Back in the days when you are facing terrible WiFi connection, the common solution is to get a high power wireless router to boost the WiFi coverage. Fast forward to 2020, mesh WiFi systems is the golden standard for WiFi coverage and they offers performance unmatchable by any single router solution in the market.
TP-Link Deco M5 is one of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems you can get in Malaysia right now. In fact, TP-Link Deco mesh WiFI is the best selling router in Malaysia right now. The Deco M5 features Wireless AC1300 and a host of HomeCare parental control and antivirus features.
With internet connection getting faster, users demand for better WiFi speed. The solution is to add more Wireless access point in your home. But, installing an Ethernet cable requires wall hacking which is rather costly. So, this is where mesh WiFi come into play.
I’ve been testing the Deco M5 twin pack version which include the main router and a single expansion mesh node costing RM499. It works great in my 2400 sq ft double storey home providing WiFi coverage on every single corner of my house for smooth 4K streaming.
What is mesh WiFi?
Unlike a conventional wireless router, a mesh WiFi system comes with multiple units working together to provide a stronger WiFi coverage. The Deco M5 twin pack I am reviewing today come with 2 units including the main mesh router and a single mesh node.
TP-Link Deco M5 is fully capable of replacing the existing router provided by your ISP. For most people in Malaysia, this means you can ditch the old router and connect the main Deco M5 unit directly to the modem from Unifi or Maxis Fibre.
What about the remaining units you wonder? They are known as the mesh nodes and they wirelessly link with the main unit and then work together as a system to blanket your home with a strong and reliable WiFi connection. TP-Link says the Deco can support up to 100 devices and able to support up to 32 mesh nodes. If you need more WiFi coverage, you can simply buy more Deco units.
The beauty of TP-Link Deco mesh WiFi is how user friendly it is to use. There’s just one WiFi name throughout the entire network which means I can walk around my entire home without my phone dropping the WiFi connection.
Hardware and Specs
What’s unconventional is the design of the Deco M5. They do not have any visible antennas and this is done on purpose. TP-Link recommend to put the Deco M5 on a open area so they have the best signal to talk to each other, having a clean and pretty design is certainly helpful. Contrary to popular belief, antennas need not to be visible for strong coverage.
| 5Ghz WiFi | Wireless AC up to 867Mbps |
| 2.4Ghz WiFi | Wireless AC up to 400Mbps |
| Wireless Features | MU-MIMO, 802.11k/v/r fast roaming, band steering, AP steering |
| CPU | Qualcomm IPQ4019 Quad-Core CPU |
| RAM | 512MB |
For less than RM500, you get a pretty decent specs from TP-Link as well. It support Wireless AC with MU-MIMO feature and beamforming. Each unit of the Deco M5 is powered by a Qualcomm quad-core CPU with 512MB RAM. This put the ASUS ZenWiFi CT8 to shame with only 256MB RAM.
The ports situation is rather limited as there’s only 2 ports on each unit. If you need more ports, you will have to purchase a separate Gigabit Ethernet switch.
Setting up the mesh WiFi
TP-Link Deco M5 is managed by the TP-Link Deco app. The system is tied to a TP-Link cloud ID so it can be managed as long as you have an Internet connection. The Deco M5 also functions as a wireless router and you can connect it directly to the modem provided by your ISP.
The setup process is really simple and it didn’t take us more than 10 minutes to get it up and running. Our tip is to only turn on the main unit and make sure it is functioning. Once the main unit is up and running, turn on all the other remaining units and link it to the main unit using the Deco app.
TP-Link Deco M5 is also fully compatible with Unifi with Unifi TV support. Remember to select the VLAN option and choose the TM Unifi profile for the Internet to work. If you need to watch Unifi TV, enable the IPTV option in the advanced settings and choose the TM Unifi profile. The Unifi TV box must be connected to the main Deco unit.
Add Your Heading Text Here
TP-Link Deco App
The Deco app is also one of the strengths of TP-Link Deco mesh WiFI system. It comes with a built-in Speedtest feature which let you to test the actual Internet speed. The home screen also show you all the connected devices together with their current Internet speed.
The app functions really well and is very simple to use. It can show you all the connected devices and what is their current Internet speed. There’s also a built-in speedtest tool to check your Internet speed directly from the Deco app.
TP-Link Homecare Antivirus
There’s also a built-in HomeCare Antivirus feature on the Deco M5. The Antivirus engine is powered by TrendMicro and it is designed to block malware and virus infected apps and services from your network. It is disabled by default and we recommend enabling it.
The feature works really well with the virus database constantly updated by TrendMicro. We tested it with a known virus infected website and found that the website is successfully blocked by the Antivirus system. We are also shown a warning telling us that the virus is blocked and HomeCare is working as intended.
HomeCare Parental Control
TP-Link Deco M5 also comes with a parental control function with the ability to block websites based on categories for selected users. There’s also an option to configure daily usage time limits and internet blocking d
WiFi Performance Test
Our home office comes with a really weird layout that one of the rooms at the end of the unit always struggle getting a stable WiFi connection from the router which is placed at the living room. We swapped the previous router to the Deco M5 mesh wireless system and immediately noticed a great improvement. We also tested the WiFi speed at multiple locations in the unit.
