TP-Link Deco M5 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System, Up to 5500 sq
TP-Link Deco M5 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System, Up to 5500 sq ft Coverage, Compatible with Amazon Echo/Alexa, Antivirus Security Protection and Parental Controls, Pack of 3
From the brand
AV1000 Gigabit Powerline Kit
- HomePlug AV2 Standard – high-speed data transfer rates of up to 1000 Mbps
- Gigabit port
- Up to 300 Meters
| Weight: | 660 g |
| Dimensions: | 12 x 3.78 x 12 cm; 660 Grams |
| Brand: | TP-Link |
| Model: | Deco M5(3-pack)(UK) |
| Colour: | White |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | TP-Link |
| Dimensions: | 12 x 3.78 x 12 cm; 660 Grams |
Upgraded the home wifi and got a recommendation from a friend who has the same and very happy.
House if brick and has four bedrooms which he previous system had problems with the signal and one dud node.
The TP-link set-up was really easy to do with the app installed on the phone [Android.]
The signals are excellent across all rooms in the house. And it will be easy to place all the other entities that require wifi coverage to come together.
Very happy with result.
Upgraded to 500mb/s fibre WiFi but unhappy with the reach around the house, dropping to 30-50 on the furthest rooms. I now get 300 plus in every area and can use gadgets in the garden! Easy to setup and highly recommended!!
Really worth the money (although I got them on Black Friday)
If using the 6E as the dedicated Wi-Fi link almost as strong a signal as wired.
Most products do not use the 6E at present anyway.
I have to hard wired and one Wi-Fi and the drop off is minimal.
This is an amazing system which vastly improved my WiFi performance compared to the solution that was offered by Vodafone for my 1 gig Internet.
Not only that, the range on the nodes is incredible, I have a the nodes approximately 100 meters away from each other with 2 walls between them and they are connected wirelessly, yet the node furthest from the base station still achieves about 250Mb speeds. (To give an idea, the same setup using Vodafones hardware was only able to achieve around 26Mb speeds).
As the title suggests this was far easier to setup than I anticipated.
I have a SKY broadband router and the first device simply plugs into the ethernet slot and using the app (via Bluetooth) connects it to the network. There was one small absence in the instructions which was to switch your router back on before using the app to connect the device. This minor misstep however does not detract from the overall simplicity.
Adding the extra devices was similarly straightfoward.
I am getting a good signal around the house.
Performance and coverage is great, 3 floor brick detached house with modem on ground floor and using wifi backhaul on 6e.
Note for Sky TV users – kept dropping connection until I switched the operation mode to access point. Not a biggy for me but you do lose some features when this is switched on.
My wifi is 500mb and I was only getting 30/40mb in some rooms. Tbf, the ISP is rubbish and their router was useless. However, I was able to set this up really quickly and it boosted the wifi into every single room so I’m getting around 400mb in the room farthest from the main router. I’ve another hub in my kitchen and one upstairs and the connection is amazing throughout the house. Can’t recommend this enough.
I followed the quick start guide in the box initially. For the first couple of days devices were forgetting the Deco and going back to the old unstable links to the BT hub. With a bit of web searching I found the most stable way to set it up was:
1. Turn off wi-fi on the administrator page of the BT hub. The first Deco is so close to the hub that I didn’t need it anyway and this prevents devices hunting and switching between the hub and the new mesh network.
2. Switch the Deco from router mode to access point mode in the Deco app (More > Advanced > Operation Mode)
3. I also turned off fast roaming in the advanced menu, but that may not have been strictly necessary.
Everything now works seamlessly and I have great connectivity all over the house.
Easy to setup, compatible with most items. Right out the box, the quality of this item stands out. Gives amazing coverage with no signal drop at all while delivery great speed.
Brilliant product. Was a lot to pay so was a bit apprehensive but it has made a huge improvement to the WiFi coverage and speed in our house. So easy to set up also.
Simple to get started but offers powerful features for those who need more specific functions. Supporting app is surprisingly good compared to others, offering live usage data, speed tests, client info etc. Also offers some smart home functionality but not tried that.
Seems to be a good and stable Mesh system. Very easy set up and took around ten minutes via the TP-Link Deco app. So far the system has worked well and the app makes it easy to check on system performance and installing new firmware. Given that it is a 6E mesh system the price in comparison to other brands makes it good value.
I upgraded from an AX3000 Taotronics system that worked well but I felt I wasn’t getting the full benefit from my gigabit broadband.
I now get 1 gigabit speeds in the same room as the Deco plugged into my router. At the furthest parts of my house, I get over 500mbits (even in the back garden).
Everything totally stable and was easy to set up.
The one thing I did have an issue with was my Sky Glass TV being plugged in via ethernet. It kept losing connection. Over WiFi though, it’s been totally stable.
I was having many issues in our 1870s built property and I tried a Wi-Fi extender with not much luck, so I decided to purchase this Deco mesh set and all I can say is wow what an improvement throughout the whole house.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this Wi-Fi Mesh to anyone as it’s so easy to connect/setup using the Dec App.
We all know that routers provided by our ISP are terrible and never seem to cover the whole house/flat.
With TP-links deco mesh system you are guaranteed full bars of reception and stable speed and connectivity throughout your whole house.
The deco pods are stylish and will fit into most living spaces and with the deco app you can control your whole system.
Tp-links extra security measures guarantee you safe online browsing.
I could not fault Tp-Link or there products its a great buy and will be using it in all my properties.
I purchased this set of 3 Deco M5 MESH units back in October 2019 and they have served me well, giving me excellent, even WiFi coverage throughout the house. I’m not sure if it was due to a change of computer system or a power outage, but about a year ago they stopped working and I couldn’t fix the problem. Eventually, I got in touch with TP-Link Customer Support and the agent appointed to my case, Winnie Liu, was absolutely great. I don’t know if I’m writing the agent’s name backwards or if its a male or female but the attention was excellent. Quick responses to my mail, many suggestions on how to fix and even a personal phone call to help resolve the situation – very impressive! Highly recommended product and support.
We have 6 Deco M5’s to ensure WiFi connectivity over a large area.
Originally we would experience devices with a strong connection but the internet would sometimes just not work on a device and didn’t feel like it was allocated any actual bandwidth.
I’ve noticed many months ago following an update this is no longer the case, with several software updates providing some good app functionality and the system seems to work better and better. Encouragin to see they are still actively developing the software.
At one end of the house we have an Xbox plugged into the deco with a LAN cable – gaming and streaming works perfectly, this is connected from rooter – office deco – garage deco – main bedroom deco.
We have a gaming computer connected in a similar way (LAN from the deco but connected via 4 decos to get the range!), no intermittent issues – just a solid connection with no notable lag given they are daisy chained.
App functionality is great, with some good controls you can set for users or even guests. Setup is quick and easy.
Great long term investment to ensure you have strong WiFi in every corner of your property.
Just turned off Wi-Fi on the virgin box and use this meat system instead. So much better, reaches all rooms and the garden. Much better then the Wi-Fi provided on the bog standard box with virgin or sky
Bought to replace an expensive ubiquity system with three access points plus a router. This is better in every way – one less device (no router), noticeably faster, more reliable and FAR more user-friendly. Phone app (the “controller”) seems to lack nothing significant and contains more features than I expected, like a dedicated IoT network and VPN server support.
I’m genuinely impressed, and will stick to TPlink products for my home network to maximise compatibility.
I am with Virgin media and their hub is not at all effective, 20 feet away and you lose signal strength. Put these in, one near the original router and one at the back of the house and hey presto, full strength signal with 120mbs. I walked out of the house 30 ft down the garden a d still had a good signal.
