I sign in to the router interface first. Go to the Advanced > System > Firmware Upgrade, Click the button “Check for Upgrades” to do the online checking.

I saw that there is a new firmware, v1.2.7.  I am not going to do the online upgrade. I prefer to do it with the local firmware file.

Then, I went to the official website. Here is the very important step. Make sure the hardware version and which county you purchase the device. Different hardware version has different firmware. Different countries need different firmware.

• My Deco X90’s hardware version is 1.0.
• I got it from the USA.

So go to the USA website, and find the Deco X90 support page. Select hardware version v1.0

Download the firmware file of v1.2.7. Uncompressed the file.

There is a important firmware file with the extension name .bin.

X90_X5700v1--up-ver1-2-7-P1[20240719-rel66567]-US_EU_JP_2024-07-20_15.37.15.bin

Go back to the Deco Admin Firmware page. Browse the bin file and click Upgrade button.

It took a few minutes to upgrade.

After it, the routers will reboot.

After rebooting, the system will be back online.

Sign in to the Admin page and check the firmware again to ensure it is v1.2.7.

I forgot to mention some details of my setting:

• My Deco X90 routers are working as AP. Both connect to the local network with Cat5E cable. Office one is in the basement. Gloria’s room one is in the second floor.
• Two routers are upgraded together in one step.
• My PC is also connected to the LAN with the ethernet cable.

The post Upgrade TP-Link Deco X90 appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

First, double-check the hardware version of them and the country.

Mine is the US edition, the hardware version is 1.0

Then, go to the TP-Link US website, support page, and find the Deco X90 V1 firmware. Link

The latest firmware is 1.2.6. Download it and unzip the file. The firmware file is .bin.

Now, go to the Deco X90 web portal. My main X90’s IP address is 192.168.100.201

Sign in and go to the Advanced page, System, Firmware Upgrade.

Choose Device Model X90, Browse the bin firmware file, and click UPGRADE.

It will upload the bin file and upgrade the devices.

It took about a few minutes to complete the upgrade.

The last step is reboot.

Go to the web panel and look at the firmware version.

See, both my X90 are 1.2.6 now.

The new 1.26. firmware has some improvements and bug fixes:

1. Enhanced the security of the device.
2. Optimized the time limit settings of parental control.

The post Upgrade the TP-Link Deco X90 Firmware appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Here are the simple records for today’s updates.

Upgrade the TP-Link Switch.

The latest one is v1.0.13. After the upgrade, it will reboot automatically.

It is a big update. So l attached the release notes here.TL-SG3210XHP-M2(UN)_v1_1.0.13 Build 20230602 Release Note

Upgrade Deco6 X90(1.0)

I use it as AP.  Upgrade to v1.2.4. then v1.2.5.

I like to do it one by one.

Release notes of v1.2.5

Improvements and Bug Fixes:
1. Added SafeSearch function and Youtube Restrict function in the Homeshield.
2. Added OFDMA and MU-MIMO toggle.
3. Optimized OpenVPN performance.
4. Fixed some security vulnerabilities.
5. Fixed some other bugs.

Notes:
Please update your Deco APP to the latest version for the new features.

Release notes of v1.2.4

New Features/Enhancements:
1. Avoids abnormal wireless packet reception in special cases.

Bug fixes:
1. Fixed the bug that 5G-2 backhaul could not be created.

Notes:
1. Please update your Deco APP to the latest version for the new features.
2. If there are other Deco models in your Deco network, you may miss some new features till other models release updates in the near future.

The post It is time to upgrade Tp-Link devices again appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Upgrade the Firmware of Deco6 X90(1.0)

Double-check the hardware version before the upgrade.

Mine is v1. So confirmed and click the Upgrade button.

After upgrading, both Deco6 AP is rebooted.

All good. Here is some information on this release news.

Modifications and Bug fixes:
1. Optimized the HomeShield feature.

Oh, I forgot to mention that it is USA version.

