On our same-floor testing, where we set up the satellite 40-feet from the host router and the test station another 50-feet away, the Deco X20’s prospects improved with 65.5Mbps available. That’s well off the 405.5Mbps that the Orbi RBK852 delivered. In our upstairs-downstairs testing where the satellite is set up a floor above the router and the receiving system is 50-feet farther away, the Deco X20 delivered 294.5Mbps. The Deco X20’s mesh results were middle of the pack. This trend held when we set the test system up a floor above the host router and the Deco X20 yielded 320.5Mbps of throughput versus the Orbi RBK852’s 670.1Mbps. That’s 40 percent off the pace set by the Orbi RBK852 (782.9Mbps). Its ability to send a strong signal through a wall 20 feet from the router was acceptable at 556.5Mbps available on the far side of the wall. It had a range of 95-feet, the best for a mesh router we’ve seen under these conditions. The Deco X20 showed it’s extended range by staying online at 90-feet with 51.1Mbps available, while other mesh systems lost contact at this point. The Deco X20 stayed on top at 75-feet with 112.7Mbps, versus the Orbi RBK852 (85.9Mbps) and the Arris SURFboard mAX Pro (16.6Mbps). However, it caught up quickly to lead the group with the ability to send 255.4Mbps across 50-feet, more than double the throughput of the Orbi RBK852 (124.5Mbps). That’s well behind other Wi-Fi 6 mesh kits, like the Netgear Orbi RBK852 (at 883.6Mbps), the SURFboard mAX Pro (820.3Mbps) or the Asus ZenWiFi AX (701.0Mbps). The Deco X20 didn’t start out strongly with 522.1Mbps of throughput to the test system 15-feet from the host router. Using my 100-year-old home and Ixia’s IxChariot networking benchmark, I created a busy network. TP-Link Deco X20 review: Performanceīased on its size and price tag, the Deco X20 was a surprisingly strong performer with the ability to extend a Wi-Fi network into unreached parts of a home. More to the point, it does without client level malware software, like the security apps that are included in Netgear’s Armor routers. On the other hand, the Deco X20 mesh system lacks the ability to use two-factor authentication or an iPad’s or iPhone’s Touch ID. It can help protect against attacks on the family’s digital identity, while blocking network assaults and filtering out objectionable websites. It starts with the company’s HomeCare security suite that includes Trend Micro anti-malware code embedded in the router’s firmware to provide an extra layer of online defenses. Like other Deco models, TP-Link has included a plethora of services that make the Deco X20 even more enticing for home networking. The devices do have a reset button underneath for returning the system to its factory settings. It, however, lacks the ability to aggregate ports for higher throughput or a USB connection for a printer or direct connection to a storage device. The back of each unit has two gigabit LAN ports, one for the incoming WAN connection and the other for a networking appliance, like a storage system or a wired connection to a Deco X20 satellite. Able to connect up to 150 devices, the Deco X20 has an AX1800 rating, meaning that it's rated at a peak throughput of 1.8Mbps. It carries 4GB of RAM and 1GB of solid-state storage of its firmware and commands. Based on Qualcomm’s Networking Pro 400 chipset, the Deco X20 is powered by a 1GHz quad-core processor. As is the case with its competitors, none can be aimed or replaced. The company doesn’t sell individual units but the price of two is roughly the cost of a single Orbi satellite, making the Deco X20 one of the best mesh networking bargains.Įach Deco X20 unit is set up as the host or satellite in the installation process, and each have four internal antennas. The two-piece Deco X20 kit costs $200 and should be good for about 4,000 square feet. The three-device kit can cover 5,800 square feet, according to TP-Link. The Deco X20 may be small but it’s a big value for Wi-Fi 6 mesh networking.
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