TP-Link’s Deco BE25 BE5000 ($299.99) is a reasonably priced mesh networking system designed to bring Wi-Fi 7 to all corners of your home. As with other Deco systems, it is a breeze to install and manage, and it comes with TP-Link’s HomeShield suite, which gives you basic parental control and network security software. It’s a solid performer and is equipped with two 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, but it doesn’t support 6GHz transmissions or 320MHz channel width, and it doesn’t have any USB ports. For these features, you may want to consider our Editors’ Choice winner for mainstream Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems, the more expensive TP-Link Deco BE63.
Design: This Deco Goes With Your Home Decor
For this review, we tested the Deco BE5000 three-pack, which uses identical nodes that provide up to 6,600 square feet of coverage. TP-Link also offers a two-pack ($229.99) that covers 4,600 square feet and a single node ($129.99) that provides 2,600 square feet of coverage. The white, puck-shaped nodes are identical, standing 2.4 inches high and 5.9 inches wide. They are equipped with four internal antennas and are powered by a 1.1GHz quad-core CPU, 128MB of flash memory, and 512MB of RAM.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The rear panel holds a pair of auto-sensing 2.5GbE WAN/LAN ports that support wired backhaul. They share space with a WPS button and a power jack. Unlike the Deco BE63 system, this system does not offer any USB ports. A small LED indicator positioned on the front, near the bottom, pulses blue when the system is ready for setup, is solid blue during setup, pulses green during a firmware update, and is solid green when everything is connected and working properly. A pulsing red LED means a node is disconnected from the system, and a solid red LED indicates a system error.
The BE5000 is a Wi-Fi 7 system that supports direct-to-client beamforming, Multi-Link Operation (MLO), WPA3 encryption, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) transmissions, and 4K-QAM. It also supports Alexa and Google voice commands. This system doesn’t have a 6GHz radio band and does not support 320MHz channels. Instead, it’s a dual-band system that tops out at 240MHz channels. The 2.4GHz band can hit theoretical speeds of up to 688Mbps, and the 5GHz band is rated to reach speeds of up to 4,324Mbps, for a total of approximately 5,000Mbps—hence the BE5000 designation.
A 6GHz band is handy for connecting to nearby Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 devices since it is far less crowded than the 5GHz or 2.4GHz bands are. However, if you don’t have any such devices, or you need to connect over greater distances, the lack of 6GHz isn’t a deal-breaker. Support for 320MHz channel width is another key feature of Wi-Fi 7, doubling the transmission speed compared with the 160MHz maximum width of earlier Wi-Fi generations. As with 6GHz, 320MHz width doesn’t confer any benefit if you don’t have any Wi-Fi 7 client devices. And the BE5000’s 240MHz width is still a significant step up, even if it’s not cutting-edge.
Like most other Deco systems, the BE5000 comes with TP-Link’s HomeShield software, which provides free basic parental control and network security tools. With the basic plan, parents can create user profiles with age-based web filters, pause the internet, and block specific websites. For $2.99 per month or $17.99 per year, the Advanced Parental Controls subscription gets you features including SafeSearch, YouTube Restricted Mode, Flexible Bedtime, Time Limits, Time Rewards, and Insights (the last, a history of online usage).
Basic network security tools offer router and wireless security scans, while the $4.99-per-month/$35.99-per-year Security+ plan offers more advanced security features, including Web Protection, Intrusion Prevention, and IoT Protection. The HomeShield Total Security package adds antivirus protection, a VPN, password management, and a PC cleaner utility for $5.99 per month or $69.99 per year. It’s important to note that the price for this package jumps to $129.99 after the first year.
(Credit: TP-Link)
You manage the Deco BE5000 using the Deco mobile app for iOS and Android devices. The app opens to a Network screen with a button for testing your internet upload and download speeds using Speedtest.net, and a button that takes you to a screen where you can configure Wi-Fi settings. (Note: Ookla’s Speedtest service is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag’s parent company.) Below these two buttons is a gauge that shows your current upload and download speeds, and below that is a network map that shows the router and nodes. Tap any node to see which clients are currently connected to it. When you tap the client device, you’ll see its MAC and IP addresses and if it is assigned to a family member. Here, you can give it bandwidth priority or prevent it from communicating with other devices on the network.
