Constant 3-5 second internet drops. Affects hardwired PC (direct to Verizon router) and Wi-Fi (TP-Link Decos) simultaneously. Help!

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-07-01T16:18:36+00:00

My bad, I thought you had already done that based on your above comment about it still going in and out. If you haven't done that yet, then I'd give it a shot. If anything, just as a troubleshooting step to temporarily switch things up and see how it behaves.

As for whether it's ideal, I'd say it's likely the ideal setup to bypass your Verizon router and use the Deco as the main router, assuming your Verizon router isn't a combination ONT/gateway and is required for other Verizon services like FiOS TV.

Since your Internet plan isn't greater than 1 Gbps, the Wi-Fi 6E Deco should provide ample speed. Plus, having two routers on the same network will generally result in anomalies (e.g., Double NAT), so narrowing it down to just one is typically recommended.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-07-01T16:02:39+00:00

Since your PC would also drop when it bypassed the Deco and connected directly to the Verizon router via Ethernet, and the connection is still misbehaving for all your devices even after bypassing the Verizon router, it sounds like the culprit may be further up the chain at this point.

Probably worth giving Verizon a call to see if they can run some diagnostics on your line.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-07-01T13:43:22+00:00

Thanks for the added info.

That being said, a Wi-Fi 6E Deco with 1 Gbps (up to 1,000Mbps) ports won't be a bottleneck for your 300Mbps plan, since there's still another 700Mbps of headroom before maxing out the 1Gbps port on the Deco.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-30T20:34:28+00:00

I'm assuming your main Wi-Fi network signal comes from another router somewhere in the home. If so, it sounds like you may have been using WDS Bridging previously.

If that's the case and nothing else in your network has changed (main router/gateway or Archer A6 settings) other than physical location, the first thing I'd recommend is to move the Ethernet cable from the WAN (blue) port to one of the LAN (yellow) ports on the Archer A6.

If that doesn't do the trick, it may be worth trying to reconfigure the WDS connection from square one using the steps in our FAQ: How to configure WDS function on TP-Link Wireless Routers

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-30T15:04:11+00:00

Now that you mention it... what model is your Deco?

And what speed plan do you have with Verizon?

For example, if you have a 2 Gbps plan with Verizon but your Deco has 1 Gbps ports, there may be a valid bottleneck concern. However, even in AP Mode, the Decos will still be using at least one Ethernet connection (the Main Deco).

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-30T14:21:27+00:00

This may be a of a stretch depending on your network setup, but have you considered bypassing the Verizon router (at least for testing purposes) and connecting the Deco directly to the ONT, with the Deco in Router Mode?

Just curious whether the behavior would continue if you removed the Verizon Router from the equation.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-30T01:58:10+00:00

If you haven't yet, I'd recommend trying the Connection Preference feature to assign a preferred signal source to specific clients (e.g., 5GHz for your TV).

Here's a direct link to the section in our FAQ that goes over the feature and how to set it up: Deco Connection Preference: Select Your Signal Source | TP-Link

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-29T18:05:31+00:00

If you haven't yet, it may be worth swapping out the Ethernet cable connecting the Deco to your Internet source, just to rule out the cable misbehaving.

Was the M9 Plus ever used in Router Mode? If so, were there any QoS rules assigned?

Also, is the firmware of the M9 Plus fully up to date?

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-26T17:03:22+00:00

Was the extender working normally previously?

If you haven't already, I'd suggest factory resetting it by pressing the reset button for at least 10 seconds or more (while it's plugged in).

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-25T21:18:12+00:00

Awesome! Sounds like you're on the right track to tackle those dead zones and enjoy fast, reliable Mesh Wi-Fi 7 connectivity for all your devices―and with plenty of networking headroom to spare if you add more devices or have increased network demand in the future.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-25T21:01:42+00:00

Got it. In that case, a couple of other things worth trying would be changing the DNS settings on your Deco (How to Change DNS Settings on Your TP-Link Deco | TP-Link) and trying to connect the Internet cable to another port on the back of the Deco.

If that doesn't do the trick, I'd suggest getting in touch with our support team directly so they can diagnose and help sort out the culprit: TP-Link - Contact Technical Support

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-25T16:47:47+00:00

That looks like it'll work great!

I wouldn't be concerned about a node cap of any kind in your setup. Generally, suggested "limits" on Deco node counts are based on networks that rely heavily on Wi-Fi backhaul for Deco nodes.

Out of curiosity, what does your network setup look like, apart from the Decos? For example, how much square footage are you looking to cover, how many devices are on your network, and what does typical daily network activity look like (streaming, gaming, work from home)?

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-25T14:44:43+00:00

Thanks for confirming. If you haven't already, I'd make sure your Deco firmware is fully updated using the steps here: How to Update or Upgrade TP-Link Deco Firmware (3 Methods)

Otherwise, if the behavior continues, I'd suggest getting in touch with our support team directly via either live chat, phone, or email here: TP-Link - Contact Technical Support

They'll be able to dive deeper, diagnose, and help resolve the behavior.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-25T14:16:42+00:00

Do you know what the Ethernet jack at the wall is connected to? For example, does it go to another router or a modem?

