TP-Link Deco E4 (2-Pack) AC1200 Whole Home Mesh Wifi System

We just moved into a 4-storey new build and the fibre box was located on the bottom floor in the garage. The wifi barely reached the second floor (living areas) but did not reach the third or fourth floors at all (bedrooms). I didn't realise how much we depended on internet until now. Our working from home, kids homework, even the television...all online. This Mesh System is relatively cheap in comparison to other models and it works great. It is super easy to set up. I only checked the instructions to know what the different lights meant. Full wifi bars and fast internet on every floor. I could only put each unit on the first three floors and I wondered whether I needed to purchase another unit but it wasn't necessary...strong wifi signal reaches the top floor fine ... MoreWe just moved into a 4-storey new build and the fibre box was located on the bottom floor in the garage. The wifi barely reached the second floor (living areas) but did not reach the third or fourth floors at all (bedrooms). I didn't realise how much we depended on internet until now. Our working from home, kids homework, even the television...all online. This Mesh System is relatively cheap in comparison to other models and it works great. It is super easy to set up. I only checked the instructions to know what the different lights meant. Full wifi bars and fast internet on every floor. I could only put each unit on the first three floors and I wondered whether I needed to purchase another unit but it wasn't necessary...strong wifi signal reaches the top floor fine with full wifi bars there too. If you're experiencing wifi issues throughout the home, this is the perfect product.

Was looking for improvements for our home WIFI (2 story - Brick veneer) as our ISP supplied modem wasn't cutting it downstairs...Was sceptical at first; but even after only installing the first unit (right next to the current modem via ethernet cable supplied in box) my WIFI range had greatly improved 5 fold (at a guess) - when walking downstairs to connect the second unit (also via ethernet to the main modem) i was still getting signal from the first unit!!!I was luckier than some people; having already installed CAT6 throughout the home... But i am now a believer of the whole Mesh thingy that is now the new normal! We can now walk anywhere in the home with seamless-full speed WIFI.Would recommend to anyone looking at extenders or upgrading modems.-- The ... MoreWas looking for improvements for our home WIFI (2 story - Brick veneer) as our ISP supplied modem wasn't cutting it downstairs...Was sceptical at first; but even after only installing the first unit (right next to the current modem via ethernet cable supplied in box) my WIFI range had greatly improved 5 fold (at a guess) - when walking downstairs to connect the second unit (also via ethernet to the main modem) i was still getting signal from the first unit!!!I was luckier than some people; having already installed CAT6 throughout the home... But i am now a believer of the whole Mesh thingy that is now the new normal! We can now walk anywhere in the home with seamless-full speed WIFI.Would recommend to anyone looking at extenders or upgrading modems.-- The only reason i only gave it 4 out of 5, is due to needing to download and set up via App only!!

A good recommendation!

I am really impressed with this WiFi system. My wifi has been so slow for so long. My router was about eight years old so couldn’t keep up with all the smart devices in the house. I also had many Wi-Fi black spots which made streaming tv and music a nightmare in certain rooms. This is now no longer a problem. The reason I have knocked a star off is that the set up was not as easy as anticipated. I downloaded the app and followed the instructions however I needed to connect the system to my ‘lightning speed’ and had to go through the rigmarole of contacting my internet provider which was quite laborious however I did eventually get this sorted. I am happy with the results!

