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The 2-pack Deco XE75 AXE5400 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E System, also confusingly available as the 3-pack Deco XE5300 variant, is TP-Link’s very first real Wi-Fi 6E solution. Finally.
Indeed, the networking vendor made all kinds of buzz about the new standard in early 2021 with nothing to show during the entire year. And then, it recommitted the Wi-Fi 6E promise in early 2022.
And now, when the world is getting excited about Wi-Fi 7, the XE75 is here.
So, the new Wi-Fi solution is late to the game—it’s the 6th Wi-Fi 6E mesh on the market so far—but you already knew that if you had read my reviews on the rest of them (save the no-good eero Pro 6e).
Consequently, you might find this review a bit predictable. My mantra has been how tri-band Wi-Fi 6E is generally not a great idea for a fully wireless environment but is excellent for a wired home. And that applies in this case, too.
So let’s cut to the chase: If you want a reliable wireless mesh system with relatively modest sub-Gigabit performance. at the suggested retail price of just $299.99 for a 2-pack, the XE75 can be a great Wi-Fi 6E deal.
On the other hand, if you buy into the marketing that tends to pick (the speed of the 6GHz band) and choose (the range of the 2.4GHz band), you’ll be utterly disappointed.
TP-Link Deco XE75 AXE5400: A typical Deco set, now with Wi-Fi 6E
Despite the support for Wi-Fi 6E, the Deco XE75 is very similar to previous deco sets, including the X60 and X5700. If you have used a Deco set before, you’ll feel right at home with this one.
The review XE75 is a 2-pack system that includes two identical mesh routers. Out of the box, the two are pre-synced, you only need to set up one as the main router, and the other will automatically become a satellite unit once plugged into power.
Afterward, you can manually add more mesh units to the system to extend the coverage. That’s generally how a mesh system works anyway.
Simple design, no Multi-Gig port
Each Deco XE75 router is a relatively compact tube measuring 4.1-inch (105 mm) wide and 6.7-inch (169 mm) tall. It looks like a smart speaker.
On the front, toward the bottom, it has a little indicator status light. And on the back, there are three auto-sensing Gigabit network ports—each can work as a WAN (available only in the unit working as the router) or a LAN port depending on what you plug into it.
There’s no Multi-Gig port which is a big disappointment. And there’s no USB port, either.
TP-Link Deco XE75: Hardware specifications
| TP-Link Deco XE75 AXE5400 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E System | |
| Model | Deco XE75 |
| Mesh Availability | 2-pack (as tested), 3-pack |
| Pre-Synced Hardware | Yes |
| Possible Dedicated Backhaul Band (default) | None (6GHz as default) |
| Wired Backhaul | Yes |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 4.1 × 4.1 × 6.7 in (105 × 105 × 169 mm) |
| Weight | 1.43 lbs (650 gram) |
| Wi-Fi Designation | Tri-band AXE5400 |
| 1st Band (2.4GHz) | 2 x 2 AX Up to 574Mbps (20/40MHz) |
| 2nd Band (5GHz) | 2 x2 AX Up to 2402 Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz) |
| 3rd Band (6GHz) | 2×2 AXE Up to 2402 Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz) |
| Backward Compatibility | 802.11ac/n/g/a/b |
| Guest Network | Yes (One for each band) |
| Mobile App | Deco |
| Web User Interface | Simple (No local management) |
| AP Mode | Yes (as a router or a mesh) |
| USB Port | None |
| Gigabit Port | 3x Auto-Sensing |
| Multi-Gig Port | None |
| Link Aggregation | No |
| Dual-WAN | No |
| Processing Power | 1.7 GHz Quad-Core CPU |
| Firmware Version (at review) | 1.1.2 Build 20220224 Rel. 41924 |
| Release Date | April 2022 |
| Power Specs | Input: 100-240V (50/60Hz 0.8A) Output: 12V, 2.0A |
| Real-Word Power Consumption (router unit, per 24 hours) | ≈ 156 Wh (as tested) |
| US Retail Price (at launch) | 299.99 (2-pack) |
TP-Link Deco XE75 AXE5400: Detail photos
App-operated, simple local web interface
Like all TP-Link Deco sets, the XE75 requires a login account and is app-operated.
You must use the Deco mobile app for the setup process. During this time, the phone (or tablet) must connect to the Internet via a cellular connection or an existing Wi-Fi.
But other than that, the setup process proved smooth in my trial. The app’s setup wizard covered all the necessary steps in great detail, and I got the system up and running within less than 10 minutes without a hitch.
If you’ve used a mobile app before and can pay some attention, you’ll likely also find this a walk in the park.
After the setup, the app allows for managing the system from anywhere globally, as long as you have Internet access on your phone.
Locally, there’s also a simple web interface accessible via the router’s default IP address (192.168.68.1) or tplinkdeco.net.
This interface has a simple network map that shows connected clients. And then, there’s an Advanced page with the system’s status, log, and low-level functions, including manual firmware updates, time-zone configurations, and a few WAN settings.
It’s worth noting that this web interface is only available after the initial app-based hardware setup. And there’s no way you can use just the web interface to manage the Deco XE75. You can’t use it to change any important essential settings of a home Wi-Fi network.
So the Deco app is the only way to use the mesh system and all that implies.
TP-Link and your privacy
Signing in with a vendor-linked online account generally means your hardware connects to the vendor at all times, which translates into inherent privacy risks.
On this matter, the China-origin company, among other things, insists that it’s a “global multinational group” and offers this assurance:
“TP-Link takes privacy seriously and complies with U.S. policies to protect consumers.”
TP-Link’s Privacy Policy page.
Managing your home network via a third party is never a good idea. Privacy is a matter of degree. Data collection and handling vary vendor by vendor and region by region.
