What is good in TP-Link Deco M5 whole home mesh Wi-Fi system 3-pack? Download the TP-Link Deco app, plug in your system, and follow the instructions to get your new home network up and running in minutes. Works with Alexa as well. Protect your network and connected devices with a free lifetime subscription to TP-Link HomeCare featuring Next-level Antivirus, Robust Parental Controls, and QoS. How easy to TP-Link Deco M5 3-pack setup? Find details in TP-Link Deco M5 whole home mesh Wi-Fi system 3-pack review.
Features & Specs – TP-Link Deco M5 whole home mesh Wi-Fi system 3-pack
Key Specs
- Wi-Fi RangeInfo4500 sq
- Wi-Fi Mesh SystemInfoYes
- Number of Wi-Fi Satellites Included 3
- DOCSIS Certification 3.0
- Number Of LAN Ports 2
- Wi-Fi Speed 1300 megabits per second
General
- Product Name Deco AC1300 Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi System (3-pack)
- Brand TP-Link
- Model Number DECO M5
- Color white
- Color Category White
Security
- Data EncryptionYes
- Encryption Type WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, WPA2-Personal
- Firewall Type SPI
- Parental Controls Yes
Network
- Band TechnologyInfoDual
- Ethernet StandardInfo10/100/1000
- Number of Antennas4
- Frequency BandInfo2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz
- Wireless StandardInfoAC
- Wi-Fi RangeInfo4500 sq
- Wi-Fi Mesh SystemInfoYes
- Number of Wi-Fi Satellites IncludedInfo3
- Number of Wi-Fi Satellites SupportedInfo3
- Routing ProtocolInfoAdaptive Routing
- Transport ProtocolInfoIPv6
Certifications & Listings
- DOCSIS CompliantYes
- ENERGY STAR CertifiedInfoNo
- DOCSIS CertificationInfo3.0
Features
- App CompatibleInfoYes
- App-ControlledInfoYes
- App NameDeco
- BeamformingInfoYes
- Integrated ModemYes
- Auto ConnectYes
- Auto DetectingYes
- Conference EnabledNo
- WirelessYes
Ports
- Number Of WAN PortsInfo0
- Port Type(s)InfoRJ-45
- Number Of LAN PortsInfo2
Speed
- Wired SpeedInfo1000 megabits per second
- Wi-Fi SpeedInfo1300 megabits per second
- Gigabit Ethernet SpeedInfoYes
- Auto Speed SensingYes
Compatibility
- System RequirementsInfoiOS 8.0 or later Android 4.3 or later
- Bluetooth EnabledInfoYes
Dimension
- Product HeightInfo1.3 inches
- Product LengthInfo4.7 inches
- Product WidthInfo4.7 inches
- Product WeightInfo4.17 pounds
Price
The big news about the TP-Link Deco M5 offering is that at $300 (£230, around AU$400) it’s more affordable than most of the competition. Google WiFi will set you back $279 (£310, around AU$360) for three units, while the high-performing Netgear Orbi rolls in at closer to $400 (about £320, AU$520) for just a pair. The BT Whole Home triple pack can be had for about the same money as the Deco M5, but is only available in the UK.
Compare TP-Link Deco M5 whole home mesh Wi-Fi system 3-pack
| Deco M5(3-pack) | Deco M3(3-pack) | Deco P9(3-pack) | |
| Speeds (up to) | Wi-Fi 5 AC1300 (1.3 Gbps) | Wi-Fi 5 AC1200 (1.2 Gbps) | Wi-Fi 5 1.2 Gbps + AV1000 |
| Coverage (up to) | 5,500 sq. ft. | 4,500 sq. ft. | 6,000 sq. ft. |
| # of Devices (up to) | 100 | 50 | 100 |
| WAN/LAN Ports | 6x Gigabit Ports (2+2+2) | 2x Gigabit Ports (2+0+0) | 6x Gigabit Ports (2+2+2) |
| Network Security | WPA2, Guest WiFi, Cloud Update | WPA2, Guest WiFi, Cloud Update | WPA2, Guest WiFi, Cloud Update |
| TP-Link HomeCare* | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Internet Plan Suggestion | Best for speeds up to 450Mbps | Best for speeds up to 350Mbps | Best for speeds up to 400Mbps |
| Parental Controls | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Works With Alexa | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Room | Deco M5 | Google WiFi |
|---|---|---|
| Living Room | 334.91 Mbps | 173.86 Mbps |
| Home Office | 1004.76 Mbps | 795.11 Mbps |
| Bedroom | 394.60 Mbps | 307.50 Mbps |
| Home Theater | 608.80 Mbps | 365.62 Mbps |
TP-Link Deco M5 whole home mesh Wi-Fi system 3-pack review
Design
The three-piece Deco M5 system ($299.99 at Best Buy) provides up to 4,500 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage. For larger homes, additional nodes (up to 10 total) can be purchased for $129.99 each. Every circular Deco unit is identical and measures 4.7 inches in diameter and 1.4 inches high. With their low profile and matte white finish you can place them out in the open where they will blend in with any décor.