Delightful surprise

To start with, I am a certified network engineer with 10 years experience. I am also certified and experienced in wireless networking technologies. As such, I am highly skeptical of all consumer grade network equipment. My in-laws have a home built in the 1960's with a large amount of old cabling and old copper pipes in very inconvenient locations for wireless networking. In fact, the entire center of their house is absolutely the "anti-wireless" and in scientific terms, haves as a Faraday Cage which blocks all wireless signals and in fact even attracts them and kills them. Over the years, we've tried multiple wireless solutions including extenders from multiple brands. I had finally decided try this TP-Link solution and if it failed, I was going to start running ... MoreTo start with, I am a certified network engineer with 10 years experience. I am also certified and experienced in wireless networking technologies. As such, I am highly skeptical of all consumer grade network equipment. My in-laws have a home built in the 1960's with a large amount of old cabling and old copper pipes in very inconvenient locations for wireless networking. In fact, the entire center of their house is absolutely the "anti-wireless" and in scientific terms, haves as a Faraday Cage which blocks all wireless signals and in fact even attracts them and kills them. Over the years, we've tried multiple wireless solutions including extenders from multiple brands. I had finally decided try this TP-Link solution and if it failed, I was going to start running cabled networking to each room where I'd install Cisco access points. Before I get to the results, 802.11ac (which is the standard this equipment supports) introduced "Wireless mesh by design" but it wasn't until the next generation WiFi 6 (802.11ax) where it was supposed to work properly. I was absolutely shocked by the results! Not only was this equipment functional, but it met and exceeded all expectations of a wireless mesh network of any price range. It simply "just worked". Additionally, the app based installation from an iPhone was smooth and easy. I believe I spent more time taking the product out of the box than I spent configuring the equipment. There was only a single "hitch" during installation where one of the access points required me to "try again" to get it online. But it was perfectly smooth. From a technology perspective, there is no particular reason you would need to install a more expensive WiFi mesh. This system works extremely well and 802.11ax (or WiFi 6) does not offer any new features that will be accessible or useful to home users for the next 5-8 years. It is often tempting to spend the extra money for the "latest and greatest", but in this case, 802.11ac is already substantially more capable than any consumer can actually benefit from. Spending more to get the latest doesn't actually offer any practical advantage. For gamers who may be reading, while the technology in theory could decrease your ping times, it would require at least a 2Gbp/s Internet connection to actually benefit from it. And the added latency within the mesh on AC or AX would kill that anyway. The only negative remark I can make about this equipment is, it's large and the power cables are about 150cm in length. This is inconvenient and will cause most people to place the access points too close to the floor. For best results, within your house, you should make the effort to place at least the main unit at a higher point... above book cases for example. The last point I'd like to make is that companies like TP-Link tend to "move onto the next product" and move all their engineers to their newer technologies meaning that updates become rare once they ship their products. As TP-Link created what they call the Deco ecosystem, I am hoping that new software will continue to be made for these units for the next 3-5 years. This is a risk you would run with any hardware from any vendor except for maybe Cisco, Google and Amazon. I highly recommend these products and am considering actually replacing my Cisco enterprise wireless network in my house with this system.

Easy set up, good wifi coverage

I had already set up a wifi mesh which was very simple following the easy to understand instruction after I had downloaded the app to my phone. These two units were added to my system and were easy to add on again using the app. I now have wifi coverage right through the house and in a studio in the garden and in my workshop. The system is easy to set up and very effective at providing good coverage and you stay connected even when moving around the place. I recommend this system especially for the easy set up, I'm a technophobe, hate messing with this stuff but even I found my way through the tasks with ease.

Good for simple home networking or novice use. Frustrating lack of features and configuration for advanced users.

I am not a networking pro, but I do like to have control over as much as possible. These routers appear to be designed to take away as much control as possible. The system requires the installation of an app on a mobile device and an account will have to be created with TP-Link. I much prefer a good old fashion webserver on the router and a local IP address to handle all my configuration. That's all opinion. Now for the facts. When this system is working, it is working very well. File transfer speeds from my work desktop to my file server are incredible. Streaming HD video via online providers or my local media server are fantastic. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with the speed of this thing when it's working right, but that is the issue. When it isn't ... MoreI am not a networking pro, but I do like to have control over as much as possible. These routers appear to be designed to take away as much control as possible. The system requires the installation of an app on a mobile device and an account will have to be created with TP-Link. I much prefer a good old fashion webserver on the router and a local IP address to handle all my configuration. That's all opinion. Now for the facts. When this system is working, it is working very well. File transfer speeds from my work desktop to my file server are incredible. Streaming HD video via online providers or my local media server are fantastic. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with the speed of this thing when it's working right, but that is the issue. When it isn't working right it is a PITA and the customer support is obviously scripted. When you finally get through the scripted part, there is a language barrier to contend with. We eventually did solve the issue, but it required a debug firmware sent to me to solve it. The most frequent problems I had: - Devices on the network with IP address and responding to ping, but unreachable via SSH or FTP. - Devices on the network but unable to access internet. - One of the 3 routers would always be disconnected from the mesh network. -Frequent reboots needed to have everything working again. Like I said, when it works, it works well. When something stops working, it's frustrating because of the overly simple interface. Given the opportunity I would not buy these again for myself. For my the grandparents or anyone with modest needs it would probably be sufficient.

Great basic mesh system.

Only been a week, but these have been a big improvement for me. A year ago I had a [premium brand, rhymes with wet deer] mesh system, but was changing internet providers and needed a second system to run in parallel for a while. For this I bought a TP link M4 three-node system because it was like $110 on sale. But when it came time to shut down the old network I decided to keep the M4 system because it was actually a bit more stable than the premium routers. Still, it had trouble reaching the garage and our greenhouse. So I gave these P9 routers a try, and the Powerline backhaul has fixed those problems. Since the M4 units are compatible, I added those into the mesh scattered around the house, and coverage has been awesome. As the AC1200 is like 10 times as fast as ... MoreOnly been a week, but these have been a big improvement for me. A year ago I had a [premium brand, rhymes with wet deer] mesh system, but was changing internet providers and needed a second system to run in parallel for a while. For this I bought a TP link M4 three-node system because it was like $110 on sale. But when it came time to shut down the old network I decided to keep the M4 system because it was actually a bit more stable than the premium routers. Still, it had trouble reaching the garage and our greenhouse. So I gave these P9 routers a try, and the Powerline backhaul has fixed those problems. Since the M4 units are compatible, I added those into the mesh scattered around the house, and coverage has been awesome. As the AC1200 is like 10 times as fast as my internet service, I have no use for a faster router. While it has all the configuration options I need, and the setup is dead simple, those who have complex requirements might be disappointed in the configurability. Also the Powerline network these create is exclusive to these routers, you cant just add another Powerline device and expect it to work. But for my requirements this has been a solid choice.