Relatively thin on features and Wi-Fi settings
The XE75 shares the same features as the previous Deco set. It supports Dynamic DNS—in this case, only TP-Link’s free domain—IP reservation, and port-forwarding. There’s also a simple QoS engine where you can add individual devices to the priority list.
On top of that, there’s a light version of HomeShield that includes basic Network Protection and Parent Controls. If you subscribe to HomeShield Pro, as the app often nags you to, for $6/month or $55/year, you’ll get the more in-depth version of the two.
There’s not much you can do about Wi-Fi settings other than create a network name (SSID) and password.
After that, you can turn the radio of the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band on or off, effectively making the network 5GHz- or 2.4GHz-only.
Extra on backhaul
This extra content is part of the explainer on mesh systems.
When you use multiple Wi-Fi broadcasters—in a mesh Wi-Fi system or a combo of a router and an extender—there are two types of connections: fronthaul and backhaul.
Fronthaul is the Wi-Fi signals broadcast outward for clients or the local area network (LAN) ports for wired devices. It’s what we generally expect from a Wi-Fi broadcaster.
Backhaul (a.k.a backbone), on the other hand, is the link between one satellite Wi-Fi broadcaster and another, which can be the network’s primary router, a switch, or another satellite unit.
This link works behind the scenes to keep the hardware units together as a system. It also determines the ceiling bandwidth (and speed) of all devices connected to the particular satellite Wi-Fi broadcaster.
At the satellite/extender unit, the connection used for the backhaul—a Wi-Fi link or a network port—is often called the uplink. Generally, a Wi-Fi broadcaster might use one of its bands (2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz) or a network port for the uplink.
When a Wi-Fi band handles backhaul and fronthaul simultaneously, only half its bandwidth is available to either end. When a Wi-Fi band functions solely for backhauling, often available traditional Tri-band hardware, it’s called the dedicated backhaul.
Generally, for the best performance and reliability, network cables are recommended for backhauling—wired backhauling, which is an advantage of mesh Wi-Fi hardware with network ports. In this case, a satellite broadcaster can use its entire Wi-Fi bandwidth for front-hauling.
The pseudo-dedicated backhaul band
The 6GHz band gets interesting: By default, this band is set as the dedicated backhaul for the mesh system. But you can also make it available for clients.
When used as the dedicated backhaul, the 6GHz band is unavailable to clients, but it’s not the sole band working as a backhaul. The system still uses its other two bands (2.4GHz or 5GHz) when necessary.
And that is indeed necessary in most cases since the 6GHz band’s range is very short.
When I placed the satellite unit behind a wall in my testing, the mesh immediately stopped using the 6GHz band as backhaul. I figured that out via testing—there was no way to know which band was working as backhaul via the app.
That said, there’s no point in using the 6GHz as the dedicated backhaul unless:
- You have no 6GHz clients, and
- You can place the hardware units relatively close together—about 65 feet (20 meters)—within a line of sight.
When you open the 6GHz band to the client, it’ll be available as a separate network name (SSID)—you can’t name it the same as the other two bands.
Like all applicable Deco sets, the XE75 supports wired backhaul, which is also what I’d recommend for the best performance.
TP-Link Deco XE75 AXE5400: Reliable sub-Gigabit performance
In my testing, the Deco XE75 did well for its hardware specs. I tested it both as a single router and a wireless mesh system.
Since it doesn’t have a Multi-Gig port, its sustained speed is generally capped below Gigabit. And compared to other Wi-Fi 6E broadcasters, it did quite well, as you can see on the chart below.
As a mesh system, I placed the satellite unit 40 feet away from the router unit within a line of sight. The numbers below are generally the best-case scenario, presumably when the 6GHz band was working as the backhaul—chances are you’ll get a lesser experience.
(Again, there was no way to know which band the system was using for its backhaul at any given time.)
5GHz is the backhaul band by default.
<6BH>: 6GHz band as backhaul (when applicable.)
<WBH>: Multi-Gig wired backhaul (when available.)
I did try the system via wired backhaul, and in that case, the satellite unit delivered similar sustained rates as the router units.
In real-world additional anecdotal testing, the Deco XE75’s performance generally topped around 300Mbps at the satellite unit and close to 900Mbps at the router unit. Of course, the actual numbers fluctuated greatly.
Typically, you’ll have placed the two quite far from each other or have a wall or two in between them. In real-world usage, I placed the satellite 45 feet (14 meters) from the router, and there were a few thin walls and other household objects in between them—it was highly likely that the mesh didn’t use the 6GHz as backhaul anymore.
Via such a scenario, which might or might not be comparable to your situation, the screenshot below shows the best possible Internet speeds out of the two.
I tested that using a Pixel 6—which, in my experience, was capable of over 1200Mbps of sustained Wi-Fi speeds—via a 10Gbps Fiber-optic connection. In case you’re curious, here’s the speed test page I used for this testing.
I did this test randomly many times over a week, using all different bands, and picked the best result for each case to show here. Hint: Your experience will be different and likely slower, especially at the router’s end.
So, if you don’t care about getting the most out of a Gigabit-class broadband connection—as you probably shouldn’t since anything over 100Mbps is enough for any applications—the Deco XE75’s real-world speeds sure will suffice. If you want more, getting your home wired is a must, and maybe consider the Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12.
As for coverage, TP-Link claims that a 2-pack Deco XE75 can blanket 5,500 ft2 (511 m2)—or 7200 ft2 if you use a 3-pack—and that’s a bit of a stretch.
Clearly, in a wireless setup, we must balance range and performance. I’d say this 2-pack can handle around 4000 ft2 with decent speed. Larger than that, you will need to use a network cable to connect the two units or be content with using the 2.4GHz as backhaul, which is very slow. In any case, your mileage will vary depending on the layout of your home.
