The Deco M5 features TP-Link HomeCare, supported by TrendMicro, offering an impressive array of built-in security features. It provides protection against malware exposure and attacks, while also functioning as an SPI firewall, device access control, and remote management capability through the mobile app.
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9 of them in a large 3-story school building (2 on each floor). The building is in a Γ shape (35 meters each side) and covers the entire space. One is a wired master and the rest are in mesh. They operate in "Access Point mode" and all management is done through a router via vlan, so I have no opinion on the integrated functions such as DHCP, QoS, etc. The guest network is convenient, just open/close it when needed, but it doesn't have any other settings in "Access Point mode". With this setup and a good router, I have seen up to 80 devices connected without any problems and it never drops. Due to its shape and minimal weight, it is very easy to place them high on walls or even behind glass for better performance and coverage. They have a functional range of about 20 meters through a wall. In outdoor areas, the range does not go beyond 25 meters. The downside is the cost, which I find excessive, especially for home use where there are much cheaper solutions available. For large spaces and multiple connections (30-40 and above), they are worth it.
+ Stability
+ Multiple connections
~ Range (moderate)
- Cost
2 sets of 3 were purchased. Total of 6 pieces. Version V 3.2. The machines play flawlessly, they have stability without disconnections and integrated network. That means you don't need to enter a code and reconnect every time you go to a different room. It makes your network unified, with no relation to repeaters that have a different way of functioning. You connect the first one to the central router and the rest as relays. It also has the option to prioritize certain devices and the option to build a guest network so that they don't connect to your home network. In a 70 sqm house, it covers the whole area with excellent networking. If you have complexity in your house with walls and obstacles, the set of 3 is just enough. Of course, they are also sold individually (in my opinion, it's not cost-effective). It's better to get the set of 3. I use one of the 6 only for cameras and another one prioritizes two other wireless cameras and the recorder. Truly one of the best machines that solves all kinds of network problems. EXPERIMENT A BIT WITH THE PLACEMENT OF THE DECOS TO GET 100% OF THEIR CAPABILITIES AND RANGE. FOR EXAMPLE, IF IN ONE MACHINE (DECO) IN YOUR APPLICATION IT SHOWS 2 GREEN WIFI INDICATORS, BY MOVING IT, IT CAN MAKE IT SHOW 3 INDICATORS, WHICH MEANS PERFECT WIFI SIGNAL RECEPTION
After buying other repeaters, I ended up with these based on the reviews and I was saved. I have internet everywhere in the house and I distribute it in the basement as well.
A little bit tricky to set up, but then you enjoy stable wifi with very good speeds in every corner of the house without having to change the SSID when you're in another room, thanks to a simple repeater. I live in a stone house with internal walls of 50-60 centimeters of stone. There was no mobile signal inside the house, so it solved my problem with both wifi and mobile calls by enabling wifi calling.
I have had the 3-piece set for a 3-story maisonette for many years, totaling 240 sqm. With a 100 Mbps connection, I get 90 Mbps from the one connected to the router on the ground floor, 45 Mbps on the first floor, and 25 Mbps on the second floor (with several disconnections). Upload speed is around 10 Mbps, so it's okay. All wireless, except for the first floor. It is very important where you place them. Initially (and for years), I had -80% signal loss on the first floor and -95% (!) on the second floor. Eventually, I started 'playing' with their positions until I reached the 'optimal' result. In short: Experiment with their placements.
I have installed the triple, very good stable network throughout the 2-storey, 140 sq.m house. I have placed it near windows and thus I have a very good Wi-Fi signal in the yard and in the neighborhood near the house.
For an apartment or a detached house, you put these and you're done. In an apartment, I have 2, in a detached house with a basement, ground floor, and first floor, I have 1 on each floor and 2 outside in the garden, one in the front and one in the back.
For a detached house, it's just what you need. You put one on each floor and you're good to go. I have also installed two outside, in a covered area, one in front of the house and one in the back, for the cameras to capture. I didn't have any problems.
Expensive indeed, but very good. An end was put to the continuous problems with the countless devices connected to the basic routers provided by the providers.
TP-Link routers are a bit pricey but
- they are extremely easy to set up
- they have excellent range and speed
- they also have various useful management features that are missing in regular routers (e.g. guest network with one click, easy QoS settings, device or traffic-based limits, and various others)
I have both M4 and M5 models in two houses, and in terms of management features, the M5 models are definitely worth the difference (some of the extras mentioned in the third bullet point above)
It was purchased and installed yesterday, 15/1/2022, replacing a Netgear Nighthawk R7000 at my parents' house.
Due to the layout of the house in a "P" shape around the elevator shaft, the installation of only one router had to be done in a central location of the house, so it was placed on a high shelf in the hallway to be approximately in the middle of the building. In the same position, other routers simply couldn't reach the signal throughout the house. Due to the upgrade to broadband and the phone becoming VoIP, the router had to find another position. Instead, I decided to try the Wi-Fi Mesh with the set of three Deco M5. The installation is really easy, and the fact that they can be controlled remotely from the mobile phone is incredibly convenient for me, as if my parents have a problem, I can check it without having to go there, and ultimately, as promised, it fully covers the space without any issues.