Upgrade Firmware of TL-SG3210XHP-M2 v1

Double-check that the hardware version is V1. It is also USA version.

You can find the latest firmware on this webpage.

My current firmware is v1.0.6. The latest version on the official site is v1.0.12.

New Features & Enhancements:
Fully adapted to Omada Controller v5.6, with the following features supported:
1. Jumbo Frame;
2. EEE;
3. Flow Control (802.3x);
4. Loopback Detection VLAN-Based;
5. LACP (802.3ad);
6. DHCP L2 Relay;
7. Time-Based ACL;
8. MAC address format customization for 802.1X.

Bug Fixed:
1. Fixed the bug of slowly increasing memory usage.

Notes:
1. For TL-SG3210XHP-M2(UN) V1 and V1.6
2. This firmware is fully adapted to Omada SDN Controller v5.6 and above.

When I download the firmware zip file. It has both v1, and v2 hardware version. So I am very carefully selecting one during the upgrade process.

I choose TL-SG3210XHP-M2v1_en_1.0.12_[20230203-rel36545]_up.bin

It took a while to upload and upgrade.

Then, it reboots automatically.

Then, I sign in again and double-check the firmware version. It is v1.0.12 now.

The post Upgrade the firmware of TP-Link devices appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

First of all, I need to know which chipset is it using.

After a few Google searches, I find the chipset it uses is AQC107.

The name on the adapter properties is Marvel AQtion 10Gbit Network Adapter.

The official site to get the latest Marvell Drivers or firmware is Marvell Download.

1. Select Marvell Public Drivers
2. Choose Windows platforms
3. Part number is AQC107
4. Click Apply and download the 1.8.0_3.1.121a
5. The download MarvellFlashUpdate_1.80.3_3.1.121a.zip file is 2,327KB.
6. Unzip it into a folder.

Check the readme.txt file to find the guide to upgrading the firmware of the adapter.

Based on the Readme, TP-link TX401 is not in the supported devices list. But I did it anyway. Because the upgrade program will check the chipset to see if it is supported before the upgrade.
Three Steps

1. Open CMD Window as Admin
2. Go to the folder that has the files extracted
3. Run the executable program atlflashupdate

Because I run it in the  Git Bash window, so it did not show me the flash result. It just told me that the firmware version shipped is 3.1.100,  it can be upgraded to 3.1.121.

I chose to continue to upgrade. I noticed the network is offline and online again. But no finished notice.

OK. I forced stop this window and use CMD to rerun the command.

Here it is already the latest firmware 3.1.121. No update is required.

Well done.

PS. Backup download link of the firmware 3.1.121 zip file. MarvellFlashUpdate_1.80.3_3.1.121a

The post Flash the new firmware to TP-link TX401 appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Amazon.com Link https://amzn.to/3W6x61A

Let me open it and see what is inside.

Inside the box, you can see the picture above, a TX401 adapter, a low-profile bracket, a 1.5m CAT6A cable, and one CD with driver software.

There is a big heatsink attached to the front of the card. It covers the chipset.

I also have the back picture for record.

• 10 Gbps PCIe Network Card: With the latest 10GBase-T Technology, TX401 delivers extreme speeds of up to 10 Gbps, which is 10× faster than typical Gigabit adapters, guaranteeing smooth data transmissions for both internet access and local data transmissions[1]
• Versatile Compatibility: With extreme speed and ultra-low latency, 10GBase-T is backwards compatible with multiple data rates (10 Gbps, 5 Gbps, 2.5 Gbps, 1 Gbps, 100 Mbps), automatically negotiating between higher and lower speed connections
• QoS: Quality of Service technology delivers prioritized performance for gamers and ensures to avoid network congestion for PC gaming
• Free CAT6A Ethernet Cable: To maximize TX401’s performance, a 1.5 m CAT6A Ethernet Cable is included—rated for up to 10 Gbps while a regular cable is only rated for 1 Gbps
• Low-Profile and Full-Height Brackets: In addition to the standard bracket, a low-profile bracket is provided for mini tower computer cases
• Comprehensive System Support – Fully compatible with Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7, Windows Servers 2019/2016/2012 R2, and Linux to meet your diverse operating system needs
• Industry leading 2-year warranty and free 24/7 technical support

I don’t have another 10Gbe device in my network, but I have 2.5Gbe network card. So, I put the 2.5Gbe adapter into a PVE system. The 10Gbe TX401 is installed in my PC, or desktop running Windows 11. Both of them connect to the 2.5G switch through CAT5e cables.

