The TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro is an impressive mesh Wi-Fi system that works in large spaces, can easily connect up to 200 devices, and has some pretty impressive features. As Wi-Fe 6E adoption continues to grow, and some manufacturers are even up to a Wi-Fi 7, mesh systems like the TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro offer incredible wireless speeds and stability for users in a very accessible fashion. This system is easy to set up, can stretch to 7,200 sq. feet of coverage without a problem, and boasts a 2.5GbE port.
I’ve been running this system at my home/home studio/home office for the last few months to get comfortable with how well it operates. I’ve had a few hiccups, but this Wi-Fi system has been a massive upgrade from my previous Google Nest Wi-Fi mesh Wi-Fi routers (one of the best Wi-Fi mesh systems for everyday use) and has brought some enhancements I now cannot live without.
Like many people post-COVID, I work from home quite a bit. And, when I am not working from home, I still have things like my client server through Synology’s BeeStation, my Plex Server, and other processes running on a Mac Mini Server I have in my home office that I need to access. All this and more can run easily in my 1990s house without ethernet cables running through my walls — but more on this later.
TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro: Price and Availability
The TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro comes in a couple of options: a two-pack and a three-pack offering. The two-pack is rated at 5,500 sq. ft. and usually sells for around $400. My three-pack variant covers up to 7,200 sq. ft. and usually retails for around $600. You can pick this up at Amazon, Best Buy, or through TP-Link’s official website by clicking here.
TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro: Unboxing and First Impressions
I’m a fan of minimalist tech. I like things to be simple and sleek. I also like things to work well. When I first opened the Deco XE75 Pro box, I was happy to see that the router was a sleep and sharp white dome that did not look bad. I’ve never been a fan of the black spider-looking routers that were so popular for so long, which is partially why I had stuck with a Google Nest Mesh Wi-Fi system for so long up until now. The units are compact and well-designed, with a beautifully designed point and an easy line of ports on the back, running up the height of the cylindrical design. The nodes, if you will, are all identical, meaning it’s super easy to grab one and have it be the central unit — something I later realized I could also change in the app if I needed to.
In the box comes the nodes, power adapters, and an ethernet cable to connect whichever node you want to be the primary node to your modem. The setup was super easy. I downloaded the companion app and followed the instructions. I had everything operational in a matter of 10 minutes at most.
TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro: Design and Build Quality
Specs
Wi-Fi Speeds:
6 GHz: 2402 Mbps
5 GHz: 2402 Mbps
2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps
Dimensions (W×D×H):
4.1 × 4.1 × 6.7 in (105 × 105 × 169 mm)
Included:
3 Deco XE75 Pro units
1 RJ45 Ethernet cable
3 Power adapters
1 Quick Installation Guide
The design of the XE75 Pro is simple and aesthetically pleasing. Normally, I hide away my routers, but in two instances in my house, I have left them out in the open. One was on purpose, and the other was because I didn’t need to hide it. These nodes stand about 6.7 inches tall and 4.1 inches wide and are cylindrical. They have a matte white finish with a black top, and the ports are all located on one side, running up the node’s height. There is a 2.5Gbe WAN port, 2x 1GbE LAN ports, a power jack, and a reset button. One thing to note that’s missing is any USB ports; however, this was not a huge loss for my use case. I’ve had them in the past, and they are helpful, but with my Synology BeeStation and Mac mini server, I didn’t miss it in this rendition of my home office setup.
TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro: In use
I could get into a spec sheet and talk for a few hundred words about the performance of this router, but that wouldn’t be as exciting as talking about my real-life use case. I set this router up several months ago, and it works well. I could connect with all my devices in my home and office as I needed to. The Wi-Fi was solid, I could reach my correct speeds, and the stability was pretty good. Nothing incredible and nothing terrible. That was until I dug into what this router could do, and everything changed for me.
One day, when I was contemplating running CAT 6 through the walls of my 1990s house so I could get both a more stable internet connection for my work and a wired connection to test some PCs that were in the queue that didn’t have Wi-Fi antennas built in (shocking, I know), I remembered the ethernet ports on the back of the router that was sitting on my desk looking like a modern art piece. After some basic research, I learned that this could serve not just as ports on the central unit but could be something I plug a device into on the points connected over Mesh and connect as though I was wired to my modem.
When I figured this out, I took things a step further and bought a small network switch that I mounted under my desk (photo below). Now, I had multiple ports that I could connect to and get a stable internet connection, even without having a Wi-Fi antenna or relying on Wi-Fi. This was perfect for my BeeStation, my old Mac Mini Server (that I’m shocked is still kicking it, even without a reliable Wi-Fi antenna), and some smart home access points (Phillips Hue, Flic, etc). Next up, I wanted to make my connection as perfect as possible. At this time, my central unit was behind a Christmas tree and started having some issues. So, I looked it up; sure enough, Christmas trees can cause interference. So, I moved my main router to a different part of my living room and voila, I had a near-perfect connection to my other two access points running full Wi-Fi channels for 6GHz, 5GHz, and 2.4GHz connecting to nearly 80 devices at any given time (yes, my house has a lot of smart technology). The Deco app also has a built-in optimizer to help with this; with one click, I could change the channels to cause less interference, strengthening my network even more.
Having those ethernet ports on the back of my points and being able to act as an extension from the central unit has been something I didn’t know I needed, but now, legitimately, I cannot live without it. It has allowed me to connect even dated or limited devices to blazing-fast internet without having to poke holes in my walls and traverse between floorboards to bring a CAT6 Ethernet cable from my main floor down across the footprint of my home to my basement home office/studio. Further, it has helped me speed up my testing process, allowing me to run updates and download testing software without having to take another step to connect to my Wi-Fi manually. I can plug into a ” wired ” dock to my modem, and I’m automatically connected to the internet.
Another massive win for the Deco XE75 Pro Wi-Fi system is that I can have my own built-in VPN to connect back to my home network without paying some absurd fee or having some crazy tech added to my network. I could set this up with limited knowledge of VPN creation and only a few minutes. Now, anywhere in the world, I can connect to my home network and access printers, local cameras, local storage, computers on my home network, and so on.
Lastly, if I did want to pay, I could get a host of AI-enhanced features that TP-Link has that could give me even more ability through this incredible router.
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Design |
Beautiful Design |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Material quality |
Great Materials |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Ease of use |
Easy to use — Follow Instructions |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Practicality |
Practical for Most |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Price |
Pricy, but quality |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro: Final verdict
The TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro is an excellent Wi-Fi 6E mesh system for those seeking high-speed, low-latency performance with wide coverage. The AI-driven mesh technology and seamless roaming make it ideal for large spaces with multiple devices, and the extra ethernet ports allow the ability to turn a wireless network into a place to plug in wired devices. While it lacks USB ports and some security features require a paid subscription, its performance, ease of use, and future-proofed design make it one of the best Wi-Fi 6E mesh options available.
For more for home networking, we reviewed the best Wi-Fi routers around.
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collin.probst@futurenet.com (Collin Probst)