I have held one back ready to go in the garden office but may not even need it.
Yes, they are a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. I also bought the holder that secures then to the plug socket.
So after some Amazon research on feedback [thank you serious feedback providers] I decided to buy the T P Link Deco 5 whole home system which included three devices and hoped this might help me boost my signals in my 3 Bedroom semi- detached home.
I downloaded the App and followed the instructions, adding the main one to my Router, the second one in my Lounge and the third one in the bedroom immediately above where my Router is sited.
If was easy to do -I followed you tube video guidance and as I am a ‘Techno Muppet’ I was pretty pleased with it working.
The app is brilliant and gives you access to a lot of tools and set ups and as you play with it, you learn more tricks so to speak.
It definitely improved everything but I still got the odd problem with my Sky Q boxes.
So my next decision was to upgrade my Virgin supply to 250mb and with a bit of negotiation, achieved that for little extra and that was a great move for me.
I use the Deco app regularly to check speed and I am getting it at high speed all around my home and in my Garden and garage now too.
So, from my own experiences I can strongly recommend the TP Link Deco 5 system with three devices for whole house cover.
I tried one or two other single boosters in the past without much success and the Deco 5 system blows them all away….this is definitely a case of ‘you get what you pay for’!!
Following a firmware update there are more config options to eg. Force static devices to specific favourite deco units – very handy .
This would be an issue for less bale homeowner, especially if disabled or much older, it take as lot of time and the Meross WI-FI ambient light no longer functions on the mesh or with Alexa..
Yes, everything needs to be ported and in the case of TV’s and Sky, entering passwords is a right pain from the remote.
It seems to work very well once setup
Note the initial instructions are confusing about turning your modem off, well they meant the wi-fi and just use it as a signal decoder, not Wi-Fi I guess. Badly worded as you need a decoder on the end of the line to function.
The first unit plugs into you existing Decoder or Modem ( mine is a Virgin cable system, so not a modem technically, via the phone line would be an ADSM modem).
The only way to set these up is via a smart phone and the app, it is straightforward once you have registered your self on the app. The first Deco is slow to set up, the 2nd and third ones piggyback onto the first one and they remember the password.
Tip: is you use a suggested password, like ~!8″^%*/ etc, oit is near impossible to type it on a sky remote and sky won’t use my USB keyboard, the two Sony Tv’s did however. There is no WPS button on the Deco M5, but is=t asks you if you want to use WPS. HOW?
In use the network is good, I added a brick built front extension and the Ring Doorbell (which is mandatory) would not work when re-positioned due to the brick twin walls. My Existing TP link Wi-Fi extended AS 1900 could get a send a signal out; so Amazon laid y my package out in the rain, instead of using my parcel bin, and no Ring doorbell signal did not help.
I have mounted the 2nd Deco C5 on a table near the extension, 50% signal, it was better yesterday, weirds how it changes for no reason. It will have it’s own power supply in the extension when wired up.
Now how does one mount it away from the all-fingers grandson?
Buy a wall mount, well they are cheap plastic and ship from China, slowly at 10 each for simple plastic plate with 3 clips. Honestly, they cost pennies to make, so include them in the box.
I have already paid enough guys!
Frustrating, but essential.
I will experiment with a windowsill siting to see if the signal to the porch is better, maybe from above is the answer. If so, I will update this.
Second set of 3 adding to the existing. As already had the app all 3 were up and running in 10 minutes. Bought the second set as the first set offered a massive improvement over router provided by the broadband provider.
I wish I had done this earlier. My WiFi has gone from 25/30mbs to 300mbs and I have full coverage in places I had nothing before. Very pleased with it. I wish my broadband supplier had suggested or provided this solution.
A clean, simple if slightly bulky design that is easy to connect, stable in use and has provided an essential whole home signal boost.
A good length power cable provides useful positioning options.
As a none geek, I’ve not needed tech support, nor any resets or other work.
Fit, forget (except for the size) & enjoy.
Great Customer Service – i had an issue registering my product, so i message tp link customer service representative named Joshua, and he sorted all my issues out with my product. Great Service
Really helped my internet sharing around property. Initial problems were quickly dealt with by Jonaire at TP Link technical support. A very friendly and helpful live chat from an experienced operator. Would happily by more of these products and please to deal with Jonaire today!
Wanted to extend the range of our first generation Starlink Wi-Fi. Tried to balance cost agains efficiency and this fits the bill for us.
Hardwired this into the Starlink router, set up the other two units at approx 80ft and 60ft.
Easy to install.
Download speeds of around 250MB (better than the Starlink router itself). The unit at 80ft gives a download of about 10MB but that’s fine for what we wanted. The one at 60ft gives up to 250MB.
Would highly recommend.
This is a great and simple system for WiFi. I use it for my home and purchased a separate one for my office. Works perfectly.
Large apartment with lots of blind spots. The TP-Link Deco works brilliantly. Full internet across the apartment. I also bought the wall attachment which I think looks great and is attached to the walls in my hallway. No need for a surface to stand the tech on, and the actual router can be hidden away.
Despite having range extenders all over my home, I was still getting signal drop. I installed these – my house covers 250 square meters and these 3 cover that area easily with strong signal in all areas including my detached garage. Superb product for the price
I have 1 box connected to the router. A second box connected to a switch with everything hardwired into the switch. The third is in a part of the house that has poor Wi-Fi but not anymore. Everything works perfectly. Never had a dropout and everything updates as required.
There is a app for this mesh system and is is very clear and allows you to rename the connected devices so that it easier for you to know what they are.
I’ve only used one other mesh system but I do find this easier to use as it’s very ‘idiot proof’ and easy to setup and control. It’s a proper set it and forget it.
I’m very happy that they can talk to each other and still provide 2 Ethernet ports to hardwire devices too.
Set up really easy and satellite modules just plug in and it works. Connected via tecnicolor router. You have to switch off wifi in the tecnicolor router which I did by signing in with 192.168.0.1 and then going to wifi and switch off 2.5 and 5 ghz. Had a problem with sky q not connecting to mini box after deco setup. Called sky and they came and fitted sky box to my tecnicolor router. Now all perfect. 60 devices connected lights, plugs, switches all solid connections. Very pleased.
So, a couple of years ago I purchased a Linksys velop system and was a bit disappointed with its performance although it did work the signal strength was very poor. If you have a house with internal brick walls forget it. Useless. I did a little research and although this TP system never came out top it always figured in the running so I thought I would give it a go. Brilliant system and works everywhere and connects to other items such as printers etc with total ease. You don’t need to spend any more on a mesh system. This will do the job for sure. Thank you TP.
They made a significant difference to the signal as we have large house where all internal walls are brick. The instructions were not easy for old people. It took a 16 year old about 45 minutes to programme and locate the devices to give us Wi-Fi around the house and in critical parts of the surrounding gardens. The end result was good.
Set-up was remarkably easy and straightforward and took less than 10 minutes. That surprised me, as the extenders were far more finicky to set-up and I was prepared for the same from this, but it was almost plug-and-play. So far, so good. I found that the 3 units covered the whole house at first go (I’d expected to have to reposition them a few times for best effect) and the signal strength was excellent on all the devices (phones, i-pads, pcs, smart tvs etc.) I connected to them, with a drop off of <10% signal, compared to close to the modem. Again, connection of the devices was quick and easy.
In the couple of weeks since I installed the system, I've had no signal failures or crashes so I'm hopeful that it'll continue to prove reliable. The only thing I've noticed is that the units get quite warm, but no warmer than the modem itself, so I'm assuming that's normal.
