TP-Link Deco WiFi 6 mesh WiFi system(Deco X20) review

Inexpensive, small and straightforward to line up, TP-Link’s Deco X20 mesh networking kit may be a cheap thrill which will help fill a home with Wi-Fi 6 data while protecting a family’s identities with an additional layer of online security. It’s a steal at $270 for the three-piece kit. Get details in TP-Link Deco WiFi 6 Mesh WiFi System(Deco X20) Review.

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Pros & Cons

FOR
Small router and satellites
Inexpensive
Excellent range
Extra security

AGAINST
No dedicated backchannel for data
Lack of customization options
Today’s best TP-Link Deco X20 deals
TP-Link Deco WiFi 6 Mesh WiFi…
TP-Link Deco X20 (White)
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Price

The TP-Link Deco X20 does tons with a touch by squeezing Wi-Fi 6 technology into small and straightforward to cover mesh devices. At $249 for 3 devices, the Deco X20 is about one-third the value of comparable gear from Netgear, Asus and Arris, yet does surprisingly well with extended range and a robust Wi-Fi signal throughout a home.

The system isn’t only easy to line up but includes an additional layer of embedded security software to safeguard a family’s digital possessions and identities.

In other words, our TP-Link Deco X20 review shows that it is a mighty mite of the mesh networking world.

Design

Small and straightforward to cover , the TP-Link Deco X20 mesh networking kit is a cheap alternative to the likes of the Arris SURFboard mAX Pro or the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852). The squat cylinders are 4.3 x 4.3 x 4.5 inches and slightly taller than a Planters Mixed Nuts can. They’re tiny compared to the mammoth Orbi RBK852 or Arris SURFboard mAX Pro units.

The TP-Link Deco WiFi 6 Mesh WiFi System(Deco X20) units are available only in white and have cooling slots underneath but no mounting inserts underneath for hanging on a wall. Fortunately, third parties make inexpensive plastic brackets for attaching to a wall.

Like several mesh products, the Deco X20 devices have LED indicator lights that cast a glow from underneath. When it’s solid yellow, the system is beginning , followed by a pulsing blue light to point out it’s able to be found out . When the sunshine is green, everything is OK, but if it blinks red, the device has lost its Internet connection.

Unlike the Asus ZenWiFi XT8 or Netgear Orbi RBK852, the Deco X20 is predicated on a dual-band approach to mesh networking. Its 2.4- and 5GHz networks are often combined but because it works with two wireless bands, it lacks a fanatical second 5GHz backhaul channel for sending data from the satellites to the host. The devices dynamically manage the info flow and you’ll use an coaxial cable to attach the Deco X20 host router with its satellites.

The Deco X20 could also be small but it’s an enormous value for Wi-Fi 6 mesh networking. The three-device kit can cover 5,800 square feet, consistent with TP-Link. The two-piece Deco X20 kit costs $200 and will be good for about 4,000 square feet. the corporate doesn’t sell individual units but the worth of two is roughly the value of one Orbi satellite, making the Deco X20 one among the simplest mesh networking bargains.

Hardware

Each Deco X20 unit is about up because the host or satellite within the installation process, and every have four internal antennas. As is that the case with its competitors, none are often aimed or replaced. supported Qualcomm’s Networking Pro 400 chipset, the Deco X20 is powered by a 1GHz quad-core processor. It carries 4GB of RAM and 1GB of solid-state storage of its firmware and commands. ready to connect up to 150 devices, the Deco X20 has an AX1800 rating, meaning that it’s rated at a peak throughput of 1.8Mbps.

Ports

The back of every unit has two gigabit LAN ports, one for the incoming WAN connection and therefore the other for a networking appliance, sort of a storage system or a wired connection to a Deco X20 satellite. It, however, lacks the power to aggregate ports for higher throughput or a USB connection for a printer or direct connection to a memory device . The devices do have a push button underneath for returning the system to its factory settings.

Like other Deco models, TP-Link has included a plethora of services that make the Deco X20 even more enticing for home networking. It starts with the company’s HomeCare security suite that has Trend Micro anti-malware code embedded within the router’s firmware to supply an additional layer of online defenses. It can help protect against attacks on the family’s digital identity, while blocking network assaults and filtering out objectionable websites.

On the opposite hand, the Deco X20 mesh system lacks the power to use two-factor authentication or an iPad’s or iPhone’s Touch ID. More to the purpose , it does without client level malware software, just like the security apps that are included in Netgear’s Armor routers.

TP-Link Deco WiFi 6 Mesh WiFi System(Deco X20) Performance review

Based on its size and tag , the Deco X20 was a surprisingly strong performer with the power to increase a Wi-Fi network into unreached parts of a home. Using my 100-year-old home and Ixia’s IxChariot networking benchmark, I created a busy network. The Deco X20 didn’t start out strongly with 522.1Mbps of throughput to the test system 15-feet from the host router. That’s well behind other Wi-Fi 6 mesh kits, just like the Netgear Orbi RBK852 (at 883.6Mbps), the SURFboard mAX Pro (820.3Mbps) or the Asus ZenWiFi AX (701.0Mbps).

