TP-Link AX6600 Deco X90

Awesome.... If you can afford the price tag! – I was asked by a friend to help set up a network in his new house. After a long search and tricky requirements we settled on the TP-Link Deco X90 (As my friend wasn't willing to budge on any of his requirements below) . I was really impressed (and surprised) by the X90, when run as a mesh set up it is awesome and really easy to set up. The only big downside is cost. Weighing in at combined price of $1758 for four units ( at time of writing - 2 x 2packs costing $879 from Officeworks) it was way more than I would ever be able to spend on my own network. When factoring in the 2.5GBe port it does bring reasonably in line with current offerings from other router manufacturers.

My friend had some pretty tight requirements (below) and unfortunately his house is a maze of mostly steel re-enforced concrete which is the mortal enemy of 5GHz Wi-Fi hence the need for 4 units! After a long search we settled on the X90 as there were only 2 units on the market that met all of his requirements. (The other was a similarly priced Asus Mesh router)

My friend's requirements (I think we ticked all the boxes) --------------------------------------------------------------- - "It must just work!" - 2.5GBe port (needed for fast comms with network attached storage system) - Really fast Wi-Fi with good coverage. - Numerous concurrent users. - Easy setup for a non-technical person - Compatible with Apple products - Seamless connection. He did not want to be faffing about changing networks. - No random dropouts. - No built in listening devices! - Good tech support (In case I am not arround).

What I liked (and my friend liked) ------------------------------------- - Truly Seamless - It works fast, without dropouts, having to changing frequencies or switch networks! - It works well with iPhones and Apple devices with no dropouts. (It was also absolutely fine with my Android based devices). Some of the reviews of other systems, such as the Asus offering, claimed that iPhones could drop out for a few seconds when switching between repeaters. - Superb support from TP Link. (One of the 4 units didn't work properly). TP Link were easy to get hold of and very helpful. When it was apparent that it was not going to be fixable over the phone they arranged for a replacement unit! - Once set up it has been extremely reliable. - 2.5GbE port (and a 1GbE port) giving blazing fast access to the 2.5GbE NAS from everywhere - Really good coverage even when used as wireless repeaters. We were getting really fast and strong connections everywhere. - The setup app was really easy to use. - It is just a Wi-Fi router. It isn't trying to be anything else like a creepy Amazon listening device! - All the units are the same so it doesn't matter what order you use them in. Though I suspect this adds to the cost. - They have been very stable. No resets or intervention since setup. - They have pretty good range when not obscured by concrete and rebar. - Compatible with other older devices made by TP link. (This is not the case for many manufacturers) - It may look ugly IMHO (my friend liked how it looked). It is not nearly as ugly as some of its competition!

What I didn't like (my friend didn't mind) -------------------------------------------- - They are expensive - Though not so much if you are looking for a unit with a 2.5GbE wired port! - Not wall mounting. - They are pretty big. - No obvious way to disable the really bright (for a bedroom) LEDs along the side that doesn't involve electrical insulation tape! - They have to be connected to the internet to use the app. I would like to have seen a Bluetooth option. Though I am informed it is possible to setup offline using a web browser (I have not tested). - It only comes in 1 and 2 unit packs. To cover my friends house we needed 3 units. He went for 4 due to the savings of buying a 2 pack and plans to put the fourth in his shed! - I would have liked the ability to fit external aerials. - Trying to wade through mountain of different devices to find the right one to fit the brief!

Important Note: When setting up make sure that they are all reasonably close together to allow them to configure properly. Once they are configured they can be taken to where they are going to be used. Attempting to set them up when they are not close together can result in some unrecoverable problems.