Now that we are living in a time when large companies are working on automation which predicts what users want to do next, we can all probably agree that there are less instances where tech simply works as expected.
Out of all the tech that I’ve been accumulating over the last few years, mesh Wi-Fi is definitely one of the few that just works. For this reason I always recommend it to friends and family, but high costs generally keep them from pulling the trigger. With the announcement of the TP-Link Deco M4 Whole Home Wi-Fi System, high prices are certainly becoming less of a concern.
Coverage that can span large homes
Like much of its competition, TP-Link Deco M4 is available in a bundle that contains three mesh units. Each unit is interchangeable and when combined, can offer up to 5,500 square feet of coverage.
Since most homes are not this large, many will not need all three units. That being said, much of this depends on how thick walls are, how many there are, and where internet access comes in at. In my experience, placement of the initial internet access point tends to be terrible locations like basements or at one end of a home.
Mesh Wi-Fi really fills a hole here, allowing consumers to fiddle less with running Ethernet, and instead easily place several wireless access points wherever needed. This has been a wonderful experience for me, as Google Wi-Fi made the whole installation process dead-simple in both of my homes. With TP-Link Deco M4, consumers will be able to spend less while still getting incredible internet coverage.
“Featuring whole home coverage and ease of use, Mesh WiFi has been a great solution to solve home WiFi problems, but the high price point has been a barrier to mass consumer adoption,” said Louis Liu, CEO of TP-Link. “Deco M4 is born to solve that, delivering fast and stable WiFi throughout your entire home, offering a robust solution at a price you can afford.”
Notable features
Despite the budget-friendly price tag offered by TP-Link Deco M4, customers will benefit from a plethora of useful features. Many of which are managed through the Deco iOS and Android apps, allowing owners to tweak settings whether they’re at home or on-the-go.
One of my favorite features is support for Alexa. Once installed, the TP-Link Router skill will allow users to ask an Echo device to do things like toggle QoS, run a speed test, and much more. IFTTT is also supported, making our Shortcuts guide a worthwhile read for any iOS users purchasing one of TP-Link’s newer routers.
Pricing and availability
The TP-Link Deco M4 Whole Home Wi-Fi System is priced at $179.99. TP-Link states that its new Wi-Fi system is available today, but currently the corresponding listing at Amazon is showing a 1-2 month shipping delay. If this is indeed a bug on TP-Link’s end, anyone ordering the new system should end up receiving the product much sooner.
9to5Toys’ Take
Given the delightful experience I have had with mesh Wi-Fi, it’s hard for me to not recommend folks to upgrade. At a cost that significantly undercuts Google Wi-Fi and eero, there’s never really been a better time to buy a new release that packs this tech.
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