TP-Link - Deco AC2200 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi System with built-in Smart Hub (2-Pack) - White

I have a separate router and modem. My router was performing OK for PC use but too often there was buffering issues with sports and other TV streaming via a Roku that was in a different room than the router/modem. The M9 two pack solved the buffering problem by engulfing my home with continuous WIFI coverage. One main disk was placed in my office and the other satellite disk was placed in the living area in an unobtrusive place; a bottom shelf of a small table. The M9 Deco also replaced the unattractive router that was sitting on my desk so I eliminated a device that was taking up desk space. I set the main Deco smart hub disk on a shelf underneath my desk out of sight. BTW: if your space is such that you can not place the Deco disks out of sight, don't worry because they are well designed and look like ornamental art.

Overall the TP-Link Mesh is good. It works well, we haven't had any drop outs, and tri-band helps keep the 2.4 and 5 channels open and fast for your devices while using the 3rd band for back-haul communications. This works well and, like I said, we have not had any dropouts or slow downs and have had this system for a month or more. My speeds have been better than when I was using one router for the whole house, we have a 2 story and basement at about 2500sqFt with drywall walls. Setup: Setup was really easy and has a pretty good walk through like most tech devices these days. The part I didn't like is this must be done on the app. Now there was some confusion on this for awhile among myself and others in the TP-Link forums until we found out that there is a V1 and a V2 of the Deco 9+ system. The newer (and only available that I can find) is the V2 which is what I purchased from best buy. The reason this is so important is because V1 has already received an update that allows you to access the UI on a web page (192.168.x.xxx) as well as see which device is on which wifi band and which mesh unit. Currently as of writing this review on 6/17/20, the promised update for the V2 9+ has still not been released, however there is a beta that can be found with some searching around the forums. It's worth noting this update has been "coming soon" for 9 months to a year so the fact that it is in beta is promising but don't hold your breath waiting for TP-Link to contact you back with any actual dates. So as it stands right now, the V2 does not show you which devices are connected to each mesh unit or if they are on the 2.4 or 5 channel. This is something that frustrates me and hence 4 out of 5 stars, but for most people who just want to set up a wifi system, have strong and reliable signal, and do not care about technicalities like which deco you are connected to or which channel you are on, will be plenty happy. And SOME day you have to figure the update will come for the V2. The other side of the argument is that TP-Link is delaying the update to make sure it works fully and is not full of bugs and errors like I've read about other systems from netgear tend to have. There is nothing worse than a backward firmware update, so for that, I can wait for them to do it right. Last note on setup and connecting to the correct band; even though you can not see which band your device connected to, I do have a few older devices that have to connect to a 2.4ghz band and the deco system correctly added it to the right band and those devices have not disconnected or had issues trying to "jump" to the 5ghz. So even though I can not monitor it right now, the system is doing a good job controlling the devices. Operation: Like I said already, I wasn't a huge fan of using an app to set up and monitor the system, I'm old school like that I guess, but that said, the app does actually operate really well. It's pretty user friendly and finding a setting or option is quick and easy. There's a more "basic" front page with information the average user will need like device lists and status, but then there are still more advanced options available to dive into if you need. That said, a web page UI would come in handy here and is probably what people who use the advanced features would prefer to use for port forwarding, device control etc. The system features some pretty cool parental controls that I do not use because we do not have children, but I played around with them anyway and did things like limited my wife's phone access and time just to mess with her and it worked pretty good, as well as gave me the same reaction as what I assume anyone with teenagers would get. You can make a profile and set devices to that profile as well as an age range, websites blocked, time limits for weekdays and weekends and bedtimes and a few other things. Best of all, it's free. No add on or subscription. That's not the case with the security and virus protection but that's more of an add on throw in type thing anyway. I activated the one month free which should be ending soon but I will probably not pay for it, we did not receive any alerts or warnings and have not really "needed" it. But it's there if you prefer to. As far as WiFi signal strength, I found our signal to be a lot stronger and consistent across the house. I put one unit upstairs and one unit on the ground/middle floor connected to the main modem. The basement still receives a strong signal and if I need to, I could always add another mesh unit there, but for now we have strong WiFi in all the places we need it. I also now have Ethernet ports available upstairs via the mesh unit so I can hard wire in my computer and other items that need a direct connection. Overall thoughts: Despite the annoyance of waiting on a firmware update to make features available that should have come with the unit out of the box, I am still happy with this system and am reluctantly sticking with it in hopes of a brighter future to come. I figure it does 90% of what I want and it does that 90% very well. That's not something I read consistently about any other tri-band system. The price is reasonable and the ability to work with most other TP-Link mesh routers promise longevity. I think most people looking for better wifi signal throughout their house would enjoy this system.

