One of the cheapest i've seen for a 3 pack Deco M5. Even cheaper than the TGG Commercial deal and you dont need a commercial account.
Promotion for 2 free WIFI lights with Deco M5 purchase: https://www.tp-link.com/au/promotion/2021_decopromo/
Do these have WPa3 protection?
Is this better than Tenda Nova MW6?
Edit. I found a link saying Tp Link is better. However Tenda got a promotion at the moment. Buy a 3 pack and receive 1 extra for free
https://www.tendacn.com/au/partners/cashbackpromo
With Afterpay this 3 pack would cost $143.99 and with redemption you could get 1 extra.
You get a pack of 2 smart LED light globes with TPLink redemption https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/601704
Lone star, the MW6 is an amazing piece of kit of the money (especially with the bonus at the moment). Most basic users would not notice the difference between the MW6 and the TP-link (or the Nest or Orbi for that matter). In fact my goto is the MW3 for basic users. The 3-node kit is enough for the average sized house and they are rock solid in performance and reliability.
Check that your ISP doesn't require the router to support VLAN 802.1q. How fast is your NBN?
Tenda Nova MW6
2 WAN/LAN ports on each.
Wi-Fi AC1200.
Single-core 1Ghz CPU and 128MB of RAM.
No VLAN 802.1q support.
Maximum of around 700Mbps Ethernet.
Up to around 400Mbps Wi-Fi.
TP-Link Deco M5
2 WAN/LAN ports on each.
Wi-Fi AC1300.
Quad-core CPU and 256MB of RAM.
VLAN 802.1q support.
Maximum of around 850Mbps Ethernet.
Up to around 460Mbps Wi-Fi.
More in depth parental controls.
Amazon Alexa.
Wi-Fi 6 upgrade path: purchase a Wi-Fi 6 Deco and use it with your Deco M5.
Don’t forget the 2 bonus wifi globes via redemption. Great deal OP!
I have this and would recommend if you're just a normal user and don't need any advance network set up as you're limited to what the app allows you to do. Great price for a 3 pack!
Great deal
Have these deco's at home and they're great!
Compared to google mesh?
Google Wi-Fi or Nest Wi-Fi?
Google 1st gen
I wouldn't upgrade to the M5 if you already have Google Wi-Fi Gen 1 and it's working ok.
this thing is nuts. i highly recommend this. I have it. having my router in my room upstairs and wifi in the lounge on the opposite side of the house. I was getting 6 down 2 up and with the deco m5 I now get 96 down 35 up.
Was very keen to get a mesh network. Found 2 old modems in a box in the garage which has other items I no longer use. Luckily enough my house has cat5e ports all around the house. Setup and configured the modem/routers (three in total) and hooked them all up, it works a treat! So saved a couple 100bucks and reduced waste as well I guess.
I'd recommend others to do this as well.
Mesh is generally for people who don't have Ethernet throughout their house. And even if they did they would still be better off using mesh (with Ethernet back-haul) or putting a few Ubiquiti AP's around the place. Mesh has numerous advantages, such as fast handover, consolidated management and general ease of setup.
True I was worried about quick handover when I was researching but have to say it's seamless with my setup. I cannot fault it one bit. Defs not as easy to setup as mesh though but once it's setup don't really need to access management. I'm just glad I made use of something that I would have just dumped in the rubbish.
Need some advice. Is there any reason to spend the extra money for the M9 plus (2-pack) deal? https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TP-Link-Deco-M9-Plus-2-pack-AC22…
Should come to $268 with the afterpay code which is almost an extra $100 over the M5 (3-pack).. Just wondering if the extra functionality is worth it.
In most cases you would be better served having 3 M5's over 2 M9's. The exception here is if you have a very small house, super fast internet or demands for high speed local file transfer.
Thanks this really helps.
According to TP-Link 2 M9's covers more than 3 M5's.
