Question WIRED issues with: Cable modem --> Netgear Router --> (Netgear switch + Tplink Router)

13hm13

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What I have:

Spectrum cable modem 2.5G
Tp-link AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router
Netgear R6080 Wi-Fi Router --> Netgear Ethernet wired-only 5-port Gigabit switch --> Three PCs in house
Cisco Router (2003 model)

I have been running a home system with the following config for a few years:

OLD: Cable modem --> Netgear R6080 Wi-Fi Router --> (Netgear switch and Cisco Router)

Just today:

NEW: Cable modem --> Netgear R6080 Wi-Fi Router --> (Netgear switch and Tp-link AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router)

Note that the Ethernet ports of the Netgear R6080 Wi-Fi Router feeds two things: Netgear Ethernet wired-only 5-port Gigabit switch and Tp-link AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router.

So, the MAIN router is the Netgear R6080 Wi-Fi Router

Today replaced the Cisco Router with a new Tp-link router (noted above).

Now, when I go into Admin screen of my Netgear R6080 Wi-Fi Router, I can't see the Netgear Ethernet wired-only 5-port Gigabit switch. What I see is just the Tp-link AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router.
Everything is working fine. However: When I go to the Admin screen of the new Tp-link AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router, the devices connected to the Netgear Ethernet wired-only 5-port Gigabit switch are there. It is as if AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router became the " Ethernet wired-only 5-port Gigabit switch". I don't want this! The AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router is for a separate part of our condo unit.
I tried blacklisting the wired devices connected to the AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router -- just to see if the upstream Netgear R6080 Wi-Fi Router would redirect them back to the 5-port Gigabit switch. No! Those devices remained disabled.

BOTTOM LINE:
I did not have this issue with the old Cisco Router.
I need the Tp-link AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router to stop being the switch.
 
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I suspect it is only a display issue and not how the traffic really flows.

How do you have this cabled. The way it should be done is netgear-switch-tplink router. Now I will assume you have the tplink router set up as a AP running it as a second router is going to make your network messy.

When you run a router as AP it is actually in a way converted to a switch that just happens to have wifi radios. So in effect you have 2 switches plugged into your network but your end device have no way to really know if they are talking to another device on the same switch or having to go to the other switch. They all think they can talk to each other directly. Switches are completely transparent to the commuications. In addition the switches will always send the traffic on the most direct path.

I don't know how your equipment even saw the 5 port netgear switch before. I guess if it is a managed switch it might have a management IP but that does not affect the way traffic flows.
 

13hm13

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The the cable modem and both routers are in the living room -- very close to each other to minimize cabling -- and well away from the rooms the WIRED Ethernet signals are used.
Two long 20-ft Ethernet cables run from each router to two separate bedrooms (but the Netgear has an additional short outgoing cable to the input of the tp-link).
Again, the Netgear is the "parent" router and the tp-link is the "child". When the old Cisco was the "child", no issues.
The 5-port Netgear switch in one of the bedrooms is powered but totally passive.
 
The words "parent" and "child" have no meaning in networking.

Are you running the tplink router as a router or as a AP. Do you plug the short cable between the routers into the wan or the lan port on the tplink.

So you have 2 long cables which router does the netgear switch physically connect to.

If you are running the tplink as a router and have the switch connected to the tplink all traffic will appear to come from the single IP address of the tplink. This why you must run it as a AP.