TP-Link Deco M9 Plus Mesh Wi-Fi System Review

Wi-Fi is common as a microwave in home these days. When there is Wi-Fi at a home, having more than once device connected to it is common. One downside to the Wi-Fi experience that many people experience is poor coverage in their home. You might even notice it now with your current Wi-Fi setup. Where an area of the house has Wi-Fi signal that is borderline, and your device disconnects or experiences slow access. That is where the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus Mesh Wi-Fi products comes in.

We have looked at previous Wi-Fi Mesh Networking solutions out on today’s market including the the TP-Link Deco M5 and the ASUS Lyra. Both solutions can cover a great deal of square footage. We’re curious to see if TP-Link’s newest offering, the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus performs.

First Impressions & What’s In The Box?

The TP-Link Deco M9 Plus is a tri-band 802.11ac solution that offers a 2.4GHz network as well as two 5GHz networks. One of those 5GHz networks acts as a back-haul that allows the Deco units to talk to one another. This is all done transparently to the user for a simple and hassle free setup. Another feature of the back-haul network is that you can use it to bridge portions of a network together. So, what does the “Plus” mean in Deco M9 Plus? It means that TP-Link has added support for Zigbee and other Internet of Things devices. Allowing you to make the Deco M9 Plus the central point for other Smart Home devices in your home that make use of the Zigbee and other protocols.

The packaging of the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus is quite familiar as it matches that of the previous Deco M5. With the Deco M9 Plus there are only two units as opposed to the three that came with the TP-Link Deco M5.

Behind the two Deco M9 Plus units were the power adapters, an Ethernet cable and some small documentation leaflets.

The TP-Link Deco M9 Plus look almost exactly like the Deco M5 except for two things. One, the AC adapter is not USB-C like the Deco M5. There is now a USB port and the units themselves are physically larger. Not significantly larger, but if you have the Deco M5, the Deco M9 Plus are noticeably bigger. The Deco M9 Plus units still have two Ethernet ports, one for the connection to your modem and the other that can be used to connect directly to a computer or to a network switch.

Specs and Feature Highlights

Each Deco M9 Plus unit has the following features:

• 2x WAN/LAN Gigabit Ethernet ports
• 1x USB2.0 Port
• 1x Power Port
• 6 Wi-Fi Antenna, 1 Zigbee Antenna, 1 Bluetooth Antenna
• 802.11 ac/n/a
• 802.11 ac/b/n
• Bluetooth 4.2
• Zigbee HA1.2
• Up to 867 Mbps (5 GHz)
• Up to 400 Mbps (2.4 GHz)
• WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK Security
• SPI Firewall
• IPv4 and IPv6 support
• 3-Year Built-in Antivirus via TrendMicro
• Parental Controls
• QoS (Quality of Service)
• Alexa and IFTTT (If This Than That) support

We’ll be exploring some of these features in the next few pages.

The Setup

Like other TP-Link products we have looked at, the set up of the Deco M9 Plus is simple and quick. It can almost be done with your eyes closed. Almost.

It starts with the installation of the TP-Link Deco app (available for iOS and Android). Once it is installed, you just follow the screens, and within minutes, your Wi-Fi network is up and running and secure.

It does not matter which unit you choose to make use of first, but the one you use first becomes the primary or main Deco unit to which your other Deco units will talk to. Your electronic devices will talk to either unit based on proximity and other factors though.

That’s it! The network is now configured and you can start using it right away.

Configuration Settings

To keep the installation and maintenance simple, there is not a whole lot that you can configure in terms of Wi-Fi settings. Majority of consumers will not fiddle with things, and that’s how TP-Link has designed the Deco series. They made it so it can set up and forgotten.

If you are someone who has some smart household items, then you can get a bit more into the configuration of the smart-hub feature of the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus. You can create actions for items such as lights, locks, outlets and thermostats. You can also create automation based on times and triggers.

With the mobile app you have the following sections. Some of these features are only available when the unit is in Router mode.

