More and more equipment supports WiFi 6. Of course, this only really helps if your wireless network also supports this standard. The TP-Link Deco x90 is the top-of-the-line WiFi mesh system with support for WiFi 6 is the range. How does this system perform?
TP-Link Deco X90 AX6600 Mesh Wi-Fi 6
price € 399 (2 nodes)
Router connections 2.5Gbit connection, gigabit connection (free choice wan and lan)
Satellite connections 2.5Gbit connection, gigabit connection
Wireless network Wifi 6 (2×2 configuration on the 2.4 band, 4×4 configuration on the 5GHz band)
Wireless backhaul Wifi 6 (2×2 on the 5GHz band)
Additional options Wired backhaul, access point mode, support roaming protocols 802.11k/v/r
app iOS 9.0 or later, Android 4.4 or later
Dimensions 13 × 12.3 × 21cm
Website www.tp-link.com
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Good performances
- Clear app
- Multi-gigabit connection on every node
- Negatives
- Backhaul not the most powerful radio
- Web interface limited
The TP-Link Deco X90 is an AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System according to the packaging. In terms of design, the nodes with their notches are reminiscent of earlier Deco systems, although the turrets in this set with a height of 21 centimeters are a lot larger than we were used to from the top models of TP-Link WiFi mesh systems. . Until now, the brand stood out because of its relatively modest nodes. The turrets are made of matte plastic in a shade of white that we would not describe as stark white, but just a touch warmer. The top has a glossy finish. There is no difference between a node that serves as a router or satellite, all components are identical and you can choose which of the nodes you use as a router. The towers are equipped with two network connections, one of which is a multi-gigabit variant with a speed of up to 2.5 Gbit/s. You can choose for the router which port serves as a WAN and LAN connection, which makes you very flexible in the field of multigigabit. The system supports a wired backhaul and this can be done via the multi-gigabit connection if desired.
Excellent app and limited web interface
Like all Deco systems, you manage the X90 with an app available for android or iOS. That app is excellent and offers all the options you need for a router. You can use the app to set the system in a router or access point mode, so that you can also use the Deco as a supplement to your own router.
In addition to the app, you can also access this Deco system via a web interface, something that is not possible on cheaper Deco systems. That seems like a handy addition for more advanced users, but this web interface offers virtually no setting options and is more intended as information about the status of the system. You really need the app to change settings. A pity, because in itself we find it useful for advanced users if we can change all settings from the PC.
Radio configuration
The naming of WiFi products is always difficult because the theoretical maximum speeds are added together. For example, the Deco X90 is an AX6600 system according to TP-Link. That sounds fast, because, for example, Netgear’s absolute top model is ‘just’ an AX6000 system. Yet TP-Link’s AX6600 is less powerful than Netgear’s AX6000 and that’s because TP-Link partly calculates with 160 MHz wide channels where Netgear calculates with 80 MHz wide channels. Both calculation methods are the truth, but in practice channels of 160 MHz wide are difficult to use continuously. We think a better way to compare Wi-Fi systems is based on the number of data streams.
Like all high-end systems, the Deco X90 offers three radios per node: two 5 GHz and one 2.4 GHz. One 5GHz radio has four data streams (4×4) while the other 5GHz radio offers 2 data streams (2×2). The 2.4GHz radio also offers two data streams. This makes the system comparable in terms of available radios to Netgear’s previously tested Orbi Wifi 6 AX4200 system.
A difference with how Netgear sets up Orbi is that with Orbi the most powerful 4×4 radio is reserved for the backhaul, while with Deco the radio with four data streams is used for the clients. The 5GHz radio with two data streams is reserved for the backhaul. Theoretically, the backhaul is therefore less powerful than with the Netgear system. However, the system can dynamically add data streams from the client radios to the backhaul if necessary. In any case, the client radio is better than Netgears AX4200 and comparable to the client radio on Netgears AX6000 system. It remains to be seen whether a 4×4 client radio really offers added value for the average consumer. Such a radio is only really useful if your clients also use 3 or 4 data streams. For the time being, such Wifi 6 clients do not exist and in practice we mainly see clients with a 2×2 radio on board. If such clients do come in the future, the Deco X90 may have an advantage. Especially if you use the wired backhaul in combination with the multi-gigabit connections.
Performance
We tested the Deco X90 in practice in a 2.5-storey house. The ‘ground floor’ of this apartment is split-level. Because a large part of the apartment is made of concrete, there is a high-performing wifi network normally provide a wired Wi-Fi system based on three access points.
For the test of the Deco X90, we set the node that serves as a router in the office to the lowest split-level level, while the node that serves as a satellite in a bedroom (first floor) or the living room (split-level). floor) state. For what it’s worth, we used the 1Gbit/s port on the router for the internet connection and connected a test server with a multi-gigabit connection to the 2.5GBit/s port.
In the office we achieve an excellent speed of 871 Mbit/s, with our laptop connecting neatly via a 160 MHz wide channel. With only the router active in the office, we achieve a much lower speed of 97.2 Mbit/s in the bedroom on the other floor. To test the backhaul we switch on the satellite in the bedroom. Then we get 482 Mbit/s in the bedroom. We also tested the performance in the living room. With only the router active, we get 171 Mbit/s there. If we switch on the satellite there, the speed will be 546 Mbit/s.
In comparison: the Netgear Orbi RBK50, one of the best systems of the Wifi 5 generation, achieves a speed of approximately 250 Mbit/s in both the bedroom and the living room in this test. In practice, the backhaul based on Wifi 6 technology in the Deco X90 is clearly a lot better than that of the top systems of the previous generation. Still, it could be a little better, because Netgear’s comparable Orbi Wifi 6 AX4200 scores 609 Mbit/s in the bedroom in the same test, while 619 Mbit/s is achieved in the living room. This is probably because Netgear reserves the most powerful radio with four data streams for the backhaul.
With little activity, the energy consumption is about 9 watts per node and increases to about 12 watts with more activity.
Conclusion
With the Deco X90, TP-Link is launching a WiFi mesh system on the market that, thanks to WiFi 6, clearly performs better than the top systems from the WiFi 5 generation. TP-Link has chosen to use the most powerful radio for client communication. Despite the fact that the system can dynamically use the client radios in addition to the dedicated 2×2 backhaul, the performance is still somewhat lower than we saw with Orbi. A (currently mainly theoretical) advantage over Netgear is the presence of a multi-gigabit connection on every node. In the future, this could be interesting if you provide your home with a multi-gigabit wired network.
The Deco X90 has the advantage that the price for which you have it at home is currently lower than that of its counterpart. By the way, are you in the market for a new WiFi mesh system? Then do good research. The prices of WiFi mesh systems like this Deco X90 fluctuate strongly at the moment.
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