Before publishing this review, I used the Deco Xe75 for over two weeks, and it proved reliable. We had no issue with disconnections.
TP-Link Deco XE75's Rating
Pros
Wi-Fi 6E-ready with reliable and extensive coverage
Affordable
Easy to use
Cons
No Multi-Gig port, Link Aggregation, or Dual-WAN
TP-Link login account and mobile app required
No real, local web-based management
Only three network ports on each unit
Conclusion
To put in a sentence, the Deco XE75 is an affordable Wi-Fi 6E system that gets the job done with minimum effort as long as you’re OK with managing your network TP-Link’s way.
Considering the friendly retail price of $300, the 2-pack TP-Link Deco XE75 AXE5400 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E System is excellent. It’s proof that the eero Pro 6E, which has much worse hardware yet costs double the price, is a total ripoff.
This new system will deliver for those wanting a reliable wireless mesh for their modest network. And if you have wired your home, you can expect consistent Gigabit-class sustained speeds.
On the downside, the lack of a real, local web interface can translate into privacy risks. Also, the lackluster feature set, even when you want to spend another $6/month for the subscription add-ons, can be a deal-breaker for advanced users.
All things considered, I’d recommend the Deco XE75 with a tad of reservation. In a way, it’s a testament to the fact we can’t have everything, and sometimes, not even close to that. But even then, we might still end up with a good deal.
Hi Dong,
In my country, the Zenwifi XD6 is around ~100 USD more expensive than the Deco XE75. That’s the cost if I were to get a total of 3 pucks.
ISP is below 1Gbit. I already have my home wired. Do you recommend getting the Zenwifi XD6 (since it tops your dual band Wifi6 reviews), or go with XE75 since it’s WiFi 6E?
I read that someone asked a similar question and you mentioned they are about the same. I did read both reviews, and I personally have no preference in terms of features or customizations. What do you think?
If you don’t care about the features and privacy, I’d go with whichever cheaper, Ian. In a wired home, either will perform well. Good luck!
Got the 3 pack of the Deco XE75 – VERY happy with it. I have a 1950 California 1400SF ranch style home, my AT&T fiber comes in on the OPPOSITE site of the house so I have 1 in the front corner of the house, 1 in the center of the house in the living room and one in my office. I’m consistently getting 350MBPS+ on my fiber (which is a 300mbps connection). I haven’t tried to copy files to or from my NAS yet which is wired in the middle unit, but I’m assuming for write speeds with a RAID-5 array, I won’t see the performance because the unit itself is not capable of writing more than 100-200MB/S.
Never the less, the ease of install was amazing, I like the fact that it has a completely separate IOT network in addition to the guest network, there seem to be a lot of options. Only problem with separating IOT devices is that you often times can not control them with SIRI, or for example with Sonos Speakers they will NOT work if they are not on the same network, so it doesn’t do a lot of good to use the IOT network unless it’s a device that actually allows control via your account on the internet.
My prior network was a 7 year old Google Mesh network, I was only getting 80mpbs in my office, and also the thing would slow down about 2-3 times a month and I would have to reboot all the units to return back to normal speeds so I finally pulled the trigger after reading this site for over a year. The Google one was kind of a joke and didn’t have a lot of options, but it was a workhorse and suited me well for the years of use.
Thank you Dong!
Thanks for sharing, Rob. Cheers!
I have a pair of Deco XE75 Pro units (satellite unit wired backhaul via CAT8 cable) and three M5 units (wired backhaul via CAT6). I am having an issue connecting Fire Stick 4K Max to the XE75’s WiFi 6 signal (the Fire Stick and XE75 are less than a foot away from each other). Is this an inherent issue with the Deco or more of a Fire Stick issue?
I can’t answer your question. No one can. You need to be descriptive in asking for help.
However, mixing hardware is generally not good. Other tips in this post.
Good luck!
Hi Dong,
Sorry to bother, I bought tp link deco xe75 pro (3 pack), and I wanted to configured it in start mode, I mean, I have a firewall, then a switch (2.5Gbps) and from here I wanted to connect all my 3 decos, but it seems that is not possible, it look like one of them needs to be connected directly to the WAN, am I right? or is it possible to do what I told you?
Thank you very much.
I’m not sure what “start mode” is, Isvel, but assuming your firewall is a router (it’s likely is), you just need to use the Deco in the AP mode. More in this post on double NAT vs single NAT. Give it a *good* read!
Great, thank you very much.
Star was about star topology.
👍
Thanks for these reviews Dong. Is the range between satellites much better than with the X60 (ver2)? I currently have that set (based on your review a few years back), have a wired backhaul between the main unit and a satellite at the back of my house and then it has to do a wireless connection to the 3rd satellite out in the garage (about 40 ft away, each satellite is near – but not in front of – of a window). We have a guest unit above the garage and I get complaints about the wifi (. Deco app shows weak signal strength between the hardwired satellite and the garage satellite. Anyhow, am wondering if upgrading to the XE75 (pro with the multi gig for where I do have the wired backhaul) would provide improved performance or would be looking at more or less the same thing for that wireless jump from the house to the garage. I’m not married to TP-Link so if you think something else works better for this set up I’m all ears. Thanks.
Not much better, Adam. In fact it’s probably exactly the same. There’s no easy answer, either. Start with this post.
Generally, there’s no amount of money you can burn to increase the range unless you run a network cable. Don’t believe in marketing nonsense.
I am trying to decide between XE75 (3-pack AXE5300) from Costco for $270 and 2-pack Asus XT8/XT-9 for $330. I am unable to do wired so stuck with wireless dedicated backhaul for 3-story 3200-ft home. I am seeing several concern about dropout/reliability with Asus but the reviews otherwise seem great. Which do you recommend?
That depends, Peter. More here.
