TP-Link AX1800 Deco X20

Great support – Very patient service by Aurelia. Assisted me through setting my system after a new provider. Highly recommend Show details ·  1

Not bad, it does the job in my 2 storey house – Contacted the initial support team who were brilliant, although they couldn't fix it they passed my problem to TP-LINK engineers who got me a custom firmware which fixed my problem, couldn't really ask for any better service. Show details

Aurelia’s service – I was having a hard time connecting to the internet but she patiently worked with me to change some settings to get it connected. I am more than satisfied with the help I had from Aurelia. Show details

Great system – Bought the 3 pack to replace existing Nighthawk system with router and repeater which has been prone to problems for some time. Now wishing I'd gone this way earlier. Firstly, great bang for your buck. Was prepared to spend whatever was required to get this sorted and was advised by a colleague to give this TP-Link system a go. I thought well,… Read more

it's not a lot of money, sounded too cheap really to achieve strong reliable wifi coverage throughout the house inside and out but yeah why not give it a try. Well, the thing almost sets itself up - actually after the main unit is setup, the other units actually do set themselves up - great start. Setup via an app by the way, which I didn't mind. Once set up, my devices all began to appear in the network tree, based on which unit they were closest to. So far, so good I thought. Speed tested a few things and great results everywhere, anywhere in the house and out in the backyard. Have had to renew wifi credentials on some devices/apps here and there as you'd expect but otherwise just a seamless process I get the impression it's aimed at the entry level market but for an ordinary bloke like me without really high expectations it's perfect Connecting to, on average 12 wifi devices and an 8 port switch supplying various access points

Remarkable performance – outstanding technical support – I purchased my mesh router with a Trend Micro Home system to give me faster speeds, greater range (even in my shed) and more security. I had no difficulty setting it up. It was mostly intuitive. I noticed significant speed improvements and stronger signal, even in places where my standard modem couldn't reach. However there was one problem. It… Read more

would drop out occasionally. eg the NBN phone would go dead or Netflix would drop out. After a lot of trial and error that failed to find the cause, I called TP-Link's help line. The level of support I received from Support Engineer, Luna Lu, was second to none.

The problem was complex with no certainty where the problem lay (with the DECO or with one of the attached devices.

Eventually, the problem was escalated to Ives Lin, who remote connected to my network and quickly identified the problem. It was caused by the Trend Micro Home. Hopefully Trend Micro will resolve their problem, but as far as the Deco is concerned, they have been extraordinary in the commitment to help me. As a network engineer, myself, I know how difficult it is to solve complex issues remotely. Their customer service engineer and network analyst set the gold standard for professionalism.

With products like this, it's often hard to know where problems lie. You need to know that the company behind the product will look after you. Even though the problem wasn't caused by their product, TP-Link helped me to find the cause. When it comes to customer service, they are without peer.

Set up procrss – Very difficult to set up based on the sales person's instructions which were incorrect. Finally got it set up after some very trying hours Show details

Not easy to install whatsoever – It took four calls over three consecutive nights to get this to get working only partially. One of the tech staff was good. The others really struggled. I still have not received a email from two of the support staff who said they would send instructions. Telephone line was poor and I we were disconnected twice. finally solved issue after spending… Read more

two hours on forums. Do not buy this unless you have tech support on site. It is not simple and it is definitely not quick.

Hard to set up, but once set up is having exactly the impact I needed – At first the instructions for setup were really easy to follow. However ran into issues with the connection type for my ISP. Spent a lot of time on the phone with the ISP who then said to contact TP-Link. TP-Link support had a very short wait time and Sukie Li was very helpful in making sure I knew what buttons to press. The issue was fairly easy… Read more ·  1

to solve, but actually was made complicated by the multiple possible names used for a singular parameter in the internet connection configuration. Once Sukie Li was able to translate information from my ISP to what their system was looking for it was very straightforward.

