TP-Link Deco Mesh AC1900 WiFi System (Deco S4) – Up to 5,500 Sq.ft. Coverage, Replaces WiFi Router and Extender, Gigabit Ports, Works with Alexa, 3-pack

I have Verizon FIOS bundled service, so I have my TV, phone and internet all-in-one. While I do love FIOS, one of the negatives is that I had to use their bundled Gateway modem/router because of my TV and phone services. My house does have a wired ethernet network running thru it, which is great for all my desktop PC's and Home Theater setup, but the FIOS Gateway router's WiFi performance didn't adequately cover my three floor house (the FIOS modem is in my garage, next to my home wired-network box). To help solve this issue, I tried using the very well reviewed Netgear EX6200 range extender, but I could never get reliable performance out of it...random drops, slow speeds...it just didn't seem to like working with my FIOS router.In looking for a better solution, my research led me to looking into Mesh networking, especially as these systems (supposedly) would not need to bypass my FIOS modem...it would work with it, just taking over the WiFi functions. I was apprehensive, so I wanted a cost effective product. Tp-Link's Deco series have gotten rave reviews and their latest S4-series was actually cheaper than the previous M4-series, so I took the plunge.Getting the Deco S4 up and running is so much simpler than traditional WiFi extenders and boosters...download the TP-Link mobile app, launch it, pick your TP-Link product and it guides you through the whole process. There were some hiccups during installation, mainly where the app failed in finding the S4 devices on the first pass, but hitting the Try Again button solved the issue. The S4 router unit (all three are identical) simply plugs into any open port on the back of the FIOS modem. Once the Mesh network is setup on this S4 router, you can now easily add the other units throughout your home using the app. The app has a lot of functionality...you can set-up usage profiles, "Blacklist" devices from using your network, monitor network health and utilization, etc. Two other benefits with the S4 Deco units are that each includes two auto-sensing Gigabit ethernet ports (useful for network switches/hubs or plugging in non-WiFi devices, etc.) and that they are compatible with all TP-Link WiFi devices, so expansion and upgrades are easy.Coverage is excellent. The big benefit to a Mesh network is that all the S4 units are essentially operating as one...so, as you move throughout your house (or even outside!), your devices simply pick-up the strongest signal from the best available S4 router. You don't need to manually switch from network to network like you would with a traditional WiFi extender. Speeds are surprisingly fast. I only have FIOS 100/100 service, but I am getting WiFi speeds of 100+ Mbps on my ground and third floors (both S4 units are wired) and almost a full 80 Mbps on my second floor with a non-wired S4 unit. Outside on my back deck, speed drops to "only" 60 Mbps...incredible! I spent about 4 hours stress testing the network and found it to be rock solid...very consistent and dependable WiFi performance.If there were two things I'd list as negatives, they would be the lack of a web-based network tool/programmer (everything has to be done on the mobile app) and that there was a way to identify/isolate usage between the 2.4 and 5.0 bands.This is a long review, but to sum it up, the Deco S4 is a great product. It's simple to set-up, works with your existing modem (a HUGE plus for Verizon FIOS users), doesn't act like a bottleneck and offers a huge area of coverage. And there's the very nice price. I finally feel like I'm getting all the WiFi I'm supposed to be getting!

Great mesh system. Easy to add devices through the app and Wi-Fi speeds are consistent as you move through the mesh environment. Easy to set passwords and set up a Guest Network if needed, newer versions of the S4 have and IOT network option as well as an option to force which Deco the satellite Deco(s) gets their signal from on an individual basis.IMPORTANT NOTE:If you are going to utilize the ethernet backhaul function (which I recommend if your set up is able to accommodate it) and have any switches on your system, those switches must have LOOP PREVENTION capabilities and must be enabled in the switch's software. I standard unmanaged switch will cause the Decos to loop and cause a plethora of issues on your system, to name a few I encountered before replacing my switches with managed ones: Accessing the TP-Link app would cause the main Deco to lose connection to the internet and it would take many reboots to get it connected again, Decos would report as off-line when they were in fact not off-line, firmware updates would not install and/or it could not even check for them automatically, adjusting settings in the app would not stick, Echo devices would not communicate properly on my network, most of the time running the Network Optimization function within the app to check for channels that have too much interference would fail, if one deco was unplugged or the power went out it would take hours of messing with the system to get them all back on-line. Once I replaced the switches with managed ones all of the issues disappeared instantly.

This is truly a GREAT system! We could not be happier with the speed, stability, coverage, and ease of setup. Unlike all the programming U used to have to do to setup a router, or heaven forbit, set of routers... this system completely takes care of itself in setup. Just follow some rather easy to follow steps and you are up and running within an hour, with a set of three, like we have.In our case we are covering two stories of a house and our TV studio/shop next door, with just three. One in the lower floor area is in eye-shot of the one in the next building, which is in eye-line of the one in our dining room upstairs. Because ours can all "see" each other, I think we get even better signal coverage that the average. However, when I first setup the system, I used two in the main house only at first, and they did a good job of seeing each other through the floor/ceiling. Then I added the third next door and the system "inserted" that unit itself as the relay unit. You can see how they arrange themselves with the app you will install on your phone to get them setup, and then afterward, can always monitor status of the system and the individual relay units.We got this system as our interface to a Starlink network, and it is by far the best solution we have encountered for use with that system to date!