TP Link Deco Whole System Plug

My Old Neighbor KGT said Good product, but with one fatal flaw..

I bought this deco m9 system because I already have a working deco m5 system at another location. That system is working well, and has made people there happy with the coverage.
I was expecting the same or better with this deco m9 system. However, upon setting up in router mode, I found there is no way to change the deco m9 router LAN IP from its default of 172.16.0.1
It's absolutely incredible that Tplink would leave such basic functionality out of this product. What's even more interesting is that the older deco m5 does have this ability.
I had to return the deco m9 system, as not having the ability to change the router LAN IP made it essentially useless on the local network. (Many items on the network do not use DHCP, and have hardcoded local IP's in the 192.168.x.x range.) I could get over the lack of a web interface.....but not having a way to change the local IP address of the m9 is just a no go. I'm certain this product provides excellent wireless coverage. However, TpLink has some firmware work to do just to bring this item up to basic home router functionality. Perhaps I will try again in the future if/when TpLink adds this basic functionality to updates of the deco m9 line.

My friend Me Tell U say Very good first impressions.

Update (02/20/19):
Using this for 8 months now and still rock solid. Most of the negative (or neutral) reviews are due to reviews lack of knowledge, or their disappointment that it's missing some advanced feature that 99.999% of home users could care less about. I'm very tech savvy, 25+ years as a network/telecom systems integrator, designing and configuring business network and telecommunication systems from the ground up. The last think I want to do at home is work on my network.... I just want to plug it in, configure a few settings and it work. That's exactly what this is.

Original Review:
This product was just released and installed, so these are my initial thoughts... I will update this review if/when my experience changes.

First, I can't imagine a router installation being any simpler. The included Quick Start Guide, is a booklet about the size of a business card, with one simple instruction repeated in every language known to man... That instruction is (I'm paraphrasing) "Download the app, and follow the instructions". Anyone who can download an app and read, can have this up and running in no time. I AM NOT EXAGGERATING!

The app is very well done, and makes advanced features like QOS, and Parental Controls simple for anyone to configure and use. With this app, you can manage your network using your mobile device from anywhere in the world, assuming you have an internet connection. I'm not sure if you can configure/manage through other means (web-browser, etc...); I haven't attempted it, because the app is so convenient and includes everything I need (much better than the Linksys app).

Although it's still early in my testing, performance is noticeably improved over my previous router (Linksys AC3200/EA9200 Tri-Band).
I have A LOT of devices on my network... (6-Laptops, 1-PC, 1-NAS, 8-SmartPhones, 3-Tablets, 1-XBOX One, 1-PlayStation 4, 1-Nintendo Switch, 7-Bose SoundTouch Speakers, 5-Arlo Cameras, 4-Tivo's, 1-SmartThings hub, 3-Amazon Echos, an Ecobee thermostat, a Rachio Sprinkler Controller, and some WiFi light switches). In my household (of 6), it's not uncommon to have 2 or 3 online gaming sessions, streaming videos, streaming music, and web surfing all happening simultaneously.

After installing the Deco's, the first thing I noticed was my Bose SoundTouch app and speakers (which have always been flaky) became very responsive and trouble free (again it's still early). Also, there's a noticeable improvement in areas were the WiFi signal begins to drop off. With the Linksys, in areas where my device would indicate a weak signal (25%-50%) the device would be very slow (1-5 Mbps downloads) and unstable, switching between WiFi and LTE. With the Deco, in areas where devices indicate a similar weak signal, it's still very stable, and performance is decent (20-30 Mbps downloads). Also... These areas of degraded signal strength are further out with the Deco's compared to my previous router, as the Deco's do cover more area.

For reference. I live in a single story, brick home (constructed in 1971), with 2800 sq ft of living space, plus an attached 2 car garage, and covered patio. I first connected only a single Deco, and tested coverage. The single unit was able to provide WiFi coverage to my entire living space. It would begin to drop off outdoors and in the garage. The single Deco's coverage was about the same (maybe a little better) as my single Linksys, but was much more stable. Adding the second Deco, increased the coverage and extended it to my outdoor spaces, garage, driveway, etc...
I'm still playing around with placement of the second unit.

I bought these on "Prime Day", and while several other mesh systems were discounted that day (Netgear Orbi, Linksys Velop, etc...) and I could have saved almost $100 with one of those, I choose the TP-Link. The main reasons was the security features offered. This system includes 3 years of Antivirus, Intrusion Prevention, and Content Filtering, in addition to some pretty slick QOS and Parental Control features.