However, it trapped quickly to steer the group with the power to send 255.4Mbps across 50-feet, quite double the throughput of the Orbi RBK852 (124.5Mbps). The Deco X20 stayed on top at 75-feet with 112.7Mbps, versus the Orbi RBK852 (85.9Mbps) and therefore the Arris SURFboard mAX Pro (16.6Mbps).

The Deco X20 showed it’s extended range by staying online at 90-feet with 51.1Mbps available, while other mesh systems lost contact at now . It had a variety of 95-feet, the simplest for a mesh router we’ve seen under these conditions.

Its ability to send a robust signal through a wall 20 feet from the router was acceptable at 556.5Mbps available on the far side of the wall. That’s 40 percent off the pace set by the Orbi RBK852 (782.9Mbps). This trend held once we set the test system up a floor above the host router and therefore the Deco X20 yielded 320.5Mbps of throughput versus the Orbi RBK852’s 670.1Mbps.

The Deco X20’s mesh results were middle of the pack. In our upstairs-downstairs testing where the satellite is about up a floor above the router and therefore the receiver is 50-feet farther away, the Deco X20 delivered 294.5Mbps. That’s rich the 405.5Mbps that the Orbi RBK852 delivered.

On our same-floor testing, where we found out the satellite 40-feet from the host router and therefore the test station another 50-feet away, the Deco X20’s prospects improved with 65.5Mbps available. which may not sound like much in sight of the Asus ZenWiFi AX’s 125.8Mbps performance, but it beat the Netgear Orbi RBK852 (39.1Mbps).

Happily, the Deco X20 kit we used came with a second satellite unit that we found out downstairs from the host router. It recorded 150.5Mbps of knowledge flow to a system 40-feet away. All told, the three-pack was enough to fill my 3,500 sq ft home, covering locations that other mesh kits left as Wi-Fi dead zones. It also passed our saturation test, where I streamed Youtube videos to an iPad Pro and a Lenovo ThinkPad T470 while my Macbook Air played an online station feed and an HP Elite Dragonfly moved data onto and off of a networked storage system. All the audio and video came through with none artifacts.

When it had been zipping data back and forth, the Deco X20 used 10.2 watts. If it’s always left on and you pay the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, expect that the mesh network will cost about $23 for 2 and $34 for 3 devices.

TP-Link Deco WiFi 6 Mesh WiFi System(Deco X20) Review: Setup

One of the foremost stress-free mesh kits to put in , the Deco X20 uses TP-Link’s Deco app to urge started. it’s many illustrations and helpful hints for networking newcomers. The iOS and Android apps are available online and there’s a handy QR code within the manual for quickly finding them. The software only runs vertically on phones and tablets, though. Start to end , it took quarter-hour to make a working LAN using my iPad Pro.

After plugging everything in and letting it begin , I linked my iPad Pro to the X20’s default network and fired up the Deco app. Then, I created a TP-Link ID account and skilled the verification email the corporate sent. i attempted to select the X20 device from a gaggle of photos within the app but the closest item was the X25.

Next, the app scanned for the device and it found the system during a few seconds. I looked over the list of locations that the app provided but added a custom description for the host router’s placement.

The software then interrogated my Internet connection and gave me the choice of adjusting the Deco X20’s MAC address. Finally, I added a replacement network name and password. The app changed my iPad’s connection parameters to suit the new network and automatically connected thereto . On the primary try, it yielded 178Mbps from my 200Mbps connection.

Finally, the system asked if I wanted to feature another satellite to the network. Happily, it did this automatically, behind my back with no intervention. Its last task was to update the X20’s firmware.

TP-Link Deco X20 review: Configuration
As is that the case with other mesh networking kits, the middle of attention for the Deco X20 is that the app’s dashboard Overview page. It not only shows that the web is online but what devices are connected. Click on either item to ascertain details, status and after a flash the present connection speed.

At any time, it’s easy to vary the network’s name or password and see a monthly report of usage and security problems. The Deco X20 has an innovative Shake to Share feature which will send the log-in credentials for the most or guest network after shaking the phone or tablet. Any device are often blacklisted to stop it from entering the network.

The Advanced section has everything from fixing IP V6 and adding a firewall rule to reserving an IP address for a selected client. you’ll set any of the satellites to act as a wired access point, activate or deactivate the router’s beamforming also as turn the LEDs on and off.

The Deco X20’s browser-based configuration doesn’t add much, however. Although it’s not mentioned within the Deco X20’s manual, type “tplinkdeco.net” into the URL window of a connected system. You’ll want to zoom out of your browser window to require it beat , though.

TP-Link’s dashboard page features a network map that summarizes all the main settings, but few places to form changes. There are bar graphs that show processor and memory load which may be a help in trouble shooting a router problem.

TP-Link Deco WiFi 6 mesh WiFi system(Deco X20) review – how to setup?

Pros & Cons

Specs : TP-Link Deco WiFi 6 Mesh WiFi System(Deco X20)