CWB
Excellent Mesh Network that meets my requirments
UPDATE 8-Dec-2024:In my review I mentioned the TP-Link Dual-Band BE5000 WiFi 7 Mesh Wi-Fi System (Deco BE25) was a lot more expense, and I suggested waiting until you needed WiFi 7. Well, the price is so close to the WiFi 6 I’d go with it now to help future proof! I didn’t check other vendors, and I don’t have the WiFi 7. If I had to buy today, I’d do the WiFi 7 for sure.2-Pack WiFi 6 = $220 ($110 each)2-Pack Wifi 7 = $230 ($115 each!!!!!)3-pack, WiF 6 = $330 ($110 each)3-pack WiFi 7 = $300. ($100 each!!!!!!!)UPDATE 29-Sep-2024:I’m totally satisfied. ZERO issues, works beautifully. I had this at 4-Stars to start as installation and set-up went smoothly however I wanted time for it to “bake-in” with use., now I’m at 5-Stars.There is a TP WiFi 7 model available that does cost less than other vendors, still expensive though.The WiFi 6E was $188 for the pair, WiFi 7 is $449 for a pair. That’s a big jump, and yes, from what I’ve read you’ll get higher performance. The question that needs to be asked: Do you need it for the extra price? If you can easily afford it, no reason not to.I’ve worked for 30 years as a network design/architect/consultant in the carrier industry. As described below, for my requirements the TP WiFi 6E is perfect. In 5 years, I may need to look into upgrading to a higher grade mesh. By then, prices will come down for a WiFi 7 and maybe when WiFi 8 is out that’ll be a consideration.For now, WiFi 6E works. I give routers a 5-year life span as tech improves rapidly, but do you need annual upgrades? Not in my world, yet. I’m still waiting for 5G cellular service in my rural setting yet I do get 80Mbps down/19Mbs up (Verizon), and in some places in Colorado Springs I’ve clocked 1.3Gbps on my iPhone which is insanely fast. My iPhone does provide good hotspot backup if needed.If you have a “Brady Bunch” size family, maybe the WiFi 7 would better, and you may need more than 2 routers in the mesh depending on your house, basement, patio, number of devices and floors.The nice thing about the TP mesh is adding more as needed is easy, as it should be today.GENERAL: 16-Sep-2024I needed a new WiFi mesh solution. I’ll explain why in a bit.For 99% of the users at home, basic settings should be fine. For those with bespoke setting requirements, they know what needs to be done. This isn’t a commercial grade device like from Cisco or Meraki although for small offices, I think the XE75 would be excellent.DETAILS TO CONSIDER:I’m using the TP Deca XE75 – be SURE to know this, not Deco AXE5400 as this is not a choice when registering via the app. I use just a pair in a 3,800’ slab-on-grade ranch. Each XE75 works at 2.4/5/6Ghz. There are 3 “Networks”: Router, Guest and IOT to isolate connections. Pricing was excellent at $219 for the pair + a $30 discount coupon! This is not a Base plus Extender, these are both full-function WiFi routers with the first one setup being the Main. They each have 3 UTP Gbit ports. I only needed UTP on the Main.Password, frequencies, ect settings are all transparent across the mesh network. You can click on each Wifi router in the mesh to see what is connected to each.Each SSID will have its own password. Be sure to use Upper/lower/a few numbers/a few special characters, and MAKE SURE TO JOT THEM DOWN!SSID Router and Router_6Ghz + Password you create – iPhone, laptop, printer, SAN/NASSSID Guest + Password you create: if I have visitorsSSID IOT + Password you create: all other connections like Hunter-Douglas PowerView (motorized Roman shades), TVs, 22KW Generac generator, DTV, DVD, etc that have vendor access for updates and such.SETUP:SUGGESTION: Unplug your ISP equipment before you start setting up the app. My iPhone just downloaded via my Verizon cell connection nicely. This gives your ISP equipment the 5 or more minutes to quiesce (shutdown, clear). When I connected to my ISP equipment and powered-up, I called my ISP, they saw the new device, authorized and in a few seconds I was back on-line.Download the TP App, and follow the instructions step-by-step.When setting up, each XE75 has a barcode on the bottom that needs to be scanned as you set them up – easier than typing in the code. It’s a tad fuzzy to scan, just don’t give up. I used an iPhone 13 Pro to scan and was surprised how difficult it was. Just follow the instructions at setting up the router EXACTLY (keyword=EXACTLY) as they say. The app will ask you to name it, I used Office from the choices, and I think you could do a custom name.With my ISP, I have to call and tell them a new router is being connected so they can authorize it for security. My ISP is a local company in Colorado, Kellin, that services remote areas hence microwave (plans in the next 12-18 months include going up-to 500Mbps – way more than I need), and support is seriously fantastic after more than 10 years. The UTP ports (3 on each route) support 1Gbps. The TP should work for all ISP, probably even StarLink