I have to say TX401 needs to install the driver coming with the CD.

Windows 11 can recognize it as a Marvell AQtion 10Gbit Network Adapter. The connection speed is 2500Mbps or 2.5G.

The version of the driver is 3.1.7.0.

I run a few commands to double-check the interface of the network in the PVE system.

root@pve:~# lshw -class network -short
H/W path            Device     Class          Description
=========================================================
/0/100/1.2/0.2/0/0  eno1       network        RTL8125 2.5GbE Controller
/0/100/1.2/0.2/1/0  enp4s0     network        RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Giga

eno1 is the 2.5Gbe PCIe network adapter.

enp4s0 is the onboard gigabit ethernet port. I am not using it.

root@pve:~# ethtool eno1
Settings for eno1:
        Supported ports: [ TP    MII ]
        Supported link modes:   10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full
                                100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full
                                1000baseT/Full
                                2500baseT/Full
        Supported pause frame use: Symmetric Receive-only
        Supports auto-negotiation: Yes
        Supported FEC modes: Not reported
        Advertised link modes:  10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full
                                100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full
                                1000baseT/Full
                                2500baseT/Full
        Advertised pause frame use: Symmetric Receive-only
        Advertised auto-negotiation: Yes
        Advertised FEC modes: Not reported
        Link partner advertised link modes:  100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full
                                             1000baseT/Full
                                             2500baseT/Full
        Link partner advertised pause frame use: No
        Link partner advertised auto-negotiation: Yes
        Link partner advertised FEC modes: Not reported
        Speed: 2500Mb/s
        Duplex: Full
        Auto-negotiation: on
        master-slave cfg: preferred slave
        master-slave status: slave
        Port: Twisted Pair
        PHYAD: 0
        Transceiver: external
        MDI-X: Unknown
        Supports Wake-on: pumbg
        Wake-on: d
        Link detected: yes

I use the iperf3 to test the speed between two hosts through a 2.5g switch with CAT5e cables. I did multiple tests, almost in the same range.

$ iperf3 -c 192.168.100.4
Connecting to host 192.168.100.4, port 5201
[  4] local 192.168.100.147 port 11221 connected to 192.168.100.4 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-1.00   sec   282 MBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec
[  4]   1.00-2.00   sec   283 MBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec
[  4]   2.00-3.00   sec   283 MBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec
[  4]   3.00-4.00   sec   283 MBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec
[  4]   4.00-5.00   sec   283 MBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec
[  4]   5.00-6.00   sec   283 MBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec
[  4]   6.00-7.00   sec   283 MBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec
[  4]   7.00-8.00   sec   282 MBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec
[  4]   8.00-9.00   sec   283 MBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec
[  4]   9.00-10.00  sec   282 MBytes  2.36 Gbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bandwidth
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec  2.76 GBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec                  sender
[  4]   0.00-10.00  sec  2.76 GBytes  2.37 Gbits/sec                  receiver

iperf Done.

I can tell the TX401 card is great. At least in the 2.5G connection speed, it meets my expectation.

I have a plan, If I have another TX401 adapter, I can do a Peer to Peer test for 10G speed. Or, if I have an SFP+ network card and a DAC cable to connect one host to the switch. An SFP+ to RJ45 module in my switch SFP+ port, I can test the 10G speed too.

OK, for now, my 2.5G speed test on the TP-Link TX401 is done here.  If you planning to make your 10Gigabits network in the future, I recommend TX401 .

