Deco X55

I'll be the counter comment. I absolutely despise my 3x Deco x55s. They are absolutely garbage and are a joke of a product. At first I loved them, but then I started having what I believe are DHCP problems and memory leaks. I can't confirm this because they obfuscate everything through their app with hardly any administrative abilities. Basically I have devices that will just randomly drop and can't reconnect because they can't get an IP address. (I have maybe 50 devices...) Oh, and if you don't have Internet your wifi basically craps out because it's all cloud based. I can't custom configure different WiFi's in a way that is useful for my house, and can't really configure different vlans. But worst of all there is simply no ability to troubleshoot when things are broken. I'd love to put openwrt on them, but haven't been successful so far. I really hate my Decos and I wish I never bought them

I have that model. Coverage is good if you can overlook frequent internet burps where internet connectivity likes to take a little rest from working frequently. Software, both app and web interface, is bush league.

I've used the S4 AC1900 trio (older but worked well), along with the X55 trio. Still Wifi 6 but decent coverage. The one failure was the Eero Mesh 6, stopped working but got a replacement set from Amazon and shipped the old set back. No problems since then.

I’m happy with the TP-Link X55 Deco system. Have used it both with and without Ethernet backhaul and was pleased with the results either way.

From a cost/quality/ease of setup TP Link Deco’s are definitely in the running. I have 3 in a 2600 sq/ft 1 floor house with no problems. Granted mine are all hardwired in AP mode but I imagine they would still work well in mesh.

If they can’t get a cable, have them do a mesh device. Turn the WiFi off on the router, and add a 2 or 3 mesh system like eero. I use TP-Link Deco myself. You hardware 1 to the router and put the other 1 or 2 strategically where you have power only.

Eero is going to be a bit spendy in comparison to TP Link. [This TP Link is around $160](https://a.co/d/8VPQ1au) I have the AC1900 Deco which is more around $120 but not as good. I bought that a couple years ago.

With the limited info you provide, I would suggest going for two X55, located as you describe. If you go for four, it is probably best to install the third and four in the middle of the floor, not at the far end.

The main Deco must be wired to its source of Internet. I would return the Archer, indeed, and build a mesh only with deco units.

3 Deco meshes in the family, purchased in 2020, 2024 and 2025, all working perfectly.

Another vote for the Decos (X55s here). Great coverage throughout our house, easy to setup and use.

[TP-Link Deco X55 AX3000](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1685003-REG/tp_link_deco_x55_3_pack_deco_x55_ax3000_whole.html) is the best Deco mesh system in your budget. Mesh is not perfect, but it can get you decent coverage and decent speeds where you need it. I think three is perfect for your setup. Make sure they are spaced evenly from each other.

If money is no option then I would go with a Ubiquiti setup (router and a couple access points) but best budget option is always gonna be TP Link, best bang for your buck. No need to spend any extra for the latest wifi7 stuff, wifi6 is more than enough for your current speed plan. https://a.co/d/fiO5NkO

I’d try a mesh router system first something like the Eero 7 Plus or the TP Link Deco and see how that works before deciding to run cat6. That should be able to adequately cover 2600sqft no problem. If that isn’t enough then I’d go down the cat6 rabbit hole.

That other end of that line runs outside to the phone nid but you need it to go to your router, so you'll need to fish 2 walls. Not saying it's impossible but it would be much more complicated than you're thinking. I'd go with a mesh system like the Eero 7 Plus or the TPLink Deco, it would be much easier to get up and running.

Brother in law upgraded his old nest to the new, both were flaky and dropping connected units. I gave him my deco X55 ax 3000 three piece set and he hasn't had any trouble, nor did I. I upgraded to unifi system for extra control/features.