Update January 2023: Still working fine - reliable fast speeds, no dropped connections or any other problems at all
These solved a problem as I have concrete floors so its not easy to run cables. these give me more than the speeds I require to stream high definition audio (9.5mb/sec) which the ethernet through mains was struggling with.
They have lost a star as they do not work as they should with 3 of my Android tablets (Lenovo and Samsung) until you turn off fast roaming. With fast roaming on the devices were constantly connecting and disconnecting. with it off they are fine but this effects all devices as its a global setting. However for me that’s not a problem as most devices are static (TV, stereo etc)
I can also get a signal in my garden.
A good product easy to set up, I can recommend these.
Mostly happy with the product. Set-up was easy and the range is brilliant. I was getting over 150mb/sec download speed throughout my house. The “problems” however are particular to me.
I live in a one bed duplex. The floorspace isn’t too much for the router to reach from corner to corner, although the signal in parts downstairs isn’t great. I was hoping a mesh system would solve this. It does. The dead spots are no more. However, this has unfortunately come with a new problem – the two mesh hotspots overlap to the point that my phone struggles to utilize the speed in certain parts of the apartment, as it flits between hotspot one and two. This isn’t a problem with the product, which has done everything I wanted it to. However, it’s definitely something to take into account when buying, depending on the problem you’re looking to solve!
A little confusing to install at first, and to be honest, although working reliably and as I require is not in the ideal configuration.
TP-Link provide comprehensive information regarding set-up, but I found the best help came from the Virgin Media community help – I was using the TP-Link Deco with a Virgin media Router 3.
Ideally, I wanted to set up the TP-Link with the same SSID (wifi name) and password setting, so I didn’t have to change all of my devices which include smartphones, multimedia devices (for streaming), home control
(lights and garden irrigation) and central heating control. The theory was you set the router into ‘modem only’ mode and use the TP-Link as the Wifi router. This never worked for me – I had to leave the VM Router in ‘router’ mode to a different SSID.
I have scattered the three TP-Link Deco modules around our medium-sized home, and we have (at last) wifi access throughout the house. I want some analytics back from the system to indicate whether the devices are optimally placed but if it works, does it matter?
Very pleased with this purchase – it has worked well for my house configuration. Note it is possible to purchase additional units for large establishments. Mesh networking is particularly suitable for old houses with thick walls.
So at the beginning of the first lockdown my virgin internet would suddenly drop (wireless connection) – especially during zoom calls etc. My IT department recommended something similar to these – can’t remember the brand, but they were considerably more expensive. So opted for these. First of all purchased the set up of three. Connected one to the router (living room) then one in the hallway and then one in the office (back of the house). I could not believe the stability and speed – google your internet speed before you install these then go back and check the speed after installation – honestly – you would not believe the speed. With this in mind we decided to get another two – simply for one upstairs in our sons gaming room and one in the kitchen. It is like connecting hard wired direct to your router. I now try to convince others on how good they are when I hear complaints of slow speeds and frequent disconnections. They are also so very easy to instal – just download the app – and then app will tell you what to do – and when to do it – a bit like the ring door bell etc.
The system literally sets itself up using the app (Android or Apple). Although you don’t NEED to know all the technical details they are available for those who want to dig below the surface. I connected the first M5 using an Ethernet cable to my Fritz 7530 router (my ISP is Zen) and the app guided everything I needed to do. It set itself as a wireless router by default with a new subnet and providing DHCP (and NAT). The other two M5 followed and the WiFi coverage and speed are excellent for me. I have no wifi6 devices and this gives me what I need.
For me network I had one use case where my music streamer is on the 192.168.1.x subnet and could not communicate with the Bubble app on my phone. For that reason I changed the M5 to operate in Access Point mode instead of wireless router which is the default. Even this was superbly simple using the app, literally one option choice on the Deco app, 1 minute or so to reboot the mesh and all sorted. In that mode the mesh provides everything except the separate subnet, DHCP and NAT and my streaming works perfectly.
I’m an IT professional, so I know what it was doing, but my point is I didn’t need to know anything about IT really. The Deco app guided literally everything.
Congratulations TP LINK on a superb job, knocked it out of the park.
I am using Virgin Media as my broadband provider, and whilst the signal into the home was on the whole consistent and didn’t suffer from significant periods of dropouts, I did find the wifi very unreliable.
This mesh wifi system has increased the signal from 7Mbps to 95Mbps for one of my devices in a room that is directly above where the Virgin Media broadband wifi is located.
The app is easy to use, to firstly install them and then amend any settings. I have set reserved IPs for a couple of devices and also turned off mesh mode for smart home devices.
I followed similar steps on installing this to another Amazon reviewer and this worked flawlessly. My steps were:
1. Downloaded the mobile app and created my account
2. Connect to Superhub 3
3. Connect as Admin
4. Switch to Modem Mode. The light on the Superhub 3 will change to a stable Red light
5. Turn off Superhub 3
6. Disconnect all Ethernet cables and turn on Superhub 3. Move to next step step when Red light is stable
7. Turn off Superhub 3
8. Connect Cat 6 cable from Superhub 3 to deco unit (only the bottom port on the superhub 3 will work) and turn on Superhub 3. Move to next step step when Red light is stable
9. Turn on deco unit and wait until blue flashing light
10. Forget existing wifi network on phone
11. Open mobile app and follow instructions
12. Set up wifi network using same credentials
13. Test performance using Deco mobile app: The performance I got was 110/9.9 (I am on VM 108Mbs package)
14. Add additional units
Just installed the Deco 5 and all working well. Nice quality product/packaging.
Plus – extremely easy set up. Everything worked first time. You need to use the app to setup, which was easy and smooth. The app found the mesh devices without problem and completed the setup in no time. 5 stars for setup!
Minus – performance is not as great as expected. 200+ MB/S from Virgin Hub3 as modem. 200+ wifi next to base unit upstairs (so no issues using wifi close to base unit). 100 from second unit about 10m away down the stairs in another room. Only 50 from third unit also downstairs. My house does have solid walls and wooden doors, so that is likely to have had an impact, but my TP-Link extender was previously giving 200+ where I can only get around 50 – 60 MB/S (download).
The main benefit of the mesh over extenders is that you can roam freely around the house without having to switch networks to the nearest extender, and this aspect works well.
Bonus – you can connect the TP-Link extender to the mesh network using wifi (WPS), so in effect you get a slightly extended mesh range. I managed to get the full 200 MB/S from the extender through its ethernet port, when close to the base unit. 100 when positioned downstairs. Since each mesh unit has two ethernet ports, the extender, which has its own ethernet port, effectively allows you to connect to the mesh through wifi and add a third ethernet port for wired devices anywhere in the house (I used the extender for CCTV.)
Overall, the TP-Link mesh is a nice solution for hassle free wifi access around the home, but performance away from the base unit is not great. Maybe if you use 4 or 5 units spaced more closely together it might offer better wifi performance. But the three unit system, works fairly well, with the added bonus of being able to extend further with non-mesh extenders.
I found this very easy to set up and it has had a great effect.
For anyone thinking of buying here is the problem I had and how I set up these things.
We have a 1930s house with internal brick walls and use Virgin Media Hub 3
Working from home we only got around 10-15MB wifi upstairs at the front of the house, we also experienced WiFi signal dropping off and coming back. (Teams calls we so much fun!)
I used my iPad and the Deco app to install.
I connected the first device to the VM Hub3 as in the instructions and got the to point where it says to create a network.
