TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro Mesh WiFi 6E Review

Unboxing and What is in the Box

The 3-pack arrives in a large white box containing three identical Deco XE75 Pro units, three power adapters, three Ethernet cables (1 metre each, Cat 5e), and a quick installation guide. The units are cylindrical, measuring approximately 113 x 113 x 163 mm each — roughly the size of a large water bottle. The matte white finish is discreet and blends into most Indian home decor. Each unit weighs about 560 grams and sits stably on flat surfaces.

The Ethernet cables included are adequate for connecting one unit to your ISP modem and the others to wired devices, but the 1-metre length is limiting. We recommend purchasing longer Cat 6 cables (Rs 199 to 499 for 3 to 5 metres on Amazon India) if you need to place units away from wall sockets or connect them to devices like a gaming PC or smart TV via Ethernet.

Design and Placement

The cylindrical white design is the best aesthetic choice TP-Link could have made for Indian homes. Unlike angular gaming routers with protruding antennas (which look like alien insects on a living room shelf), the Deco units blend in with home decor. They look like a minimalist vase or a smart speaker — guests in our Mumbai apartment did not even notice they were networking equipment until we pointed them out.

Each unit has two Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back (one for WAN input on the primary unit, plus a spare for wired devices) and a USB-C power input. There are no visible LED indicators on the front during normal operation — a single bottom-facing LED glows white when connected and amber when there is an issue, visible only if you deliberately check. This zero-LED design is appreciated for bedroom placement where router lights can be annoying at night.

Placement strategy matters significantly for mesh performance. We positioned the three units as follows: Unit 1 (primary) in the living room near the ISP modem, Unit 2 in the master bedroom at the opposite end of the apartment, and Unit 3 in the study room midway between them. This triangular placement ensured overlapping coverage across all rooms, including the kitchen, bathrooms, and the balcony — all of which were WiFi dead zones with our previous single router.

Setup Experience

The TP-Link Deco app (available on Android and iOS) guides you through the entire setup process with visual step-by-step instructions. The setup took approximately 8 minutes from opening the box to having all three units online and broadcasting WiFi — this is genuinely one of the simplest networking setups we have experienced.

Step one: connect Unit 1 to your ISP modem via Ethernet. Step two: plug in the power adapter and wait for the LED to start flashing blue (about 2 minutes for boot-up). Step three: open the Deco app, create or log into your TP-Link account, and follow the on-screen prompts to detect and configure the primary unit. Step four: plug in Units 2 and 3 in their designated locations and the app automatically detects and adds them to the mesh network.

The app prompted us for ISP connection type during setup. For our JioFiber connection, the automatic DHCP detection worked immediately. For users with BSNL FTTH connections that use PPPoE authentication, the app provides a clear PPPoE option where you enter your username and password — we confirmed this works correctly based on reader feedback and BSNL documentation.

The single network SSID approach is one of mesh networking's key benefits. Instead of having separate network names for 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands (a common frustration with traditional routers), the Deco system broadcasts a single SSID. Devices automatically connect to the optimal band and nearest mesh node based on their capabilities and signal strength. This is genuinely seamless — your phone might be on the living room node's 5GHz band while walking around, then silently switches to the bedroom node as you move, without any interruption or reconnection delay.

WiFi Performance and Speed Tests

This is where the Deco XE75 Pro justifies its investment. We tested with an Airtel Xstream 300 Mbps plan and measured speeds using the Ookla Speedtest app on multiple devices across every room in the apartment.

Living room (near Unit 1, line of sight): 285 to 295 Mbps on 5GHz band. This is near the maximum our ISP plan delivers and represents no meaningful loss from being on WiFi versus a direct Ethernet connection to the modem.

Master bedroom (near Unit 2, through two walls): 270 to 280 Mbps. The drop from the living room is minimal — approximately 5 to 8 percent — compared to our previous single router which delivered only 80 to 100 Mbps in this location through the same walls.

Study room (near Unit 3, through one wall): 275 to 290 Mbps. Near-identical performance to the living room, confirming that the mesh nodes relay signal effectively.

Kitchen (equidistant from Units 1 and 3, through concrete walls): 230 to 250 Mbps. The kitchen was the weakest spot, but still dramatically better than the 30 to 50 Mbps we measured with the single router.

Bathroom (furthest from any unit, through bathroom tiles and concrete): 180 to 220 Mbps. Even the worst-case location in the apartment delivered adequate speed for streaming 4K video — a stark improvement from the old router's 10 to 20 Mbps in this dead zone.

Balcony (outdoor, through sliding glass door from Unit 1): 200 to 240 Mbps. Strong enough for video calls and streaming on the balcony — a use case that is increasingly popular in Indian apartments for evening relaxation and morning yoga with music.