Maybe my comment from one year ago helps: https://dongknows.com/tp-link-deco-xe75-axe5400-wi-fi-6e-mesh-review/#comment-58245
Hi Dong,
Thanks for another great review here. I’m sold on the XE75 as a single unit Access Point with wired back-haul, but I’m not sold on the no real, local web-based management feature (including the required TP-Link login account and mobile app requirement).
Prices are attractive on Amazon. After initial set-up, will this router always be connected to the TP-Link cloud? How concerned should I be here? If I was your favorite brother, would you tell me to buy one?
Thanks, Dong
Hi brother, I don’t play favorites. For the other two questions: yes/it’s time you made up your own mind.
Phone home ET… as in ET8 ZenWiFi. The XE75 and ET8 are almost identical twins, but the XE75 is more like the evil twin, so I’m gonna play favorites!
👍
Just wanted to say it’s been a pleasure and a nice breath of fresh air to read your direct review and succinct responses to all the questions. Thank you. You’ve assisted me greatly in making the best decision for my environment.
👍
Hi Dong,
Thank you for the review.
I have a small 2-story townhome (~1000 sq ft). My modem/router will be on the bedroom on the 2nd floor. I am planning on putting another XE75 either:
1) across the hallway on the 2nd floor so that it could be within the line of sight, or
2) On the 1st floor right below the modem/router on the 2nd floor. The distance is very short, it just has a floor barrier.
The position of the 2nd XE75 will be substantially less than 65 ft (20 meters) in both options. So, I believe both options should still allow my XE75 to utilize 6hz band as a dedicated backhaul. Am I correct to assume that? Also, do you have a recommendation on whether which option would likely to work better?
Thank you so much!
65 ft is quite long for the 6GHz, Jaden. Wi-Fi range is always a matter of degrees. More on range and mesh in this post. Give it a good read! Wi-Fi won’t work according to how you believe — it’s physics. 🙂
Sorry I should’ve made it clearer. It is not going to be 65 ft. More like 30-35 ft with option 1 (no barrier) and 10 – 15 ft with option 2 (floor barrier). Thank you for the additional resources. I think I will have test it out and see what makes sense 🙂
Got it. Then it likely will work. 🤞
Thank you! I am leaning towards these XE75 despite the caveats, because they cost me only $209 for 2 pack, which I think is a pretty good deal.
However, I currently can also get a pair of Deco X90 for $249, or a pair of Orbi RBK752 for $279.
Based on my 2-story townhome structure, along with my completely wireless backhaul use and limited to no 6Hz devices, would you recommend I spend a little extra to get the X90 or even the RBK752? I have read both of your reviews on these products, and I think they got pretty positive reviews especially for the wireless backhaul performance. But, I just wanted to hear your thoughts. Thank you again!
Considering the price, I’d go with the XE75. But it’s your call.
Thank you, sir! Appreciate your thoughts and insights 🙂
hi dong
should I be concerned about the data slurping by tplink as the mesh nodes seems to be in constant connection to tplink cloud
That’s a decision you have to make on your own, Raol. More here.
Hey Dong!
How were you able to get the 6Ghz SSID to be the same as the 2.4/5 SSID? I keep getting “This network name already exists” in the Android app.
Thanks! Great site you have here!
I wasn’t, Adam, as you can see in the screenshots. I even mentioned that in one of the captions.
Got it! I misunderstood “When you open the 6GHz band to the client, it’ll be able as a separate network name (SSID), _though you can name it the same as the other two bands_.”.
Thanks again.
That was bad on my part — should be “can’t”. I fixed it.
Generally, you can’t customize much with Deco.
Hi Dong
Sorry to bother you again but I am having a hard time understanding all this. If I plan to wireless backhaul with xe75 and as your review states there will be a wall inbetween units (in this case a floor), the 6 ghz band is basically not in use as no line of sight.
Is there actually any difference in the above scenario compared to a dual band system such as deco x50? I mean as in the backhaul of xe75 will just end up using either 2.4 or 5ghz which the x50 will do anyway.
Thank you
That’s very specific, Greg, and I can’t pretend that I know how things will pan out. But if the mesh ends up using 2.4GHz as back haul then there’s no difference — it’ll be very slow. Wi-Fi depends greatly on the environment so you just have to figure things out yourself sine you’re there.
Things are only predictable when you use wired backhauling.
Good luck 🤞!
Will there be some difference in speed if the xe75 uses 5Ghz backhaul and the x50 also uses 5Ghz backhaul?
I guess it makes more sense to go for the xe75 because specs say it has 4 internal antennas compared to 2 in the x50.
Read the reviews, do your homework, and come to your own conclusion, Greg. Don’t expect to have every little detail of your situation answered online. Nobody can help you like that. More here.
Hi Dong
The XE75 2 Pack is currently on sale for $220. Is there much better for that price? Wireless backhaul.
I don’t keep tabs on prices, Greg. How things pan out depends on your home.
Hi,
Really enjoying your posts and learning a lot. I was between the TP-Link Deco XE75 and eero Pro 6E but via your posts, have decided to steer clear of eero for the time being. In reading this post, though, I’m curious if I should steer clear of a 6E solution altogether.
I currently live in a 2200ish sqft home that’s somewhat shaped like a +. My home office is in the right “wing” and is closest to the telephone pole that my 1gig fiber line comes off of, so it enters my home through my office and is where I have my AT&T router/modem hardware. My living room is in the top “wing”, kitchen with Nest smoke alarm in the left “wing”, and front door where a doorbell camera may go in the future in the bottom “wing”. As you could imagine, wireless strength in the left wing of my house is abysmal, and while AT&T’s two “range extenders” do alleviate wireless signal pain in left/top wings, they’re obviously not a bulletproof solution. This predicament is what got me starting to think about a mesh system.