At that point I used the iPad to log into the VM hub via the loacl IP 192.168.0.1
Once there I made a note of the SSID and WiFi password of my current network
Once I had that I turned off Wireless broadcast on the 2.4 and 5 GHZ networks. (I didnt put it in modem mode)
Then I switched back to the DECO app and continued to set up the wireless network using the exact SSID and WiFi password that the Hub3 had been using.
Once it was set, hey presto all my wifi bulbs/plugs/TiVo boxes/Alexa etc etc etc connected to the DECO automatically
Setting up the 2nd and 3rd Deco is a piece of cake from the App.
One thing well worth doing once they are all online is hitting the optimisation option in the app. My network was very congested initally but is now perfect.
If like me you have more than one V6 TiVo box and you play recording between them, you will need to unpug the yellow LAN cable between your Hub3 and main V6 box and use the settings menu on the V6 to connect it via WiFi so they are all on the same network.
You will need to power each V6 off and on once thats done.
In summary, I cant recomend these enough. Our office has gone from 15MB to over 200MB.
Oh one more feature that doesnt seem to be listed above. I have set my wife and I’s work PCs as high priority devices so our bandwidth doesnt drop if our children start streaming on other devices!
We’ve used Virgin for our broadband for years, and broadly speaking it’s been like any other utility. You don’t think about it other than those very rare occasions that it doesn’t work. But over the past year, the router we had was getting increasingly unreliable. When it worked it was fine, but it went from needing weekly reboots to multiple-times-a-day reboots. I phoned tech support who told me it should have been replaced years ago and sent me a new one.
The new one is extremely reliable, but boy, does the coverage suck!
After a couple of months of resigning ourselves to virtually no signal in the bedrooms, poor signal at the end of an open-plan living room and having to run ethernet cable up the stairs while we were working at home, I looked around for a booster. A couple of independent reviews recommended the TP-Link Deco system, so I took the plunge.
You get three units, each the size of a fat tea plate (12cm diameter and 3cm high), and while one needs to sit next to your router and have an ethernet cable (supplied) run to it, other than that they just need a mains socket.
Setup for the base unit takes a bit of time – it involves downloading an App (is there anything these days that doesn’t have an app?) and then the only real delay is as you scrabble around trying to figure out what sort of IP Address you have. The instructions suggest contacting your service provider if you’re not sure, but experience told me the wait time for that could be measured in decades. A bit of googling and common sense suggests that most domestic setups will be using a ‘Dynamic IP’ – that’s what I went with and it’s been absolutely fine. You have to set up a new network name, which can be the same as your existing network – I’d suggest you choose something completely different as it avoids a lot of confusion in the long run. I’m going to go back and change it to our original network name at some point, but for now we have NetworkID and NetworkID2, which has confused our printer no end!
For any other Deco’s (we bought the three pack) it’s just a case of plugging them into a mains socket and waiting for the light to turn green.
We’ve only used two of the three Deco’s – one downstairs next to the router, the other upstairs in the corner of a bedroom, and we now have strong coverage for the entire house. We’re in a 3 bed semi with timber frame walls – larger houses or ones with solid brick walls may get different results, but for us it’s been a very worthwhile purchase.
As you will see from pics you get a really nice flat disc like router and two pods. They are all interchangeable – as in to say it doesn’t matter which is router.
For me install was as follows: set existing router to modem only (via the login you find under Virgin router, and you do still keep your old router just it doesn’t need to be in view anymore), wait for Hub 3.0 to glow red. Turn it off. Attach one of these to the router (any slot but I went with port 1) with a good quality Cat 5/6 cable (they include one but it isn’t marked as any specific rating and didn’t look very robust). Download the TPLink app to a phone, follow the set up instructions, turn back on router and wait for final setup instruction. Connect the other two via the app when plugged in (no other cables needed). It even shows you via app if you have optimum location.
Now, I get 217mbps in my living room, and even at the furthest point away from router at the bottom of my garden – so over 50ft and three solid walls away – I get 179mbps. I get range even over the road 6 houses down from house on good days. Plus being WiFi mesh it means I don’t need to connect extenders and have to either have SSIDs like _EXT or for my phone to drop a call as I move from one range to another. Just one SSID, one network, served by 3 pods. Very smart. And excellent value for money. Want more pods? Buy more. They allow other TP Link mesh wi-fi routers to be added via app in a few clicks and will simply work in same way. Don’t even need to be the M5s either, they have 4 or 5 other types all accepted too.
Best of all, it just stays up all the time. I never had such stable internet before so these routers are clearly better than whatever is inside the Virgin Hub 3.0 I was using. Also, considering costs a moment, Virgin offer their own mesh style add on boosters. However these are limited to one per house unless an engineer deems more as necessary, cost 5 a month, and have not got the same capabilities as this 3 unit setup.
Very highly recommended as it has been a dream since installing. I used to have slow speeds needing router reset once a month or so, and I’ve not had to do that once since. Oh and I had a power cut during last thunderstorm…all back up and no drama, not even a need to glance at the app. Bliss.
This is an superb product in many ways but you do need to be aware of potential issues with Sky Q and particular mini Sky Q boxes.
My situation is that I live in a medium sized house over 3 floors. I have fttp fibre which gives me at source 300 mbps. I previously used a powerful router (Netgear Nighthawk) to project my Wifi and Powerline adaptors to plug the usual equipment (PC upstairs, PS4 etc) into. The problems I was getting were massive drop off in wi-fi speeds (down to about 40mps in my attic) and very slow speeds through my powerline adaptors.
After much research, I decided to go for the Deco M5’s – bought a pack of 3. The good news is that they are super easy to install – the app is pretty good, I plugged them directly into my FTTP ONT and it picked up the type of internet connection; connecting the other 2 Decos was also really easy. Once I had installed it, I had pretty much close to 300 mpbs connectivity all over the house – including those devices that I had wired into the Decos.
Now the issue I found – connecting my Sky boxes. I have a main Sky Q box in my attic and a mini Sky Q box in my lounge. The mini Sky Q box is not near to any of the Decos as I had originally placed them (one on each floor) to enable me to plug them in. The fundamental issue is that the Sky Q boxes also create a wifi mesh of their own – on the same channel as the Decos operate. Basically, this means that my mini Sky Q box got very upset – wouldn’t turn on – whilst my main box kept re-setting. I tried everything to solve it – changing the channel that the Sky boxes communicate on, wiring up the main Sky box – but no cigar. So the only option I have is to purchase another unit so I can place one next to my mini Sky Q box. I have done this with one of the existing Decos, turned off the wifi from the Sky Q boxes and it now works really well.
So there you go – really good piece of kit – but watch out for Sky Q issues!
I was using a combination of Wifi discs and powerlines around the house (4 bed with solid walls) to get internet around the house. Regular reboots or spinning circles on videos was becoming a pain. The ISP router was supposed to be giving me 70Mb but it didn’t feel that on the devices. I did some research and was split between the Deco S4 and M5. The latter being the newer (and expensive) model. I went with M5 for a few reasons – it has 4 antennas (so I would hope better signal), newer model and smaller form factor.
They are small units and sit quite well on any desk/shelf. During config, I kept getting errors before I realised what I had done – forgot to switch off the ISP wifi and my phone kept wanting to connect to old network. If you follow these steps, you should be good….
1. Download the TP-Link Deco App to your phone.
2. Connect to your ISP Router (my address settings are “192.168.1.254” – your might be different!) and turn OFF the Wifi.
3. Check your ISP Router is not broadcasting the SSID anymore. If so, switch off router and connect first Deco unit (power and LAN cable).
4. Start everything Up and follow the instructions on the Deco App. I changed my Network name from my old one to keep it different – you could keep as before (same SSID and password) which means you might not have to reconnect all your devices.