The WiFi performance is significantly enhanced when the mesh WiFi system is installed with 5Ghz WiFi coverage at almost every single point of the house. With fast roaming enabled, our iPhones area always connected to the WiFi even though we are working around the unit. Our phones are able to quickly switch network without even dropping our VOIP calls.
We compared the performance against the Archer A7 we used previously and immediately we notice a huge improvement. The Deco M5 performs faster at every location of test. Not to mention that our signal issue at the last room is completely resolved with the addition of the Deco M5 mesh WiFi system.
Seamless WiFi Roaming and Steering
There’s also a fast roaming option which is disabled by default in the Deco app. TP-Link says all their Deco mesh wireless system support the 802.11r fast roaming feature which will greatly enhance the roaming performance for supported devices.
We enabled it and it greatly improved the performance of our system and our devices can roam to another Deco mesh node in a much lower latency without noticeable drops.
Closing Thoughts
TP-Link Deco M5 is a great and rather affordable mesh WiFi system you can buy today. It offers really good performance enabled by TP-Link adaptive routing technology. With that, the WiFi connection is really seamless and offers a really smooth almost unnoticeable transition when steering to other access points. The easy to setup process and Deco app is the cherry on top.
You can view my review of other TP-Link Deco mesh WiFi systems here.
TP-Link Deco M5
8.9
Tubi Rating
Good Stuff
- Unifi and HyppTV support
- Easy to setup process
- HomeCare Antivirus
- Seamless roaming
Bad Stuff
- 2 LAN ports only
Hi, currently i have purchase a M5 twin pack for my double storage house and i am using unifi 300mbps, 1 is at the kitchen as main, the other 1 is at upstair, but sometimes when i at thr living room, the wifi speed will be quite slow, sometimes will only get 20 to 50
Mbps on the living room, i would like to ask if i buy another m5 deco and place in my living room, will the wifi speed become more stable abit ya?
Yup, that will certainly help. Or try to relocate the kitchen unit. Don’t hide it in a cabinet and make sure it is place on a non-metallic surface at a visible location.
okok thanks for the reply, will try out the step that u mention first, thnks alot 🙂
Hi, I’m deciding between the M4 and the M5 to replace some of my current E4s. Which do you think would be better based on your tests? 🙂
The Deco M5 is certainly a more capable device.
Hi Alvyn,
for the configuration of the M5 Deco, the IPv4 is it set it to PPPoE and for the IPv6 should i set it to dynamic IP or i should use the PPPoE same account as the IPv4
Don’t use IPV6 unless you absolutely want to. IPV6 implementation for consumer ISPs in Malaysia isn’t great.
Is it alright that just set it for IPv4, cause I saw some sources online says it is better to setup IPv6 also and setting IPv6 will better beneficial the router and prolong the life of the router?
I don’t recommend using IPv6 for end users currently. For Malaysians, many sites do not implement IPv6 properly and TM IPv6 routing is worst than their IPv4. It wouldn’t prolong the lifespan but it will make the router more future proof when IPv6 is more widespread.
Hi, can I setup the Deco M5 by using the Lan 2 port on the modem while the existing router is still connected to the Lan 1 port of the modem?
Nope, the LAN2 on modem is for other usage. Connect the DEco to the router instead.
Hi , i have one question , if i used this for anoth home , just a front from my home , still can used or not ? Have caverage but only one or two bar .
You can try.
Bought Deco M4 to upgrade my existing Time EC230 router.
The parental control unable block Youtube app on my kids phone. According to TPlink feedback, m4 is not able to filter such app , only keyword on website do.
My question is does M5 parental control can block Youtube app if I added Youtube as blocked side?
Yup, can be done on Deco M5. But you will need to use the present HomeCare streaming profile.
Hi…currently my M5 connected in AP mode with one deco with backhaul n work very good. I think it give all parental report n antivirus in AP mode nowadays. I disable my WiFi on C5v too. Is there any significant in performance if using M5 as router since I got all apps as in router mode? I got the speed but wondering about latency in router and AP mode. Pls advice thanks.
Router mode will definitely be slightly better as there is one less overhead.
it’s MU-MIMO support?
Yes it is
i can buy this deco m5 & replace/throw away my existing free router from unifi? how come this thing has good coverage when it doesnt even have aerial
Enterprise Wi-Fi access points never come with visible antennas yet they performed better than consumer wireless devices.
Hi,
How to setup if i want to use the 2nd ethernet port not for unifi iptv?
If i set custom for iptv/vlan, what should i use for internet vlan id and internet vlan priority?
Thanks.
I heard it is not possible now.
Kind of disappointed when u cannot use the fast roaming mode for ur sony android tv wifi
Roaming is only useful for devices that’s always moving. TV is a stationary object.
I can’t see how big is your apartment. I struggle with wifi signal in my house even though I sue repeater. M<y house is 200 m2 but there are 2 apartment in it. Lots of walls and not always you find a elecricity socket in a right place. Do you know about any test made in a house like mine? With 2 storey?
Then I recommend you to go for the Deco P9 from TP-Link. With powerline backhaul, it has shown to work even in the most extreme condition.