M9 is Tri-band which means it uses a dedicated band for Wi-Fi traffic, Wi-Fi AC2200 with 8 antennas on each node and a Quad-core processor @ 717MHz & 512MB of RAM. A maximum of around 908Mbps Ethernet and up to around 660Mbps Wi-Fi.
M5 is Dual band, Wi-Fi AC1300 with 4 antennas on each node and a Quad-core processor @ 638MHz & 256MB of RAM. A maximum of around 850Mbps Ethernet and up to around 460Mbps Wi-Fi.
I have the same situation. I bought the M9 Plus from Costco a few weeks back as a bundle for $350 which includes a Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip (RRP $49) and 2 Smart Wi-Fi plugs (RRP $40). https://www.costco.com.au/TVs-Electronics-Technology/Smart-H…
I have NBN installed at one end of my single level 4 bedroom home giving me no connectivity at the other end.
After reading advice you got form aldroid, I might return the M9 and get the M5. Any reason I shouldn't?
readjust the positioning within your house first and recheck
Great deal! I have the 2-pack and it works great.
wifi 6?
No, WiFi 5.
We'll probably have WiFi 9 before the price of WiFi 6 systems comes down to sub-$200.
thanks
Wi-Fi 6E and 7 are next :-)
Deco X60 and X20 are Wi-Fi 6.
Amazing deal, Deco M5 is insanely good!
For anyone considering this, it's a great deal. I bought the 2-pack M5 a couple of months ago for $155 and that was pretty good.
Super easy to set up, app is simple to use and it hasn't missed a beat. Would highly recommend them!
I’m looking for a mesh setup that effectively “extends” my current wifi from my current router, without it creating a secondary network. (Ie anything currently connected to the current wifi will simply have better signal without having to connect to a second wifi named network).
Am I right in saying AP mode will let me do this? (With one Ethernet cable out of my router and into one of these)
And finally, on one of the satellite units, can I use the Ethernet plug to wire directly to my PC? (My PCs Wi-Fi dongle is crap, much prefer it directly connected to one of these if possible)
Not sure about extending your wifi but I do know you can connect to it with an ethernet plug
As in connect my PC to one of the ones acting as a satellite (and connecting to the “home base” one via wifi)?
Yes, you can connect your PC to one of the mesh via ethernet
Typically you would use this to either; replace your existing router; or you would turn wi-fi off on your existing router and put it into bridged mode and let the mesh device do the routing (otherwise you will end up in a double-NAT situation which will cause problems with uPnP or port forwarding rules.
Also problems with remote access and networked printers.
Thanks for this tip - wondering if you can confirm something for me:
I have a telstra (cable) gateway router + modem combo they sent me when I first connected to cable.
Am I able to plug my newly arrived TPlink into one of the LAN ports on the bigger router? Or does it need to plug into the modem itself (with only 2 LAN ports)?
And once plugged in (hopefully to the Router with its 5 or 6 ports), can the other LAN cables remain plugged in and functioning in the router, even when bridged?
Finally, I think my Telstra router also has a wifi on/off button at that back - is turning this off enough, or is there a reason bridging has to be done?
Cheers
(One final question, but not as critical, can I utilise the second port on my “base” TP link disc to say the TV or XBOX, as it’s cable will be taking one of the already full LAN ports)?
I recommend to plug the modem into the TP-Link WAN port and remove the telstra router completely. A modem is a bridge and has no routing capabilties so the TP-Link will do the routing as it's designed to do. No need to switch anything to bridged mode this way. You can then use the LAN port on the TP-Link to connect to other ethernet devices or a switch if you need more ports.
if you choose to keep the Telstra router and just disable wifi, it will work but you will end up in a double NAT situation which can cause issues for certain things (port forwarding, upnp, remote access). It's also adding an unnecessary hop and another point of failure. If you are thinking about keeping the Telstra router for the extra LAN ports, you'd be much better off just getting a small gigabit switch (4 or 8 port) instead.
@Tuttle what kind of NBN do you have?
Currently Telstra Cable (non NBN, Unlimited 100/5 for $69 a month), but the nice people at NBN are counting down the clock until I have to move to the exciting world of FTTC..
