TP-Hyperlink Deco PX50 evaluate

Worth When Reviewed

$269.99 (2-pack); $299.99 (3-pack)

As we purchase increasingly cellular and good dwelling gadgets, it turns into fairly clear that the common Wi-Fi router isn’t as much as the job. The additional away from it you might be, the much less dependable the connection, which may have an effect on the velocity and even whether or not you may get on the web in any respect.

Sadly, trendy properties aren’t precisely Wi-Fi pleasant. Obstacles corresponding to steel beams, thick partitions and enormous home equipment can weaken or intrude together with your router’s Wi-Fi sign.

The brand new Deco PX50 from TP-Hyperlink tries to beat these obstacles utilizing not solely typical Mesh Wi-Fi, but additionally Powerline know-how. Meaning your property’s mains wiring carries knowledge between every router, rendering these obstacles largely irrelevant.

It means you get a single community that provides glorious Wi-Fi protection and velocity all through your entire property… and past.

Options & design

For this evaluate, TP-Hyperlink despatched the three-pack of the Deco PX50. Within the field you will discover three white models which can be equivalent in dimension (165mm x 105mm), weight (330g), and options.

Usefully they every have 3 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and a cloverleaf-type energy socket – the transformer and powerline tech is all constructed into the models.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

An ethernet cable is supplied so you possibly can join one of many Decos to your present modem/router. Any of the three models can be utilized as the primary one, with the opposite two (or extra, if you happen to purchase extras) used because the receivers or ‘nodes’ that are positioned round your property.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Setup is kind of simple. There isn’t any consumer guide: a fast setup information asks you to start out by downloading the Deco App in your cellular machine corresponding to a smartphone or pill. As soon as put in you merely open the app and comply with the step-by-step directions.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

This course of takes only a few minutes, and we had our first Deco PX50 related to the prevailing router and set-up as the primary unit. After that, it’s merely a case of deciding the place the opposite two Deco gadgets needs to be positioned round the home, plugging them right into a mains socket and once more utilizing the Deco App so as to add one other unit.

You’ll be able to identify every in order that they’re simpler to establish within the app. Final, it’s good apply to disable Wi-Fi on the previous router to keep away from interference with the brand new mesh system.

On this reviewer’s typical three-bedroom British terraced home, there have been some Wi-Fi blackouts particularly in two of the upstairs bedrooms, that are one flooring up and furthest away from the previous ISP-supplied router.

Efficiency

With a purpose to see how a lot of an enchancment the PX50 would carry, we examined Wi-Fi protection with the previous router, after which, individually the PX50 system. Utilizing the Netspot app, we went across the total home, testing at numerous factors to verify sign power.

You’ll be able to see from the warmth maps under how sturdy the protection is on every flooring with the previous router put in.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Right here’s the way it seems to be with the PX50 put in.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

It’s plain to see the Deco PX50 supplies a big enchancment in Wi-Fi protection and particularly when there are strong partitions between rooms. As you may count on, this was extra obvious on the first-floor: the unique Wi-Fi router carried out surprisingly nicely all through the bottom flooring regardless of a number of strong concrete partitions.

The place the Deco PX50 actually shines is its capability to eradicate the pesky blackspots upstairs, and since it additionally supplied a good Wi-Fi sign within the backyard.

However what concerning the velocity? Effectively, if you happen to’re on typical UK broadband it’s probably this can the bottleneck. In different phrases, the PX50 supplies a lot quicker speeds than the 80Mbps it’s possible you’ll be getting out of your ISP.

As long as you don’t have full fibre with 900Mbps obtain speeds, you ought to be very proud of the PX50. And it’s additionally good for futureproofing, because the system ought to give you loads of velocity now and in future when your web velocity will increase.

To check velocity, we used Wi-Fi SweetSpots on a 2022 iPadAir and noticed simply over 800Mbps when inside a meter of any of the three Deco gadgets. This means that the powerline tech does work, however not as marketed – extra on that later)

Speeds dropped to about 550Mbps at 5m away from any node and had one wall between the iPad and node. On the furthest level – 7m (round 21ft) away from the Deco, we nonetheless bought a really respectable 277Mbps.

Impressively, we might even get 141Mbps on the finish of the backyard, which is about 12m (virtually 40ft) from the closest Deco, with a cavity brick wall in the best way.