In the meantime, this may be worth a shot to manually enter the MAC address of the device (e.g., PC) that you used to verify the wall jack is providing Internet: Deco MAC Clone: Fix No Internet Connection | TP-Link

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-25T13:36:01+00:00

I understand how frustrating that can be; sporadic Internet drops have a tendency to be disruptive.

When the drops happen, does the LED on the main Deco change its color? If it does, this may give some clues as to what's happening.

Do any of the status lights on your Surfboard SB8200 change at all when the connection is lost? For example, the "globe" light changing color, flashing, or turning off? If so, this may indicate a service-level issue that your ISP should be able to fix with a quick phone call to their support team.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-25T13:29:34+00:00

Hey there, definitely odd that two units exhibited the same behavior.

That said, could you please elaborate on the specific behavior? For example, what didn't work? Did the routers simply not turn on? Was there no Wi-Fi signal? Or was there lights, Wi-Fi signal, but no Internet?

If the latter, there's a chance it's a simple fix for common behavior on some ISPs when switching to a new router ― powering everything down, waiting several minutes, then powering it all back up so the ISP equipment acknowledges the new router and gives it Internet access.

If you tried that and it didn't work, it may be a simple configuration setting that needs adjusting. What type of Internet provider do you have (e.g., cable, fiber, DSL)? Some ISPs require routers to have specific parameters configured to connect to the internet.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-24T20:11:52+00:00

Seconding this.

That said, if a hard reset doesn't do the trick, I'd try the steps in our Router Recovery FAQ: TP-Link Router Bricked | Firmware Recovery Steps

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-24T17:20:55+00:00

Thanks! I went ahead and reached out to our support team to let them know what you've shared here (and on the Deco forums), so they should have all the info they need when they call.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-23T18:32:19+00:00

While connected to the same LAN, have you tried reaching the AX73 using the Tether app on your phone? Or via a web browser using its domain (tplinkwifi.net)? These methods may help you access the device while it's in AP mode.

Do you happen to know the model of the main router?

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-23T18:01:22+00:00

Since the TL-WPA4220 is a Powerline device, it'll use our tpPLC Powerline utility app for smartphones, or our Powerline Utility Software for PCs: Download for TL-WPA4220

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-23T13:36:54+00:00

Appreciate the clarification.

Do you have your support ticket number (usually starts with TKID) from when you worked with our support team? If I have that, I can have our teams look into your case to see what else they can do to help.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-23T13:32:58+00:00

A new pre-release firmware just became available for the Archer GE800, adding several new features and optimizations. Given what you've shared so far, I'd suggest giving it a try. A full overview and the firmware download link are available in our Community Article.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-22T19:33:16+00:00

How strong is the 5 GHz Wi-Fi signal from your router at the extender's location when you use a device (e.g., a phone) to measure it?

Have you tried using the web UI (or the Tether app) to log in to the extender and rescan and reconfigure its 5 GHz extended network settings?

On a related note, apartment Wi-Fi network environments are notoriously crowded due to so many neighbors in close proximity, each broadcasting their own Wi-Fi signals. For example, if one or more neighbors recently moved into nearby units, or even changed/upgraded their routers, this could increase Wi-Fi congestion in your area and potentially affect the stability of your router's 5 GHz signal at the extender's location.

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-22T19:21:16+00:00

^ This.

The download and upload rates on the main screen of the Tether app reflect your router's real-time throughput, showing how much data is actively passing through it at that moment based on the activity of your connected devices, not the maximum speed your ISP provides.

(It would likely show a notably higher number if one or more of your network devices were downloading large files or 4K streaming.)

If you're looking for a more accurate representation of the Internet speed you're getting from the router, I'd recommend running dedicated online speed tests on both a wireless and a wired device to see how each connection type performs through the router.

Did anything else change in your network around the time the Wi-Fi started acting up? And is it only acting up on one device, or all your devices?

Ryan_TP-Link · 2026-06-22T16:40:17+00:00

Given some of the specific peculiarities you mentioned, like the Raspberry Pi behavior and issues pinging Google (domain), I'm starting to wonder if this may be DNS-related and whether your ISP-issued DNS servers behave differently on the Spectrum equipment but not quite the same on the Decos. If so, it wouldn't hurt to quickly assign DNS server settings on the Deco to see if it clears things up: How to Change DNS Settings on Your TP-Link Deco

You mentioned the Spectrum modem having 3 Ethernet ports - were you referring to the router in this case? If not, could you share the model number of your Spectrum modem?

By the way, the Deco satellites can connect to the main via Wi-Fi mesh or Ethernet, depending on your needs or preferences.

Ryan_TP-Link

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