A few weeks ago now, TP-Link sent us a pack containing 3 Deco X60.
The box is classic, made of quite fragile flexible cardboard (it is possible to see a small tear at the bottom left of the photo). But the product itself is well protected in its cardboard gangue, in a presentation that at first reminds me of that of a candle. As if I had just received three large candles!
This WiFi 6 Mesh kit is therefore made up of 3 cylinders that are perfectly identical in every way, equipped with two autosense Gigabit Ethernet ports, and accompanied by their power sockets. Their proportions remain reasonable (110 × 110 × 114 mm) for a quite correct weight too. This allows them to be placed on a very thin shelf without the risk of the installation collapsing. In addition, I find the boxes visually attractive. Sober, they will go well in all interiors. Note that the device has a status LED on the top. But if, like me, you can't stand light at night in the room where you sleep, don't panic! The light switches off permanently or according to a time slot. Thus, the fish, next to which is one of the boxes, are not bothered.
All technical specifications are available here on the official website. We will note in particular:
- WiFI 6 standard up to 3000 Mbps - 2402 Mbps on 5 GHz and 574 Mbps on 2,4 GHz
- OFDMA and MU-MIMO technologies that quadruple the capacity
- WPA3 encryption and TP-Link HomeCare
- parental control, antivirus and QoS apps
So things are perfect on paper... What about in real life? Already, things are starting well because the configuration could not be simpler: you plug in and it works! Well almost. You must first download the Deco mobile application, and create an account with TP-Link in order to be able to follow the tutorial and configure the Deco boxes.
So, once the account is created, the most technophobic of Internet users will succeed in configuring their network. All you need is one of the modules connected to the internet via cable and the satellites automatically connect to the box you have chosen as the main one. Configurable as an access point, the latter will release all its capacities in router mode, with in particular the prioritization of packets with preconfigured modes such as "games", "streaming" or "browsing"... You will also notice on the capture of In the screen below, you can define a priority for a device which will thus be able to benefit more widely from the network according to your needs.
The list of applications will cover daily needs with filtering of malicious sites, in partnership with Trend Micro, intrusion protection by packet detection and a quarantine device. So that the neighbors do not squat your superb installation, it is possible to receive a notification when adding devices to the network or when detecting a known device. Of course, all of this is activated or deactivated on the fly from the phone application. Parental control is also part of it, allowing you to choose the devices that will be authorized according to time slots or time credit, coupled with filtering on content according to age group. Tested and disapproved by our son!
The 802.11r protocol is supported, allowing seamless switching when changing terminals. In order to fill a potential gap in the network, Beamforming allows the WiFi signal to be concentrated towards the connected devices. Living in a house on one floor with a garden, it was common for the blanket to fall, especially on the stairs. To overcome this concern, we used to have three routers and two networks: one downstairs, one upstairs, which of course was neither ideal nor practical. Now that we have these three boxes, the entire house is covered, and the WiFi can even be used from the bottom of the garden (well, of course, small, which doesn't take us far away from the main building, but despite everything we have it ! ).
In the end, what about this 6 Gigabit Mesh WiFi 3 system? Not much, as the configuration is simple, the design sleek, and the whole efficient. If you need great coverage in your home, or for that matter your office, and budget isn't an issue for you, then look no further! You found ! And even if the price can make you think (€419,95 on Amazon at the time of writing these lines), it is also to be put into perspective. Because, after all, the kit contains three boxes, which for each comes to a price of around 140€, which remains within the values of a good router. A two-pack at €279 could also be a good compromise depending on the surface you have to cover (besides, we could probably have done with only two).