These speeds are nowhere close to what you’ll see marketed on the field (2402Mbps with 5GHz and 574 with 2.4GHz) however are nonetheless very acceptable for the value.

Regardless of the claims of “AI-Pushed Mesh” and “Seamless roaming”, the PX50 didn’t appear to be any smarter than different mesh system that don’t discuss AI, particularly with regards to handing off.

The method of fixing over the connection of your telephone, say, from one Deco unit to a different might take a minute or extra. Because of this you can be related to at least one downstairs, the stroll upstairs however stay related to the downstairs node for some time with a weaker sign and slower velocity than when related to the close-by node upstairs.

Plus, sometimes, the one method to pressure a handover was to show the telephone’s Wi-Fi on and off to get it to decide on the Deco unit that was closest. However usually, this wasn’t a giant concern, and probably not noticeable in day-to-day use. It merely means you must take the “AI” discuss with a pinch of salt.

G.hn powerline

One of many most important causes to decide on the PX50 over, say, the X50, is as a result of it has built-in powerline tech. Because of this though it’s technically solely a dual-band Wi-Fi system, the very fact it might probably ship knowledge to the opposite Deco gadgets utilizing your present dwelling electrics means it’s actually a tri-band system. And it use each “PLC” and Wi-Fi to speak.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

TP-Hyperlink claims speeds of as much as 1428Mbps utilizing “subsequent technology” G.hn powerline. It isn’t the primary to make use of it, although: Devolo has been benefiting from this quicker powerline know-how for fairly some time now, and claims speeds of just about 1Gbps extra.

And simply as with the theoretical Wi-Fi velocity you see plastered on the field, we noticed a most of 811Mbps and a mean of 780Mbps when near a Deco machine – round half the marketed velocity.

Since there isn’t any method to flip off the powerline backhaul, it wasn’t doable to check the system with and with out it to search out out whether or not it might go quicker (or slower) utilizing Wi-Fi solely.

As ever, your mileage might fluctuate. Powerline speeds differ in numerous properties. However as that is solely a six-year-old home, the electrics needs to be first rate.

Deco app

The Deco app is generally straightforward to make use of and perceive. It’s a good way to verify If all Deco models are related to one another, if there are any issues, and what number of gadgets are utilizing the system.

You’ll be able to create a visitor community for whenever you need to briefly and safely share your Wi-Fi password with family and friends. And you may even block sure gadgets from connecting altogether.

There are additionally further options corresponding to safety, which scans your community for vulnerabilities and any intrusions, and parental controls, the place you possibly can arrange profiles for your loved ones members and set-up age-appropriate net filtering in addition to bedtime restrictions.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The Parental Management restrictions is usually a bit heavy-handed, stopping our son from accessing his college Google account amongst different issues.

Sadly, to get entry to all of the options, it’s worthwhile to subscribe to HomeShield Professional which prices of £5.99 per thirty days or £53.99 per yr. You do get a free one-month trial that can assist you resolve, however do be aware that you just’ll nonetheless want correct antivirus software program a minimum of in your Home windows and Android gadgets.

Worth & availability

The three-pack Deco PX50 prices £300, though you’ll discover it cheaper than that from Amazon, the place it was £239.99 on the time of evaluate.

TP-Hyperlink additionally presents a 2-pack and you should buy single models so as to add to an present system.

The corporate says a 3-pack is sweet for 6500 sq. ft of protection, decreasing to 4500 for a 2-pack and 2500 for a single unit.

Within the US, a 3-pack is $299.99, however once more Amazon sells it for much less: $269.99 once we checked.

Because it’s comparatively new, it may be exhausting to search out single models on the market, and even the 2-pack isn’t good worth: the place we might discover it, it was dearer than the 3-pack.

For various programs, learn our roundup of the finest mesh Wi-Fi kits.

Verdict

So long as you’re smart to the advertising and don’t count on the speeds you see on the PX50’s field, it’s an amazing mesh system that ought to work nicely in nearly all properties due to its use of powerline.

For the value, protection and speeds are good, and it’s good to have three Ethernet ports on every node, ought to you may have wired gadgets that want hooking up.

TP-Hyperlink’s app is first rate, too, with the one detrimental being the nagging to pay for HomeShield Professional which, in our view, isn’t value the price.