TP-Link Deco M5 Whole Home Wi-Fi System Review

最受人尊敬的成员之一的预算networking community, it would only make sense that TP-Link get into the mesh networking game. But to describe the deco as just another mesh router would be doing it a disservice. Known for simplicity and reliability, they’re not exactly the company you would expect to shake up the game. Typically, they’re the ones cutting out excessive features to build the hardware that most consumers want. But mesh networking is still very new in the market, and it’s clear that there is room for improvement.

If you’re not familiar with this technology, let’s get the important questions out of the way. What is a mesh router? And why would you want one? Typical routers use a point to point communication protocol. Your computer connects directly to the router. The issue with this is range. The farther you are away, and the more that stands in your way between you and the router, the worse your connection is. Mesh routers blanket your house in Wi-Fi, with multiple broadcast points. If you’re having connection problems with your current router, you need a mesh router.

Of all the whole-home networking equipment out there, is this the one for you? To answer that question, we’ll have to go hands-on.

第一眼

TheTP-Link Deco M5is small disc-shaped networking appliance used to broadcast your internet connection across several connection points. It’s sold in a three pack, which is advertised as being able to cover 4500 square feet. Each particular unit covers 1500 square feet, and you can add more as necessary. Aside from the impressive range, the main selling point of the M5 is it’s simple and easy to use interface. Unlike some options which sacrifice features for simplicity, the M5 is fairly robust. Instead, they rely on menus that show you the options you need, making the advanced settings available for those that know how to use them.

Setup Procedure

For those who don’t have a lot of technical know-how, unboxing a new piece of hardware can be a daunting experience. Networking equipment in particular can be a challenge, since there are so many different parts. If not set up correctly, you often find that the little green light never seems to turn on.

Fortunately, getting the Deco M5 up and running is a very simple procedure. All you need is one of the repeaters, your cellphone, and TP-Link’s Deco app.

The first step is to install the app, open it up, and sign up for a TP-Link cloud account. All you need is an email and password, so this part is self-explanatory.

The app tells you what you need for the next step: a deco, power adapter, and ethernet cable. You disconnect the power from your modem, and connect the ethernet cable to both the LAN port on the modem and the LAN port on the deco. These are clearly labelled, so it’s easy to do so. You then plug the power adapters back into both the Deco and your modem.

It takes about two minutes for your modem to connect. The Deco app shows you what you’re looking for, and once your modem is on you hit the “next” button. At this point, the LED on top of your deco will begin to pulse blue. From here on out, your deco is connected. The app asks if you’d like to label your deco, giving you a list of rooms. It will then ask you to choose your network name and password.

从这里开始，您将提示您添加尽可能多的装饰。您只需将它们插入其中，等待灯变蓝色，并标记它们所在的房间。

对于技术人员来说，这个过程似乎很明显。但是，方便的应用程序会指导您的每一步，为您提供文本和图形，以确切显示您的需求。如果我们处于必须给祖母自己设置的路由器的位置，那将是我们选择的路由器。

Networking Technology

The M5 is an 802.11ac router, which is one of the fastest and most common communication protocols on the market. This technology uses both the 2.4 and 5 Ghz frequencies to provide dual-band connectivity, which offers improvements to both range and bandwidth when compared with previous protocols.

One of the features that makes the Deco stand out is it’s MU-MIMO support. Typically, even with a mesh system, your devices only connect to a single access point. Standard routers using MU-MIMO create, in essence, dedicated private networks for each of its users. But when combined with mesh technology, the service is even more powerful. Your computer can connect to multiple deco’s at the same time. If you’re in an awkward place where you aren’t getting full signal from any particular unit, MU-MIMO will allow you to connect to multiple units and make the best of your connection.

The individual Deco units aren’t just using these bands to talk to your devices, but also to talk to each other. Although there are some advantages to having a dedicated channel for back-talk, the system used provides higher reliability.

速度测试

We’ve been fortunate enough to test out a wide range of whole-home networking systems over time. Instead of simply checking the performance, we decided to pit them against each other to determine what the best system was.

DECO M5的理论最大带宽为867 Mbps。在整个家庭中测试它，我们看到下载速度为425 Mbps，上传速度为215 Mbps，直接来自第一个单元。当经过一个扩展器时，这些速度下降至185 Mbps下降，并上升163。

In both tests, the Deco performed better than theNetgear Orbi,Linksys Velop， 和eero. Despite coming out on top, the other routers were only marginally worse. For comparison purposes, these routers scored 412/201, 381/207, and 396/194 respectively. In terms of real world functionality, on the most demanding users would notice a difference.

一个例外是不过Wireless Ally. Strictly through the base station, the ally scored 614 Mbps down and 287 Mbps up. However, once we went through one extender the speeds dropped to 144 down and 135 up. This means that the Amped Ally is much better from a single router, but much worse over a distance.

覆盖范围

我们在各个地方在房子周围设置了三个装饰。一些网状网络硬件具有一个设置程序，涉及您在房屋周围走动，找到所有死点，并在必要时放置一个中继器。但是装饰品没有提供这样的东西，所以我们简单地猜到了。一个人在房屋中央的主层上。另一个进入房屋右上方的顶层。最后一个走在地下室，覆盖了房屋的左侧。我们不太科学的方法使我们期望看到一些表现下降，但我们感到惊喜。

We tested the speed from different areas, covering a total of 4000 square feet of space. At no point in our home did we have any dropouts, and speed was always above 100 Mbps. Typically, most households will not have an internet connection in excess of 100 Mbps, so we’d consider this performance well above average.

Security

One of the areas where the Deco really stands out is security. As the internet of things becomes more common, it’s important that both our smart appliances and our devices are protected. TP-Link has partnered up with Trend Micro to provide built-in antivirus protection. The software can detect threats in files that are transferred back and forth, so viruses can be eliminated even before they hit your hard drive. Trend Micro also offers an early threat warning system, allowing the virus database to be updated automatically, the second new threats are discovered.

缺点

The Deco M5 doesn’t have a dedicated backe-nd channel. For users with heavy local network traffic, a backend channel is advantageous. When one user is pushing a ton of data, it can leave others with slower connections. A separate back-end channel means that the congestion is restricted only to the particular node that user is one. Without it, one user can slow down the network. This issue should only crop up with users transferring in excess of 400 Mbps, so most won’t have a problem. But if that sounds like something you’d like to do, we’ve got another recommendation.

Final Verdict

In general, we’d always recommend a whole-home mesh networking system to any home that’s struggling to get a signal. Although the market is competitive, theTP-Link Deco M5has a few advantages over competing models. It’s incredibly easy to set up, it offers built in virus protection, and most importantly it’s affordable. Many other options cost a pretty penny, so you’ve got the opportunity to save a few bucks here.

Is it the best option for everyone? Unfortunately, not, there are a few situations where another system would perform better. If you’ve got one user who needs a ton of speed, theAmped Wireless Ally脱颖而出。它可以从基站提供更高的带宽，非常适合该应用。

For smaller homes, we might recommend theNetgear Orbi. It’s sold individually, so you could only buy two units for a 2000 square foot home.

Overall, we strongly believe that the TP-Link Deco is the best option for most basic users. But if you want to see what’s out there, feel free to check out our guide comparing thebest whole-home mesh WiFi systems.