in to the place of unit 1 (making it the new "unit 1").  Before doing that, though, you might just try breaking everything down into the simplest setup possible: power off all of the secondaries except unit 2, connect it directly to unit 1 via Ethernet and see if it shows as wired. Use a short cable, too – put unit 2 in the same room as unit 1 if you have to.

[kendallbj1975]

In addition, the remaining two units that don't have any wires directly connected to them keep randomly dropping off the network.  Seems like it thinks 3 are wired and the wifi ones are acting strange because I've mixed wireless and wired backhauls?

[kendallbj1975]

@MichaelP   Thank you for your help.  Unfortunately, nothing ended up working, not even a complete factory reset of the system.  Nest support was also unable to determine the issues.  I ended up replacing the entire system with Deco tri-band units and everything was up and running via wired backhaul in minutes.  Would love to be able to return the $500+ in unusable equipment but @NestSupport is not able to process a return more than 14 days from purchase.

[MichaelP]

I'm glad you found a solution that is working for you (but sorry we weren't able to get the Nest WiFi Pro system working properly).