Ports
Each unit contains two gigabit Ethernet ports, a USB-C power port, a Reset button, and a small LED indicator that pulses blue when the router is ready for setup, glows solid blue during setup, and displays solid green when setup is complete and all is running well. A red light indicates connectivity issues.
Processor and data transfer
Each Deco unit is powered by a quad-core processor and contains four high-power internal antennas. The router is an AC1300 device capable of speeds of up to 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 867Mbps on the 5GHz band. It supports beamforming, which sends signals directly to wireless clients rather than over a broad spectrum, and Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) data streaming, which transmits data to MU-MIMO-compatible clients simultaneously rather than sequentially. It also uses TP-Link’s Adaptive Routing Technology (ART) to select the best possible radio band for optimal throughput, and it comes with three years of Trend Micro’s Antivirus and Malware protection.
QoS
There are two ways to use the QoS (Quality of Service) function. You can prioritize the connection of a particular device for a set duration, such as a family member’s laptop for one hour during a video call. You can also prioritize the online activity that’s most important to the whole family, such as Streaming or Gaming.
Coverage
It has excellent Wi-Fi coverage, too. I was able make it cover some 4,000 square feet of residential setting with a sustained Wi-Fi speed of more than 100Mbps. Like all systems, you can adjust the Wi-Fi coverage by placing the units at different distances from one another. However, keep in mind that large Wi-Fi coverage always means slower Wi-Fi speed, so pick a balance that you’re comfortable with.
TP-Link Deco M5 whole home mesh Wi-Fi system 3-pack performance review
The Deco nodes showed good throughput as well with scores of 234Mbps and 211Mbps on the close-proximity test. Those scores beat the Eero ($399.00) (139Mbps and 93.8Mbps) and the Luma ($99.99) (106Mbps and 101Mbps) but not the Linksys Velop (257Mbps and 328Mbps) or the Amped Ally (326Mbsp). At 30 feet, the Deco nodes garnered 48.3Mbps and 248Mbps compared to the Eero (151Mbps and 84.6Mbps), the Luma (77.2Mbps and 75Mbps), the Linksys Velop (238Mbps and 286Mbps), and the Amped Ally (226Mbps).
Since the Deco does not support dedicated band control, my test results are based on the Deco’s Adaptive Routing Technology band-steering capabilities. The router’s score of 444Mbps on the close-proximity (same-room) test was slightly slower than the Eero (469Mbps) and Luma (457Mbps) routers but significantly slower than the Linksys Velop ($299.99) (556Mbps) and Amped Wireless Ally (508Mbps) routers. At a distance of 30 feet, the Deco’s score of 249Mbps led the pack, edging the Linksys Velop (236Mbps), the Amped Ally (234Mbps), the Eero (233Mbps), and the Luma (76.1Mbps).
To test MU-MIMO performance we use three identical Acer Aspire E15 laptops equipped with Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 wireless 802.11ac network adapters as clients. The Deco router averaged 108Mbps on the close-proximity test while the nodes scored 81Mbps and 73.6Mbps. The Linksys Velop scored 264Mbps, 60.1Mbps, and 70.1Mbps, respectively, and the Amped Ally scored 197.3Mbps (router) and 90.3Mbps (node). At 30 feet, the Deco router’s score of 86.8Mbps trailed the Linksys Velop (118.2Mbps) and the Amped Ally (107.3Mbps). The Deco nodes scored 32.9Mbps and 50.5Mbps compared to the Linksys Velop (50.8Mbps and 57.8Mbps) and the Amped Ally (29.7Mbps) nodes. By way of comparison, our Editors’ Choice for midrange routers, the D-Link AC3150 Ultra Wi-Fi Router (DIR-885L/R), scored 237Mbps (close-proximity) and 165Mbps (30 feet) on our MU-MIMO throughput tests.
