Coverage and speeds are decent, well below the Asus XT8 but beating the Eero 6 (below). The app is simple and it’s easy to set up a guest network. Originally released with the free HomeCare software, this has since become a HomeShield system, and TP-Link has updated its HomeShield and parental control subscriptions. You get basic network security (router scanning, guest network, QoS) and parental controls (creating profiles, internet pausing, blocking and filtering) for free, but everything else requires a subscription.
HomeShield Security+ costs $5 per month or $36 per year and adds web and intrusion protection with notifications and reporting. Total Security costs $70 per year and adds device antivirus, VPN service, and a password manager. Advanced Parental Controls costs $3 per month or $18 per year and adds time limits, downtime scheduling, rewards, app time limits, safe search, insights and reporting. While this granularity allows you to choose what you need, it can be confusing for some, and I don’t like subscription creep. That said, most families will probably want Security+ and Advanced Parental Controls, which will cost $54 for the year ($1 less than the HomeShield Pro it replaces).
The Quality of Service feature lets you prioritize activities like gaming or streaming or set priority devices. Above all, you can split the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to display as two separate Wi-Fi networks. This is convenient because some smart devices only work on the old band. Likewise, there is a mixed mode for WPA2 and WPA3 security. Some devices don’t work with the new WPA3 standard, and some routers force you to choose one or the other, which can cause problems. This mode ensures that all your gadgets are on a compatible standard.
The web interface is basic and doesn’t add much, so I preferred to use the easy-to-use app. However, the update is a bit slow and the settings remain limited. It didn’t recognize many devices and listed obscure hardware manufacturer names, making it difficult to determine which devices to add to my kids’ profiles.
It wasn’t the fastest system, but this system is fast and reliable enough for the average home. If you have a connection of 500 Mbps or better, it may be worth upgrading to Deco X55 Or Deco X60.
Ideal for smart homes
Amazon’s Eero 6 mesh system is one of the easiest to set up, offers fairly wide coverage, and offers stable connectivity. It’s a sleek system, available as three identical routers or (slightly cheaper) as one main router and two small nodes. The Eeros blend in on a table or shelf, although their compact design leaves no room for ports. (There are only two Gigabit ports on the routers and none on the nodes.)
Although the base Eero 6 was one of the slowest systems I tested, especially over long distances, node speeds were close to what I got from the main router. There was no drop-off and it proved adept at sharing limited bandwidth. The mobile app is simple and gives you an overview of connected devices with the ability to suspend the Internet and set up a guest network. I was also able to create profiles, group devices, set schedules, and set bedtimes. Unfortunately, content filtering, other parental controls, advanced security, ad blocking, and activity insights require an Eero Plus subscription at $10 per month or $100 per year.
