Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsDid not meet expectations
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2020
The TP-Link WiFi6 Deco X20 did not live up to expectations, as I was hoping to replace my 10 year old Apple Airport Extreme Wifi Router, that was nearing the end of it's life, and could not keep up with the bandwidth and speed needed to support three kids and a teacher all e-learning from home.
After upgrading from the terribly slow (but mostly reliable) ATT boradband (their fastest service is 50 MBPS) where I live to Comcast Gigaspeed internet and going with a Netgear giga-speed modem. Contrary to most popular opinions, Comcast support was awesome (they had to come out and run a new line to the house), and the initial speed test was 996 MBPS hardwired through the modem.
We have a two story home, with approximately 50+ devices connected to the wifi at a time. The range of the Airport Extreme was significantly decreased in the basement and the far upstairs bedrooms (the router was located on the main floor). I was looking for a Wifi 6 Mesh system to cover the entire house, support a multitude of devices, and provide the fastest speeds possible. The TP-Link Deco X20 specs seemed to be a great fit.
The system arrived quickly from Amazon (a day ahead of the expected delivery date). Set up of the main unit could not have been easier using the TP Link app on my iPhone. I was able to keep the same name and password, enabling all of my previously connected devices to seamlessly switch over to the new router. The app interface is simple to use, and guided me through the set up process.
The X20s are very attractive devices and do not look like a typical industrial router with antennas and bright flashing lights.
The range (when all three units were connected) was incredible, and I had full signal throughout the house and to the far reaches of the yard.
The issues started to occur when adding the satellite units. I hardwired the basement unit and wirelessly connected the upstairs unit. While I was eventually able to get them to connect, their connection dropped several times a day over the next week. The one feature I liked about the TP-Link over the Eero system was the ethernet ports in the rear of the satellite units. As the satellite units dropped off, the devices wired to them lost signal as well (as they were unable to connect to the main unit). After a week, I was unable to connect one of the units at all, even after multiple resets, disconnecting the unit from the system, and completing a factory reset of the entire system. It still gave the flashing red light (never turning blue to connect).
The second issue was both wired and wireless speeds. I expected the WiFi 6 to provide enhanced speeds to a variety of devices (including my iPhone 11 ProMax which is WiFi 6 capable), and found them to be only slightly above what I was getting from the old ATT service and Apple router (WiFi speeds that is, the wired speeds never rose above 400). There were occassions that I would receive slightly faster speeds (100-150), but it was not consistent.
The third issue I had was the inability to keep a constant connection with a variety of smart plugs we have around the house. The connection to Amazon, iDevices, and Insignia plugs were very inconsistent, causing me to reset them numerous times to make a connection. While most of them recognized the router, they would not stay connected over time.
Support was not able to resolve the issue of connecting the satellite unit, rendering it useless. Due to the slow speeds, constant disconnections, and eventual non-connectivity of one of the units, I had to return the Deco X20s and look for an alternative.
I really wanted to like this Mesh router system; however, it was very disappointing upon activation and use. Unfortunately, with multiple family members online at home, I did not have the luxury of taking my time and working out the kinks over time. Ease of use and reliability are very important, and the Deco X20, could not provide either (at least without a lot of work).