I will disappoint, though, and say that I have no intentions of wiring my house. It was built in the 1950’s and is not already wired, but is also half-crawl/half-slab, and I just don’t really have the need to do so, as it’s just my wife and I here with super normal internet requirements.
Are there any systems that stand out to you that may be a good fit? Apologies for framing a one-off scenario, as I know you don’t entertain those. At the very least, what are your thoughts on a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 solution versus a Wi-Fi 6E solution? Should I go with the former such that I have a dedicated wireless backhaul band rather than the “we use all bands for wireless backhaul” that I’ll find in a Wi-Fi 6E solution? For added context, I’d likely place the first satellite in the middle of the +, about 30-40 feet away down a long hallway. It may not be direct line of sight, but fairly close. I also have decent privacy concerns, though I understand there may be no way around that if I prefer not to deploy a more advanced solution, though I’d be open to that as I’m 30 years old and tech savvy.
Thank you in advance for your time.
I feel like I contradicted myself a little by saying that my internet requirements are fairly low, but I’m considering a mesh system. My wife and I do normal stuff like stream 4K movies, video game, work from home in the tech industry, have a handful of devices on our network, etc. We are currently fine with the hardware, albeit crappy, that AT&T has given us. However, I have had my Nest smoke alarm in my kitchen drop it’s internet connection indefinitely on multiple occasions which is not okay for me, especially considering we have two dogs always at home and one of them has jumped up on my gas cooktop before and turned the gas on while we were away. A lazy test of moving the smoke alarm 20-25 feet closer to the range extender in the middle of my +-shaped house worked and the connection has been fine ever since. A mesh system for us is more about “nice-to-have” rather than “must-have”. Add in more devices around the house like Philips Hue bulbs and a doorbell camera coming online soon and I’d like a more reliable and permanent solution than AT&T range extenders.
For your bandwidth, the XE75 should work fine, Clay. How well, though, depends on real-world conditions, and only you would know. More in this post on how to use a mesh system.
Thanks for the good info. I purchased the Deco XE75 from Costco and it has worked well for our setup in a large house (download speeds 400-900 in most locations, using only wireless back-haul not wired). I do not need parental controls, but wondering about Homeshield Pro for security. Haven’t been able to find any reviews about the added benefit of Homeshield Pro ($60/year) for network security. Worthwhile expenditure?
I wouldn’t recommend it. As for worthwhile, that depends on how you use the Internet. Ultimately, it’s the users who are the last defense, there’s no software that can keep you 100% safe.
Do you think the tp link deco axe5300 from costco will be able to provide gigabit speeds for my whole household? I have Xfinity gigabit plan.
No, Austin, it has no Multi-Gig port, which by itself, means you won’t get true Gigabit Internet from it. More here.
Hi Dong,
Great review! I would like some advice on my specific setup. Currently I have a Deco X55 setup in my 3 level townhome and FIOS gigabit internet. I am returning the X55 for the XE75 to get the dedicated backhaul band. Right now, my home has some network jacks but I still need a router since the network box is connected directly to the FIOS ONT. The main router is upstairs in my office and I have the satellite on the main floor which should give me enough coverage for the basement as well.
My question is, would I end up using a shared band for backhaul since there is a wall and floor between the two routers? Would a wifi 6 tri-band router work better for me since there is an additional 5ghz band? There is around 25 feet between the satellites.
I am also looking into a way to utilize my existing jacks for wired backhaul but I would imagine that would require to add a switch to the ONT which is on the outside of the house. Still fairly new to this setup and need more time to come up with a solution.
No Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E system (which the XE75 is) has a dedicated backhaul band, Ali. Ether you get your home wired or get a Tri-band Wi-Fi 6 mesh system, or a Quad-band Wi-Fi 6E system, or you’ll get sub-Gigabit throughput speeds.
More about Dual-band vs tri-band vs Quad-band in this post.
More about how to pick/set up a mesh system in this post.
What is the benefit of having a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 system over 6e? Is it because you would get an additional 5ghz band over the 6ghz band for backhaul?
Another option would be to possibly stick with the Verizon quad band router (CR1000A) and buy/rent an extender?
That’s the only way to get dedicated wireless bachhauling, Ali. Please read the linked posts in the previous reply before asking more questions.
Hi Tp-link say it is dedicated on there home page?
See below
Brand-New 6 GHz Band – Experience the latest frequency of WiFi, eliminating interference from all legacy devices. The 6 GHz band also delivers a powerful dedicated backhaul to further streamline the WiFi performance of non-6E devices
It’s not, Niklas — it’s never the only band working for backhauling, though you have the pointless option to make it work only for backhauling. Also if it were the dedicated backhaul, that’d be terrible since the 6GHz has a super short range. Take my word for it, or you can believe the marketing bullshit and leave me alone. 🙂
This is only my experience, but the 6Ghz works great for dedicated backhaul. This is in a flat with very thick walls. Not sure it would do well in a very large house.
It’s likely not the backhaul in your situation, Sebastian. You only turn the band off for clients. The performance will be the same if you choose not to use it as “dedicated” backhaul. Try it.
But yes, as mentioned, the 6GHz band is good in a small or airy place.
I can’t reply to the comment below, not sure why.
“The performance will be the same if you choose not to use it as “dedicated” backhaul. Try it.”
I have tested it and it seems you’re right. The performance is identical whether I select the 6Ghz dedicated for backhaul or not. When I bought these more than a year ago this wasn’t the case. the difference was quite noticeable and I haven’t change that setting since. Maybe a firmware update fixed this?
It’s been the same, Sebastian — it’s the case with all Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E mesh. You might have tested the connection more than a year ago with no other connected device but the test client — testing can be tricky. There’s nothing to “fix”. Believing otherwise is wishful thinking and you’d just fool yourself.