Having these security features on your router doesn't mean you don't need antivirus on your computers. It's meant to be an extra layer of protection and for protecting internet connected devices that can't have antiviurs installed, like smart TV's, WiFi Speakers, and Smart Home Hubs/Devices, etc....

The Deco M9 also has a built in Smart Hub, which allows to to connect zigbee devices such as sensors, light bulbs, light switches, etc... and create automations and notifications based on triggers. I did set up an automation to notify me when a network security threat is detected, but haven't had any triggers yet, so I can't say how well it works. I probably won't use an other automation features, as I already use Samsung SmartThings and I think it has more features and supports more devices than the Deco M9. Although, it can be a great way to introduce your self to this technology without having to invest a smart hub.

So to recap...the system is super easy to install and manage, looks good, performs well, covers a large area, and includes a comprehensive and robust suite of security, QOS, and Parental Control features, plus a built in smart hub. Oh.... and it also has a 2 year warranty (most have 1 year, or worse 90 days). What more do you want?

If there is one negative that I found, it's that the units are not wall mountable without purchasing a third party wall mount kit. Seems like they could have easily included some mounting holes on the bottom to give customers that option.

My Buddy Jack E. Logan Talk Purchase if you want to give up all of your security.

This router can not be set up without a smart phone of tablet using a third party application. Then you are required to supply all the info on your device and create an account (read:you can't do anything with a device you own without going through tp-link and getting their permission). You do not have a direct link between your device and the router. TP-Link even has access to your passwords and if you have any IoT or security devices they can get to those , also. I can just picture them looking through my security cameras to spy on us!

My Old Fellow Xtasy experience Way better than Orbi.

I have owned Orbi for 1 1/2 years. Paid more than $400 for 2 pack set. Hoping that I could get stable fast wifi in my home. Boy, could I be more wrong. Orbi is cable of deliver really fast speed. However, this system is extremely unstable. I have frequented Orbi forum for solutions. I realized there are many users like me who experienced same issues. Throughout the years, we all hope that all the problems will be resoved by firmware updates. Netgear did push numerous updates. But, up till today, my wifi still experiences hiccups, drops. Like many others, I finally give up. Ordered deco to replace Orbi. Having used it for one day, my initial impression is great. The speed it on par with Orbi. But it's way more stable than Orbi. Orbi required me reboot my router almost daily. For the first time, I was able to complete a video call witout lag or drop. That's how unstable Orbi is. I haven't had a chance to test other features. As far as the WiFi, I am happy with its performance.

My Old Man R. Carlson said Seems great, horrible service, app needs work.

I bought this Mesh system thinking that it would work with all my smart home devices. It has both 2.4 and 5 GHz networks, which is what I needed. But what they don't tell you is that with the M3, you can't shut off the 5 GHz or the 2.4 if you need to.

I have 3 devices, cameras, that REQUIRE 2.4 GHz, along with four hard-wired smart switches. Since the Deco doesn't seem to differentiate between 5 and 2.4, my phone automatically connects to 5. Well, when I go to setup the cameras and switches with the apps in my phone, they won't work. They either flat out tell me I need a 2.4 GHz network, or they just get stuck.

At any rate, the M5 and above DO allow for shutting off the 5 or the 2.4 if need be. But the M3 does NOT. Nothing in the horrible instructions (about 50 languages of size 3pt text), nothing on the website unless you dig deep into the community forums. Apparently there's a firmware update coming out to resolve this. Why they didn't include it in the first place is beyond me. So for now I wait...cameras and office lights won't work, but that's fine I guess. I can tie in the old router for the time being.

My Old Chap GiddySwine say Edited after annoyances popped up.

Edit: after a few months, some annoying quirks have shown themselves. One, if my internet provider cuts out service from a storm or maintenance, the device shows the Red LED of Death and I need to factory reset my device to restore wifi in our house. Two, sometimes the Red LED of Death just turns on for apparently no reason, meaning I need to reset the wifi. It's a minor but annoying inconvenience. Two stars instead of one because resetting the device and restoring wifi takes about 5 minutes and as long as you're wifi name and password remain unchanged, connected devices reconnect easily to the reset wifi. Routers should be a set it and forget it device, unfortunate this is not one of those routers for me.

