TP-Link Updates Deco Mesh Networking Family with Wi-Fi 6

TP-Link is announcing three new products in their Deco mesh networking lineup at CES 2020 - the Deco X20, X60, and X90. All three come with Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) capabilities.

The highest-end is the Deco X90 with two 5 GHz radios and one 2.4 GHz one. It comes with the AX6600 tag (574 Mbps @ 2.4 GHz, 1201 Mbps @ 5 GHz, and 4804 Mbps @ 5 GHz), and TP-Link claims that it can serve up to 200 devices in a 6000 sq. ft. area. The WAN port is a 2.5 Gbps port, and the unit features dynamic backhaul technology to shift communication between the mesh units to any of the three available bands. Availability of the Deco X90 is slated for April 2020 at a $450 price point for a kit of two units.

The Deco X60 is an AX3000 class mesh unit (574 Mbps @ 2.4 GHz, 2402 @ 5 GHz). TP-Link indicates that this can serve up to 150 clients in a 5000 sq. ft. area. The LAN port is a gigabit port. The X60 will make it to the market in March 2020 with a $270 price point for a pack of two units.

The Deco X20 is a budget offering ($190 for a pack of 2, and $270 for a pack of 3) in the AX1800 class (574 Mbps @ 2.4 GHz, 1201 Mbps @ 5 GHz). It will also come to the market in March 2020.

Compared to the Wi-Fi 5 Deco units, we see that the z-height is considerably more (particularly for the Deco X90 units) to better accommodate the antennae and radios. All the Deco Wi-Fi 6 units include full Wi-Fi 6 capabilities including OFDMA support and MU-MIMO on both uplink and downlink sides. They also include the optional subscription-based HomeCare Pro for cybersecurity (both antivirus and IoT devices). The mesh networking market is highly competitive, and it bodes well for TP-Link to target a wider budget range compared to offerings such as Netgear's Orbi.