• Wi-Fi
  • SSID and Password
  • Guest Network (Router)
• Test Internet Speed
• Blacklist
• Update Deco
• Advanced
  • IPv4 (Router)
  • IPv6 (Router)
  • Address Reservation (Router)
  • Port-Forwarding (Router)
  • TP-Link DDNS (Router)
  • VLAN (Router)
  • Fast Roaming
  • LED Control
  • Notifications
  • Operating Mode
• Parental Controls (Router)
• Antivirus (Router)
• QoS (Router)
• Monthly Report
• Managers

In today’s day and age, a lot of people like to ensure their users (children, etc.) are protected when they are using the Internet. The Parental Controls of the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus allows you to create accounts, assign devices to them and then manage things such as their Internet usage, web addresses, and services they try and access plus more. This is great for those parents who want to ensure that they can help try and steer kids away from that seedier side of the Internet.

One aspect that more advanced users might find troubling is that there is no support for a web-based user interface. However, TP-Link Deco M9 Plus is geared towards people who do not want this level of control with the setup. It’s really plug it in and go.

Network Performance Tests

When it comes to Wi-Fi and Network performance, a lot of the routers out there on today’s market will be similar. The TP-Link Deco M9 Plus is an AC2200 based Wi-Fi router whereas the previous Deco M5 is an AC1300 router. AC2200 means that the router is capable of combined theoretical speed of up to 2200 megabits per second (mbps), where the three separate signals are 400 mbps + 867 mbps + 867 mbps, rounded up.

In the case of the TP-Link Deco M5, I was able to place each unit on a separate floor (we had access to 3 stories) but with the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus I only have access to 2 stories. Both TP-Link models were able cover up to 4,500 square feet. The TP-Link Deco M9 Plus with its larger footprint and 2 more antenna per unit is able to cover more. If you truly needed more coverage you can purchase another Deco unit, either another M9 Plus or M5 would be suitable, and add it to the network via the mobile app.

To give a rough estimate of network performance, I placed both TP-Link Deco M9 Plus units on the same floor on either side of the building. When I walked around the main unit (closest to the modem) my network speed would average 394.3 mbps. When I moved over to the remote unit, my network speed dropped and would average 191.8 mbps. Walking up to the second floor and leaving the units on the lower floor, the network speed averages would drop again, but were still usable.

I then moved the remote unit upstairs and the networks speed averages went up while walking between the two units. It is possible that the room where the remote unit was located previously had construction material that may have interfered with the Wi-Fi signals. Moving the Deco M9 Plus unit to the second floor (so each floor had one Deco unit), I was able to maintain an average network speed of 334.2 mbps with peaks hitting above 400 mbps.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

I have been using the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus for a while now and it performs where I would expect it to. I have also used it in both modes that it supports which are Router & Access Point. In Access Point mode, I utilize the Deco M9 Plus like a wireless back-haul, allowing me to expand my wired network into a room that cannot have a wired drop connected to it.

Setup of the TP-Link M9 Plus is the quickest and the simplest of any Wi-Fi routers I have used to date. Download the iOS or Android app, plug in one unit, and with a few decision on the app, it essentially sets itself up for use. The Antivirus feature of the TP-Link Deco series is great for those who want an easy way to ensure all their connected devices are protected from security threats. While this does not make up for anti-virus software on your computers, it does provide something where traditionally nothing was there to assist.

Performance of the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus is good and will not hinder the typical users experience. I’ve been using it for playing PC games, streaming to Twitch, while also watching Twitch Streams, all at the same time. My game play experience was never affected in any noticeable way. I did notice a bit of a drop in network speeds walking between the units, but the hand off between the two TP-Link Deco M9 Plus units was flawless. Under regular operation, this is totally not noticeable.

As mentioned, the Plus in the name adds in support for the Zigbee protocol or other Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Since I do not have any Smart Home items, I wasn’t able to test this feature set out thoroughly. But at least I have the option to make my home smarter in the future and have support. The TP-Link will even work with the Philips Hue product line, which can also tie into systems like ASUS Aura or Razer’s Chroma on systems.

Overall, I have enjoyed using the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus and would recommend it to anyone looking for a simple to setup Mesh Network solution that just works with little to no user intervention. This is clearly not aimed at power users looking for more options, and TP-Link does have those options available in their product line too. The TP-Link Deco M9 Plus is available for around $299 US.