Nonstop online with the TPLink DECO M9

What do you do when you're facing an online meeting with co-workers and the Internet is down? Whatever you try to do is in vain? You spent a lot of money on a good router, which was supposed to provide you with a decent WiFi system, and here comes nothing? TPLink has a very good solution for its customers who need to be online 24/7 and are haunted by Internet dead zones. If you're streaming from home or going into an online business and working remotely, plus the rest of your family members are also using your home WiFi on occasion, then the Mesh system is dedicated to you. We use multiple devices simultaneously ourselves, so we know what it looks like. We like to play racing games while our friends are recording movies and uploading them to the net, and we also work online a lot, so we know how important a stable connection is, along with good bandwidth. Mesh system is a good solution for one- and two-level houses. It will also work well in an apartment, especially in the case of a house. DECO M9 Plus Mesh. Just deploy devices at strategic points and connect several DECO routers into one WiFi network. WiFi Mesh System This is something every family that likes to go online and wants to avoid WiFi dead zones in their home needs.

With three wireless bands, you'll be able to get a lot across an area of your home up to 600 sq. ft. You can easily find coverage on the terrace, in the garage while DIY or in the garden listening to relaxing music. In addition, we can safely say that it is the home center of smart devices. It supports almost all smart devices from TPLink thanks to its strong wireless signal. Also TVs with smart hub function, computer accessories or other network devices will connect to the network without any problems.

Mesh AC 2200 home WiFi system, is a very good solution for every member of the family. No matter how you move around the house, nothing can compromise your network signal. Smooth roaming provided by DECO units allows you to enjoy uninterrupted network operation and the operation of all devices. The interconnected access points mean that any TPLink DECO router you happen to be near will provide you with seamless data transmission and reception, whether you are typing on group time or sending paperwork to your accountant.

We know that with the ever-increasing availability of the Internet comes different content, so parental controls are something our children need. Adjusting the time spent online for learning and entertainment is something very practical. Blocking age-appropriate sites, filtering content and sitesThis is also a very useful option that you will find in parental control. Setting up all the features is very easy, follow the instructions on the screen, but we'll get to that in a moment. In addition, you have the option to receive monthly reports showing the statistics of your child's web usage. There is also an activity diary, where you can check what is happening with your kid online in real time. DECO M9 Plus not only provides access to the Internet, but also takes care of what your teenager or teenager has access to.

Before starting the DECO M9 Plus Mesh for the first time, follow these steps:
1. disconnect the power cord from the modem
2. connect the Ethernet cable to the DECO unit
3. connect the Ethernet cable to the modem
4. connect the power cord to the DECO unit
Connect the power cord to the modem

Once the units are ready, let's move on to setting up the TPLink HomeCare system:

Download and install the DECO app -> Register/Login -> "More" -> QoS -> "Edit" -> Total unit throughput (you can set the values manually using the sliders or from the test options) -> "Save" -> Select one of the given categories such as Standard, Streaming or Games etc. (by selecting "Other", you can set this manually -> "Save"

Now it's time for configuration:

Log in/register in the app -> Select a unit -> Confirm the previously performed steps -> Turn on WiFi / Bluetooth in your unit -> Select the location of your unit (kitchen, living room etc.) -> Set WiFi network name and password -> Wait for the network to be created and Done!

Now let's move on to setting parental controls:

We open the DECO app and click the "Parental Control" icon -> We add a new profile and create a name -> We continue with the instructions and select the level of content filtering -> We enable the "Malicious Content Filter" in the "Options" of the Antivirus so that the parental control function can function fully smoothly -> We set the usage time on the child's profile -> We add the prepared profile and Done!

It is worth mentioning that this home WiFi system has a built-in antivirus, which will easily detect dangerous sites, protect us from attacks, and if the device is infected, it will move it to the quarantine so that your sensitive data will not be stolen.

Let's now take a peek at our tests and the throughput gained by each TPLink router. We'll also check to see if there were any WiFi dead zones in the building. We set up the TPLink DECO router on the first floor in the eastern and western parts of the house, and a third router on the first floor in the southern part.

The network that the DECO units build operates on three bands, which are distributed among the available devices to ensure smooth network operation. If you need more coverage, you have MU-MIMO at your disposal in addition to the three bands. The 4 × 4 MU-MIMO technology is extremely useful where users download more data than they upload. The technology helps increase overall network performance and supports all available channel widths.

The manufacturer claims a wireless transmission rate of 1.5 Gbps, which would work perfectly with a fiber optic network.

At the first point where we set up the TPLink router, the throughput was at Download 552 Mbps / Upload 432 Mbps

In point 2 Download 472 Mbps / Upload 347 Mbps

At 3 point throughput dropped slightly with Download to 257 Mbps / Upload 260 Mbps

In point 4 Dowload jumped to 294 Mbps / Upload 299 Mbps

At point 5, the throughput was only Download 79 Mbps / Upload 16 Mbps

In the last 6 points bandwidth slightly bumped up in Download to 94 Mbps / Upload 34 Mbps

We had a few surprises here. We thought the TPLink DECO M9 model would complement the previous version, more of an upgration of it, but we were a little disappointed.
However, on the plus side, the application is quite intuitive and easy to use. Also, the setup is not problematic. The minimalist design means you can set it up anywhere in the house, but you have to remember to connect it with a cable to the modem.

Back to the more technical stuff. Admittedly, the model we have here is AC2200, but inside we didn't find a 5 GHz module that will provide via MIMO the AC 1800 mode. We found here only 2 modules with AC900 (867 Mb/s) and a 2.4 GHz 400 Mb/s module as a complement.
Unfortunately the coverage was quite poor. We couldn't even get throughput up to 600 Mbps - the Mesh ends transmit weaker than the main base.
We were very surprised by the poor speed test results - the highest throughput we got was 552Mbps. The technical specification states 4 × 4 MU-MIMO, but most likely we are dealing with 2 x (2 × 2 MU-MIMO) here. Generally, the coverage was available in every room, but in much smaller values than it should be.