Using AP mode will not extend your the Wi-Fi network from the router you use now. Replace the router with the Deco M5 or keep the router you use now, turn off the Wi-Fi and config the Deco using AP mode to take over the Wi-Fi duties. A new Wi-Fi network will be created with the Deco.
For now the maximum NBN allow on FTTC is around 110/40 and NBN are looking into increasing this.
Telstra 100/20 $100 a month for 6 months and goes up to $110 a month from then on. Aussie Broadband & Superloop are cheaper.
@Twix: Thanks for that - will be doing the AP mode option for sure.
For someone who has no care about upload speeds, it’s insane that after being on 100mbps for $69 for 3 years, we are at a point where the same plans on NBN are $110 a month ongoing.
More and more I’m understanding why people are utilising 5G and migrating their home internet to that (despite its drawbacks).
Fingers crossed the 5G coverage blob covers my area by the time cable cutoff occurs.
@Tuttle: To be fair you had it good on Telstra cable 100Mbps for $69 a month. If Telstra don't give you a discount look at other ISPs when it's time to switch. 100/20 with Superloop $89.95 a month and Aussie Broaband $99 a month ongoing. The Deco is compatible with all ISPs so no problems there.
What would be the best way to spread WiFi to a shed about 30mtrs from the router in house and no option to run cables from house to shed?
This Deco M5 or the Deco E4 if your needs aren't huge.
Thanks
Spread these every 10m or there abouts (bit of trial and error to see positioning for adeqaute speeds).
Just be aware that it can be quite a challenge to get good wifi signal into a metal shed (they tend to act as a Faraday cage). You may need to mount the mesh node outside the structure or at a window if possible. I installed a Tenda WM6 for a client this week to get wifi out to a granny flat about 30m from the main dwelling. It had full signal strength and speedtest was identical to the main PC which was cabled to the master node.
30m? Same as cabled at master? I've always seen drops. Surely they must have slow internet or literally no obstructions?
yes, slow internet (sorry should have clarified). I'm in regional Queensland. Mainly FTTN and lucky to see more than 80/20.
@aldroid: Hence why I do a lot of MW3 installs. The 100Mbit interface is rarely a bottleneck for the average user around here.
@aldroid: Still…. If they are getting 80mbps at 30m thats crazy good, unless you've used 3 nodes to get there?
@Xizor: Yes, that's using 3 nodes. I don't bother with anything less than 3 since the master node is often in a non ideal location.
$352 for the M9 3-pack seems like a great deal too?
Thanks OP, purchased. I hope it's not too difficult to set up as access points off my Asus router
In AP mode you lose a lot of the features:
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2399/
You'd be better off running the ASUS router in bridged mode or ideally remove it completely and use the TP-Link main node as the router (assuming you're internet connection is suitable).
Thanks, I'll need to do more reading on this but I would like to keep the Asus as the router so will look into bridge mode. Is there an advantage to remove it completely? I have FTTP so hopefully no problems with using the main node as the router
I would recommend you ditch the ASUS and run the TP-Link in routed mode the way it's meant to run. Putting the ASUS into bridged mode would just add an unnecessary additional hop. What's your reason for wanting to keep the ASUS in place?
@aldroid: Good point. Mainly just because I'm familiar with it and didn't want it to go to waste, but I guess I can set up everything again on TP-Link. It'll definitely be a lot smaller. Luckily I swapped a lot of the wired devices to a switch so the lack of ports shouldn't cause a problem
When I purchased this, in my head I was thinking I was just going to turn off the wifi on my Asus router, connect the main node to that and set up the other two nodes around the house and my wifi would be better, but I guess there's a lot more to it than that
@greater mimic: It's actually really simple; Internet to WAN port, switch to LAN port, setup WIFI with identical credentials to what you had on the ASUS, deploy the 2 mesh nodes, job done. You'll be up and running in under 10 minutes.
