TP-Link Deco M9 Plus

amazon TP-Link Deco M9 Plus reviews

TP-Link’s newest whole-home Wi-Fi solution, the Deco M9 Plus Mesh Wi-Fi System ($299.99), is truly two systems in one. Not only does it bring seamless wireless connectivity to larger homes, but it also doubles as a home automation hub that will control lights, door locks, thermostats, and devices’ other connections. It’s easy to install and manage, and it scored very well in our transfer speed tests. It is also packed with anti-malware protection, user-friendly parental controls, and Quality of Service settings.

Two systems in one

The Deco M9’s two-pack system I tested contains two identical buttons and covers homes up to 4,500 square feet. Each additional node that provides another 2,000 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage is available for $179.99, and there’s a three-pack system coming soon. The circular M9 buttons look similar to those used with the Deco M5 system but measure 5.7 inches in diameter and 2.5 inches high; they are about 1 inch wider and 1 inch taller than the M5 buttons.

The M9 Plus nodes contain:

• Two Gigabit LAN ports (one acts as the WAN port on the main Router node).
• A power jack.
• A reset button.
• A USB 2.0 port.

A small LED indicator on top of the button glows yellow at startup, pulses blue when the button is ready to set up, solid blue during setup, and solid green when everything is up and running smoothly. A red light indicates a problem such as a loss of Internet connection.

Inside each node is a quad-core CPU, 4GB of flash memory, and 512MB of RAM. There are also six Wi-Fi antennas, one Zigbee antenna, one Bluetooth antenna, one 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio, and two 5GHz radios. One of the 5GHz bands is a dedicated spare band used for node-to-node data transmission, but the system can use the other two bands for on-demand back-processing when the need arises.

An AC2200 system, the Deco M9 can achieve maximum data link speeds of 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 867Mbps on each of the 5GHz bands. However, band control is required, meaning you cannot separate the radio bands. The system supports Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) data streams, transmits data to compatible clients simultaneously instead of sequentially and in burst format, sends data directly to the client instead of over a broad spectrum.

M9 Plus uses a multitude of wireless radios to connect and control home automation devices such as Kwikset smart door locks; smart lights from TP-Link, Cree, Philips, and GE; smart switches from TP-Link and Centralite; and many sensors, including motion sensors, door/window sensors, and water leak detectors from companies like SmartThings and Securifi. It will also control Nest thermostats and Nest Protect’s smoke/CO detectors. However, it lacks the Z-Wave radio you get with the Samsung Connect Home AC1300 Smart Wi-Fi System.

You can use Amazon Alexa voice commands to control certain network features, such as turning guest networks on and off and enabling QoS presets, and you can use IFTTT apps to make devices. Your connected smart device works with other smart devices and web services. For example, you can create an applet to turn on the lights when an Uber arrives at your house or have the lights change color when your favorite team wins a game.

Like the Deco M5, the M9 Plus comes with HomeCare protection backed by Trend Micro, similar to the Ai Protection service you get with the Asus Lyra Trio. Both provide malware and virus protection and automatically quarantine infected devices before they have a chance to infect your network. Both provide the ability to have Great parental controls with site filtering and visit scheduling. That said, TP-Link’s HomeCare lasts for three years before you pay an annual subscription fee, while AiProtection is a lifetime deal.

Everything is controlled using the TP-Link Deco app, a thoughtfully designed mobile app for iOS and Android devices. The Overview screen shows your network name and internet icon: Tap the icon to see the status of each node (online, offline) and check their overall health. Below the internet icon is the Antivirus and Parental Controls buttons. The AntiVirus button takes you to a screen to enable the Intrusion Prevention System (which scans for vulnerabilities and protects against external attacks) and the Malicious Content Filtering and Device Isolation options infected.

Tapping the Parental Controls button takes you to a screen where you can create a user profile and assign a Filter Level (Children, Teens, Adults) to each user. Each level provides a different level of protection: For example, the Child level blocks access to websites containing adult content, gambling, sex education, social networks, games, and more.

You can add your websites using the Apps/Sites settings. Here you can also set online time limits and create Bedtimes that block access to the internet at specific times of the day on school nights. After creating a user profile, you can apply it to all devices for that user, including phones, tablets, game consoles, and PCs.

Below the AntiVirus and Parental Control buttons are buttons for all installed home automation and networking devices. To control a device, tap the device’s button. To set a device’s network priority, tap its button and enable High Priority. You can set the duration (one, two, or four hours) or priority 24/7. At the bottom of the screen are the Overview, Shortcuts, Automation, and More buttons.

The Overview button returns you to the home screen, and the Shortcuts button lets you create action shortcuts. For example, you can create one-touch shortcuts to set your Nest thermostat to a certain temperature, turn lights on and off, and lock and open doors. Use the Automation button to create interactions between installed smart devices. Here, you can turn on the bedroom light when the air conditioner is on or turn on the light when the door is unlocked. Tapping the Add button will take you to a screen with Router and HomeCare settings.