Hey Dong, just sharing my experience with this product. Bought it alongside an Asus XT12 during the Black Friday sales. In a medium-sized apartment with very thick walls it shines. I’m on a 1.1Ghz connection and in my office, I’m getting 800Mbps-1Ghz on a wireless backhaul connected via ethernet to the point. The XT12 point wouldn’t even connect to the router, I had to do it via ethernet. And then when I moved it back to the office it had a weak signal (yellow light). I was getting 50-100Mbps speeds. Connecting to the router without the mesh I was getting 200-300Mbps. I don’t fully understand why that is the case. The XT12 performs better than the XE75 in router-only mode, but as a mesh, it’s not even close. I know on this comment thread you are recommending the XT8, but I will be keeping the Deco and returning the Asus. As a side note, the speeds I’m getting are when using the 6Ghz band only for the wireless backhaul. If I share the band, it becomes slower. For most of the reviewers, it’s the other way around.
I think in your case, the XT12 was using the 2.4GHz band as backhaul, Sebastian. Where you are, it might need a bit of tinkering before it works as intended. But if the Deco works better, I’d go with it. Thanks for sharing the experience.
This is basically useless for me. It only works for a configuration where you have an internet connection coming directly into one of the units and everything else connects with wifi.
I just wanted to use these as access points. There doesn’t seem to be any way to make it work. Even when you turn on access point mode, it wants to talk to a WAN and provide DHCP addresses and NAT to clients. So you end up with double-NAT no matter what you do, and wireless clients can’t be accessed from the wired network.
Access point mode works, Sridhar. I tried it. Make sure you know what you’re doing. 🙂
Thanks for the detailed review. I have a wired network, 3 story house and internet bandwidth is 600 mbps. Is deco xe75 better than Orbi rbk753 (I assume deco has 2 antennas for each band and Orbi has 4 antennas for each band). Which provides the strong signal.?
You should never buy any Orbi if you have a wired home, Karthik. I’ve talked about that in all Orbi reviews but you can read this take on the new RBK860 for more. Make sure you *read*.
Hi Dong,
great info here! I am on the same boat debating between RBK753S vs xe75 Pro. My house is not wired, which provide better signal, performance, coverage and handover? (I walk around the house alot during meeting)
Ken
I’d go with the Orbi in your case, Ken. The result will still be hit or miss, though. More about mesh in this post.
thanks, it’s a pleasure to read your work.
perhaps one last question, I can have 1 point wired and 1point wireless, would xe75 better bet in this case or just keep everything wireless w Orbi?
Yes you can and the results will vary no matter which you use depending on how you arrange the hardware, etc. The only way you can somewhat predict the outcome is via wired backhauling throughout.
Costco currently has a member price of $299 on the 3-pack of these. Even with the compromises, I think that might make this the current winner for me.
Go for it! 🙂
Thanks for the detailed review. I’m deciding on a new wifi-mesh system and I’m just beginning to learn the ins and outs. If the ethernet ports are limited to a Gigabit and I use those for a wired backhaul, is the speed of that satellite limited to a Gigabit as well? I believe my Cat5e cables are limited to a Gigabit as well.
If you have time for a recommendation, I’d appreciate it. My home is wired with Cat5e cables. I’d use those for the backhaul. It’s 3600 sq ft. My cable internet is 600Mbps. I’m currently considering a 3-pack of the Deco X60, but I’m also considering the AXE5300, W7200, or the lower end X20.
Thanks again!
CAT5 can do 10Gbps, Ryan — more in this post.
If your place is wired, you have lots of options. I generally don’t give recommendations for any specific situation — it’s a thankless business in my experience, and I don’t have time to deal (again) with the consequences. You just need to do some good old reading and figure things out. 🙂
Thank you for your quick reply. I understand about not giving recommendations and I’m glad to learn that CAT5 is capable of Multi-gig speeds.
If a router used as a satellite only has Gigibit ports, and if that port is used for a wired backhaul, will anything connected through that router be limited to the Gigibit speed of the port, even if the router is capable of faster wi-fi speeds? Thanks again.
Check out this post, Ryan. Make sure you read before asking any more questions, please. https://dongknows.com/mesh-wi-fi-system-explained/
Is there any benefit for choosing this over the x68 (ax3600) for wireless backhaul if you are not going to use 6E for devices? They are both triband, but the XE75 uses 6ghz for the third band and the x68 uses 5ghz as the third band. If the units are going to be far apart, is it better to stick with a x68 since the range is farther for 5ghz? I imagined the XE75 wouldn’t even use the 3rd 6ghz band for backhaul and instead use the 5ghz channel anyway if the units are too far apart. Additionally the x68 has 5 antennas vs 4 on the XE75. Thanks!
Check out this post on that topic, Dan.
Thank you! So based on what you wrote:
“In reality, in a fully wireless configuration, all existing Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E mesh systems proved mediocre in my testing compared to traditional Tri-band systems because they didn’t have a dedicated backhaul band.”
…the 2.5ghz/5ghz/5ghz/ triband setup would be superior if I understand that correctly?
That’s correct, Dan, when you use wireless backhauling. Either that or Quad-band Wi-Fi 6E like the case of the GT-AXE16000 or Orbi RBKE960 . However, in this case, you need wired backhauling because wireless backhauling, no matter how fast, can only deliver so much in sustained rates due to the nature of the connection. In other words, if you want true Gigabit for faster sustained Wi-Fi speeds, you need to run network cables. If anyone tells you otherwise, either they don’t know what they are talking about or they just lie to you. 🙂
Thank you for your expertise!
👍
Hi Dong,
Great content. I got the Deco x60 wifi 6 3 mesh system from Costco almost a year ago on sale. It’s been working great but Costco will have the AXE5300 6e 3 mesh on sale soon and is wondering if this is a good upgrade.
