TP-Link Deco XE200
High-speed Wi-Fi 6E mesh system for larger homes and offices
£799.99 FROM tp-link.com FEATURES 2x routers, tri-band Wi-Fi 6E, max speed 10.8Gbps, 1x 10Gbps Ethernet, 2x Gigabit Ethernet
pple has taken its time bringing the latest Wi-Fi 6E to its products, but now that it’s arrived it’s worth considering a new Wi-Fi router or mesh system that also supports Wi-Fi 6E in order to get the best possible performance for your home or office network.
Admittedly, TP-Link’s Deco XE200 is very much a top-of-the-range option, costing a whopping £799.99. However, that price includes two identical routers that support tri-band Wi-Fi 6E using the new highperformance 6GHz frequency band, along with the standard 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. That allows it to provide a blockbusting maximum speed of 10.8Gbps, while the two routers together can cover buildings up to 6,500sq ft in size.
The design of the XE200 stands out too, with each router consisting of a tall, white cylinder, with TP-Link’s familiar ‘swirl’ that makes it look more like a fancy flowerpot than a conventional router. Tucked around the back of each router, you’ll find a 10Gbps Ethernet port that is designed for the latest fibre and high-speed broadband connections, along with two Gigabit Ethernet ports to provide wired connections for a laptop or other devices.
The TP-Link Deco app is easy to use, although you need to create a free TP-Link account to get started. Once we’d done that, the app was able to automatically detect our first Deco, and then prompted us to create a name and password for our new network
The XE200 is even able to reach into a persistent Wi-Fi deadzone in a back office
before adding the second Deco router to the network. Unsurprisingly, the XE200 provides very strong performance, and was even able to reach into a persistent Wi-Fi dead-zone in a back office, providing a smooth 450Mbps Wi-Fi connection for an office iMac, which normally has to use a set of PowerLine adaptors to provide a wired network connection instead.
Added extras
The app includes a number of useful features, including free parental controls with filters that can block adult material or prevent your kids from downloading files from the web without your permission. Some router manufacturers charge extra for features such as these, so it’s good to see that TP-Link includes these features for free. There are additional subscription services available, though, including an Advanced Parental Control service, which provides additional features, such as time limits for internet usage, and costs £2.99 per month or £17.99 per year. There’s also a Security+ service that protects your network from hackers and other threats for £4.99 per month or £34.99 annually.
The XE200 may be overkill for many people, especially if your Apple devices are still using Wi-Fi 5 or 6. But, if you need a high-performance mesh Wi-Fi system that can cover larger homes and offices, then the XE200 will certainly earn its keep. Cliff Joseph