When we moved into this house, I had the ISP installed their router/wi-fi unit because I didn't have one and it was a setup I was unsure of. Not good coverage for a 3,350 SF house. I attempted to use a repeater but that was intermittent and aggravating. After a lot of study reading specs and reviews, I settled on the TP-Link Deco AC2200 M9. I had thought about using Geek Squad to install and then thought I would try it myself first. I was prepared for complications and failures but I had done my homework on how to approach it. I downloaded the app and followed the instructions, from disconnecting the old router and turning off the modem. The rest of the setup was fine (only one surprise on IP address - default was dynamic IP allocation and I chose that and it worked) and within a few minutes I had the first unit operating. It then asked if I wanted to add another and then gave instructions for setting the second unit up. I was absolutely amazed how well the setup worked! Dead spots are gone and I have incredibly fast speeds all over the house. At first speeds were not great but then it seemed like the units started communicating with each other at high speed and the endpoint speeds increased dramatically. The units are attractive, much more so than the previous model from the ISP. Can't recommend these units highly enough! I did buy a TP 5 port bridge so that I could connect my TV and other devices with a cable connection. That worked perfectly as well.

The Decos work very well, very easy setup, coverage appears to be as good as advertised. My Macbook Pro seems to experience signal drops at least once a week, yet my other PCs seem fine. I'd buy an additional hub for my basement if they weren't so expensive. Integration with other smart devices owned by Tp-Link could be better; I own a few Kasa smart plugs, but the hubs don't 'see' them.

I'm very satisfied with this so far. It was very easy to set up. I had it up and running in about 10 minutes. You just download the app and it walks you through everything. Some of my devices took a few times to connect but once everything was set up my speeds have been super fast and haven't had any disconnecting issues so far. I will say that after doing some research and reading some of the forums on the TP link website, I kept the fast roaming feature disabled because a lot of people said their devices wouldn't connect. So my advice would be to do your research before purchasing. Overall, this is a good product and has solved my issue of weak/inconsistent wifi and it was super easy to set up. The app is also very intuitive. Some people don't like the fact that there is no web interface.

I bought the 2-pack, but only need one. Where you set this up makes a BIG difference. When I set up the main one (the one connected to the modem) and the modem in the basement, I was getting 1/4 full speed on the second floor in some places, even with the 2nd Deco on the first floor. HOWEVER, when I set up the Deco and modem on the second floor, I was getting FULL SPEED EVERYWHERE (including in the furnace closet in the basement) WITHOUT plugging in the second Deco. So make sure you experiment the optimal location for the modem/Deco combo. I don't think I'll need the second Deco personally (3600 sqft including basement). Set up was a breeze.

Absolutely love these Routers. The clean white color is pretty easy to 'hide" if you dont want them sitting out. Ease of setting up was a breeze! I live in a basement apartment with my mom upstairs and have one down and one up and have no problem with coverage. I would definately buy this item again!

Easy to use and setup. This two-node mesh router resolved the Wifi range problem I had without sacrificing speed the way a repeater would. This gives me wifi coverage in my back yard and inside a work shed 50 ft away from the primary router (covers the house) I also like that I can expand this system as I need over time. I don't love having to use the app to set these up, but it makes it easier to manage in the long term vs writing down the MAC address and other identifiers on the back of the device. I also like that it makes it easier to see activity on my network without having to log into a clunky router interface.