Specifically, I have a very strong signal in all rooms and corners of the house (which, I repeat, may only be 120 sq.m. but due to its configuration, it makes the Wi-Fi signal difficult enough), while in many rooms, I can locate 2 or even all 3 Decos with my mobile phone! This means that even just one Deco has a good range and strong signal to cover a challenging area. (It wouldn't easily cover the entire house on its own, but I would definitely get the job done with two)
All good, all nice, but in this category of money you would expect to have QoS...
Yes, the mesh is nice... but without QoS it's not convenient. You should be able to set limits on the speed of each device when many devices are connected to a network. The only option it has is to prioritize certain devices... which doesn't solve the problem.
If I had to choose again, I would choose a different solution with QoS...
For simple home use (1 house), it's fine, but there are cheaper models that can handle this role just fine. You don't need to spend money on the M5.
I hope TP-LINK adds QoS in the future...
The product is the best you can get for this money as it does exactly what it says.
The review is after about 2 years of use and I can say that I did not expect it to be so stable and reliable after 2 years. I have tried in the past all other ways to cover a maisonette of 120sqm and I always had problems. Initially with a simple repeater and later with powerline, and in both cases the coverage was not so good and when there were more than 2 wifi access points using powerline, after a while it would freeze and not switch automatically from one access point to another, which was particularly annoying!! After installing the mesh, you simply forget about all that. No restarts, no freezes, no drops in speed!
Also, the installation is very easy through the application from which you control the entire setup with great ease. And all 3 are wired to have the maximum speed everywhere, even wired, as there is an inlan connection (200 up / 200 down) and a NAS server on the network, so I can download from the server to a device via wifi at over 30-40mb/sec. TP-Link did not disappoint me this time as many of the previous setups were also with TP-Link devices and there were many problems.
1st week of use and fully satisfied with the performance. Several settings from the application for optimization and customization. Stable in gaming (cs go) through wifi connection with some spikes that disappear with a cable on the mesh. On a 100 Mbps line and 3 floors away from the router, the 3rd relay brings 95 Mbps.
update 20/1/2022:
I noticed that sometimes the mesh, instead of connecting to the nearest one by searching for the strongest signal, connects to the main deco. This will be resolved (sometime) with the 1.6 update that tp link has announced here for 2 years and you will define the signal source. One solution that worked for me is from the settings -> advanced to change the system from wireless router to access point, given that you have the main deco on the modem that has a firewall, etc. According to theory (and maybe it worked), in access points, one always searches for the other with the strongest signal, so the workaround is working well so far.
The best thing I used 4 devices to cover 3 floors + an auxiliary space .... wired connection to each one .... flawless in everything !!! Network everywhere with proper speeds without drops and freezes ... worth every last euro
The best thing that was installed in a four-story house (280m2) is one on the 1st floor where the modem is located and one on the 2nd floor, and I have full coverage in all areas inside the house.
It was purchased for a 125 sqm apartment in which there is an optical fiber connection (Cosmote Fiber 100Mb/s), but due to the lack of static provisions (data outlets), the provider's router was at one end of the house, with the rest experiencing a serious problem (weak or no signal). These devices not only covered the dead spots, carrying the signal everywhere, but also strengthened it. Their installation is really simple, even for network beginners. The TP-Link application is also excellent, providing the user with many customization options. The only possibly negative thing for my case is that they do not have wall-mountable slots in their base. However, overall, it is the best thing someone can buy to fix and upgrade their network.
It concerns version V3 with the two devices.
I bought the product for €99 with the intention of adding it to a two-story, 150sqm house.
In the space, I have two M4R devices that work perfectly. One of the two M4R devices is CONNECTED in ROUTER MODE with PPPoE, and the second one acts as a repeater for the first one. The Mesh network operates normally with speeds of 866 on 5GHz. In the 2.4GHz range, I only have smart devices that connect without any issues. I assumed that the M5 devices would perform better in terms of speed and range because they have more antennas for 2.4GHz. Additionally, the M5 devices have anti-virus and an integrated speed tester. Unfortunately, replacing the M4R devices with the M5 devices did not yield better results in terms of speed and range. Furthermore, the Mesh network does not work as well as it did with the M4R devices. Perhaps the additional 2.4GHz antenna is affecting the Mesh network on 5GHz, and the devices are holding onto 2.4GHz as the stronger signal, but this significantly reduces the speed. I should note that the two M5 devices were placed in the same positions and with the same settings. If you search the TPLINK forum, you will find some references to the problem with the M5 devices and the inability to automatically switch devices from 2.4GHz to 5GHz when a strong signal is available. For now, I have removed them and I am waiting for a firmware upgrade to see if it will be fixed.
3rd evaluation (after ~1 month of use)
I would now say that the product is worth **** (4)
I subtract 1 due to the high cost of acquisition.
Functionally, it is good.
The application works well.
Personally, stability came when I used them as Access Points.
