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I have a rather ordinary network topology where I have my main router- a tp-link C1200 connect to the WAN while I have an older tp-link Archer C20i/ AC750 configured as a WDS AP with an HP MFD connected over USB.

I have two problems here.

Starting yesterday, I find any connections to the network drops as soon as the C20i also joins the network. I know the connection drops on the devices are caused by this AP joining the network as if I switch off the AP, all devices stay connected to the network normally. If this WDS AP goes back up online, all devices keep connecting, dropping and keep connecting in a continuous loop without any end in sight. The only thing I could think of is the channels. The WDS setup in AC750 required me to point it to specific channels while the ones on my C1200 remains Auto. Any thoughts on why the connections drop only when the AP goes online? These settings serve me very well for most part without any disruptions. I tried reseting the main C1200 modem and that didn't have any effect on the issue. The WDS settings have worked very well continuously for many weeks together until now.

2.I have an older HP Deskjet printer connected to the AC750 and use the USB Print utility to remote print from across the network (when the connections work well). I'm able to discover, connect and use the printer from most devices (Windows 10 notebooks) except one. This Windows 10 device is a work notebook that while already has the printer drivers installed, the USB Printer Utility fails to discover any devices on the network. I check if the printer is disconnected from any other device after use. Any thoughts on what could be blocking this discovery?

Any thoughts/pointers are much appreciated!

Network diagram:

enter image description here

harrymc
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JAckBlack854
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    Is the firmware up to date on both routers? – harrymc Nov 16 '18 at 11:08
  • Firmware is a check. What's not clear however is what causes the devices to completely drop connection to the network when the WDS AP joins the network. – JAckBlack854 Nov 16 '18 at 11:34
  • Please add to your post a schema of the network, plus info such as DHCP server and IP addresses. – harrymc Nov 16 '18 at 12:09
  • Network diagram updated in the main post. DHCP enabled on the main C1200 with an IP of 12.37.65.43 DHCP Range: 12.37.65.78-90 Channel Auto On the WDS AP (Archer C20i): the MAC of the C1200 is entered/captured connected to the main network of the C1200 through site survey. WDS is selected IP Address is 12.37.65.99 DHCP is disabled. SSID set to match the original networks, Channel is set to 11. – JAckBlack854 Nov 17 '18 at 08:10
  • How is the WDS connected to the router, is it [LAN to LAN](https://superuser.com/a/936639/8672)? – harrymc Nov 17 '18 at 11:28
  • It's over wireless. – JAckBlack854 Nov 18 '18 at 11:47
  • I find your DHCP range much too small, and I don't understand "site survey". You might consider giving the WDS a statistic IP. – harrymc Nov 18 '18 at 12:32
  • Thank you Harry. The WDS station is given a static IP right outside the DHCP range of the main router- 12.37.65.99. Its on the same subnet. The issue I don't suppose is of the DHCP range here. I'm still trying to figure out what is it that changes when the WDS comes up online and joins the network that prompts ALL the devices to drop connections. – JAckBlack854 Nov 19 '18 at 16:21
  • You shouldn't define a DHCP range that is exactly the number of devices because the DHCP server might remember past assignments. Apart from this, there is nothing wrong with your setup that can be seen in the available information. There's a wrong setting somewhere, but it's up to you to find. Maybe on the C1200. – harrymc Nov 19 '18 at 16:34
  • Thank you for that insight Harry. Yesterday though I found out what gets it to work without knowing what breaks it. I switch the wireless radio off, change the channel on the WDS station and switch it back on, the setup works like a charm. If I switch it off and then switch it back on again, the problem persists. So every time it breaks, I'll need to switch the radio off, change channels and turn it back on. Does that sound familiar of any problems you could think of? Thanks again Harry for helping me out so far. – JAckBlack854 Nov 25 '18 at 04:22
  • Does this happen if you leave it on another channel? I note that channel 11 is usually the strongest. – harrymc Nov 25 '18 at 07:34

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