Couple of final bits….
1. Once all Decos are connected and working, from the App, Update Deco to update Firmware. Takes about 5 mins.
2. Also, I was finding my phone was not connecting to nearest Deco. In the App, go to Advanced and Enable “Fast Roaming”. Once I done this, all the devices in the house never dropped below 2-3 bars.
The M5 has some additional functionality like Internet speed test, AV, profiles, QOS, etc. Scrolling around the phone just feels faster so all good at the mo. I will keep an eye on it and update if needed.
This box arrived about an hour ago, and I ripped it open like it was the route to a young lady’s heart; you see, once upon a time, I moved in to a house with really bad wifi signal, really old electrical lines, and lots of concrete so something had to give.
Having tried a couple of different powerline options and failed miserably, the original plan was to pop a couple of Wireless APs around the house that were hard wired in – then lockdown happened, and all of a sudden getting my hands on a cable-laying gimp was going to cost me 3x as much money because every man and their dog decided to get home-improvements done. I’d given up. I’ve been tolerating my study being at the furthest point from the Broadband coming in to the building and hit and miss network signals; I’ve tolerated the wireless doorbell that only finds network 50% of the time, and I’ve tolerated not being able to use my work phone because the signal was simply too unstable.
First thing I did: Follow the instructions:
1. Open box
2. Scan QR code to download software
3. Follow instructions on software, plug in the first device to the router and power.
4. Have a fully functional wifi network (if you’re going to use an existing SSID, you’ll need to stop the old device transmitting it first of the Deco will throw a strop)
It took under 10 minutes to set up all 3 devices in the box.
I’ve worked in the CCTV industry and live events for many years, so mesh networking isn’t a new technology to me – what is new though is mesh networking that is both affordable, and has a low enough latency for anything other than the most basic of browsing is a new concept. Then there’s the brand – I don’t know about you guys, but I normally cringe when I see names like Netgear, D-Link and TP Link when it comes to network devices – I still go back 5 years or so to when every time you tried to do a serious upload the router would end up crashing and needing a reboot. I’ve set these Deco up in AP mode off the back of my Draytek router, and I have to say that so far, I’m very impressed. I have consistent connection to my doorbell, I have signal everywhere (even my crappy tablet in the kitchen that’s just used for recipes doesn’t need moving in to the house to download), and the signal is good! I’m getting the same kind of ping speeds via the Deco that I’m getting hard wired in to the router. I’m getting download speeds that are 20% below what I’m promised by my ISP (not uncommon on wifi), and upload speeds of nearly 20mb.
I love this system! Who knows, I may wake up in the morning to a crashed and overheated wifi network, but in the early days, this technology is a game changer and is so simple. It’s the single best thing I’ve done to my home network with nearly 100 devices on it.
I should be working, but I’m taking time out to write this elongated review of the Deco M5 X3 for good reason. Read on.
I purchased the Deco x 3 after reading a review here on Amazon stating that it worked great with Virgin Superhub 3. I carried out additional research and the Deco was listed as the best to buy on a few websites, especially for the price. I took the plunge and eagerly awaited it to be delivered 2 days later after suffering a seriously bad wifi connect for 2 months. In the past week, it became even worse and I decided I had to make the move to fix the issue.
Packaging
Upon receiving the package, I admittedly wasn’t particularly ecstatic to see that it was in its cellophane covered retail box without any Amazon other packaging. I usually save boxes for my gear and like them to be in good condition if I resell, but as luck would have it, there wasn’t any damage worthy of note. More to the point, I’ll be damned if i’m selling this any time soon due to it’s astounding performance!
The box is well presented with the 3 ‘Deco’ nodes on the front with PC Pro ‘Recommended seal as well as Amazon Alexa and IFTT logo assuring that the product will work with those devices and service. There’s also a sticker on it which assures that the hardware will work with any broadband provider which definitely gives peace of mind. There a ‘HomeCare’ 3 year free service emblem too, which I believe relates to virus protection.
Opening the box, you’re greeted with the 3 futuristic looking dish style ‘nodes’. Beneath this tray, is a row of 3 power adapters, ethernet cable and a Quick Start Guide. The presentation is immaculate and resembles that of Apple. It looks like quality and feels like quality which gives assurance of a quality product from the get go.
**** Product ****
Each node is a circular disc, around 2.5cm in height and 12cm in diameter with a small multicoloured LED in the centre. The nodes design suggests the form of a radar which I thought was quite innovative. They are fairly light, they look like part of the ‘Deco’.
Ports on the back include power and 2 ethernet.
Power adapters and cables are high quality, as is the supplied ethernet cable.
**** Setup ****
On the top tray, there is a clear, simple instruction to download the app from the Apple or Android store. A quick search and I had the app installed within a minute or so through my then slow wifi. The app is very basic and to the point. It requests the user to create an account (or login if you have an account) choosing email and password. You then confirm on that email address. After this, it prompts the user to plug one of the 3 nodes (it doesn’t matter which) into the modem / router and then plug it in using the power adapter.
The light on-top of the node lights up and signifies its state:
Yellow – Start up
Blue Pule – Ready for setup
Blue Solid – Setting up
Green – All is well.
Red – Issue
The app shows a 3D plan of a property and prompts you to select one of three which matches your home best – one floor, two floors and 3 floors. The diagram shows how you should consider spacing the nodes too.
After asking which room the node will be placed in, the app then connects to the node through your router / modem and the lights change according to the state. After going from all stages (apart from red) from yellow to green, it notifies the user that it’s successfully connected.
The user is then given the option to name their network and apply a password to access within wireless devices.
It then gives the user the option to add another TP Link product. In this case, there were two more to add so I added the second in the same way and the third. Each was a breeze just like the first.
There was a notification for a firmware update, so I ran that and it installed and rebooted all devices within 4 minutes.
Although the product comes with a Quick Start Guide, this wasn’t necessary. The app makes things simple.
This setup process was a godsend, since i’m not tech minded and I always prepare for things like this to just fail to work. It was absolutely childsplay!
Approximately 20 mins to unbox and set up!
**** Speed & Coverage ****
After installing the first node in my office (connecter to the router), I ran a set eager to see what effect it had and to my amazement, on my 100 mbs connection, after testing my wifi previously and getting a mere 8 mbs, I was clocking in 105 mbs- through the air! It’s clearly solved a huge problem with pertaining to Virgins Superhub 3!
What’s more after installing the next two in the same way – one in the lounge and one in the kitchen at the rear of my flat, the speeds, as I moved around with my iPad (after connecting with new Network and password) were almost the same minus a few meg. Delighted!
I reached for the TV remote for my new 60 inch OLED LG which was previously bottlenecking with it’s capability and my previous poor wifi, entered network and Password and booted dup Netflix. It painted the screen immediately with all content. I clicking into a movie and it played after a second and fast forwarding was done equally as quick. Despite it previously pixelating and buffering often throughout media, it is now working perfectly!
General Internet browsing on iPad and iPhone is notably faster.
Whats more.At the very end of a flight out stairs, outside, on a level below, I have full strength WiFi in my GARDEN which i didn’t have previously. RESULT! Streaming tunes in the summer!
Full Strength literally everywhere where I will go throughout the vicinity of my entire 2 bed upstairs flat with downstairs remote garden.
**** Experience ****
Netflix, Amazon Video and Apple TV would take a while to load and the content would often be pixelated and buffer, however now it’s as slick as butter. General Internet browsing is so much more effective and enjoyable now too. I click and something happens – usually a near immediate download of a web page or stream of a video, stable as can be.
**** Alexa ****
To use Alexa with the devices, you need to install the relevant skill.