List of the test equipment:

• TP-Link TL-SG3210XHP-M2 Network Switch
• 2.5GBase-T PCIe Network Adapter

The post TP-link 10Gbe PCIe Network Card TX401 appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

From the spec sheets:

• AXE5400 Tri-Band – AXE5400 Tri-Band Wi-Fi delivers Wi-Fi speeds up to 5400 Mbps.
• Cutting-Edge Processing – Armed with a 1.7 GHz Quad-Core CPU.
• SuperSpeed USB 3.0 – Up to 10× faster transfer speeds than USB 2.0.
• Wi-Fi 6E Unleashed – The brand new 6 GHz band brings more bandwidth, faster speeds, and near-zero latency.
• HomeShield – Customize your home network with enhanced security and control.
• OneMesh™ – Creates a Mesh network by connecting to a TP-Link OneMesh Extender for seamless whole-home coverage.
• Connect More Devices—OFDMA technology increases capacity by 4 times to enable simultaneous transmission to more devices.
• Ultra-Low Latency—Enables more responsive gaming and video chatting.
• Compatible with Alexa—Control your router via voice commands and make your life smarter and easier with Amazon Alexa.

I borrowed my daughter’s smartphone, Pixel 6a, which supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e.

When I set up the router, I can config 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz with the same SSID, or Wifi Network name.  Here is TP-Link_5DD8. And an individual SSID for 6Ghz frequency is TP-Link_5DD8_6G.

It is a new device with more functions.  I will try it after I finished my basement upgrading project.

The post TP-Link AXE5400 Archer AXE75 Tri-Band Gigabit Wi-Fi 6E Router appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Let me show you some pictures I took when I opened the box.

I took everything and put them on the desk.

• Switch itself,
• a power cord,
• two pieces of the metal tab with screws, which can mount the switch to the rack,
• a serial cable for console managing,
• Installation Guide, paper.

I need this one for my 2.5Gbe small home lab. The TL-SG3210XHP-M2 is the core of my network.

It is a switch for business with so many features.

Here are some highlights:

• 2.5G PoE+ Ports for WiFi 6: 8× 2.5 Gbps ports smash the gigabit barrier and unlock the full potential of WiFi 6 APs.
• 10G Lightning-Fast Uplink: 2× 10 Gbps SFP+ slots enable high-bandwidth connectivity and non-blocking switching capacity.
• 240 W PoE Budget: 8× 802.3at/af-compliant PoE+ ports with a total power supply of 240 W.
• Integrated into Omada SDN: Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP)**, Centralized Cloud Management, and Intelligent Monitoring. ( I don’t need it, because I am using opnSense on my soft router.)
• Static Routing: Helps route internal traffic for more efficient use of network resources.
• Robust Security Strategies: IP-MAC-Port Binding, ACL, Port Security, DoS Defend, Storm control, DHCP Snooping, 802.1X, Radius Authentication, and more.
• Optimize Voice and Video Applications: L2/L3/L4 QoS and IGMP snooping.

There is a quite important part of my recent changes in my home lab. I implement the ipv6 tunnel broker in the ISP ipv4-only connection.

The switch default setting of IPv6 is disabled.

Step 1, L3 Features > Interfaces

Step 2, L3 Features > Interfaces> Edit IPv6

You see, I am using Router Advertisement, or RA to make the network devices in the LAN to get the IPv6 address.

The post TP-Link TL-SG3210XHP-M2 Network Switch appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

Here I would like to show some basic information about it.

The box is big and heavy. Two nodes can cover 6000 sq. ft. or  557 square meters.