Once set up, my internet speeds have increased significantly, especially at formerly dead areas of the house

Excellent Tech Support – Accidentally deleted my network on the deco app and had problems reconnecting the internet. Lucinda Mo tp-link tech support guided me step by step and got my deco’s reconnected and working. She was very patient and genuinely wanted to solve my problem. Awesome customer service and thanks again Lucinda Mo. Show details

Excellent support – Been running without issues until recently but I called and got Sylvia Liu who was brilliant and patient in helping me resolve issues

After sales Customer service – We had trouble with configuration of modem to NBN Internet connection provided by our local ISP. Communication with Tp-link's customer service Help team solved the problem quickly and easily. Show details ·  1

an excellent wifi mesh system – I tried google nest wifi 2nd gen 3 pack and Netgear orbi rbk752 2pack both failed with lots of problems and wasted time in their support calls and tickets. Tplink deco x20: - delivered MyRepublic ISP internet speed ( 100/40Mbps) consistently throughout my home. - no drop outs - very easy to setup - supported all my 50+ devices to connect to my wifi Show details

Easy to Use, Very Reliable – Have owned for a few years. I use a 2 pack in a 4 bedroom house where 3 are recommended. No wired just wireless. Previous Device was constantly dropping 2.4hz Smart Devices. This system fixed the issue. App simple to use. Has 25-30 devices connected at one time with no issues. I use another modem as bridge as on FTTN. When I purchased was top of… Read more ·  1

the line but now (Jan 2022) is considered a base model however this works fine and will still keep this unless something faster needed on on FTTP upgrade. Build quality is solid, I've knocked one of the back of a cupboard, either shear luck no damage and works fine.

Wifi issues solved – Have been having major coverage issues in a house with think stone walls and a strange layout. Someone recommended this solution to us and I researched it here (great review @Saltcastle - very helpful and persuaded us to give it a try). Wifi now works everywhere and have had no issues despite having around 20 devices connected. Highly recommend this to anyone struggling with poor wifi. Show details ·  1

Was as recommended – Based on the review by "Sandcastle" I bought a TP-Link AX1800 Deco X20 V2 and have found it to be every thing stated and has suited me very well Now have great connectivity after a very simple setup and have experienced no issues to date (4 months) Show reply

Best purchase in a long time – This review will sound like a paid advertisement, trust me it is not. I am just super satisfied with it and happy to share my experience. Want the TL;DR version? If you have any sort of Wifi issues, and you know what I am talking about, go out and get yourself one of these. Throw out your current setup, especially forget that extenders even… Read more ·  1

exist, stop trying to trouble shoot your existing Wifi, just get one of these mesh system. No questions, no buts, no what ifs, just go!

I love: - Easy setup (but read towards the end for what you need for different NBN connection types) - Absolutely rock solid routing and amazing ability to blanket your home in strong Wifi signal. - Free network traffic scanning using Trend Micro's data base for malware and other threats works well and does seem to be more than just a marketing gimmick - Nice mobile app with nice basic statistics

I am not so impressed by: - Well, it is a "network managed device" - good idea in principle, but I would like to the ability to restrict or turn off remote access to the network. - I would love to schedule automatic reboots.

Want more detail? Here is the full background and review. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We are a household of five. Plus, for a few months, we were temporarily sharing a big house (single storey only) with half of another family (long story) hence I was the system admin for eight. Teenagers (x 4), uni student (x1), working mums (x2) and myself. During the various lock downs, all of us were working and schooling from home, so it was not uncommon to have some serious network demand. Four or five concurrent Zoom / Teams sessions at a time, plus me constantly screen sharing with colleagues and all eight computers synchronising Onedrive in the background. Throw in the odd Youtube video and it is a busy life for the network equipment. Let's not even talk about what happens after business or school hours when Netflix, Stan, Amazon and Youtube get kicked into overdrive on the various devices.

Our NBN is a 50/20 HFC connection with Aussie Broadband, I thought I mention that here for completeness.

