TP-Link - Deco M5
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Jan 3, 2026 Scoring
Liked most:
414
25
"saucony peregrines i like alot ... usually can find good prices ... got a pair on amazon for 50 bucks that was the 13s which r their best year haha"
"Mine has already been making this summer way more bearable than the last. ... It's very worth it for the amount of comfort it affords. I appreciate being able to think about things besides how overheated I am on a warm day. ... Yeah the high summer temps are savage. I cannot operate like that. I'd happily pay hundreds a month to keep my apartment cool when it's 30+ out, at a cost of tens it's not even a question."
"This is exactly what we do too. No point blasting the hvac in the entire house when the only room we want really cold is the bedroom. Has saved us a lot on the energy bill!"
51
0
"It has poles always attached and sets up like an easy up. ... Realistically I have it up in less than 5 minutes even with the kids helping and then we can play. ... I learned the most important factor to look at is easy. Not what's the best or the most sturdy. Nope what's quick and easy that way you actually use it."
"Goes up super fast"
"it’s a game changer because it opens up like an umbrella, so one person can set the tent by themselves in minutes."
491
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"Unifi provide the most stable wifi network for IoT of all the AP on the market, even with one VLAN, even in mesh configuration. ... I have +200 IoT devices in my home from Apple, Switchbot, Aqara, Logitech, Eufy, Hue, Govee, and numerous exotic brands. I have been through hell with solutions from Apple, Orbi, Peplink, Meraki, Eero, Huawei and many many more. And only since I am rocking on Unifi I can open my Apple Home app with not a single device error !"
"Actually better than a range extender, as Mesh systems are designed from the ground up to work with each other in the system. ... But it's half ass "patched up" jerky jerky mesh was no match to a Deco. Deco was snappier, more reliable, and longer range."
"I have a 2 story 2350sf house. I have an Orbi with the master AP upstairs in the hall covering all the bedrooms rooms. Downstairs I have 2 Orbi Client APs on either end of the house covering all the downstairs, garage, and outside. ... I’ve never had any issues with coverage or bandwidth."
339
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"with a big house we always had issues with coverage before that's non-existent now"
"Actually better than a range extender, as Mesh systems are designed from the ground up to work with each other in the system. ... But it's half ass "patched up" jerky jerky mesh was no match to a Deco. Deco was snappier, more reliable, and longer range."
"The coverage is excellent. I have a 2 storey 175sqm house and it covers almost everything."
128
26
"I’ve got around 20 devices connected (phones, smart TV, laptops, even a couple of smart plugs) and it hasn’t choked once"
"internal connections for example i use Sunshine & Moonlight to game stream to my living room TV or my bedroom projector and I get the full 2.5gig speed test to my desktop from the tv, projector and my phone that are on wifi"
"I download 50tb a month on my server and steam Plex to nearly ten simultaneous users this way. Never had any issues relating to the wifi side of it."
Disliked most:
0
9
"I would not recommend May, it's playing in lower league than EW300 or Explorers. ... May is only good if you are not planing to move forward in hobby and you just want to play something inside your ears ... but if I would prefer comfort more than sound I would just buy Airpods 2 or other TWS."
"I don't like the Mays at all... ... the Mays sound really muddy to me compared to my other 2 sets."
"Technical performance, especially on resolution and imaging, is below average, but given that is quite an old model that you can get for cheap, I don’t consider it a downside, unless you are a “technical-head.” ... The technical department is a bit underwhelming for the current $80 price bracket standards, that said, is not too bad, may even say that it aged decently, but is outdated nonetheless. ... The detail retrieval is just fine, with the treble not being particularly forward on this set, you might find hard to hear some microdetail, is not bad by any means, is just that the Titan is going to be pretty discrete with some details, that you will kind of need to look around for them, I guess the tuning does care mostly about vocals in that sense. ... Resolution, soundstage, and imaging are the areas where the technical performance struggles more noticeably, being below average versus most other $80 iems, not to say that is terrible but it sure is not a strong point of them. Sound is not as crisp as it could be, the direction of the sound is a bit lackluster, almost “left to right” kind of presentation, and position of things is also not that clear, you would have a pretty rough estimate on that side, is along some $50 iems or so. ... Not for people looking for great technical performance. ... Not the best for rock music genres (thanks to the signature and technical performance). ... Technical performance, especially on resolution and imaging, is below average for the original price... ... they need to bring the tuning back, but with better techs (for the original price bracket at least). ... Titan S og techs arent that great for the price ($80), but tuning is ... SM4 would have way more technical performance than Titan S orignial so that would be a better pick i guess, Titan S is for people than like foward and center vocals paired with quite nice bass quality and amount, SM4 is more energetic, clean and technical."
