TP-Link Deco M3 | $99 | Amazon
TP-Link Deco S4 (3-Pack) | $135 | Amazon
TP-Link Deco M5 (3-Pack)| $150 | Amazon
Is your Wi-Fi lagging behind? Well throw your current router in the garbage because a trio of TP-Link mesh Wi-Fi routers are here to save the day. From now until whenever Amazon decides to ramp ‘em back up to full price, the TP-Link Deco M3, S4, and M5 are discounted by up to $20. While that’s not the most exciting discount, the S4 in particular—marked down to $135—made the cut in our rundown of the best Wi-Fi routers curated by Andrew Hayward, who’s tested a bunch! Here’s what he had to say:
TP-Link’s Deco S4 delivers the same kind of specs as the above Linksys router, with up to 867Mbps via 5GHz and 300Mbps through 2.4GHz, but does so with a multi-unit mesh design that spreads a signal across a much larger footprint. The two-pack can cover up to 3,800 square feet, while the three-pack is rated for up to 5,500 square feet.
As for the other two, the cheaper Deco M3 shouldn’t be overlooked as a budget-friendly alternative. In fact, because it uses a pair of powerful TP-Link Wi-Fi extenders, thanks to a pair of TP-Link extenders included in the box, the M3 boasts coverage of up to 4,800 square feet, about 700 less than the theoretical range of the S4. And when your talking spaces that large, that difference is inconsequential for most people. Emphasis on most. If you’re well off and/or not living in New York City, the size of your home might necessitate the extra reach. But if neither the M3 nor the S4 is fast enough, that’s a separate issue altogether. Though none of these Deco mesh routers support the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard, the M5 bumps up the speeds from AC1200 (1.2Gbps) to AC1300 (1.3Gbps) because sometimes 1,300Mb makes all the difference.