For several months I had wrestled with the network. I am not an expert by all means, but I know my way around router interfaces, IP addresses, subnets, ports, firewalls and the like at least on a basic level. No matter what I did, I just could not get this network to work consistently. It was terribly unreliable, things would work, then the Wifi dropped out for a handful of devices (but not for others), Wifi printers would get dropped off the network (although their assigned IP addresses would remain 'connected' in the router interface, sometimes ping-able, sometimes not), my mobile phone sitting on my desk next to me stays connected to the Wifi but says it has no internet connection, while all other devices are happy, Zoom meetings with terrible audio and frozen video and so on and so on.

I tried three different routers with varying success. But there was not a day when someone did not come out of their room angrily rebooting the router (and booting everybody else off briefly) - which almost always fixed whatever issue there was - for a limited time.

I bought (expensive) extenders. Good for signal strength, but they added another layer of complication and possible points of error (and reboots) to the system so the overall benefit was questionable. Same with routers that I turned into extenders. Some I tried as hard wired access points. I just could not get this to work, even half way to an acceptable level.

As an act of desperation I looked into a completely new setup. I was willing to spend money, if only the 'pain' would go away.

A few Google searches and Youtube videos later I decided that the TP-Link Deco X20 was the way to go for me. I was so ready to go for a Google Mesh system (the rest of my life is in the Google-sphere including a number of Google Home devices, all Android phones, an Android TV, two Chromecasts ... you get the picture) but the latest incarnation of Google Mesh has no more ethernet ports on the satellite devices. For reasons I am not going into here, I cannot have that. I need to be able to have the mesh devices have the ability to be hard wired.

Off I went and ordered a 3-pack of the TP-Ling Deco X20. First pleasant surprise was the price. I paid $349 for the 3-pack. Bargain, I have spent way more than that in the past on different routers and extenders while trying to fix my network issues. But as I said, I was at a point where I almost did not care about the price any more (that is btw rare with me).

Now that I have them, by gosh do I love those babies. My goodness, I cannot tell you how awesome they are. Setup was a breeze with the mobile app that talks you through it step-by-step. Once the first one is properly wired up (more about that below), you just take the other ones out of the box and turn them on. They boot, find each other, connect to each other and bathe your home in Wifi. It is all working like a charm. During setup the app told me that a new firmware was available and then updated the devices for me. And that was it.

The signal is everywhere, it is strong, it is stable, it is rock solid. The handover from one part of the house to the other is absolutely seamless, people Zoom, have Teams meetings, Netflix, Youtube at will, the X20 Mesh handles all the traffic with such ease it absolutely amazes me. The printers are there available, ready to print all the time. Nobody drops out, video is smooth, audio is, well, audible, 5Ghz devices use the 5Ghz spectrum, older ones (like one of the printers) get assigned onto the 2.4Ghz band.

The app allows me to assign certain devices a higher traffic priorities than others. Not sure if it makes any difference, but I decided that those devices on Zoom calls for schooling to be 'more important' than for example the printers or my mobile.

They are Wifi 6 devices, so to a degree they are future proof (if there is such a thing). I have had them for just over a month now (edit: March 2023: 20 months). Nothing went seriously wrong, rarely are reboots required. Most importantly, not a single complaint has come my way (and you better believe it, the moment the slightest thing goes wrong, I hear about it). I only wish I had bought those earlier.

A few words about NBN compatibility: The Deco X20 system takes over the routing (like a traffic controller) inside your house. It is NOT a modem. The difference is not that easy to explain especially since those two functions are often combined in one single device. But here it is. Check what type of NBN connection you have. If you don't know, there is an NBN web site where you can type in your address (https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address) and it will tell you.

If you have a connection that is FTTP, FTTC or HFC, then the Deco X20 will directly connect to the device your already have. Simple, easy, no drama. Just unplug your current router and replace it with the Deco X20.

