General questions about Ethernet backhaul feature of Halo

Q1：What is Ethernet backhaul?

Ethernet Backhaul is a feature that makes it possible to wire the Halo units together.

With this feature, two Halo units can be wired with an Ethernet cable. And Halo will transmit data between the two units through the Ethernet connection, which is more stable and faster than Wi-Fi backhaul. Once Ethernet backhaul is established, the Wi-Fi backhaul will disconnect automatically.

Q2: How to establish Ethernet backhaul?

Please follow the steps below to establish the Ethernet backhaul.

1. Set up the Halo units on the same network via Wi-Fi at first through the MERCUSYS App before you wire them together.

2. Place the satellite Halo in the ideal location for the best coverage and then wire Halo units together with Ethernet cables, the Ethernet backhaul will take effect automatically.

3. Halo works in Router mode by default, please note that the satellite Halo is requested to wired to the LAN port of the main Halo or a switch connected to main Halo’s LAN port to avoid a network loop.

When the Halo is set to Access Point mode, you can wire the satellite Halo to any Halo units or the main modem/router.

Here are two common Halo network setups with Ethernet backhaul.

A Halo network topology where three Halos are connected in a wired daisy chain and the Main Halo is wired to the modem.

A Halo network topology where Main Halo is wired to modem, the Switch is wired to the Main Halo, and two Satellite Halos are wired to the Switch.

Do NOT connect your Halo units together as below in Router mode.

A wrong Halo network topology where the Switch is wired to the modem, and both the Main Halo and Satellite Halo are wired to the Switch.

4. You can click on the network map on the MERCUSYS App, then click on a satellite Halo to check which Halo it connects and whether through the Ethernet backhaul or not.

Q3: Which switch models support Ethernet backhaul?

Most of the switches on the market support Halo's Ethernet backhaul feature. If you don’t have a switch or if your switch is verified not compatible with Halo Ethernet Backhaul, the following models will be a good choice.

MS105GS | 5-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch

MS108GS | 8-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch

Q4: To use the Ethernet Backhaul feature, do I need to wire all my Halo units together?

No. You can wired any satellite Halo to other units for Ethernet backhaul as you need. In this case, the Ethernet Backhaul only works between Halo units that wired connected together.

For example:

A Halo Network topology where Main Halo is wired to the modem, Satellite Halo A is connected to Main Halo via Wi-Fi and Satellite Halo B is wired to Satellite Halo A.

Q5: What can I do if the Ethernet backhaul is not taking effect?

1. Check if Halo has enabled the IPTV feature. If yes, the selected IPTV ports can't be used to establish the ethernet backhaul.

2. Please connect the satellite Halo to a different port on the Halo/Switch.

3. Try a different Ethernet cable.

4. Please connect two Halo units directly without the switch if there is. If the direct connection works, the issue may be related to the switch. Please contact the switch's technical support to confirm if it has loop detection enabled by default or if it has a hardware problem.

Note: Halo switching from Wi-Fi backhaul to Ethernet backhaul may create a short Network loop for 1~2s. If your switch supports loop detection, it may block the port used by Halo. Please turn off the loop detection function on your switch, then reboot your switch and try again.

Q6. What can I do if the Halo units become unstable once they're connected via a switch?

1. Try a different port on the Halo/Switch. On the main Halo, one port should connect to the modem/router to get internet, another port can be used for Ethernet backhaul. You can swap the Internet port and the Ethernet backhaul port for a try.

2. Try a different Ethernet cable.

3. Try connecting two Halo units directly by using an Ethernet cable, bypassing the switch. If the Halo units become stable. It's probably that you're using a switch that does not forward specific multicast packets.

Note: The Halo Ethernet backhaul feature is based on the standard IEEE 1905.1 protocol. However, we find that some switches, mainly the D-Link switches, will not forward packets based on IEEE 1905.1 protocol, causing all Halo units in a network loop and becoming quite unstable, you might consider changing another switch or contacting switch’s support directly.

Q7. What can I do if the Halo units become unstable once they're in Access Point mode and all wired to the Main Router?

1. Try a different port on the Halo/Main Router.

2. Try a different Ethernet cable.

3. Try connecting two Halo units directly using an Ethernet cable, bypassing the Main Router. If the Halo units become stable, It indicates that your current router may be EasyMesh-compatible, please try turning off EasyMesh feature on your router, using a different router, or contacting your router’s support.

Note: The Halo Ethernet backhaul feature is based on the standard IEEE 1905.1 protocol, which is also used by EasyMesh. Routers working as EasyMesh Controller typically do not forward these 1905.1 packets to other Halo units. causing the Halo network in a network loop.

Q8: Can I set up different Halo models together through Ethernet backhaul?

Yes, just configure and add different Halo models in the same network. After that, you can wire them to set up the Ethernet backhaul connection.

Q9：How to turn off Ethernet backhaul on the Halo?

You may disconnect the Ethernet cable between Halo units to disable the Ethernet backhaul.