TP-Link Deco M5
Despite integration with Alexa and HomeCare, the Deco M5 is undermined by its poor performance
SCORE ✪✪✪✪✪ PRICE Triple pack, £192 (£230 inc VAT) from scan.co.uk
The Deco branding suggests artistry – but, if you ask me, TP-Link’s bland little discs look like cheap smoke detectors. Nor did they dazzle with their performance: the Deco M5 system did succeed in banishing wireless dead spots in my home, but other kits gave far better performance, including several two-node arrangements.
The issue, it seems, is to do with the architecture of the Deco M5 network. As with the Tenda Nova system, a single 867Mbits/sec 5GHz connection is used for both clients and backhaul, meaning there’s a limited amount of bandwidth to go around. This also has an impact on Ethernet performance: the node in the kitchen gave me wired download speeds of a mediocre 36.6MB/ sec, and the disc at the back of the house could manage only half that data rate.
The Android app that controls it all feels rather unpolished, too. During initial setup, it failed to prompt me for my internet service provider username and password, resulting in repeated errors. And when I tried to set a passphrase for my mesh network, the text field was hidden under the keyboard, so I couldn’t see what I was typing. Sloppy stuff.
Once you’re in, the basic functions are all on hand, though there’s no way to change the IP range from the default if 192.168.0.x. One aspect of the Deco M5 that did impress me was its extensive Alexa integration: you can control the guest network with voice commands, prioritise specific clients and even activate WPS to let new devices join your network.
Notably, the Deco M5 also comes with TP-Link’s HomeCare service, which is powered by security specialists Trend Micro. This actively filters viruses and other malicious content out of your network traffic, and includes a parental control module that can selectively block various types of website for different user groups. The purchase price only includes three years of service, though, and – rather discouragingly – the company hasn’t yet decided how much it will charge to continue after that point.
Overall, it’s hard to get enthusiastic about the TP-Link Deco M5. Performance is poor by the high standards of mesh networks, and while the HomeCare concept is a good one, the uncertainty over future costs is a big turn-off.