Router settings include basic Wi-Fi and guest network settings, a Blacklist option where you can block your device from accessing your network, firmware updates, and advanced settings like Forwarding port, VLAN, IPv4, and IPv6, and Operating mode. There is also a Notifications section where you can enable/disable alerts for Anti-Virus and Parental Control events and when a new device joins the network.

The HomeCare buttons take you to the aforementioned Parental Controls section. The Anti-Virus setting allows you to see monthly statistics like the number of connected devices, the number of cyberattacks, and how many shortcuts and automation has been done. There’s also a QoS button that lets you prioritize network bandwidth by application and includes Gaming, Streaming, Surfing, Chat, and Standards buttons. You can also create Custom settings with bandwidth sliders for each type of application.

where can you get a TP-Link Deco M9 Plus online

TP-Link PCMag-Best of the Year, Smart Hub & Whole Home Mesh WiFi System,ZigBee,Bluetooth Smart Hub, Homecare Anti-Virus,Tri-Band Dynamic Backhaul, Works with Alexa(Deco M9 Plus)(Renewed): Buy it now

Impressive performance

As with most Wi-Fi systems, the Deco M9 Plus is easy to set up. Get started by downloading the mobile app and creating an account. Once you’ve verified your email address, open the app and click Get Started. Select the M9 Plus from the list and follow onscreen instructions to power off your modem before plugging in the Deco. When the LED starts flashing blue, tap the Next button to connect the Deco to your network. In my tests, this took about 3 seconds.

I chose a location from the list (including bedroom, hallway, kitchen, or office), created a network name and password, and connected my phone to the new network. After a quick test of the internet connection, Deco was online. I tap more decor, choose my home style (single-story, two-story, or three-plus) and repeat the installation process. The entire installation process took less than 15 minutes.

Pairing my Nest Thermostat was also very easy. I tap the + icon in the upper-right corner of the Home screen, select Smart Devices, tap Thermostats, and select Nest Thermostats from the list. The app found my thermostat instantly, and I specified a location, and it was done. Back on the Home screen, a thermostat tab has been added to the device list. I tapped the thermostat icon and set the heat, switch modes, and turn the thermostat on and off.

Deco M9 Plus delivered impressive results in our transfer rate performance tests. The Main Router’s score of 546Mbps on the SU-MIMO test near (same room) is 100Mbps faster than the TP-Link Deco M5 and 200Mbps more than the Asus Lyra. The Linksys Velop Tri-Band router leads, but it’s only 10Mbps faster than the M9 Plus.

At 30 feet away, the M9 Plus Router hit 230 Mbps, beating the Linksys Velop Dual-Band Router by more than 100 Mbps and the Asus Lyra by more than 80 Mbps, and just 6 Mbps slower than the Linksys Velop Tri-Band Router. TP-Link Deco M5 leads the way with a score of 249Mbps.

The M9 Plus button is the top-performing button. Its score of 386Mbps on the SU-MIMO proximity test beat the competition by more than 100Mbps in most cases. The Linksys Velop Tri-Band comes in second with a score of 328Mbps. Similar results on the 30-foot test: The M9 Plus’s 297Mbps score tops the table.

Results in our MU-MIMO performance tests, in which we used three identical Acer Aspire E15 laptops equipped with the Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 wireless 802.11ac network adapter as customers Ours, are mixed. The Deco M9 Plus main router scored 116Mbps on the proximity test, barely beating the Deco M5, but behind Linksys Velop models. The fastest Asus Lyra with a score of 268Mbps. At 30 feet away, the Deco M9 Plus Router’s 85Mbps score beats the Linksys Velop Dual-Band and matches the Asus Lyra but is slightly slower than the Deco M5. The Linksys Velop Tri-Band Router’s 116Mbps score is the fastest of the bunch.

The Deco M9 Plus button was the fastest in our MU-MIMO proximity tests at 100Mbps. Asus Lyra node 1 comes in second with 95Mbps, but its node 2 comes last with 51Mbps. Linksys Velop Dual-Band nodes recorded 95Mbps (node ​​1) and 75Mbps (node ​​2), while Tri-Band Velop nodes recorded 60Mbps and 70Mbps, respectively. Similar results in the 30-foot MU-MIMO test: The Deco M9 Plus button beats all incoming devices with a score of 99Mbps.

Powerful and full-featured

There’s a lot to like about the Deco M9 Plus Mesh Wi-Fi System. It delivered some of the highest scores we’ve ever seen from a grid in our transfer rate performance tests. Its mobile app offers various management features, including tools for powerful anti-malware and anti-virus engines, rich parental controls, and user-friendly Quality install Services. Furthermore, it acts as a home automation hub that will control Zigbee-, Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-connected devices like door locks, thermostats, and entry sensors. It responds to Amazon Alexa voice commands and interacts with other smart devices using IFTTT apps. The only thing missing is support for Z-Wave devices.