TP-Link Deco M5 3-pack setup
Step 1: Download and install the Deco app – Scan the QR code below or go to Google Play or the Apple App Store to download the Deco app. Install the app on your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet.
Step 2: Log in or sign up with TP-Link ID – Open the app. Use your TP-Link ID to log in. If you don’t have a TP-Link ID, tap Sign Up. The Deco app will guide you through the rest.
Step 3: Connect your modem to Deco – Find and power off your modem. Connect your Deco to the modem and power them both on. If you don’t have a modem, connect the Ethernet outlet directly to your Deco.
Step 4: Select a location –Select a location for this Deco. If its location is not listed, you can create a new one by choosing Custom.
Step 5: Create your Wi-Fi network – Set a network name and a password. These will be the name and password you use to connect your devices to Wi-Fi.
Step 6: Add more Decos – You can add more Decos to expand Wi-Fi coverage. The app will guide you through the process of adding more Decos one by one.
TP-Link Deco M5 3-pack App setup and usage
At the top of the Home screen is a message icon that displays recent activity such as when a new device has joined the network. At the bottom of the Home screen is a round icon that takes you to a Settings screen. Wi-Fi settings allow you to edit the network name and password, hide the SSID, and create guest networks. In the Parental Controls screen you can create Profiles for each family member and select one of four filter levels (Child, Pre-Teen, Teen, Adult) with preset web filters. For example, the Child preset blocks access to sites with adult content, gambling, social networking, online gaming, and sex education sites, and downloading is disabled. You can also manually block websites and apps, set up online time limits, and create a bed time where access is completely blocked during certain hours.
The Antivirus screen tells you how many days you’ve been protected and has on/off switches for Malicious Contents filtering, Intrusion Protection, and Infected Device Quarantine. Tapping the icon at the top right of the screen displays a history of intrusion detection and blocked web scripts.
TP-Link Deco M5 whole home mesh Wi-Fi system 3-pack customer review
Mesh Networking at a Reasonable Price!
Model: Mesh WiFi with HomeCare, 3-pack
One month in, and we have been extremely pleased with this router so far. We have seen performance equivalent to what is stated in the specs. We bought the 3 pack, which was more than we needed for our 2 story townhouse, but the sale price was cheaper than buying the two pack. We are using only two at the moment, which is giving our home full, high speed coverage. Streaming video in multiple places at once has proven to be no issue. There are some corners of a couple of rooms where buffering used to happen with our old router, that no longer have any issues. It has also given us extended coverage outside for the patio and courtyard, more than 50 feet from the house. Speed tests show marked improvement outdoors, and the range is significantly enhanced.
The router itself is a disc shape with a 4.5 inch diameter, and is white in color. We have the second unit sitting on the fireplace mantel in our bedroom and easily blends in. It could also easily be covered. There is a single green led on the top of the unit, but the app does offer a Night Mode to turn off the light at night if it is not wanted, or you can choose to turn it off all the time. Each of the three disc are identical in size. The one you choose to attach to your modem becomes the “main” one.
When comparing this brand to others, look at the specs carefully. This is not the fastest mesh network available, but it has plenty of speed to match our service speed (300 Mbps). We have several IoT devices (Hue bulbs, Wemo switches, 3 Echos, HomePod) along with phones, tablets, computers, printer, TV/video streaming, security system, and video surveillance. The setup was very easy, and I’m happy with the app. If you have children, there are substantial parental controls available, including limiting amount of time of internet access, when access is available, blocking types of websites or specific sites (I wish I would have had these options when my kids were teens). There is no web setup for the router(s), so you do need some type of mobile device (I used iOS, so I can only speak to that version of the app). The app also offers settings for IPv6, address reservation, port forwarding, DDNS, and VLAN. The only other drawback I see is that there are only two networking ports on each disc. On the “main” disc, one will be used to connect to your modem. So if you need more than one item with a wired connection to the router, you will need a switch.
So far, I feel like the Deco system offers a great price/performance combination, as we got this for under $170 on sale. As of August 2018 there are several highly rated mesh networking options on the market at the moment. This one meets our needs and performance expectations at a wallet friendly price point. My recommendation is to know your needs, and pick a system that prioritizes them.
By Amazon Reviewer