This is not mentioned in the app, but I’m told it is mentioned in the quick start guide.
Searching ‘TP-link Router’ within ‘Skills’ in the Alexa app and clicking ‘Enable to Use’, the skill is downloaded.
You are prompted to log in to your TP-link account to enable the skill. You do so, by clicking ‘Authorise’ once logged in.
The Alexa app prompts to find new devices to which we accept. It then discovers the TP-Link router.
Clicking ‘Set up Device’ and ‘Done’, the Deco will be shown in ‘Devices’.
You can then add it to any room
Although I’m an ardent Alexa fan as an owner of a ‘Smart Home’ I wasn’t aware of how these devices would work with Alexa. Having searched for the skill however, the page informs us that Alexa allows us to:
* Enable Guest Network when friends come over
* Activate WPS to add new devices to the network
* Turn off the routers (‘nodes’) LEDS at night
* Check the Internet connection speed you’re getting from your provider
* Prioritise online applications or devices at those important moments
Primary commands (at time of writing):
‘[Alexa] Turn off the LED’s’
‘[Alexa] Enable night mode’
‘[Alexa] Enable my guest network’
* I haven’t managed to get Alexa to work with any commands as yet, but will report back.
**** Summary ****
As a Virgin Superhub 3 user, I’m over the moon with this! As an owner of a two bedroomed flat, I did consider that this package might be overkill. Seeing the performance, I could have possibly done with only two, but the pricing for 3 and the availability here on Amazon (x2 were only available for delivery in a few weeks) promoted me to buy the Deco M3 X 3.
This hasn’t only changed the way I entertain myself, but also my actual work which pays for this kind of stuff. I can now work much more faster and more efficient. With this considered, it’s one of the best investments I’ve made in years. I wish I had of bought this much sooner. My fear of tech, error and complications always deters me, but as mentioned, this could not be more simple. It products like this that give me the confidence to spread my wings and buy more.
Running circa 106 mbs – That’s a 98 mbs increase!
Very pleased!
Thoroughly recommended!
This is a 3 pack Deco M5 system. Why did I buy this? Because the Virgin Superhub 3 I have leaves deadspots upstairs and at the back of the house and garden. Did it fix this? – generally, yes. So I’ve given it 4 stars but if I could give 3 and a half, I would.
The specific reason for being a bit disappointed is that my VM speed is 500Mbps (advertised) and on a phone, measured using speedtest, in the room where the main Deco unit is and close by I record download speeds of 340Mbps +. But if I move close to the upstairs satellite unit I get 120, in a previous deadspot upstairs 60, next to the furthest away unit 60 and in the garden 40.
These are all judged as good speeds and if you are on line on a mobile device they appear fast and are perfectly usable. My disappointment then is that given the start speed is near to 340, the drop off is large. I am not a technical expert so maybe my expectations should be managed. I’d be concerned to buy however if my base speed was not from a fast fibre connection, so if you have a significantly lower base speed, maybe do a bit more research in other reviews to see that it should still work well for you.
Other things:
Set up is easy and the app works well, it’s very plug and play.
Make sure that you look at the units once operational (via the App, touch the internet button on the dashboard to access) and that they all have at least two bars on the signal source, otherwise the drop off will be much worse. Get the gaps between units as small as you can, this seems most important.
The mesh connection does work seamlessly and as you move through the house switches to the most appropriate unit.
It definitely fixes deadspots and significantly extends range of the wireless network.
Technical support is OK but does feel like they quote from the manual. They ask you for lots of screen shots and in the end just say move the units closer. Even when they “escalated” the query to a senior technician, the answer stayed the same. You’d hope more difficult issues do get more attention and are resolved.
Set up and network organisation:
I set up with the Superhub left in router mode.
Once the Deco network was set up, I turned off WiFi on the Superhub to avoid conflicts between two WiFi networks.
I then changed the name of the Deco network and its password to be the same as the old network (basically the network the hub arrived with). This is easily done in the App and the system then reboots. It meant that all the devices previously connected to the Virgin Hub simply connected to the Deco network without needing to be re-registered with a new network and password (i.e. no one noticed the change).
I also had a powerline connection from the hub to a point at the back of the house to allow a wired connection there and this was not affected.
Things I may still try:
I put the Deco into AP mode once, but that gives less management features and didn’t seem to affect the speeds from the satellites. I might have another attempt at that…
I have not put the Superhub into modem mode. I might try that….
BUT, neither of those was suggested by technical support, so on the basis that it’s doing basically what I wanted it to anyway, I may well leave it alone.
I bought this version (M5) as I felt put off by the price differential between this and the M9 and I was concerned it wouldn’t work, but I noticed that that gap has since closed a little. Reviews suggest the M9 might be more powerful, but it depends what’s most important to you.
It does give me confidence that Mesh systems are good and so, as I said, it’s pretty good, but no gold medal for me I’m afraid.
I am very happy with the Deco M5 and pondered for ages whether to pay loads more (like double) for the M9. I’m glad I didn’t as the M5 is just perfect for me and bathes my house in good strength Wifi.
I’ve had this for 2 weeks now, and in that time nobody in the house has experienced wifi freeze or buffering, these were almost a daily occurance using our old TP-Link Archer C7.
For people to gauge, we live in an old house with thick walls. The house has had over the years 2 extensions, so one of our Deco’s has to travel through 2 internal walls, both of which were originally external walls at some point in history. We pay for 200Mbps from virgin.
1st Deco (connected to modem) we consistently achieve 200-220Mbps
2nd Deco, upstairs and to be honest no too far away from the 1st Deco, but we get just about 180Mbps
3rd Deco, and this impresses me. Through 2 external walls diagonally across house 9 Meters to the 3rd Deco. which is next to the current external wall. From here I pick up wifi in the shed a further 5 Meters (so now 14 Meters and 3 external walls from 1st Deco) In the shed we get 120Mbps (95% of the time, occasionally reduces to about 50Mbps, I think I might have a channel conflict with neighbour here.
Wifi Channels, this is my only complaint. you can not alter the channels which is disappointing for a pricey wifi system, blogs suggest that its a software update waiting to happen BUT these blogs date back a few years and still no update.
I leave my review as 5 stars because it is MY review and the channel issue affects me such a tiny amount that overall I am still massively happy and impressed.
If channel conflicts with neighbours is something that you know you already suffer with, then you MIGHT get frustrated. I say MIGHT because apparently the Deco auto detects the best channel for you to be on in the 1st place, this I can’t confirm or deny.
Hope this helps, I spent ages reading reviews and nothing really helped tbh.
Our original system [BT Home Hub 5] was coping but with 17 devices connected, and more sure to follow as the kids get older, I figured that it couldn’t hurt to upgrade. The Deco claims that it’ll connect up to 100 devices, time will tell on that one.
Installation is simple. Download the App, follow the instructions and you’ll be up and running in around 20 minutes. We found one or two devices were a bit moody when it came to switching to the new network, but we managed to convince them after a couple of attempts.
We set the main unit up first and then wandered off upstairs to install the 2nd unit. The 3rd unit went out to my workshop and initially refused to connect to the main unit, so I took it back inside, connected it there and then went back out to my shop, and Bingo! it worked.
The reason the Jury is still out is because I expected more. I’m not totally sure what I had imagined but there was no heavenly fanfare, just the same old internet, same old WIFI and same old speed. We receive a very stable 36 mb/s and that hasn’t changed. Our upload speed has improved a tad though, but I suspect that’s a coincidence.