Thanks for you time
That depends, Tom, it’s only an “upgrade” if you intend to use wired backhauling. In a fully wireless setup, chances are you won’t see much of a difference besides the support for 6E. So get it if you have gotten your home wired. By the way, it’s a variant of the Deco XE75 — read the review to find out more.
Hello Dong,
I am on CenturyLink DSL (pretty much the only option) with 50 down/5 up and using a Netgear Orbi RBK50 setup with 4 satellites. 1 satellite is in a hobby shop app. 25 yards from the back of the house where the main Orbi Router (& CenturyLink Technicolor C2000T modem is located in a back bedroom). I do *not* have a wired setup, wireless for the foreseeable future). I get ok wireless service but do have over 35 attached devices including 15 Blink cameras (used to mainly watch wildlife on our 1.3 acre property). The most distant cameras on the property and our several Ring Video Doorbells buffer constantly with live views and receiving notifications. I also run a Plex Server for Family home videos/photos and I don’t seem to get many complaints with buffering.
I ordered the XE75 on Prime Day (had gift cards, several other discounts) & it’s arriving today. I based a lot of my purchase on my Nephew’s experience with his older TP-Link Mesh system (especially outdoors). Now that I’ve been doing more research and reading about the lack of settings to configure things (like channel selection & others).
I’m wondering if I would benefit at all by switching to the XE75?
I’m even thinking about not even opening the packages (ordered 2 sets of 2) and just returning them or should I at least give it a chance and set it up to test?
Thanks for your help/advice!
For your broadband, JR, no new mesh system will improve the situation — it’s already as good as can be. Also, your Intenet is too slow for those many cameras. They upload videos to the cloud and that will kill your upload pipe really fast. More here.
I appreciate the quick response! I will just issue a return request and not even open the boxes. Guess I got caught up in the Prime frenzy before truly looking into it.
For as many devices that I do have on my network, it’s not horrible connectivity and I’m lucky to have faster DSL than the majority of my neighbors (closer to the main box).
Are there are any tweaks I can perform to make my network a “tad” better. I’m will check out your other articles and see what I can lean. Thx again!
**Sorry about the typos!**
You can try the QoS, it’ll help make things better. Also, proper hardware arrangement will improve the performance and you might want to segment the devices. In any case, considering the slow Internet speed, you will not be able to notice huge differences.
Dong,
How does this compare with a Asus XD6?
I have a new house which is wired and looking to add in a good mesh for extra wifi coverage and for gaming (of course wired in)
Internet is below 1 gig currently, your thoughts or other recommendations?
It’s about the same plus the support for the 6GHz band, Dhillon. Read the reviews for more — here’s that of the XD6. The XE75 is more similar, though inferior, to the ZenWiFi ET8.
Asus has much better features and customization.
Dong,
Adding on to this. I have a Spectrum provided router, would you recommend replacing that with a router and THEN adding in mesh? Or can I just start of with a mesh system like this, have one of them as the router and other two as access points?
I would go with the et8, but would that be ok working with the current router? The current modem is in our laundry area and even when I am on the same floor as it wifi is not consistent at all to my phone- Iphone 12 pro.
Check out this post on using the ISP-provided hardware, Dhillon.
Dong,
After reading your article I have decided to either go with a Asus AX6000 or a Asus AX11000- both are at $350 currently.
I am getting confused about which router to go with though even after reading your reviews. Any major differences between the two?
House is hardwired and running streaming mostly with some gaming.
Generally, Dhillon, if you have a sub-Gigabit Internet, either is fine. I’d recommend the GT-AX6000 if you have Gig or Gig+ broadband. More in this post.
I purchased the AXE5300 at my local Costco and love it. In my 5,500 square ft home I get great speeds everywhere except for one spot. The main and one satellite are ethernet wired and the other satellite is connected wirelessly. In the garage, I get a solid connection with high speeds but I have a security camera outside not too far from the garage and that camera gets connection drops. When I move the wired satellite into the garage, that camera suddenly gets a solid connection. If I purchased another unit and put it in the garage that would be great. I know the XE75 is a two pack but I don’t want to pay $300 for another satellite, I wish TP-link sold individual satellite units.
I’m sure it’s far too late to be helpful, but in case other readers stop by, it’s always possible to add a previous generation (and cheaper) Deco unit in your mesh. I’d consider getting an M9+ unit for the garage.
Dong,
I have a larger (wired) home with xFinity 1gbps, a wired router/firewall, and a dedicated 2.4ghz network for my IOT stuff, cameras, switches etc. I want to upgrade my primary WiFi to better support working from home, my boys zoom classes with screen shares, their online Minecraft gaming and to simplify roaming though the house.
I plan on setting up my mesh in AP mode and wired backhaul. From the specifications, test results and price point (Under $350), this Deco XE75 sounds perfect. But I am dis-enchanted with the management software and was considering 2 TPLink EAP660 AP’s. I do like the idea of full Wifi 6e support for future proofing new phones, and laptops, but not it is not a requirement.
I was wondering if you have tested the TPLink EAP660 AP yet or was planning on testing in the near future? Do you have any other recommendations?
Thanks, nu-latitude
I don’t have any specific recommendation, Nu, but you have lots of options considering you’ve gotten your place wired. Check out this post for more.
so Dong, beside guest WIFI or disabling the 5ghz entirely, there is no way we can create a separate 2.4 SSID for smart devices? Secondly, is it possible to assign IP address to certain devices (printer for example)? I’m currently an Orbi RK50 owner but thinking about switching to this.
Thanks
Guest Wi-Fi is the only way to go on this front, V. And yes, the Deco has the IP reservation feature as I mentioned.