@aldroid: True. Do wireless devices just automatically connect onto to the new SSID if name and password are the same or do they all need to be reconnected? Appreciate your help with this btw
@aldroid: Cheers. I guess I'll set it up and see how it goes. My only concern is that the range won't reach a smart plug I have down the driveway (will be about 30m away from closest node) so I guess will only know once everything is set up. My current router can reach it though so hopefully no problems with this one
@greater mimic: If it's line-of-site or reasonably unobstructed you should be OK. It will really only need a weak signal. It's not like you'll be transferring lots of data. What brand smartplug?
@aldroid: Just a double brick wall/window inbetween (close to the router), so hopefully should be ok. I've got the chunky meross smart plugs which work pretty well, not sure if there's another which is good for long distance
@greater mimic: Small update, swapped the routers and this one is working great, much better than the Asus. Speeds are very good and it's reaching the smart plug.fown the end of the driveway very easily
I do have to connect everything to the new wifi network though which sucks but oh well
Why would you buy this? I have a TPLink C3150 running 1000/50 and pretty good coverage, is this something new, a fad or for houses with bad reception?
For people with big houses
Mesh is great for a property with many walls, you can't install Ethernet wiring for various reasons, the NBN was installed at the opposite end of where you need it and to fix bad Wi-Fi spots and slow speed.
It's not new or a fad.
Cool
Quite frankly, to get broader coverage. I went from that same router you have (which agree is pretty good) to a Orbi RBK50 2 unit setup.
for long houses/properties or houses with multiple floors.
It works as though you have multiple, overlapping wifi extenders on the one network but is easy to set up for non-tech-savvy people.
Damnn good price. I just bought these the other day for $230 :(
Yup same. Crying that I didnt wait :(
Thanks bought one, hope that I do not regret
I don't hVe a house yet. Should I buy this now or would you think this deal would come back in the future.
Get it now when it's in a good deal, in that way you can use the saved money to buy the house 🤪😜
(Of course, just kidding)
Bought!
I don’t know much about these mesh systems. Do the nodes just require power, and then connect to each other to provide whole-home internet coverage?
At the moment our router is at one end of the house and the computers at the other, and it’s hard to get a good signal at the other end. Will this help fix that?
We had the same issue, WiFi connection in our back rooms was very bad so we bought one of these https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/tp-link-ac…
You just plug it in about half way between your modem and where you are getting bad connection and it gives you a better connection.
Mesh systems and Wi-Fi extenders are two different things. Mesh being the better option.
Anyone else have issues connecting their printer to the mesh? My Canon (just over a year old) just cannot connect to a mesh network
My Epson connects to mine just fine.
My Brother connects to mine just fine.
No problems with my 3 brother printers
I have experienced this problem many times, specifically with printers, smarthome devices (smart lights, plugs, switches) and older smart TV's. The problem is caused by the fact that the mesh network broadcasts both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz with the same SSID. Some 2.4Ghz only devices cannot negotiate this situation. The Tenda Nova mesh system has a option in the settings called "Smart Assistant". This forces 2.4Ghz only mode for 30 minutes which will allow you to connect these stubborn devices. I'm not sure if the Deco system has something similar but it would be worth checking in the settings of the app. Good luck.
Hmmm I got so fed up yesterday I bought the Eero mesh 3 pack for $319.
It's Amazon so easy to return.. should I do a swap?
Free return if it's prime item / prime member
Oh definitely. Amazon makes it super easy.
I did in fact order the TP Link so the Eero is gonna get returned unopened I guess. Saved myself a pretty penny indeed.
Got one
thanks OP.
Just tried to buy one, signed up for AfterPay… no stock left now.
Wireless1 rep - any more stock?
EDIT: Refreshed and tried again, worked that time.
![[Afterpay] TP-Link Deco M5 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System (3-Pack) $175.20 Delivered @ Wireless 1 eBay](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/02/611702.jpg?h=e71bc990)
Good price. Got one of these for my father last xmas. Good bang for buck setup.