although check first to be sure.The App set-up worked great as I followed the instructions EXACTLY as they specified.Next, I created PASSWORDS for Office, Guest and IOT networks.Next, I added the other XE75 to the mesh using the barcode reader, and boom, up it came, connected to the mesh and I named it Bedroom. On the App you’ll see: ISP icon—Office/MAIN icon—-Bedroom icon (these are my locations) plus you’ll see how many devices are connected to each with a footnote number for each. Nice.Next, I started discovery for Router – my laptop runs at 6Ghz. BTW, UTP connections go to Router only that I can tell, not Guest or IoTNext, I started discovery for IOTNo Guests yet, however, they should connect as easilyUnder “More Settings” at the lower right corner of the app, click and you’ll see Wi-Fi Setting (Main Network), then Guest Network and IoT Network. Pretty straight forward; naming Wi-Fi Setting the same as the Main Network would make better sense at least to me.In Wi-Fi and Guest Networks you have 2.4/5Ghz and 6Ghz network options. In IoT you only have 2.4/5Ghz.I turned off 6Ghz for Guest as 2.4/5Ghz will be fine plus you’ll get better distance and plenty of bandwidth performance.If I need to connect my laptop to Guest or IoT, my laptop selects the highest frequency. My iPhone 13 doesn’t do 6Ghz. When I upgrade my iPhone in a year or 2, it’ll probably have 6Ghz.PERFORMANCE:My microwave ISP is 120Mbps Up/Down, plenty for me. I don’t game or have kids. I work from home as a consultant, do WebEx/Zoom/MS Teams video calls that are excellent quality, I’ll watch an Amazon Prime movie now and then, I use DirecTV not a streaming or cable service. So far, performance has been flawless. Generac has “issues” with mesh networks – this is on them to fix as it is 2024 and it is not a $50 device, but that is for another review. (Generac works great, it’s the 2.4Ghz WiFi set-up that is archaic.) If you do have a Generac, the best way is if the remote mesh router is near the Generac, turn it off and force the Generac to connect to the Base. Then, bring the remote router(s) back on-line. This seems to fix the stupid problem. And yes, it is stupid for a $17,000 device as it should have a great WiFi solution, it doesn’t. This is a problem for Generac with all mesh networks, not just TP. I did a lot of research and found a good work-around solution Reddit.For the price and performance, I think you’ll like this device. I only have the main and 1 remote. More remotes, no idea. My video calls, streaming with Amazon Prime (Netflix should be OK, I don’t have it) and gaming should be fine (I don’t game). Another thing that will affect performance over the Internet will be your ISP’s quality. They say like 1-Gig service however, that is the max you’ll probably get. During busy times performance may degrade based on how many people they support – it gets complicated with over-subscription to bandwidth during peak hours. Clearly, more users will be on between like 6PM and Midnight than at 1PM or 3AM in a residential area: streaming movies and gaming uses a LOT of bandwidth. That 1 Gig you subscribe to is not 100% all the time. This has nothing to do with TP or a home set-up.AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT – Why TP?2.4/5/6Ghz: What’s the difference? The higher the frequency, the more data that can be transmitted. Problem is, as the frequency goes up the ability to penetrate walls drops. 2.4Ghz carries less data however it penetrates walls better than 5Ghz and 6Ghz. I won’t get all wonky. Extenders are the reason they are needed in large houses/multiple floors to penetrate hence we have mesh networks today as single WiFi devices have distance problems at higher frequencies as more data is needed like for gaming, video, streaming, phone calls, ect all at the same time.I had to replace my Netgear Orbi 850 w/1 satellite. The Base unit UTP ports stopped working which means I lost ISP access and UTP devices. My hardware warranty ended 7 weeks prior. I paid over $600 in July 2023. I contacted sales to see if I could buy a refurb’ed 850 base at a decent discount. Nope. They just said your hardware warranty has ended – I was up-front and told them that. I connected my laptop to my ISP and it came right up. They wanted to troubleshoot. Waste of time. Duh. I’ve used Netgear for over 20 years, routers, WiFi and LAN switches. I upgrade when needed. This Orbi 850 issue and how they handled it was poor. This wasn’t a $50 device. And, now I have an Orbi 850 satellite I need to sell on eBay, the base will get recycled. Will I ever buy Netgear again? Extremely unlikely. I like the LAN switches, solid, reliable, lifetime warranty on the ProSafe products however I have all the Gigabit LAN switches I need as WiFi speeds get better.I tried the eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi router, $184.00 + 20% rebate + $100 credit sending my Orbi back. Great deal. My ISP recommended eero. The set-up was a tad awkward (I