If you are on FTTN, you have two choices. Either turn your existing router/modem combo (which you would have on that connection type) into a modem only in the router configuration settings. That may be a bit tricky for some people. Your ISP may be able to help you with that, depending on who you use. As I said I am with Aussie Broadband and I have absolutely no doubt that their support desk would talk you through that in no time.

or

Get a Deco X20-DSL plus a few of the X20 mesh (a 2-pack or the 3-Pack or however many you want, really). The X20-DSL will then take over the part of the modem as well as the routing.

I hope this makes sense (and I hope this is right btw, someone please correct me if not).

+++++++++++++++++ Edit and update 11 August 2021 It is now a month into it and I have a few more things to add.

Firstly I turned on the what is called 'Home Protection' feature in the mobile app. Did not expect much to be honest (there are a lot of buzz words like Malicious Content Filtering, Intrusion Prevention or Infected device quarantine) and by default the settings were off. After the first month I received a report and in that report it listed a whole bunch of items in the Anti Virus History. I had a closer look and sure enough, there were 34 entries of blocked items listed with the target devices inside my network. I googled around and it certainly looks like that those are things worth blocking. How much damage they would have done, I don't know as there are of course other guards up (like inside Windows itself on the targeted devices), but kudos, a threat blocked is a thread blocked. TP-Link partners with Trend Micro on this service, for sure a reputable name.

I also looked into the power consumption of the Deco devices. They each draw 4 Watt, which is surprisingly little. The cost for each device to run assuming them being on continuously would be in the order of $9 per year (I assume an average electricity rate here) so around $27 a year to run the 3-pack system.

Lastly, the system is 'network managed'. That means that TP-Link basically has access to the system from the outside and can send update and patches. It also means that I can manage the network from outside (as in when not connected to the Wifi, which would be the 'inside' of my network). That I must say I am not that much a fan of as it opens up an unnecessary door for the nasties living and creeping around on the internet to find their way into my network. Let's be honest, it really is only a question of time until some sort of vulnerability will be found to hack those devices and to gain access to people's Deco run networks.

Of course, having said that, TP-Link will be able to patch the problem remotely as well (unless the vulnerability is smarter than that ... and so the cycle begins), but having remote access to my network that I cannot turn off, is not something I like. TP-Link you may want to consider allowing people to turn that off and then in return have to manually run their updates.

+++++++ Edits 11 August 2021: Added Likes and Dislikes to the summary on the top Added experience after a month of usage Removed reference to online promotion ending end of July 2021 Fixed typos

Edits 13 August 2021 Typos

+++++++ Update Sep 2022: More than a year into owning the system, I am still very happy with it. Firmware updates have been rare or non-existent in the past few months I must say and a few little things are pending if you ask me. The automatic channel selection does not work the way I was hoping it would. This may be an issue if you are in a WiFi crowded area. I am not, so it is not an issue for me and I cannot comment if it actually does cause problems.

Now and then (say three times maybe) I had one of the satellite units drop off the network without a warning. The others took over as designed, and a reboot of the whole system via the app solved it all.

2nd update September 2022: Updated a few things for ease of reading and updated lock down scenario (we were in lockdown when I bought the system)

+++++++++++++++++ Edit and update 20 March 2023 (20 months from purchase) Still love them, still very happy. I see Version 4 is out now, mine are Version 2. I have not looked into the differences.

I recently had one particularly nasty issue with my NBN connection just not giving me the right speed. I am on a 50/20 plan (still with Aussie Broadband) and no matter what I did, I could not get above 40 Mbps downloads. It was a VERY long and difficult trouble shooting process on the phone to AussieBB and after about two hours in total, what actually solved the issue was to factory reset the Deco System (and kudos to AussieBB for the incredible support, that was impressive).

One would think that a factory reset of the home network would be one of the first points during the trouble shooting process, but for various reasons I am not going into here, I was very reluctant to do that.

But here it is, if you have that problem, give a factory reset a go (press the little rest button on the bottom of the main unit for 30 sec). You have to set it all up again, of course, but It may solve your problem.

But overall and in short, still extremely happy with the purchase. Highly recommended.