TP-Link Deco AXE5300 is $345 at Costco which is a bargain comparing to other brand (especially against my favorite Netgear Orbi), do you think this would be an upgrade over my Orbi RBK50? Even though RBK50 is a good router, but my kids have been complaining about the drops since we have way too many devices (over 50), a lot of streaming and gaming, etc…
and last but not least, thank you for your quick response
Not really, unless you have your home wired — you need to do that considering your kids’ gaming. It’ll work about the same, maybe slightly better.
Yes sir, we got ethernet cables wired the entire home. One issue I noticed is that wired internet often dropped but wifi is still up and running. Is there any suggestion on a decent tri band mesh with a decent price that can handle over 50 plus devices and also allowing me to create a seperate 2.4ghz ssid?
Wi-Fi is about bandwidth and that of the 2.4GHz band is very low. Yes, you can get many more than 50 devices connected, but only so many can be active at a time. So the number doesn’t mean much, the bandwidth does.
If you have already gotten your home wired (good job by the way!), a Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 or Tri-band 6E mesh is the best. For your needs, I’d recommend the Asus ET8 or the Asus XD6 or a mix according to this post. All other canned systems don’t allow for flexible Wi-Fi customization.
Hi Dong, very informative review! I‘m looking to buy a new mesh wifi system for my house, and currently this system is on my radar. 3-pack of this for $350, VS. Orbi rbk753 for $440, which one do you think offers more value? My internet is around 600 Mbps up & down so either one should be a good fit?
That depends on if you have gotten your home wired or not, Scott. More in this post.
It’s a 3-story house, and I’m planning on using a full wireless setup. From what I’ve read so far, the 6GHz band is a gimmick at the moment: when exposed to the client, there are not many clients out there that can take advantage of it; when used as a “dedicated” backhaul, its range is not long enough to maintain a steady connection between the nodes. So it does seem like the Orbi set is a more reasonable choice.
You got it, Scott. Or get your home wired! That’s the only way to get Gigabit or faster Internet anway.
What are your thoughts on the Deco X55 AX3000 (3-pack)? I have several devices that need wireless connection (fridge, doorbell, two cams, multiple cellphones, 2 streaming tvs, etc).
Also, is wifi 6e really needed or is wifi 6 sufficient?
Thanks for all your reviews and looking forward to what your thoughts are on x55
I haven’t tested the Deco X55, so no thoughts on it, but it should be similar to the Deco X60. For more on Wi-Fi 6E, check out this post.
Hi Dong, do you think that for a fully wireless set up the ax5700 by Tp-link is better and possibly outperforms the axe5400? Will there be a noticeable user experience? Thank you.
No, I think the two will be similar, Ricardo. And if you can’t place the hardware units close or within the line of sight, the AX5700 will likely be better.
Do you think the combination of the XE75 (in access point mode) with something like the firewalla purple or gold would make up for the lack of features and web based management?
Yes, David, except, in the case of the Firewalla Gold (or Purple), the web-based management is relatively mediocre.
Thanks for the reply! Trying to figure out what $600 or under mesh wifi pack (so was looking at the 3 pack of the tp link you mentioned) would cover roughly 7k sq ft area (that could be paired with firewalla to make up some of the shortcomings). Currently will be all wireless but with planned wired backhaul for the mesh access points in the near future.
Great site. I just upgraded to a gigabit Internet connection and my old and trusty Google Wi-Fi is struggling to keep up on LAN. I saw your Asus XT8 review and was watching for it to go on sale. This one is $100 cheaper and seems to provide better performance than XT8. For a complete wireless LAN, would you recommend this over the XT8?
It won’t perform better than the XT8 in a wireless setup, T. My test is for the best-case scenario which you won’t have. Make sure you read the reviews in their entirety and not just look at the numbers etc. So no, go with the XT8, which has a lot more to offer than just Wi-Fi speeds.
Thanks for this great review, Dong. For a wired backhaul home, is there any combination you’d recommend over the XE75/AXE5300 three pack in the ~$350 territory? I was considering the Asus XT8 or TP-Link X90 until reading your article against a non-6e tri-band setup with a wired configuration. My internet is only 400/10 (cable internet). My home is around 4,900sqft (2,450 on two levels) with plaster walls. Thanks
If you have wired backhauls, Jonathan, you should go with this one (great) or the Asus ET8 (much better) or ET12 (best).
Hi,
Thank you for the great reviews! Just got these as well in a 3 pack and I am using the 6HZ band for the wireless backhaul with a fiber connection. I can get 700 plus download speeds but the upload speeds never seem to cross over the 250 plus mark. Any reasons for why this might be?
Kris
That can be anything, Kris, including the speed of your broadband itself. More here. Also, read the review in its entiety! 🙂
Is this model comparable to the one sold by Costco (https://www.costco.com/tp-link-deco-axe5300-wi-fi-6e-tri-band-whole-home-mesh-wi-fi-system%2c-3-pack.product.100847833.html)?
I mentioned that in the first sentence of the review, TK.
I love your responses and personality in your reviews. Been laughing in my office for about an hour while reading them. Anyway, definitely getting the TP-Link Deco XE75 for my wired backhaul house!
Good call, Zeph! 🙂
Hello Dong – I too have a wired backhaul house. Is the TP-Link Deco XE75 a better option to the TP-Link Deco X68?
Yes, it is, George.
Hello Dong – thank you for your previous response. Could you outline for me what the major differences or benefits are between the TP-Link Deco XE75 and the X68?
Read their reviews, George, and take notes. Nobody can outline the differences between two random objects for you since there’s no end to that as you can imagine.
You can remove the _6Ghz from the 6ghz SSID after saving. For me it added automatically, but then after removing and saving again, it works. That gives you all three bands on same SSID, which most people would likely want.
Yeap, Ai, and I mentioned that in the review. But this band still exists as a separate network (and not part of the SmartConnect of the other two).