Following our announcement coverage, we got to go hands on with the new TP-Link Deco XE75 Wi-Fi 6E mesh system. We’ve tried out a few Deco systems in the past, and the performance mixed with ease of use has always impressed me. Offering up to 5,400Mbps and covering up to 5,500 square feet, how did the latest from TP-Link work for me? Be sure to hit the video below to see all of the details.
Overview
Coming in at $300, the Deco XE75 is TP-Link’s first Wi-Fi 6E-based mesh system. According to TP-Link, Wi-Fi 6E “extends WiFi 6 into the 6GHz band.” This offers new bands without overlap or interference and brings more bandwidth, faster speeds, and lower latency.
Design
Keeping in line with previous Decos, the XE75 has a simple, stylish design that won’t stand out if it needs to be placed in a visible location. The tall, cylindrical white shape looks modern with a black top. They measure about 6.5 inches tall and 4.25 inches in diameter. There is a small Deco 6E logo near the bottom of the unit. An LED light at the bottom will illuminate and flash to relay quickly the status of the Deco unit.
In the back, both units have three LAN ports for hard connecting physical devices. In today’s connected world, these can be helpful for home security or smart-home systems that require a hub to be connected to a router. It’s also a better way to connect computers and gaming consoles that would benefit from better performance.
Setup
Just like the rest of the Deco line-up, getting the XE75 up and running is very simple. Everything operates through the Deco app. Once downloaded, just unplug your modem, plug in the ethernet port from the modem to the Deco, and power them both on. The LED light will start flashing blue indicating it is ready to set up. Then, open the app and follow the instructions. You can either create a new network or add the XE75 to an existing Deco network.
I opted to delete my current network and create a new one with the XE75 as the main Deco. I then added the second XE75 in my office which is above my garage and also added the two X68s that I already had set up to cover my house.
Deco XE75: video
App control
What’s great about the Deco system is that the app is very straightforward and easy to use. But, it can also get more technical if you want. It’s easy to set high-priority devices and turn off mesh technology for any devices.
It’s also possible to set up profiles and assign devices to a specific person. That way, it’s easy to set a bedtime that makes the internet unavailable at certain times, block certain sites, and even filter content. To set general time limits, a subscription to HomeShield Pro is required.
In-use
For the XE75, I’m using one of the units as my main Deco and then the second unit is in my office which is above the garage. Now, a wired connection would be much better for getting the fastest speeds out of my system, but I don’t yet have a way to run a cable to my detached garage.
My house was built in 1935 and has a mainly brick exterior with some thick interior walls built of dense materials. The mesh starts to struggle even with the two units at the furthest corners of the house. I could benefit from a third unit, but adding the X68 devices helped to make coverage more stable. That’s one of the nice features of the Deco ecosystem. It’s very easy to add more Deco units if more performance is needed.
When in the same room as the main Deco XE75, I was getting up to 650Mbps down and around 20Mbps up. Even going two rooms away, though, into my kitchen, that speed dropped closer to 200Mbps. Again, that’s through some pretty thick walls.
Out in my office, which is in a detached garage and separated by two exterior walls, I can get around 325Mbps down and around 20Mbps up. That’s pretty impressive to me.
gadgetnewsonline’ Take
Overall, the XE75 has given some much faster speeds to my mesh network. My house still puts up a fight thanks to the thick walls, but from my testing, the new system is faster than my previous one. TP-Link has plenty of Deco systems for different budgets, coverage sizes, and speeds, so check out the X20 and X68 that we have reviewed as well as the other Deco systems.
Buy TP-Link Deco XE75
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