TP-Link Deco M5 Whole Home Mesh Dual_Band 1300 Mbps Wi-Fi, Up to 2000 sq ft Coverage, Works with Amazon Echo/Alexa and IFTTT, Wi-Fi Booster, Antivirus and Parental Controls Router(1-Pack), White

A printed price tag of 30k is enough to deter the common man from getting this device but the benefits outweigh the exhorbitant price tag.Writing this review after 4 months of usage and close scrutiny.Got the Deco M5 for 18k on amazon. While I was eyeing for the M4, I am so glad that I went a step further and bought the M5. You could go even further and buy the M9 if you willing to pay 10k extra.After having battled network issues and having tried using a number of routers and range extenders, I was still disappointed at the inconsistent and weak wifi signal in my apartment.Set up :-The set up is very simple and requires use of the deco app. Also one needs to create a tplink account. Just follow the steps as directed and you are good to go.Bear in mind that you will need a standalone router which needs to be configured by your internet provider. The main deco can then be connected through this router.Power supply :-There is a proprietary power adapter with the round pin. Rated voltage is 12 volts.Placement :-The devices need to be placed strategically to make the most of the mesh network. Say, for a 2 BHK apartment, it would be wise to place the main deco in the hallway, the 2nd deco in the living room and the 3rd deco in the farthest bedroom.Always remember that the main deco needs to be connected via LAN to serve its purpose.Performance :-The connected devices seamlessly switch to the deco with the strongest signal. The network has a common SSID and cannot be differentiated by mobile phones. However certain devices like IP cams can differentiate between the deco signals.The network speed is consistent throughout with no lag whatsoever. For your reference, at any given point of time, I have the following devices connected - 2 IP cams, 2 mobile phones and an Ipad.With 2 IP cams streaming HD video and 3 devices streaming HD video on youtube, hotstar and amazon prime simultaneously, my 50Mbps connection is capable of catering to the above data load without any trouble.Operation :-The device has a 3 colour led - blue, green and red. Once the device is set up with internet, the led lights up with green. It lights up with blue while being set up and turns to red when there is no internet signal.There is one hiccup with the led - when there is internet blackout, it takes several minutes for the led to change from green to red. In this case, I need to rely on my other router to monitor network status.Each deco has 2 RJ45 ports. One port can be used for signal input and the other to connect another device like a router or an IP cam.There are no usb ports provided on the M5. The more expensive M9 has a usb port.Software :-The deco app software is very intuitive and easy to use. It gives real time status of the deco units and the respective devices connected to them along with the data load. There is also a network speed testing feature. You have the option of designating a particular deco as the main unit if the situation demands.You can easily monitor if there are any unwanted piggyback users of your internet and can block such users accordingly. You can also designate high priority devices as per network requirement.There is also an antivirus which works pretty well.Verdict :-Having spent 18k on the M5 (you can easily get atleast 10 dual band routers with this money) I am totally satisfied with the device and the concept of a mesh network.Do not go by the mere small size of these devices as there is loads of processing power and connectivity that they have on offer.You could opt for the cheaper E4 or M4 but the design and size cannot compete with the M5.If you are serious about internet connectivity and are willing to spend extra for the same, then the M5 wont disappoint you.

Like any other technical person, I decided to cover my 1200 sqft home with full wireless coverage.1) Firstly, I decided to use wireless extenders from Netgear and TP-link. The coverage was good but the bandwidth was horrible. Also when I moved toward the inner rooms, the wireless node would remain connected to the previous access point up till the point where there was no signal at all. Even if there was 1% signal, the device would remain attached to the previous access point and my bandwidth would slow down to a crawl. This is a real pain, especially on video calls and WhatsApp calls. the voice would start breaking and finally after the call got dropped due to the disconnection of wifi.2) Secondly, I laid out CAT 6 cables in all the rooms and gave all the Access points, a dedicated uplink. This did solve the bandwidth issue, but again the mobility was a pain as the only time my device could disconnect from the previous access point and connect to the one much closer was if the signal from the previous one completely disappeared. Even if there was a 1% signal, it would continue to remain connected.3) I started to research the internet for a couple of days and came across the DECO model of TP-Link. Initially, I was skeptical, as I had used TP-Link around 10 years back. The experience was horrible. But decided not to judge the product from a 10-year-old experience and it was the best decision I made.Firstly, the deco product looks beautiful. One of the main features was the mesh, which allows mobility for wireless devices to seamlessly connect to the best Wireless access point as you move around. I personally tested this feature while on a WhatsApp video call with my deco app to verify whether I have moved between access points.As I moved from one room to another, the devices jumped from the previous room's access point to the new one without the call dropping or glitches. There were occasional glitches in the video but it was only for a second or two. Also, the DECO units have 2 ethernet ports per AP. So if you have only 1 wire and have a computer, it can be daisy chained via the Access point.A couple of things to keep in mind.1) firstly, they are NOT POE enabled. I wish they were as I have a POE switch, but it was not a deal-breaker. It means you need both an ethernet cable and a power source at every access point.2) Secondly, there is a primary Access Points (AP) and the other 2 are secondary AP's. I noticed that my full internet speed was only available on the primary AP and not on the other 2 via speed tests. I turns out that the secondary AP's were connected to the primary AP via a wireless link like an extender and hence the bandwidth was compromised. After some research, I found out that the deco units install by default in router mode and we need to configure this into Access point mode. Once done, the units were connected with a cabled ethernet backhaul and all AP's were getting full internet speed.3) the setup is pretty simple using the deco app from Play Store. I have not contacted support for any issues so can't comment on that part...Yet.4) Another drawback is that I can not be connected to the OMANDA controller, which is a Free SDN controller from TP-link. It provides Zero-touch provisioning for my TPlink router and Jetstream switches.Hope you find this helpful and click the upvote button for this review.