TP-Link Deco M5 Launched, Joins Mesh Router Bandwagon

TP-Link, a well-known player in the router market, has now introduced its Deco M5 Whole-Home Wi-Fi Systems mesh router networking solution. While the company has earned itself a reputation in the regular router market, this marks its foray into mesh routers. The product has already been made available for purchase through HSN and other online and retail stores at a price of USD 299 (roughly Rs. 19,300) for a three-pack system.

The company claims that the Deco M5 provides users with "seamless wireless Internet coverage" while offering comprehensive security through its TP-Link HomeCare. In terms of functionality, much like other mesh networks, Deco M5 makes use of three separate units to ensure that the Wi-Fi coverage is evenly spread across all areas in a particular environment like office, home etc.

Notably, Deco M5 makes use of a dual-band AC1300 system, which effectively puts it in the same league as Google Wifi, Lumo, and Eero but also meaning that it will offer slower speeds than tri-band setups including Netgear's Orbi or Linksys' Velop.

The newly launched mesh router is capable of throughput speeds of 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 867Mbps on the 5GHz band, and it supports MU-MIMO data streaming. The company claims that the three-pack system offers a coverage area of up to 4,500 square feet. Up to 10 Deco M5 units can be connected to a single network at any time, which will increase the coverage area substantially.

"Deco M5 automatically optimises Wi-Fi connections for every device, and it comes equipped with TP-Link HomeCare, which allows consumers to customise their network security through powerful features that include robust parental controls," Lewis Wu, executive vice president of TP-Link USA Corp, was quoted as saying in the company's release.

TP-Link's Deco M5 makes use of the company's Adaptive Routing Technology (ART), which helps in quickly identifying and selecting the fastest path for your devices to connect to the network, as per company's claims. "Deco M5 also optimises connections between devices to deliver the very best in coverage and ensure you receive the strongest performance throughout your entire home at all times. With Deco, you also have the ability to control how bandwidth is used, making it easy to prioritize services and devices for heavy-bandwidth tasks such as HD video streaming, online gaming or video chats," the company said.

We will have to wait and see if the company will be able to make most of its brand reputation in the mesh router market or people choose to opt for tri-band routers with higher speed.

Linksys announced its Velop mesh Wi-Fi modules earlier this year that are shaped like tower with introductory prices of a single module at $200 (about Rs. 12,900). The packs of two and three have been priced at $350 and $500 (about Rs. 22,500 and Rs. 32,200) respectively by the company.