Update: Wi-Fi (TP-Link Deco XE75)

A short time ago I mentioned (in this post) the problem I had with Wi-Fi in the back room. Readers Vince and John Abee (and others whose names I can't find) recommended a mesh system.

So here's what happened.

I got a nice New Years present from B&H Photo, a gift certificate to thank me for being an Affiliate. I used it to buy a two-piece TP-Link mesh system, the Deco XE75. The two units are identical. One is used as a router while the other is a satellite. I needed to replace the Apple Airport Time Capsule ($600, replaced once by Apple) which Apple stopped making in 2016.

I could not be happier right now, just after installation. Using one Deco on the landing of my basement stairs where my modem is and one on the windowsill in my "problem" back room (a converted one-car garage with concrete walls under the new paneling), not only do I suddenly get coverage all over the house—a first—but it even reaches to the outdoor balcony, the covered porch in back, and the pool table shed in the back yard, where there was zero signal before.

SpeedTest of my Wi-Fi on the porch—
the highest numbers I've seen out here

Also, the speeds are suddenly much faster. The worst speeds with the TP-Link are better than the best speeds with the Time Capsule. I didn't even do any experimenting with the placement of the second unit—I just stuck it on the windowsill where it was handiest, and it works fine.

The Deco looks nice, too. Hence the name I guess.

My experience did deviate from that of some reviewers, in that setup was not so straightforward for me. I live in a rural area in a complicated 1880s house. I had to spend a lot of time on the phone with Chris from Spectrum, who was patient and cheerful. We did get the Deco running. I'm still not quite sure how. Lots of fiddling, basically. All is well now.

I haven't even had these set up for one day so far, so I can't speak to reliability. For performance, I'm more than happy.

Big kudos and thanks to the B&H Customer Service rep, identified as Michael M on the chat, who I talked to prior to buying these. Michael did a thorough job running down my options, and recommended these along with two other options at different price points. He told me I was going to see big gains in performance.

And he was right.

Mike
Flickr page / New Yorker author page

Original contents copyright 2023 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

John Abee: "Exactly the unit I use and couldn't be happier, but...for those on a tighter budget or those unsure about the mesh approach, Amazon currently has a crazy-good deal on the 3-puck Google mesh wifi system (~$125). This is not the latest version but is a solid performer. It was my house system until I bought the TP-Link Deco system, and is still serving us well at our place n North Carolina. Google manages the network through their Google Home app which is simple, powerful and bulletproof. Highly recommended if you just want to see if mesh is for you."

Ross A: "I’ve been running a mesh system for about seven years. First a Netgear Orbi system, then just about eight months ago I upgraded to a newer Asus. We had a technician install the first one, and he was laughing when we checked the before and after speeds—ten times faster than before. You’ll love it, Mike."

Greg Boiarsky: "I have had a love/hate (OK, mostly hate) relationship with Wi-Fi for what seems like centuries. First, I just suffered through bad range and rebuilt my digital life around the spots in the house that had signal. Then, I got a powerline Ethernet setup that would crash weekly. Finally, I got the Deco system. Like you said, it's a game changer. Highly recommended.

"Your upload speeds should be much faster. ISPs routinely throttle them, but they don't have to. If you aren't locked into your current ISP, I recommend finding one that could run fiber to the house. Given your location, this is highly unlikely. So, the next best thing is to get on the horn with Spectrum and renegotiate your current service to get higher upload speeds. I'm almost certain you could both improve your throughput and save money. As a general rule, you should renegotiate every two years or so."

Comments

[Andreas]

completely off topic. Found this today:
https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx8uvb3pdB1r1pigyo1_500.jpg

"When you photograph people in colour you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in B&W you photograph their souls" Ted Grant

Thought you might like it. Cheers from across the Atlantic. Andreas

[Jez Cunningham]

Very annoying that your ISP (like most) persist in throttling back the upload speed. Really hopeless for cloud photo storage…

[Phil]

O.K., who was the cocaine king from Kalamazoo? Answer promised today in yesterday's column

[Can you see it? It was up when you left this comment. Perhaps you had an old version of the page open and weren't seeing the new edit. Try refreshing your page if you still aren't seeing it. --Mike

P.S. It's Tim Allen. I didn't recognize him from that picture, but a lot of other people did.]

[Frank Hamsher]

I've been running an Orbi Mesh system for 7 1/2 years now, replacing it once to upgrade it to a higher-grade system to allow for higher bit-rate streaming quality.

We are on a one-acre lot with brick and tin roof buildings (notorious for interfering with wi-fi signals). Before installing the mesh system, I could not get a decent signal, even by using endless repeaters.

The Orbi system has a router and two satellites. It covers the entire property and all buildings inside and out with consistently high-speed signals.

Whenever there seems to be a problem, it is always with the incoming fibre optic signal and not the mesh system.

Welcome to the light side!

[Tom Burke]

I’m impressed with that download speed! (Not so much the upload speed….) What’s your basic connection? fibre all the way? 5g cellular?

I solved the same problem nearly 10 years ago by getting some Ethernet installed, from the router downstairs & at the front of the house to a home office upstairs and through to the TV location at the far end of the house. The Wi-Fi reaches the other parts.More recently the installer told me that these days he’d recommend mesh rather than Ethernet cable.

[Not only do I not know what my basic connection is, I don't even know how to find out. --ig'nant Mike]

[Earl Dunbar]

I'm still using the last model of TimeCapsule, plus other AirPorts as access points. In essence, they operate as a mesh system, whether they are truly, technically mesh. One reason I use some AirPort Express units is they have audio out, both wired mini-plug and optical through the same connection. That means I can stream music to audio/HiFi amplifiers in two locations other than my main, high end two-channel setup.

While Apple discontinued manufacture of the AirPort line, they still offer phone support. And used units in very good to excellent condition are pretty cheap.

[Tech Geek]

You probably have 300MB service. Despite the bad press the ISPs )(deservedly), I find I find the downloads speeds for me are close to or occasionally better than promised.

I’ve been using a mesh network for many many years. In our embarrassingly large houses, I have six pucks scattered around and get great service elsewhere. Prior to the mesh, all of my prior repeater and extender solutions were not even mediocre.

We’re building a new house and I’ve pre-installed a five access point mesh system. I’ve also put Ethernet to all of the TV locations and my office, so the WiFi will be supporting mobile devices and all of the smart home devices (thermostats, doorbell cameras, etc). It should be great.

[Dennis Ng]

I used a pre-mesh fake mesh system for my village house. I have 4 and seems work ok. Just let them do the job. My initial attempt to … does not work well.

[MATT KALLIO]

Those are fast speeds.

[Hélcio J. Tagliolatto]

I didn’t know this device. It is amazing.
Thank you, Mike!