3
8
"rubbish app that won't let you change settings 9 times out of 10"
"TP Link Deco definitely requires an app and an account ... although there is a web interface, it can't do much."
"If you want better configuration dont go Deco its locked down by the software app to run some services and tweak. ... using them as a primary gateway not the smartest for the more experienced user that likes the standard routing options available to setup etc."
10
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"I cannot get my Deco Xe200 to connect to the network despite many hours on the phone with customer support."
"If you can’t do a wired/coax backhaul between the nodes and have an older or brick house, I can’t recommend. ... The wireless bridge between access points is pretty horrible even like 20-30 ft from each other in my house."
"I have some regular dropouts with the set up that never happened with the old Orbi it replaced."
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"I returned mine because it was very minimally configurable. ... It wouldn't even let me set it up without internet access, and I wanted to use it in an offline lab. ... That said, it's probably fine for regular users if you have no intention of ever digging into things."
"UI wise? the thing sucks. ... there's just so many basic things you can't do. ... for starters, all the administration has to be done from a mobile app. ... the web based "admin" page just has some basic diagnostics and no ability to configure anything."
"Once I moved away from the FRITZ stuff I finally got options to fix buffer bloat and do proper QoS."
5
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"their wireless backhaul is unstable ... Mine can establish at around 900Mbps and then randomly drop to 300 and stay there until I disconnect (remove from config!) the Node and re-add it which is time consuming."
"One of my nodes constantly disconnects from the main access point despite being 40 ft away with 2 walls between."
"the deco wouldn’t play nice with my existing whole house tplink gigabit switch for the wired backhaul. Even though it was the same manufacturer. I tried forever, but finally I gave up"
There really is no one Wifi router that will penetrate all walls and building materials and give you a giant bubble of Wifi. As far as signal strength goes, they are about the same. For the best experience on a budget and easy to set up, mesh is typically the go to, like Deco or Eero. Running a wire between the two or more for wired backhaul will make it even better better.
r/HomeNetworking • Router Recommendations for two story home? ->+1 for the Decos. (Decoes?) They've been pretty reliable over the year and a half-ish that I've had them. The app is a bit funky (esp for more advanced stuff), but as far as being a router, they seem great.
r/HomeNetworking • What is a rock-solid affordable router for an average family? ->TP-Link Deco work quite well, I've installed plenty of them. Even with wireless backhaul they cope well.
r/nbn • Longest range router on the market? ->Just get a Flint 2 and call it a day, also the I had deco m5 around my home due to bad signal from the ISP router but since getting the Flint I've now got rid as it covers all the house
r/openwrt • [QUESTION] Looking for a cheap OpenWRT router with more flash (no Wi-Fi needed) ->I used the deco mesh system in the end. Honestly I really like it, I have only had a few minor hiccups but the control I have is great and it was easy to set up. It also helped I got them $100 off
r/HomeNetworking • Router advice for home ->Currently using Deco X20 and 3 M5?/3?, hoping to switch to Ubiquiti once they have a U7 Mesh. Running a cloud gateway ultra already so eventual transition to Ubiquiti is expected.
r/googlehome • What Mesh Wifi Is Everyone Using ? ->Deco. Asus has done me dirty too many times to EVER buy something from them again. Don't warranty me twice. Get out of my house.
r/BuyItForLife • Looking for Wi-Fi Router Recommendations! ->Even the mid range TP-Link mesh stuff goes well for your average home user with a couple of 4k TV's and a console plus phones and kids.
r/nbn • Longest range router on the market? ->The wireless backhaul is nothing to sniff at on the better domestic mesh systems. I've got a higher end orbi system, and move an absolute boatload of data around, with more than 50 attached devices on the network, and it holds up very, very well. Your average home user will be well served by a Deco mesh.
r/nbn • Longest range router on the market? ->Re-iterating what others have stated. They work great when you hardware each unit. I am not a fan of wireless backhaul. In theory it should work, but in reality I find them lacking. I have recently done a Deco install and an Eero install, hardwiring all units for both. It is sometimes cheaper to do it this way than buying APs to wire in. Just remember to have the "Main" mesh unit first in the chain. I usually go Internet Modem -> First Mesh Unit -> switch -> satellites.
r/HomeNetworking • Does your mesh system perform well? ->7,299 right now on Amazon for 3 unit TP link deco.
r/Kerala • Are Wi-Fi Extenders Really Effective? ->Buy 2 unit mesh for 5k and check coverage. Then add more if necessary.
r/Kerala • Are Wi-Fi Extenders Really Effective? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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