Mesh systems might be the best way to get a strong Wi-Fi signal where you need it, but the boxes can look ugly strewn around the house.

TP-Link Mesh means Deco units work together to form one unified network. Your phone or tablet automatically connects to the fastest Deco as you move through your home, creating a truly seamless WiFi experience. ‡ With massive MIMO, optimized OFDM, and more, 5G technologies brings fast responsive network connections to tomorrow’s mobile devices, with only 1 ms latency. Enjoy your online streaming, gaming, and AR / VR without congestion. §Actual 5G downlink speeds vary between households. Factors affecting 5G speeds include the internet service level, real-time network capacity, equipment and client limitations, and environmental factors. Armed with AI-Driven Mesh, Deco X50delivers smart WiFi that follows you wherever you are, without interruption. It automatically learns your network environment, client quality, and user behaviors. Sophisticated algorithms account for various factors so that Deco X50provides ideal mesh WiFi, unique to your home. Walk through your home and enjoy seamless streaming at the fastest possible speeds.*

The compact TP-Link Deco X50-PoE is much smaller than other members of the X50 family and, indeed, other Deco products that I have reviewed in the past. This is a device that’s built to blend in and keep out of the way. Configuration is through the TP-Link Deco app. This makes it supremely easy to install the router: just follow the wizard through, and the app connects to the router, sets up the internet connection and prompts you to create a secure network. Although it is an X50 product, the TP-Link Deco X50-PoE will work with any existing Deco system, so it’s not just for people buying from scratch. To test the X50’s performance, I set up the system in my own home, with one node connected to the main internet line in the study and the other two in the adjoining bedroom and downstairs living room. Then I connected a laptop to the 5GHz network, carried it around various rooms and measured read and write speeds to an Asustor Drivestor 4 Pro NAS appliance connected to one of the gigabit Ethernet ports on the primary Deco station.

The system claims a throughput of up to 574Mbits/sec on the 2.4GHz band and 2.4Gbits/sec on the 5GHz band. Premium meshes and routers often promise double that rate, although that doesn’t mean they’re literally twice as fast. A fat 160MHz channel width helps the Deco system overcome physical obstacles and interference from other networks. Deco uses its custom algorithms to automate the connections on your network, ensuring the strongest possible signals at all times. This makes the system a lot more affordable than tri-band systems such as TP-Link’s Deco X90 but it also means there’s less bandwidth available overall. Is it a smart economy?

TP-Link Mesh Technology dynamically chooses the best route and band for your connections and applications, guaranteeing a fast Wi-Fi no matter where you are in the home. Armed with WiFi 6 technology, Deco whole home mesh WiFi is designed to deliver a huge boost in coverage, speed, and total capacity. Get on the latest mesh WiFi to enjoy the future network that loads faster and connects more. △ AI-Driven Mesh-Intelligently learns the network environment to provide ideal WiFi unique to your home TP-Link HomeShield -Provides comprehensive network protection, robust parental controls, and real-time IoT protection Here are the speeds I saw, along with those achieved in the same tests by some of the rival meshes mentioned above:Deco X50-PoE has flexible installation to meet various demand scenarios. Place it on a tabletop or install it on a ceiling or wall with our adaptive accessories. A powerful router in its own right, this model can be used with any other Deco devices, not just X50 versions, as part of a mesh system, giving you options if you need to boost its signal. Design and features Wi-Fi settings are a little basic, with the TP-Link Deco X50-5G setting its own 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels automatically. Wi-Fi settings also include a guest network. multicoloured LED set into the base that glows various hues to let you know when something’s amiss.

The Deco app also works as a smart-home hub, offering one-touch controls for TP-Link’s Kasa appliances, plus integrations with Philips Hue and Samsung SmartThings. I suspect most people already have this covered through the Alexa or Google Home apps but the simple automations could be useful, allowing you to set network events as triggers for IoT actions. Uses of WiFi 6 and other features including OFDMA, MU-MIMO, 1024-QAM, and BSS Color require clients to also support the corresponding features. HomeShield includes the Free Basic Plan. Fees apply for the Pro Plan. Visit tp-link.com/homeshield for more information. Looking a little like a fancy vase thanks to its plastic case wrapping around the side, the TP-Link Deco X50-5G is a neat and relatively compact router. It’s a touch light on Ethernet ports, with only two Gigabit Ethernet ports and one 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port at the rear.At the regular price, the obvious alternative is the Linksys Atlas Pro 6. That’s a very competitive option, as it only costs a tenner more, and offers faster overall coverage. Although TP-Link sells an X50 mesh system as a bundle, it has since branched out to add a range of X50 products that do something different.