The biggest thing that happened, something that has never happened before, is that our trusty SKY Q box decided it would freeze. As said, it had never happened before but around an hour after setting up the Deco, it froze, and then it froze and hour later, and then it did it a third time, and then a forth… at that I decided to try the hardwire option. Luckily I had cable to spare and after a bit of rearranging, was able to connect SKY Q directly to the Deco, and all was well – except as I write this, it just froze again.
I’ve had a read up on the freezing issue and it seems that SKY Q boxes have a reputation for being a bit rubbish and routinely freeze. Lots of people have reported the fault and some have had boxes replaced only to suffer the same thing all over again. I’m not sure whether our box freezing for the first time is a coincidence or not, but it seems a bit convenient. I’m going to hassle SKY and see what they say.
In addition to the SKY Q issue I’ve been less than impressed with the connection to my RING Doorbell. Inside the house, everything is grand. As soon as I go into the garden I’m told that the connection is very weak and I can forget all about the doorbell when I’m in my workshop, despite having the third Deco unit in there – very disappointing. I bought a RING doorbell because I’m disabled and spend my life scooting about in a wheelchair. Having to haul ass back to the house only to find a couple of eager bible bashers or a random courier hoping to fob off the neighbours parcels on me [they all know I’m in all day so make a B-Line to the door] is really frustrating but now that I know my super deluxe new system won’t reliably extend my network by 15m, I’m giving serious thought to boxing it up and sending it back… I’m not sure. I’m going to give it a few days and see if it feels better but will edit my review accordingly once I’ve made a decision.
**UPDATE**
So I’ve decided to keep the kit BUT I’ve spoken to the boys and girls at SKY and it seems that there is an issue with TP-Link and Sky Q. The default SKY position is that TP-Link is not compatible with SKY Q although they change their tune pretty sharpish if you point out that a “known issue” (their words) should be disclosed to prospective customers on sign up. Nobody from SKY ever asked if I used, or intended to use a TP-Link product and therefore it’s mis-selling… that changes their tune straight away let me tell you!
The signal outside still isn’t wonderful but my workshop IS linked to the network and Alexa/Internet works out there so that’s fine. I decided, after a bit of back & forth with SKY, to remove the SKY Q box from the Deco network. I originally connected via WIFI, didn’t work, so then I connected via Ethernet, didn’t work, and now I’ve switched my BT Home Hub WIFI back on and have simply gone back to using my SKY Q box with std. BT WIFI, and have had no problems since.
I’m sure that leaving two networks open isn’t ideal but there are no other options that I can see, short of giving up on the TP-Link, or giving up on SKY Q, neither of which is ideal, especially seeing as SKY Q is my only option where I live.
My advice, if you’re using SKY Q is to avoid this system and/or do more research than I did. existing SKY customers (via the SKY community forums) suggest various alternatives to the TP-Link system so it would be worth reading up on that before jumping in as this system is likely to cause issues with your SKY Q Equipment.
I bought the M4 3-pack version a few weeks ago, and while it worked, I was a bit underwhelmed with the improvement over my plusnet router, and I sent it back. But we continued to have niggling problems with wifi in our lounge, which is at the opposite end of the house to the router, so I decided to try again, and bought the M5 3-pack. Given that the electronics inside are most likely broadly similar, I don’t know why the physical device size is so different, but the M5 units are much much smaller and more unobtrusive than the big M4 tower things, and more importantly the individual signal strength from each unit seems much higher, giving a much better overall result.
Our house is an original squarish 60s house with subsequent extensions built to either side, one being where the study is (where the phone line comes in and hence where the router is) and the other being the lounge, so to get signal from the router to the lounge it was having to go through two outside walls and all the space in between. Sat in the corner of the lounge furthest from the study, wifi would drop out. Now, with the M5 units in the study, in the middle of the house, and the lounge, I can sit in the same corner and get 50Mbps download and 18 upload speed on my laptop, when the fibre phone line max is only 70/18 anyway, a phenomenal improvement. Phones and laptops move seamlessly between stations as you move around the house. It was a bit more money for the M5 over the M4, but for our house, the difference is worth it, and I will be keeping this one. We have a lot of amazon echoes/plugs/cameras/switches etc. on our network, and I am gradually moving stuff over, but having the new mesh up alongside the existing 2.4/5 signals from the router does not seem to be causing any interference issues, so I will probably leave some things that are working fine on the router wifi as they are, rather than moving absolutely everything across to be funneled through the one router ethernet port that the mesh is connected to.
When you set the M5 up you have to turn off your router’s wifi. You then connect the M5 to a lan outlet from your router. Anything connected by wifi will go through the M5 to get to the internet. However, the M5 sets a different subnet to the one your router is on therefore anything connected directly to the router will be on a different net. I have my PC on an ethernet link so I had to connect it to the second ethernet terminal on the M5 for it to be seen by wifi connected devices. I also use a Sonos Bridge which connects to my Sonos speakers. This was originally connected directly to the router but now I have to connect my PC to it and then the Bridge connects to the M5 for everything to be on the same net.
There is no way of controlling the subnet details beyond the ssid name and password.
The M5 works but it does not have the flexibility or controllability of other mesh systems.
I have been using the M5 for a couple of months now. I was concerned that my download speeds had dropped significantly. On further investigation I found that I have been using the M5 in router mode which is why it has a different subnet from the main router but after a bit of examining the settings on the app I found that I should be operating my M5 as an access point.
I changed the settings and rebooted the system which meant the M5 became an extension of the router. This meant that there was only one DHCP server in the chain. My download speeds reverted to what I had been getting previously and my wifi links to the internet became more stable.
If you only need an extender to cover a device that isn’t constantly moved around (a smart tv in a bedroom?) then a simple extender or two might be a much cheaper solution.
You have to load an app to set up the Deco units and it is fairly straightforward. You connect the first unit to your router with the supplied ethernet cable and set up password details etc (you need bluetooth ON for this). You then set up the extender units one at a time.
You could possibly delete the app after the install but I’ve kept it as it has several useful features including: allowing you to turn a guest password on/off; alerting you when a new device connects for the first time (useful for spotting intruders!); and showing what device is connected to which node. It also has many features I have not tried using such as: blocking specific devices from the network; parental controls; and prioritising band-width for, for example, your tv.
There are no wps buttons on the units themselves so you have to use the app for setting up new devices without laborious password-typing.
I’m in a 3-bed house and, though I bought a 3-pack, to be honest i could probably have got away with a 2-node set-up. But it really depends on the individual property and how many blackspot areas you have. Better too many units than too few. When choosing, don’t forget one node has to connect directly to your router – the set up does not use your existing wi-fi. So if you have just one blackspot area then a two-pack might be enough.
Handy hint (1): I loaded a free wi-fi analyser on my phone before installation. Then, once I’d conected the first unit to my router, I could wander around finding the strongest signal areas in which to place the subsequent units. These units are meant to be able to daisy-chain (i.e. unit A runs off the signal from the unit connected to the router and unit B runs off the signal from unit A) but my set-up does not need this so i can’t comment on how well this works.
Handy hint (2): You might be surprised by how many devices you have accumulated which use wi-fi. To save having to re-set lots of passwords, change the network name on your router (or disable it completely) beforehand and use your existing details for your new network.
Handy hint (3): The first unit has to connect directly to your router but there is nothing to stop you using a longer ethernet cable to do this. This might help if your router is in an area that is fairly blocked-in as far as transmitting wi-fi is concerned.
