The TP-Link Deco X75 is the Chinese networking brand's latest tri-band Wi-Fi 6 mesh router. It is an incremental upgrade over last year's Deco X68. You'll get one more Gigabit Ethernet port, and support for 160MHz channels. The latter significantly increases wireless speeds for clients — typically your latest notebooks — that support this feature. I tested the two-pack (S$509), but it's also available as a single unit (S$269), or as a set of three (S$709).
Quick specs
- Tri-band Wi-Fi 6 (AX5400)
- 3x Gigabit LAN/WAN ports
- Dedicated 5GHz wireless backhaul
- For houses with three to five bedrooms (using a two-pack)
As mentioned, the X75 has three wireless bands, including two 5GHz bands. One of these 5GHz bands can function as a dedicated wireless backhaul, or link between the units. This ensures that wireless speeds do not drop off a cliff for client devices that are connected to a secondary node in the network. Design-wise, the X75 is very similar to other Deco routers. Its cylindrical body resembles a smart speaker — a front bottom status LED lets you know if the network is working properly. You'll also find its three Gigabit Ethernet ports at the back, along with the power connector. As expected, there's no USB port.
If you have tried any of TP-Link's Deco mesh routers in the past, you'll know the drill. Download the Deco mobile app (for iOS and Android) and follow the instructions given by the setup tool. Once the first X75 unit is up and running (10 minutes or less), simply power up any additional units (mine was a two-pack) and place them around your home. They will automatically connect to the mesh network. If you already have any older Deco routers, you can add them to your newly-created home network, too. They can work together with the X75 units to further expand the coverage.
Like most mesh routers, the Deco X75 caters to the mainstream user. Hence, the app doesn't come with a ton of networking features and settings, especially compared to a similar Asus mesh router. For example, you can't set up separate Wi-Fi networks for the router's 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. But the upside is that the X75 and its app are easy to use, and should be sufficient for most. TP-Link also charges a monthly subscription (S$8.98 a month) for its HomeShield Pro suite of security software, which includes features like real-time protection and Internet time limits. You do get the free non-Pro version that has basic parental controls and QoS to prioritise specific client devices. Check out the differences between them here.
The TP-Link Deco X75 produced an average download speed of around 921Mbps in an ideal scenario i.e. there weren't any other client devices operating during my test. Under more realistic conditions, expect the speed to dip to around the 700Mbps level, which is still good. The average download speed for my test laptop in a distant bedroom was also relatively good at around 382Mbps. This performance was better than the dual-band Deco X50, which managed only 258Mbps, likely due to its lack of a wireless backhaul. Overall, the X75 performs significantly better than the Deco X68, and is worth the slight premium over its predecessor. Get the X75 now from Lazada and Shopee.
Note: Review unit provided by TP-Link.
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