At the bottom of the screen are buttons labeled Network, Security, Parental Controls, and More. The Network button returns you to the Network screen from wherever you are in the app, and the Security button takes you to a screen where you can scan the network for security risks, view scan results, block clients from accessing the network, isolate devices, and create Home and Away settings for any connected cameras.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The Parental Controls button opens a screen where you can create user profiles, assign web filters, block websites, and create bedtime (i.e., no internet access) schedules. Advanced settings that come with the subscriptions mentioned above let you filter content from searches, filter YouTube content, and set online time limits.
Tap the More button to access Wi-Fi settings, create an IoT network for smart home devices, optimize the network, configure VPN settings, and configure QoS bandwidth limits.
Testing the TP-Link Deco BE5000: All Speed, No Hassle
Mesh systems are typically easy to install—and the Deco BE5000 is no different—but you’ll have to download a mobile app and create an account before you begin. To start, I tapped the + icon on the Network screen, tapped Create a Network, and powered up the Deco router. When the LED began pulsing blue, I allowed a Bluetooth connection, and the router was immediately identified. I joined the network when prompted, tapped Set Up the Deco, and connected the router to my modem and to my desktop PC’s 10GbE LAN port. I restarted my modem, gave the router a name, and tapped Next to connect the router to the internet. I gave the new network a name and a password and waited a few seconds for the network to be created.
I then placed the additional nodes in their respective rooms, and powered them up. They were automatically added to the network.
Throughput Tests
The BE5000 system performed admirably in testing. The router node scored 1,959Mbps on the close proximity test and 628Mbps on the 30-foot test. In comparison, the MSI Roamii BE Lite router, which is also a dual-band system, scored 937Mbps on the close proximity test and 524Mbps on the 30-foot test. Meanwhile, the Deco BE63, which uses the 6GHz band, scored 2,288Mbps and 780Mbps, respectively.
The BE5000 satellite node scored 982Mbps at close range and 630Mbps at 30 feet, beating the Roamii BE Lite node (561Mbps, 441Mbps) but not the more powerful Deco BE63 (1,688Mbps, 950Mbps).
Wireless Signal Strength Tests
To test wireless signal strength, we use an Ekahau Sidekick 2 diagnostic device and Ekahau’s Survey software to generate a heat map that displays Wi-Fi signal strength throughout our test home. (PCMag parent company Ziff Davis also owns Ekahau.) The circles on the heat map represent the router and node locations, and the colors represent signal strength, with dark green representing the strongest signal, lighter yellow representing a weaker signal, and gray representing a very weak signal, or no measurable signal. (Here, the measurement is taken as a combination of the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands.)
(Credit: Ekahau)
As shown on the map, the Deco BE5000 delivered strong Wi-Fi signals throughout most of the home, although the signal was not quite as strong in the back bedroom.
Verdict: Impressive Wi-Fi 7 Performance for Less
With the TP-Link Deco BE5000, you can blanket your home with Wi-Fi 7 signal without spending a bundle. This three-piece mesh system had no trouble delivering a strong presence throughout our test home, and its throughput performance was impressive.
That said, it’s missing a few key Wi-Fi 7 features, such as a 6GHz radio band and 320MHz channel bandwidth. If you want to take advantage of all that Wi-Fi 7 offers, our Editors’ Choice winner, the TP-Link Deco BE63, is a better (albeit more expensive) choice. It’s a tri-band system with support for 6GHz transmissions and 320MHz channels, and it offers USB connectivity.
TP-Link Deco BE25 BE5000 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi 7 System
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The Bottom Line
The TP-Link Deco BE5000 is an inexpensive Wi-Fi mesh system that delivers solid throughput performance for homes with basic internet needs, but it lacks premium Wi-Fi 7 features.
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About John R. Delaney
Contributing Editor
