TP-Link Deco PX-50 Mesh/Powerline Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 – the perfect 10 (3-pack network review)

The TP-Link Deco PX-50 Mesh/Powerline, Wi-Fi 6, AX3000 scores the perfect 10/10 for its innovative use of G.hn G1500 Ethernet-Over-Power mesh backhaul. It is truly ground-breaking and flawlessly solves Wi-Fi black spot coverage issues.

The next best thing about this is that it is a perfect DIY add-on to Crappy NBN FTTN Modems (network guide).

If you have Wi-Fi coverage issues, plug this into a power point, and there is a 99% certainty it will fix them.

What is Mesh backhaul?

The connection between the main router and its satellites allows each to receive and retransmit Wi-Fi and send the results back to the main router.

Consumer Warning: There is no such thing as a Wi-Fi booster or amplifier (Shame on you, Telstra, for promoting otherwise). If a satellite gets a weak signal from the router (via backhaul), it retransmits that same weak signal (never mind that it appears to be at full rate) and sends it back via the same weak signal.

Most mesh systems use either a Wi-Fi backhaul (dual or tri-band) or an Ethernet cable (preferred) to set up the backhaul. Wi-Fi backhaul is problematic because it needs to be within 7-10 metres of the router, and the signal strength and bandwidth drops dramatically as you get further away or it passes through walls, windows, floors, doors, cupboards etc.

An Ethernet cable connection is excellent – usually 1-gigabit full-duplex – but it needs expensive wiring. The TP-Link Deco PX-50 Mesh/Powerline Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 does not.

Enter G.hn Ethernet-over-power – the secret sauce

The TP-Link Deco PX-50 Mesh uses the relatively new G.hn Ethernet-over-Power (EoP) standard developed by the International Telecommunication Union. It can transmit and receive (full-duplex) a maximum 2400Mbps via 240V power points. It is a reliable, fault-tolerant, self-healing Ethernet connection using Wi-Fi 6 technology (MIMO/OFDM/4096 QAM) and 128-bit PLC encryption – as if you had run an Ethernet cable.

G.hn is superior to Home Plug Powerline because it can work across phases (an average home may have at least two phases or different power circuits). Its only requirement is to plug directly into a power point, not a power board, and the run should be less than 500 metres.

What does this mean?

Simply put, you can plug in a satellite anywhere in your home and get at least gigabit speed, full duplex backhaul. That includes the garage, shed, and around the home to distribute fast, reliable Wi-Fi 6, AX3000, 2.4 and 5Ghz signals.

Why buy it?

It is the perfect way to eliminate black spots. As you don’t use Wi-Fi mesh backhaul, it works everywhere – old homes, over multiple floors, through doors, glass etc.

It is also compatible with other TP-Link Deco Wi-Fi mesh routers, so you can keep that investment.

Australian review: TP-Link Deco PX-50 Mesh/Powerline, AX3000

Note that this mesh system also has PoE (Power over Ethernet) and PX-50 PoE Outdoor models. PoE means that power is transmitted over the Ethernet cable and requires either a PoE-enabled Ethernet switch or a PoE injector. 802.3at PoE typically provides DC 48V/.32A/15.4W to a device.

Website	TP-Link Deco PX-50 Mesh/Powerline Product Page
RRP	Not announced yet but expect AU$699 for the three-pack
From	CE retailers like Harvey Norman, Bing Lee, Officeworks and computer stores.
Warranty	36-months
Company	TP-Link (Est 1996) is a privately owned Chinese company. Products include high-speed cable modems, wireless and mobile routers, range extenders, switches, IP cameras, powerline adapters, switches, print servers, media converters, wireless adapters, power banks, USB Hubs and SMART home technology devices.
More	CyberShack TP-Link news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – Pass+

Deco has three styles – the modern curved look cylinder, the squat cylinder and the round wall or ceiling mount style.

 This is the squat cylinder, and depending on your taste, it could be more elegant for public display. It has three Gigabit WAN/LAN ports and a power port. A LED on the front base shows its status – green is go.

It is a dual-band 2.4GHz (574Mbps), a 5GHz (2402Mbps) and a 1.5Mbps G.hn Ethernet-over-Power (EoP) backhaul (that provides power to the unit as well).

As an EoP device, the full AX3000 bandwidth is available to Wi-Fi 6 or earlier devices (e.g., no Wi-Fi bandwidth is used for backhauling).

If you add a standard Deco Mesh to a satellite/router that dedicates a portion of the 5GHz band for Wi-Fi backhaul to the standard mesh and uses the G.hn backhaul to the router.

Setup – Exceed

There is only one way to set this up – download the TP-Link Deco app, create or sign in to the Deco account (same as used for Archer routers, Tapo and Kasa IoT products), and the App does it all. It finds the router (the one connected by Ethernet to the gateway/router). Once you name the network and add a user and admin password, that is it. You can also enable a guest network.

Then plug the two satellites into a power point (not a power board), and a few minutes later, the App has found and configured them and updated firmware.

