Mesh WiFi networks have been rising in popularity in recent years. They are the most effective method for providing excellent Wi-Fi coverage across your entire home. This is accomplished by deploying a number of WiFi access points that work together to provide comprehensive WiFi coverage throughout your home.
To distinguish it from TP-dual-band Link’s Deco M5 mesh WiFI system, the Deco M9 Plus is equipped with three separate bands of wireless connectivity. The addition of a third band will allow for the creation of a dedicated backhaul for the mesh WiFi network. This will significantly lower the burden on the fronthaul network, resulting in significantly improved mesh WiFi speeds because the bandwidth will not be shared as often.
We will be examining the Deco M9 Plus mesh wireless system, which is now available for purchase at a price of $250. According to TP-Link, this is good for up to 4500 square feet. Another option is to purchase a triple pack system, which costs $350. I recommend that you get the twin-pack system and just purchase the third unit separately if the necessity arises.
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Design, Connections and Features
A standard feature of most residential mesh units is the inclusion of two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and that’s precisely what you’ll find on the Deco M9 Plus nodes, which are located around the rear of each node. Personally, I don’t believe this is sufficient, especially considering that one of the ports will be occupied by the connection to your modem, but if you wish to connect more connected devices, you can always get an inexpensive Ethernet switch to supplement your network.
When it comes to serving wired devices, you’ll be pleased to know that the M9 Plus should be able to do so somewhat more quickly than many competing mesh systems, due to its ingenious ability to borrow surplus bandwidth from the standard wireless network to increase backhaul speeds. For the quickest connection possible, you may run an Ethernet cable directly between the nodes, which will then immediately switch to wired backhaul mode as the link is established.
There’s also a USB 2 port on the back of each machine – but it’s one of those enticing connectors that’s “reserved” for some mysterious internal function. If you were expecting a simple way to exchange files or stream films over your mesh network, you’ve come to the wrong website.
Despite this, there is a wide range of functionality available through the app. Those who want to fiddle with their network settings can reserve IP addresses, set up port forwarding, and even establish basic VLAN settings – provided, of course, that the machine is operating in router mode.
As an optional feature, you may enable the 802.11r fast roaming protocol, which helps to guarantee that devices are effortlessly handed over between nodes as you move about. You can also connect to TP-own Link’s DDNS service, which makes your home network accessible from the outside world.
Owners of Amazon Echo devices may utilize voice commands to alter QoS and guest network settings, while more advanced Alexa support is also available.
Aside from these features, the app also grants you access to TP-“Homecare” Link’s security features, which include network-level protection against virus and hack attacks (courtesy of Trend Micro) and parental controls that allow you to set time limits and category-based website filtering on a per-device basis.
There is no official indication on how much it will cost to maintain the service after the three-year term has expired, which is a little disheartening given that you would receive three years of coverage for the price of the package.
Performance
As previously stated, the Deco M9 Plus has an additional radio when compared to the M5, and it also has eight antennas packed into each little disc, which is twice as many as the Deco M5’s predecessor. Both of these should translate into improved performance, and I was certainly pleased with the speed of the Deco M9 Plus kit when it was in use.
My standard file-copy test, which involved passing a folder full of 100MB files up and down the wireless network, revealed same-room transfer rates of 24MB/sec, which is the fastest I’ve observed from any mesh system.
More significantly, the Deco system performed admirably when I moved out of the living room and into the more remote areas of my house to test it.
Moving to the upstairs bedroom, my test laptop instantly switched its connection to the secondary Deco node that I’d set up in the kitchen, which was conveniently located in the center of the house, and I was once again able to experience outstanding download rates of 24MB/s.
My ordinary router only provides a sluggish 1.6MB/sec connection in the bathroom at the back of the home; the Deco network provided a super-fast 19MB/sec connection in the same area.
Given that my laptop is not equipped with a strong transmitter, upstream speeds were predictably lower, but I still managed to get an impressive 11MB/sec upstream from the living room and 10MB/sec everywhere else in the house.
My initial impression of the Deco’s coverage was so positive that I wanted to see whether the signal could even reach the outside patio behind my house, which it did. Despite the fact that technically, the answer is “yes,” the connection here is shaky, with an average download pace of 1.4MB/sec. Speeds increased to 4MB/sec after relocating the second node to the rear of the home, however, the speeds in the bedroom and bathroom dropped to 5MB/sec and 8MB/sec, respectively.
In conclusion, the two Deco M9 Plus nodes do an outstanding job of providing Wi-Fi coverage across a medium-sized home, while if you want to cover the widest possible area, you’ll have to accept a significant reduction in overall performance.