Some Features:

• [icon name=”wifi” prefix=”fas”] AX6600 Tri-Band WiFi: Boosts overall speeds up to an incredible 6600 Mbps
• [icon name=”brain” prefix=”fas”] AI-Driven Mesh: Intelligently learns the network environment to provide ideal Wi-Fi unique to your home
• [icon name=”broadcast-tower” prefix=”fas”] Smart Antennas: Establish a stronger backhaul to boost coverage and improve wireless connections
• [icon name=”laptop-house” prefix=”fas”] Connect More Devices: Connect up to 200 devices without dragging down performance
• [icon name=”shield-virus” prefix=”fas”] TP-Link HomeShield: Keeps your home network safe with cutting-edge features for network and IoT protection

Deco X90 Hardware and specs:

• CPU: Broadcom BCM6755 1.5Ghz Quad-Core CPU
• RAM: 512MB
• Ports: 1×2.5G WAN/LAN + 1X Gigabit WAN/LAN
• Wi-Fi Bands: 4804Mbps on 5GHz + 1201 Mbps on 5GHz + 574 Mbps on 2.4GHz (Two 5GHz and one 2.4GHz bands)
• Antennas: 4 High-Gain Antennas + 2 Smart Antennas
• Mesh Protocol: 802.11 k/v/r ( It is most important specs for Mesh network)

The CPU is a fast one. It is the fastest one in all my routers.

Deco X90 Pictures:

Installation of the Deco X90

The very first step is to install the app from Google Play or AppStore.

Then, follow the on-screen directions. Step by Step to complete the first X90 device and later add the second one.

The default is to use Wi-Fi to connect the second X90 to the primary (the first) X90. I prefer to use ethernet to connect them.

I live in a three stories townhouse. I put the primary Deco X90 in my office, which is in the south of the building. The second X90 is in my daughter’s room, in the north of the building.

I have my own router, which is a soft router. I did not plan to replace it. So I use these two X90 as an Access Point.

Tp-link  Deco App and Features:

I named my network “deco6”, kind of boring.

Touch the nine-dots icon, more settings, touch the Advanced, Operation Mode, then choose Access Point.  Because I connect the primary Deco X90 after my router.

I like this one. The Deco Lab, Wi-Fi assistant. Test speed, port checker, etc.  A lot of fun features in this Deco Lab.

Web Interface

There is also a web interface for X90. I know their IP address of them from the Deco App. 192.168.1.172 and 173.

192.168.1.173 is the main Deco or Primary X90.

From my desktop, I enter the IP address into Google Chrome.  By entering the password of the TP-link ID, I can access it.

I can see the device CPU load, memory usage, and the clients who connect to my network.

At the Advanced panel, it shows the status and a lot of System-level functions, including firmware upgrade, system log, time settings, reboot, and system parameters. These are for all devices of this network.

When I enter 192.168.1.172 into Google Chrome, the second Deco web interface. It is only shown me the System log, Firmware upgrade, and reboot. it is for this device only.

I am not using functions like NAT, Parental Controls, QoS, Connection Alerts, etc.

Issue

There is a small issue with the system. I am using AP mode, my mobile device can not get the IPv6 IP address through Deco X90 from the Router. Maybe the next firmware can solve it.

My Conclusion

The Tp-link Deco X90 provides great features and fast Wifi speed. I would like to recommend it to someone like me having a problem using one Wi-Fi Access Point in a townhouse or even a big house. Because It is very hard to place one single AP at the center of the house. Two X90 make a mesh network. It is easy to make it cover the whole home, from the basement to the third story.

I am going to make a wireless speed test later.

The post TP-Link Deco X90 AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System – A very personal review appeared first on David Yin's Blog.

The speed when I copy a file from my DNS-323 NAS which is attached on Giga Switch to a Windows 7 desktop. It started from about 6MB/second. Then keep going up. Later it reached 9 MB/Second.

The connection speed is shown as 292Mbps. The Max speed is 433Mbps on 5GHz band.

This wireless adapter is no for sale on other countries. Only available in China right now.

Specification as below:

USB 2.0 port

802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a

channels: 1-13, 149-165

Max: 20dBm

Link to official site. Price is much cheaper than those in Canada. It is CNY109. The discount price is CNY95.34. Convert to Canadian dollar is $16.

The post TP-Link 11AC dual band USB wireless adapter WDN5200 appeared first on David Yin's Blog.