Prime Day launch, so we're just two days into this experiment but so far so good. It took about 15 minutes to set up both units and the app is very polished. Dead spots in my house have disappeared and speeds are pretty consistent throughout. I like the profiles you can assign to different devices, allowing me to set kid wifi privileges and enforce no-wifi times. Will update if consistency becomes a problem.

My friend Jason C. Talk So far so good.

I've had this mesh wifi up for a day and so far so good. I tested the internet speeds in the far reaches of my home and the speed has doubled. I like the compact plug in extenders. I barely notice them on the walls. I downloaded the app to install the system. Super easy to setup. I like the convenience of the app. The app also has parental controls so I can monitor/restrict what my kids do on the net.

My Old Fellow Alex B. Talk Wifi dead spots, no more!.

I was afraid that I might be sacrificing speed for coverage when I purchased this mesh system. You see...my old wifi router was an AC1750, wheras this is an AC1200. However...boy was I wrong!! Maybe it's because the house is now blanketed with such a strong and consistent signal that the speed has actually improved as well. This system is designed for a house twice the size of mine, but I wanted to be safe than sorry. There are quite a few upgrades to the technology my old wifi router had. First of all, my old router put out 2 seperate network names for the 2.4 and 5 ghz frequencies, which was rather annoying when I had to manually change the wifi network depending on which room of the house I was in. This mesh network not only puts out just one network name, but it will automatically choose which of the 2.4 or 5 ghz frequency works best for your device. Secondly, the 2 range extenders seamlessly push the wifi to the weaker areas of the house. However, unlike the old range extenders you'd buy, these work on the same network name and do not degrade the signal at all. Lastly, the set up was super simple, which was all driven by the mobile app. It guides you step-by-step along the process. There is even a WPS button right within the app; not physically on the device. Therefore, if you need to make the router discoverable, there's no longer a need to climb to where ever you put the router to push a physical WPS button, and then have to sprint to your device to make sure they are both in discovery mode at the same time. This made my life sooo much easier!! I am thrilled that I finally have reliable and consistent wifi in my home again, and think this system is worth every penny! I hope this helps!!

My Buddy Ryan say Bad networking design..

This is hard do not buy. I loved it at first until I changed my internet service which put me in outage then I replaced my modem twice. This should not have affected my home intranet or inertial network. Yet this system needs internet connectivity at all times for the router to work.
So if you have an internal network this will break your network. Also after calling into TP, they told me to create a new network which does not make any sense. At this point, this mesh router has great speeds and super easy to set up but the whole internal network not working and making a new makes this the worst router ever. I'm sure firmware updates will fix the issue but this is a hard pass.

Pros
Great setup, coverage, and speeds!

Cons
Tech support doesn't have a clue.
The router should work as a router if it doesn't have internet.
You abound be able to join the dead or broken network after your internet is working.
You also be able to remake an old network config instead of making new ones.

In short, I wanted this since I read received reviews at the being of the year. I would not recommend this to anyone until the bugs are fixed.

Meh
I am glad Amazon refunded my money because it's hard to explain to a 3yr old at night that I can't play music from my Nas drive because of bad network design.

Cheers!

Btw
I got the asus ac-5300 which works perfect.

My Old Man Cham Pain Talk Very Impressive MESH system.

For background, I use an Amplifi MESH network in my house, works flawlessly. The reason we purchased this system was for my Mother's house. We all noticed over the holidays that she barely had any WiFi throughout her house, and we bought her a new laptop for Christmas. I wanted to make sure she was benefiting from a strong connection and maximum speed for all of her devices. We purchased this system after some vigorous searching and reading reviews.

We purchased and received the system. Went over to her house the next day. It took me about 15-20 minutes to get everything configured, setup, and tested to my satisfaction. Prior to installation, I speed tested different areas of the house. Her 100mbps line is centralized in the middle of the home. Back bedrooms were ~10mbps, upstairs was the same. The basement was riddled with dead spots as well. After installation, I speed tested the system again, and the back bedrooms were at ~78mbps, upstairs the same. The basement was getting ~65mbps, with no dead spots.

I'm fairly Tech-savvy, and this little system is pretty impressive for the price point. I would recommend this system as a performance equivalent, yet more economical system than my $300 Amplifi system. Hey, Momma's happy, so we're all happy!