Not so easy

Instructions not so easy and I found quite baffling. Is this an American company? To begin with, I was confused re disconnecting both modem and router and the 2 pictures of such. I only have the modem that came from my broadband provider. The first drum has to be connected with the Ethernet cable to the modem and plugged into electrical socket - double wall socket. Therefore had to disconnect and remove table lamp. Able then to proceed naming the device and connect to internet. Next step is setting up the other 2 drums. As the main reason for buying was to boost signal to smart television as IPlayer keeps freezing. I therefore spent a considerable amount of time reorganising the equipment around the TV to release a socket for the drum. Plugged in and waited for it ... MoreInstructions not so easy and I found quite baffling. Is this an American company? To begin with, I was confused re disconnecting both modem and router and the 2 pictures of such. I only have the modem that came from my broadband provider. The first drum has to be connected with the Ethernet cable to the modem and plugged into electrical socket - double wall socket. Therefore had to disconnect and remove table lamp. Able then to proceed naming the device and connect to internet. Next step is setting up the other 2 drums. As the main reason for buying was to boost signal to smart television as IPlayer keeps freezing. I therefore spent a considerable amount of time reorganising the equipment around the TV to release a socket for the drum. Plugged in and waited for it to connect. After several failed attempts told to place nearer the main box. Again had to configure which electrical device to disconnect. This time it did connect and having done so able to place and connect beside TV. Same issue with the 3rd drum. Not therefore the 10 mins set up time as advertised. I am sure it could be if you have spent time previously preparing and releasing other electricals. Now to watch some catch up, IPlayer, Netflix without interruption. Who was I kidding? Problems still with smart TV and it said to check internet connection. After much time figuring out and locating internet connection on TV found it was still connected to original modem provider code. I had to manually key in the Mesh name and password to the TV. This then made me check my iPad and laptop and found they were connected to my new system but these do sync with iPhone anyhow. I also checked and I can easily change which WiFi to use on these devices. All in all this is a very expensive way of boosting my WiFi signal to my television. Re controlling guest and children’s use am certain canny kids would soon work out how to switch WiFi and who has guests these days!! All in all have decided this kit is not really necessary for me and will be dismantled and returned. It has made me realise the TP Link extender I already have and thought not working may be due to not changing WiFi on television. These apps and instructions make us assume automatic changes. Thanks to QVC’s return policy though, I have not yet again wasted money on purchasing an unnecessary item. There again would I have thought of installing had I not watched the TV!

Worth it; makes a HUGE difference!

This mesh system has been a game-changer for our household. Previously, only the living room had a good Internet connection, and the rest of the house suffered. With this system, I have one in the furthest room and one upstairs, which has helped TREMENDOUSLY! No more dropped connections! No more inability to stream 1080p videos in the room most distant from the router! No more issues at all with connections in other rooms. This was pretty easy for me (a tech-savvy person) to set up and is easy to manage; the mobile app is also excellent and convenient-I have no complaints about it. I do notice that now and then, one of the extenders will disconnect (which you can see in the app), but after unplugging and plugging back in, it reconnects. This only has happened a few ... MoreThis mesh system has been a game-changer for our household. Previously, only the living room had a good Internet connection, and the rest of the house suffered. With this system, I have one in the furthest room and one upstairs, which has helped TREMENDOUSLY! No more dropped connections! No more inability to stream 1080p videos in the room most distant from the router! No more issues at all with connections in other rooms. This was pretty easy for me (a tech-savvy person) to set up and is easy to manage; the mobile app is also excellent and convenient-I have no complaints about it. I do notice that now and then, one of the extenders will disconnect (which you can see in the app), but after unplugging and plugging back in, it reconnects. This only has happened a few times and is pretty inevitable, in my opinion. This was definitely worth it for us; I can't imagine going back to being without it!

solved our problems

We had a Sky booster already but still the internet was slow and dropping. Since setting this up last week everyone is happy and performance issues are a thing of the past. Easy to set up and transformed our connectivity. I was fearful that I would be denied home working as I was constantly having to reboot but this shouldn't now be an issue. I hesitated for a few months before my purchase and am so glad I made that leap. I may now expand my TP Link range to home security.