wrote a review) and I got through it. Connected my devices and all. I noticed my laptop had really poor performance and disconnects. I decided to buy the eero Extender & wall mount total $95, neat set-up. Got it, however, my laptop kept going to the base router, never the Extender. The problem was the Extender only handles 2.4/5Ghz, not 6Ghz. I have no way to disable 6Ghz on my laptop, this is a deficiency and Lenovo support was no help. I called for eero support to see if a 2.4/5/6Ghz extender was available or if I could disable 6Ghz on the Base Router. No to each question. At least TP allows you to disable 6Ghz. The recommendation: buy a 2nd eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi router, and now the price ~7 days later was $249. Not having an Extender at 2.4/5/6Ghz when the base equipment does is silly given we are now seeing WiFi 7 being released (EXPENSIVE though). I sent the eero stuff back for a refund. Had the eero Extender provided 6Ghz, I would have kept it as it did work really well, 2.4/5Ghz is fine for my house, and a new laptop would have cost a LOT more.If your device doesn’t do 6Ghz, eero would be fine. However, as with all technology we’ll see upgrades with new devices in the coming years. If you have a device that can’t disable 6Ghz, you’ll have a problem.If you are still awake, I hope this helped.
Mike
One of the very best mesh routers you can buy
I am a techno-geek. Have degrees in electronic engineering and in computer science (networking). Have been working in the computer and telecommunications fields for the past 45 years. Way before Al Gore even invented the internet. I have a ranch style house with full basement; approximately 3,000 sq feet + 2 car attached garage. I normally have 2 routers active; main router for all ethernet connected devices as well as providing VPN connection (Linksys WRT3200ACM); which also connects to the 2nd wireless router a netgear R7000 for my normal open WIFI for non VPN traffic and guests. Both routers are in the downstairs, centered, and work good. The VPN router/WIFI covers the areas of the house for fixed/PC/Laptop that use VPN; but the netgear providing clear WIFI couldn’t cover the entire house with a usable signal; even though the R7000 is a very good high end wireless router. It covered MOST of the house, but none to the garage and very little outside front or back; and a couple of sketchy places in the house.I tried wifi extenders and even another router as an access point. Problem with those are there is no smooth transition when walking around with a cell phone, tablet, taking laptop out on the back deck, and other mobile scenarios. Great if you’re going to a spot and staying there; but extenders and AP are not good if you’re moving around. So, I went with a Mesh system; the TP-Link AXE5400 XE75. This has been awesome. Setup is easy, just follow the app instructions.I left my primary Linksys VPN router as is, and simply removed the Netgear R7000 and replaced it with the TP-Link. (Yes, double NAT is fine for 99% of traffic; IF the primary router, in my case the linksys, is set up properly to allow traffic flow to the TP-LINK to work properly). Anyway; the main TP-LINK router is where the netgear was, and I wireless connect the second slave node on the main floor. This is working great. My VPN linksys wired/wireless router still covers the 2 home offices that use the vpn; and most of the house for the other rare vpn occasions. The new TP-Link XE75, between the downstairs node and the main floor node, are covering every inch of the house, garage, back yard, and front yard. And being I gave it the SAME SSID name and password that the Netgear USED TO BE, I didn’t have to change any settings in ANY of my wifi devices. Not even security cameras, Roku, AppleTV, phones, tablets, laptops, etc… All the devices were instant connections. And when I roam around the house, yard, deck, etc… the portable devices like phones and tablets transfer from the one node to the other node seamlessly. I was considering getting a 3rd node, but after using this for the last month, there’s no reason to spend more money. This is the best setup I could have wanted. Definitely buy it if you need PORTABLE WIFI COVERAGE for phones, tablets, etc… that move around a lot.If your devices are pretty well fixed and don’t move, like streaming tv boxes, smart tv, laptop/computer in an office, etc. then learn to better position your existing wifi router for better coverage or look into using an extender. Extenders are great if you’re staying in one place; because it’s shows a different SSID than the main and your device can’t auto switch between them. But for fixed devices or scenarios where you stay put for long periods of time, extenders are great. Especially for the cost of the TP-Link. I got it on sale, but an extender is still much cheaper. But if you need the mesh technology so you can be more mobile with uninterrupted connections, then this is the mesh wifi for you.