Because there is no Wi-Fi backhaul to worry about, you can unplug a satellite and move it anywhere on the home power network – great for Wi-Fi at the pool – or buy another satellite.

The App – Easy as – Pass+

While the App keeps everything simple, a ‘More’ section allows for more granular changes. I particularly like the Network Optimisation that moves Wi-Fi to lesser-used channels (reduces congestion and improves performance). You can change WAN IP, WPS levels, update firmware (if not on Auto) and add managers. Please ignore upload/download speeds in the images below.

It also tries valiantly to upsell to paid versions of HomeShield Pro that provides:

• Real-time IoT protection and scans for vulnerabilities)
• Network protection (intrusion prevention)
• Parental controls (Content, websites, bedtime and time rewards)
• Reports

A comparison of the free and paid version is below

Speed – Exceed

There are three measures of speed in a Wi-Fi 6 router.

1. -dBm signal strength.  (0-55 and lower is better – <30 is excellent).
2. Mbps bandwidth at, say, 2, 5, 10m or more from the router (this ranges from 0 to a maximum of 2400 – most Wi-Fi 6 routers are 1200Mbps).
3. The actual Internet rate measured by download/upload and millisecond delay.

All three devices recorded <-30dBm/1200Mbps signal strength/speed at 2m from the router and very usable -47dBm/686 at over 10m from the router. – Exceed

We have NBN FTTN 100/20Mbps. All three devices showed <20ms ping and full internet bandwidth. That includes one in the garage (where Wi-Fi backhaul will not reach) with ‘Fair’ signal strength (it is on another phase).

It has a <30dBm transmit power on both bands (many Wi-Fi routes a >20). I am impressed at the consistency of the speeds and tests.

Is AX3000 enough? – Pass+

Yes, especially as it is consistent over the router and satellites, and there is no ‘borrowing’ bandwidth for a Wi-Fi backhaul. It has four Wi-Fi streams.

Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/574Mbps for IoT devices at each router/satellite, and this means 30-50 devices each, depending on bandwidth use. TP claims you can connect over 150 devices, which is true if spread reasonably evenly over the 3-pack.

It has 5GHz/2402Mbps, which should support at least 2 x 4K video streams, gaming, audio streaming and more intensive use. It has a 160MHz channel width for 2400Mbps full-duplex.

As is usual, it aggregates the bandwidth and transmits a Beamforming signal. Each device will see either a 2.4GHz or 5GHz signal and join that band. If you have issues with IoT (and we did not with over 50 devices), you can transmit a separate 2.4GHz band using the guest network (and IoT should be on a separate network anyway).

Finally, it uses AI to learn the mesh environment for the best performance. We noticed the difference that AI makes to the D-Link Eagle AI range, and this does a similar thing.

Privacy – Pass+

We have read the privacy provisions and are satisfied that it collects only the information it needs to perform the job. You can tighten privacy settings in the App.

Ports – Exceed

Each unit has three gigabit Ethernet LAN/WAN ports, and the router uses one to connect to the internet.

We tested these ports over G.hn, and each delivered a consistent 1000/1000 full-duplex speed.

Voice Assistant – Pass+

It supports Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT. Voice control offers a limited set of commands. Don’t forget that you are subject to the voice assistants’ privacy policies (or lack thereof).

Coverage – Exceed

Wi-Fi backhaul must overlap to get a strong enough signal, and this reduces coverage by at least 25%. G.hn does not have that issue and gets a full 200m2 coverage or a circle of about 15m diameter around each.

Minor issue – Fixed

The handoff from router to satellite was a little slow after having experienced swift handover on other Deco products. I put that down to early firmware, but we discovered that Fast Roaming in the App is not enabled by default. Once enabled, the handoff was almost instant,

CyberShack’s view – TP-Link Deco PX-50 Mesh/Powerline Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 scores the perfect 10

It is not that this is the fastest (there are Tri and Quad-band AXE11000 routers) nor the most powerful, but it is by far the best mesh router we have seen because it used G.hn EoP backhaul.

It is a 10/10 because you can Ethernet cable the router to the existing modem/router (no matter if that is in the worst place in the house, like the garage or at the front of the home) and simply plug in satellites to cover a large or multi-story home.

Hint: Change your existing router SSID to another and use that SSID and password for the TP-Link. That way, you don’t have to change SSID/password for all connected devices.

I am sure we will see many more brands/models using G.hn backhaul mesh.

Rating Explanation – TP-Link Deco PX-50 Mesh/Powerline

• Features: 10 – G.hn backhaul and Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 bandwidth
• Value: 10- At the AU estimated cost of $699, it is cheap for whole-of-home coverage. It is also currently unique!
• Performance: 10- Each satellite and router offer identical coverage and should be suitable for NBN 1Gbps speeds
• Ease of Use: I would give it an 11/10 because its all App driven, and there is no tech savvy required
• Design: 100 – Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and let’s say it serves the purpose.