Specifications
| WIRELESS | |
|---|---|
| Standards | Wi-Fi 5 IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5 GHz IEEE 802.11n/b/g 2.4 GHz Bluetooth 4.2 ZigBee HA 1.2 |
| WiFi Speeds | AC2200 5 GHz: 867 Mbps (802.11ac) 5 GHz: 867 Mbps (802.11ac) 2.4 GHz: 400 Mbps (802.11n) |
| WiFi Range | 4-6+ Bedroom Houses (3-pack)TP-Link Mesh Technology Optional Ethernet backhaul work together to link Deco units to provide seamless coverage 8× Antennas (Internal) Multiple antennas form a signal-boosting array to cover more directions and large areas Beamforming Concentrates wireless signal strength towards clients to expand WiFi range |
| WiFi Capacity | MediumTri-Band Distribute devices to different bands for optimal performance 4×4 MU-MIMO Simultaneously communicates with multiple MU-MIMO clients |
| Working Modes | Router Mode Access Point Mode |
| HARDWARE | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Qualcomm 717 MHz Quad-core CPU |
| Ethernet Ports | 2× Gigabit Ports *Per Deco Unit Supports WAN/LAN auto-sensing |
| Buttons | Reset Button |
| Power | 12 V ⎓ 2 A |
| SECURITY | |
|---|---|
| WiFi Encryption | WPA-Personal WPA2-Personal |
| Network Security | SPI Firewall Access Control HomeCare™ AntivirusMalicious Site Checker Port Intrusion Prevention Infected Device Isolation Notification and Log |
| Guest Network | 1× 5 GHz Guest Network 1× 2.4 GHz Guest Network |
| SOFTWARE | |
|---|---|
| Protocols | IPv4 IPv6 |
| Service Kits | HomeCare™ Smart Hub |
| Parental Controls | HomeCare™ Parental ControlsCustom Profiles Content Filtering URL FIltering Time Limit Time Schedule (Bed Time) Log Insight Usage Monitor Monthly Reports |
| WAN Types | Dynamic IP Static IP PPPoE PPTP L2TP |
| Quality of Service | HomeCare™ QoSQoS by Device QoS by Application |
| Cloud Service | OTA Firmware Upgrade TP-Link ID DDNS |
| NAT Forwarding | Port Forwarding UPnP |
| IPTV | IGMP Proxy IGMP Snooping Bridge Tag VLAN |
| DHCP | Address Reservation DHCP Client List Server |
| DDNS | TP-Link |
| Management | Deco App |
| PHYSICAL | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions (W×D×H) | 5.7 × 5.7 × 1.8 in (144 × 144 × 46 mm) |
| Package Contents | Deco M9 Plus (3-pack) 3 Deco M9 Plus Units 1 RJ45 Ethernet Cable 3 Power Adapters 1 Quick Installation Guide Deco M9 Plus (2-pack) 2 Deco M9 Plus Units 1 RJ45 Ethernet Cable 2 Power Adapters 1 Quick Installation Guide Deco M9 Plus (1-pack) 1 Deco M9 Plus Unit 1 RJ45 Ethernet Cable 1 Power Adapter 1 Quick Installation Guide |
| OTHERS | |
|---|---|
| System Requirements | Android 4.4 or later iOS 9.0 or later |
| Certifications | CE, FCC, IC, NCC, BSMI, IDA, RCM, JPA, JRF, VCCI, KC, RoHS |
| Environment | Operating Temperature: 0℃~40℃ (32℉ ~104℉) Storage Temperature: -40℃~70℃ (-40℉ ~158℉) Operating Humidity: 10%~90% non-condensing Storage Humidity: 5%~90% non-condensing |
| TEST DATA | |
|---|---|
| WiFi Transmission Power | CE: <20 dBm (2.4 GHz) <23 dBm (5 GHz) FCC: <30 dBm |
Verdict
The Deco M9 Plus is the quickest mesh networking system I’ve ever tasted – and it’s also the most feature-rich, thanks to its built-in antiviral and smart-home controls, among other things. These kinds of superlatives come at a high cost, but for some people, it will be well worth it. Smart-home fans who have already spent hundreds of dollars on linked lamps, sensors, and appliances are unlikely to balk at the prospect of paying for a system that connects them all together in such a convenient manner.
Furthermore, the Deco’s built-in Homecare features are extremely useful: on some mesh systems, “parental controls” can be as simple as the ability to manually disconnect individual clients, and if website filtering is offered at all, it’s too often a blanket blacklist rather than something that can be tailored and targeted specifically to your needs.
However, if it is the security credentials of the Deco M9 Plus that have piqued your interest, keep in mind that you can acquire the same capabilities for a significantly lower price with the Deco M5 system, which is currently available for just $250 for a three-node configuration.
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