At home, I have structured wiring with 2-3 ethernet outlets per room.
The difficult part was having stable WiFi because it is a stone house with incredible insulation and a strange layout (3 floors).
Ultimately, I use each unit via ethernet (so the package should have 3 cables instead of just one).
With this arrangement, the network is stable.
I have added several tplink WiFi bulbs and they all gradually appear.
2nd evaluation after ~2 weeks of use and while I bought a second set to better cover the spaces. Now I have a setup:
Basement 1
Ground floor 4
Attic 1
So I was able to completely eliminate the dlink ones.
I initially wrote that the package only contained one network cable per set, but this was my misunderstanding of how it works. In reality, only one needs to be connected to the network and it creates its own WiFi network that provides WiFi and LAN to devices. It has other modes of operation as well. So it can replace the structured wiring.
There are some instabilities that cannot be explained.
At some point, one deco may "lose" connection. Reinstallation takes about 10 minutes.
I give it 5 stars because I can't give it 4.5 stars since the price of €65/piece is a bit steep, but I also don't want to unfairly judge the product.
The ease of installation is proverbial.
With the evolution of Android, we have now entered the era of plug & play for networking products and it is ENJOYABLE.
Previously, it took me a lot of steps to set up an access point. Now it's... child's play... tab, tab, tab, done.
And the nice thing is that it works immediately and correctly. No more bugs, unexplained crashes...
It recognizes the type of connection, has two operating frequencies (2.4 & 5 GHz)
Gradually, it detects the different devices on the network, notifies for cameras, while with "smart" tp-link devices it provides full configuration capabilities, operation scenarios, etc. Flawless!!
The issue of range, which was a major criterion for selection, satisfies me initially and is definitely at least 50% better compared to two old dlink dap1360.
As a downside, I would mention the slightly high price.
I got it from the technician for about 180 euros and he installed it for me. Now I consistently get 200Mbps everywhere. It's worth every penny, even though it's expensive. If you switch providers, keep it.
I had a tplink extender which, as expected, had a huge speed and connectivity problem since the house is two floors. After a lot of searching and considering getting devolo's powerline, I decided to get deco. At first, I used the wifi connection which was amazing. However, I wanted to have structured wiring in order to have access to ethernet on the upper floor. So, I connected the first deco as my main wifi and the second one with wiring for the second floor.
Okay, we're talking about incredible speed without any disconnections whether you're on the first or second floor. And since we are a big family, there is no problem with however many devices are connected. I highly recommend it, especially for the mesh technology that truly gives you internet everywhere without any issues.
I have been using the product for two months now and it reaches speeds of over 50 Mbps with Cosmote.
It's expensive but I believe it's worth the money!
Very good!
I suffered with previous devices due to constant disconnections.
With this one, I have a stable signal and very good speed.
I had to put a repeater on the stairs to have better signal in the rooms because it was disconnecting. Since I installed it, we have signal everywhere!
Tablets, computers, laptops, and mobile phones all connect easily through the app on the mobile phone.
Also, I should mention the magic of changing floors and having the same wifi everywhere with the same password!
I just got it today after a lot of research. It starts at 80 in the first and reaches 35 in the third. So it has a lot of losses but so far it is stable. Very good application.
Basically, you set it up through the application on Android.
It has been installed on three floors, 3 different apartments, which share a common structured wiring (switch in the basement and on each floor).
The system has two modes of operation:
1) Router (default) mode
2) Access point
In Router mode, you set up 1 deco connected to the router via Ethernet (e.g. Cosmote Speedport) and the other 2 deco units either via Ethernet (e.g. structured wiring) or wirelessly.
In my installation, where the deco units are in different apartments and their backhaul is via Ethernet, the big negative is that the roaming of a device (e.g. mobile phone) from one deco to another as I change floors doesn't work well. For example, if I leave one apartment, close the door, change floors, and approach the other deco on a different floor, the transition doesn't happen correctly, as I can see from the application. Even if you are next to one deco, you enter the application and see that your device is connected to another deco (in my case, on a different floor).
The speeds achieved by a device through the deco are good. With a 100 Mbps Cosmote VDSL, I see 98 Mbps wirelessly on the speed test.
Also, since I installed it, the Cosmote WiFi calling on my Huawei Mate with Android 10 stopped working properly.
---Update June 2021
The Cosmote WiFi calling works perfectly now, but I had to disable SIP ALG from the More --> Advanced --> SIP ALG menu (see screenshot). Of course, it may also be due to a software update on the mobile phone (Android) or the deco.
---Update December 2021
I also bought 2 Deco X20 units. I have left the M5 as the master, even though it is an older model. The 2 X20 units are functioning correctly, just like the older M5 units
Amazing product. After many troubles with extenders, repeaters, and Powerline in a 3-story, 240sqm house, DECO came and solved everything. Super easy installation through the APP. The whole house is covered and it even reaches the house across the street. There are no dead zones, no disconnections, from the basement to the attic. Completely satisfied. The speed is stuck at 50mbps. Highly recommended
Translated from Greek ·
Ease of installation
Speed
Range
Value for money
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