Mesh networks are all the rage right now because they’ve never been as affordable or easy to set up. Most of us would be lost without a wireless network in our homes because almost everything, from our smartphones to our TVs, relies on a constant and steady wireless signal for their Internet connection. Until recently, most of us relied on a single router and its wireless signal to cover our home. This often meant that areas of the home have a weak Wi-Fi signal or no signal at all in some areas. With a mesh wireless network, it’s possible to have multiple wireless access points around the home providing a consistent blanket Wi-Fi signal in every room and without the need to manually switch between access points.
The TP-Link Deco P9 is a hybrid mesh network product and it’s probably one of the most versatile home systems on the market today. It’s a combination of a high-speed AC1200 Wi-Fi mesh network that’s backed up by a Powerline HomePlug AV2 backhaul that transmits data over a home’s domestic electrical wiring, just as if you had a wired Ethernet network.
I’ve been using Powerline devices to distribute data around my home for the best part of a decade, but having both Powerline and a Wi-Fi mesh is my idea of the perfect home network. I hope more manufacturers introduce the concept as it’s so simple, convenient and it ensures a solid and dependable signal even through the thickest walls in the largest homes. The units are intelligent enough to route data back to the router over the most efficient and fastest method. It all makes for a more intelligent home network.
The Deco P9 system I reviewed was supplied in a box with three Deco P9 units, plus a mains cable for each and an Ethernet cable for connecting the master Deco unit to a router. Each Deco unit feels surprisingly light and at 190 mm tall it’s about the size of a two baked bean tins stacked on tope each other. Each cylinder is finished in textured white plastic while the top is a black-ribbed plastic maze design with an embedded colored LED at the center to indicate the current state of the unit. Each P9 also has two gigabit Ethernet ports for connecting wired devices. If your home or office is already wired for Ethernet, then one of the ports can be used as a wired backhaul to the router, giving the options of Wi-Fi, Powerline and Ethernet to route data over the network.
Setting up the Deco P9 mesh network requires the download of TP-Link’s Deco app, which is available on both iOS and Android platforms. To begin, you just plug in the main Deco unit to a power socket and connect it to an Internet router using the supplied Ethernet cable. The Deco P9 displays a solid yellow LED at first but this changes after a few minutes to a pulsing blue. Then, all you have to do, is follow the app’s on-screen instructions; it really couldn’t be easier. Once the main P9 unit is set up and connected you can add the other two Deco P9s using the app. Even if you have no knowledge of how to set up a network, TP-Link has made things so simple that almost anyone could do it.
I soon added the other two units and it took me a total of around 10 minutes to get everything up and running. I then placed the two satellite units around my home at roughly equal intervals. Because the Deco P9 system uses the mains electricity network to back up the wireless signals between each access point, the speeds you get are much faster than a wireless-only signal for relaying data back to the home router. Each Deco can be set up to work as a plain Wireless Access Point or as a fully functioning Router. I’d suggest keeping them on the Router setting as that makes the network a bit more flexible, especially for accessing other devices across the network.
During my tests, I noticed I was getting a consistent 65 Mbps Internet download speed all around my home over Wi-Fi. That’s the maximum speed of my home Internet connection but the Wi-Fi speeds can go faster if you want such as when copying data from one computer to another. There was no signal drop out anywhere in my modest but thickly walled home and TP-Link says that three Deco P9s should be sufficient to provide blanket wireless coverage for a home measuring up to 6,000 sq/ft or 560 m2. If you need more coverage in your castle or chateaux, you can easily add extra Deco units to expand the mesh network until it covers every corner of your home. Three Deco P9s should be enough for most three-bedroomed houses or apartments but you can add any TP-Link Deco device to the network, it doesn’t have to be P9 units.
The TP-Link Deco app has a simple interface and easy to use, plus there are advanced settings for creating a guest network or for setting up a VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network), as well as a few other expert settings that you might need. The app is also perfect for applying parental controls. Setting Internet boundaries is important if you have children in your home. With the Deco app, you can decide who on the network is allowed to access the Internet, when they are allowed to use it, and even what they are allowed to see. It’s brilliant and simple. The power is entirely in your hands and you can use the system to create your very own network dictatorship – and all from your smartphone.
The Deco P9 has a few shortcomings at the moment that I’m assured will be fixed with a firmware upgrade in the near future. Firstly, there’s no embedded browser interface for setting up and managing the network if you don’t wish to use the app. At the moment, you can only set up and manage the network using an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. The new firmware should also make the Deco P9’s Powerline function fully compatible with any other Powerline device such as smart plugs, wireless access points or Ethernet sockets. Finally, the firmware update should also show when data is being routed via the Powerline network and when it’s being sent over Wi-Fi. This is important because at the moment there’s no way of telling if or when the Deco P9 units have made a good Powerline contact over the electrical wiring.
And that’s just about all there is to this rather smart and elegant mesh networking kit. The Deco P9 is compatible with Amazon Alexa and can work with any broadband provider whether that’s cable or ADSL/VDSL. In theory, the system can support up to 100 client devices, which should be enough for even the largest of families.
Verdict: TP-Link’s Deco P9 is one of the most versatile and easy-to-setup mesh networks on the market. I love the fact it uses Wi-Fi 5 (AC1200) as well as Powerline 1000, and its signal strength is uniform and consistent. I’ve had it running for around a week now and you soon forget about it. The mesh network switches your smartphone over to the strongest signal and the Ethernet ports on each unit are ideal for connecting TVs, NAS streamers or any other static device in the home that needs a wired data connection. The parental controls are incredibly easy to use and the app couldn’t be more straightforward. Once the planned firmware update is released, the TP-Link Deco P9 will probably be the best value and most consistent mesh network system on the market. If you have dead zones in your home, or your walls are thick, this is the mesh network system for you.
Pricing: Currently £169 / $149 but usual price £199 / $179
More info: www.tp-link.com
Specifications:
- Wi-Fi: 300 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 1,200 Mbps on 5GHz
- Mesh protocol: 802.11 k/v/r
- Powerline: Homeplug AV2 1000 Mbps
- MU-MIMO
- QoS
- Access Point mode
- Guest network
- IPv6 compatible
- Optional Ethernet backhaul function
- Two gigabit Ethernet ports with WAN/LAN autosensing
- Dimensions: 7.5 x 3.6 x 3.6 inches / 190 x 90.7 x 90.7 mm