Installing it literally took 5 mins. I plug it in, I wait for it to configure and I wait a few more mins for a mandatory firmware update – all of the progress of this is tracked in the very user-friendly application – and that was it, it was up and running! Configuring the remaining two nodes meant following the exact same process – very easy. It is also worth me noting that I had since found out that the Wi-Fi coverage on the new Virgin Media Hub 3.0 is actually quite poor and so I switched that to modem mode (stopping any Wi-Fi signal) and chose to use the Deco mesh network as the sole network in the house. It works fantastically well.
The results from my speed tests before and after installing the Deco are below:
— in Lounge (where the main Deco and Virgin Media Router are)
– via windows laptop (Wire) – BEFORE… 387 / Max ; AFTER… 389 / Max
– via iPhone (Wireless) – BEFORE… 267 / 20 ; AFTER… 378 / Max
— In Office (upstairs to far end of house; now has a Deco node in there)
Windows Laptop (WiFi)
– via TP-LINK MAIN (existing power-line adapter over WiFi) BEFORE… 53.94 / 21.14
– via Virgin WiFi BEFORE… 17.90 / 15.35
– via WiFi through Deco AFTER… 86 / Max
iPhone (WiFi)
– BEFORE… 49 / Max ; AFTER… 136 / Max
Windows PC Wired to power-line adapter -vs- wired Deco in office
– BEFORE… 74 / Max ; AFTER… 236 / 15
…where the “X / Y” above denotes Download / Upload speeds in Mbps and the “Max” refers to what Virgin Media have said would be my Max upload speeds which are 22Mbps. To summarise the above, in the farther regions of my house it has increased speeds 3 to 4 times as much as before!
The app is also an absolute gem. It allows you to be able monitor traffic and increase throughput in places where you want certain devices to take priority over others. For example, when I work from home I prioritise the bandwidth for my work laptop for when I have Skype/conference calls with webcam and/or screen-share over, say, my daughter who might be watching YouTube on her tablet. It’s a handy feature. It also has features to be able to blacklist certain sites.
Overall, I am very impressed with the effectiveness of this as well as with the ease of use of setup and the excellent app!
Whilst our house isn’t that big, trying to get decent wi-fi coverage throughout has been difficult. With the main telephone jack located in the study at one end of the house, the signal from the ISP provided router (a BT Homehub) would drop out alarmingly by the time you reached the other end. Previous efforts to boost signal strength using powerline systems or wi-fi booster had been partially successful but inelegant and problematic. I was looking for something that would give us a stable, uniform wi-fi network that was easy to set up and maintain and also user friendly. A mesh system seemed to be the way to go.
Having looked a various options in detail on-line I went for the TP-Link Deco system. Not only were online review generally positive, but I was also familiar with other TP-Link products, such as their wi-fi enabled smart sockets and smart bulbs, all of which I had found worked well. I went for the triple pack to give me a primary hub, a second hub for the ground floor and one for the first floor.
Having used the Deco now for a couple of months I could not be happier with the way it has performed. Set-up was ridiculously easy, with the Deco App on my mobile walking me through each step clearly and logically and checking as we went along that everything was working as intended. Nothing failed to complete and the new network was up and running in next to no time.
Since then I can’t report any fault or outages. Even when we changed ISP a few weeks later and swapped modems from the Homehub to a Fritzl Box the Deco system linked up without and fuss. Best of all, because we weren’t relying on the wi-fi router built into the new modem we didn’t have to reset all our many devices.
The network management App also works very nicely, showing you exactly what you have connected to your network at any time and allowing you restrict or prioritise access for specific devices with just a couple of easy to follow steps. Adding new devices using WPS also no longer involves rushing from device to router in order to press a button; you can do it all through the Deco App whilst standing next to the device in question. I haven’t played around with functions like parental controls yet, but from a quick look they seem relatively straightforward to operate.
In terms of looks, the Deco units are nicely low profile and unobtrusive. One of the things that made me reject the mesh systems offered by BT and others was the sheer size and prominence of each the hubs. Lying flat, only more than a few centimeters high at their tallest point and with a single LED indicating each hub’s status, the Deco units don’r draw the eye and are easy to mask behind other objects. You can even set the Hubs to ‘night mode’ which automatically turns off the LEDs after a certain time of day.
All in all, the Deco system has provided exactly what I wanted; a stable, uniform wi-fi network that provides coverage across our house and is easy to manage and maintain. The hardware may not be cheap, but you get what you pay for in terms of performance and user friendliness.
Highly recommended.
I purchased this product in January 2018 so have had some time to access the functionality. In theory this is a great idea and in part did what I needed it to do which was increase the wireless coverage in the home. The main reason for the purchase was the parental controls. I have two boys aged 13 and 11, both addicted to gadgets. The latest addiction came in the form of a game called Fortnite. I was hoping to use the Deco system to limit time spent on the internet without having to physically unplug the modem as this impacts on other home hold gadgets like Hive and the TV etc. The Deco claims to be able to do this. Initially it worked well but after a month or so, my eldest suddenly had unlimited internet across all his devices. Going back to the settings through the app which was solely on my mobile and my sons had no idea what the password is (Generally logged in with fingerprint) for my phone, discovered the setting within the app had been changed. After correcting this on a number of occassions my wife and I started to realise the eldest could log in and alter the settings from another device. I contacted the TP-Link Deco support team who said that the only way he could access the system was if he had the passwords. Every time I changed the passwords, my son within a few hours was back on changing his settings. I decided to reset the whole system and start over which apart from taking a fair amount of time didn’t resolve the system. My eldest son is a typical 13 year old and it frustrates me that he can get around this device. I would describe myself as fairly tech savvy and it may be something I have missed?
UPDATE:- November 2018 – Following my review, TP-Link have been in contact.Following the instructions (see comments linked to this review) seemed to have resolved the problem. I cannot understand how my son was able to access the system after password change and not listed on the app as a ‘manager’. I have asked TP-Link this question but are waiting a response. Ultimately the Deco now does exactly what we need. It controls how much access to the internet the kids have really well and the range covers the whole house when compared to the VirginMedia Super Hubs. Also don’t get the ‘drop outs’ as frequently as when using the Virgin Super hub for both medium/router.
I previously used Virgin Media’s Superhub 3 but this would not reach the other side of the house and a wifi extender did not appear to interface particularly well with the router wifi causing devices to flip between signals. However the biggest reason for spending 200 and getting my own wifi router was the extremely poor parental settings Virgin Media provide which in effect do not work on their latest Superhub. I have a 15 year old who will happily surf the internet all night after we have gone to bed and I needed a means of completely controlling his access.
The parental settings are very good in that you can create a profile for each family member and then assign their devices to that profile. You can then set a time limit in terms of number of hours of internet access per day and also assign a bedtime after which wifi is blocked. You can also select within their profile between Child, Pre-Teen, Teen and Adult which automatically blocks access to various categories of websites, or you can individually add specific websites or apps which you want blocked. The App will also show you a history of which websites have been accessed and for how long, and you can even swipe back to see previous days access and usage.
Very versatile, thus surprisingly the one big drawback and Achilles heel of their set up within the Time Limits and Bedtime, is you can only choose between Mon-Fri and Sat & Sun – the assumption being you would only want to differentiate between school days/nights and weekends. There is no option to set individual days which is surprising for what is otherwise a very comprehensive parental control setup. I also wasn’t convinced that TP-Link had realised that a later bedtime for children at the weekend actually applies to Fri & Sat nights – Sun night is a school night – but they have since confirmed on their forum that this is the case and it does not simply default to weekend nights. I hope that Tp-Link will recognise that their current Parental Time Controls need refining, and the reason I’ve dropped my rating above from 5 to 4 stars.
I will post further if any improvements are made to the Parental controls, but despite this reservation, I still think this is a great user friendly system with a multitude of good features that I would happily recommend!