Tri-Band WiFi 6E Explained

The Deco XE75 Pro operates on three wireless bands simultaneously: 2.4GHz (574 Mbps max), 5GHz (2,402 Mbps max), and 6GHz (2,402 Mbps max). The key architectural advantage is that the 6GHz band is used as a dedicated wireless backhaul between the mesh nodes — meaning the communication between the three Deco units happens on the 6GHz channel, leaving the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands entirely free for your devices.

In traditional dual-band mesh systems (without dedicated backhaul), the mesh nodes use the same 5GHz band to communicate with each other and with your devices, effectively halving the available bandwidth. The tri-band approach eliminates this bottleneck, resulting in the consistent speeds we measured across the apartment — speeds that dual-band mesh systems typically lose at the second and third nodes.

The 6GHz band also benefits from being less congested. In our Mumbai apartment building, we detected 27 competing WiFi networks on the 5GHz band — routers from neighbouring apartments creating interference and reducing effective speeds. On the 6GHz band, we detected zero competing networks. This clean spectrum results in more consistent and reliable backhaul performance.

The caveat: very few Indian devices currently support WiFi 6E natively. As of our review period, only select flagship phones (Samsung Galaxy S24/S25 series, Pixel 8/9 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro) and recent premium laptops support the 6GHz band for client connections. For most Indian households, the 6GHz band will serve exclusively as backhaul for the next two to three years. However, as WiFi 6E adoption accelerates, this mesh system will be ready to deliver its full potential without needing replacement — a genuine future-proofing advantage.

Device Management and Smart Features

The Deco app provides a clean, intuitive dashboard for managing your network. You can see all connected devices, their current bandwidth usage, which mesh node they are connected to, and their connection history. During our review, the Deco XE75 Pro 3-pack handled 27 simultaneous devices without any dropouts or performance degradation:

Seven smartphones (mix of Android and iPhone), three laptops, two tablets, one smart TV (Samsung 55-inch running Netflix and JioCinema), one Chromecast with Google TV, two Amazon Echo speakers, four smart bulbs (Wipro and Philips Hue), one Eureka Forbes smart vacuum, one Google Nest Doorbell, two security cameras (Tapo C200), one PS5 (Ethernet to Unit 1), and one Nintendo Switch.

The HomeCare security suite, powered by Trend Micro, provides built-in network protection. It scans for malicious websites, blocks known threat domains, and alerts you when a device on your network attempts to connect to a suspicious server. During our testing, HomeCare blocked two attempts by a smart bulb to phone home to an unknown Chinese server — a genuine security benefit that most standalone routers lack.

Parental controls allow you to set per-device usage schedules and content filters. You can create profiles for family members, assign devices to profiles, and set bedtime schedules that automatically disconnect devices from WiFi at designated times. For Indian parents managing children's screen time on phones and tablets, this feature is practical and easy to configure.

Indian ISP Compatibility

We tested and confirmed compatibility with the following Indian ISPs:

JioFiber: Works immediately with automatic DHCP. The Deco replaces the JioFiber router — connect the Deco's primary unit directly to the JioFiber ONT via Ethernet and set the connection type to DHCP. JioFiber's set-top box for TV continues to work when connected via Ethernet to any Deco unit.

Airtel Xstream: Works with DHCP. Bridge mode on the Airtel Xstream router is recommended to avoid double NAT — log into the Airtel router at 192.168.1.1 and enable bridge mode, then connect the Deco to the Airtel modem. This ensures the Deco handles all routing and DHCP functions.

ACT Fibernet: Works with DHCP. ACT provides a simple Ethernet handoff in most cities, making the Deco plug-and-play.

BSNL FTTH: Works with PPPoE authentication. Enter your BSNL PPPoE username (typically your landline number) and password during the Deco setup. The app provides a clear PPPoE configuration screen.

Hathway: Works with DHCP in most configurations. Some Hathway areas use PPPoE, which the Deco supports.

Tata Play Fiber: Works with DHCP. Similar to ACT, Tata Play provides a straightforward Ethernet handoff.

IoT Network Separation

A valuable security feature of the Deco XE75 Pro is the ability to create a separate IoT network. Smart home devices — bulbs, cameras, plugs, vacuum cleaners — are notorious for having weak security implementations that can serve as entry points for network intrusions. By placing all IoT devices on a separate network that cannot communicate with your primary devices (laptops, phones with sensitive data), you create a security boundary that protects your personal devices even if an IoT device is compromised.

We configured a separate IoT SSID for our smart bulbs, security cameras, Echo speakers, and robot vacuum, while keeping phones, laptops, and the smart TV on the primary network. The setup is straightforward through the Deco app and takes about five minutes. The IoT devices continue to function normally — they can access the internet for cloud services and firmware updates — but they cannot see or communicate with devices on the primary network.

Comparison with Alternatives

The mesh WiFi market in India has options across a wide price range:

The Netgear Orbi WiFi 6E (RBKE963) at Rs 42,999 is the premium alternative. It offers higher maximum throughput (up to 10.8 Gbps total) and a dedicated 6GHz backhaul with wider channel bandwidth. Performance is marginally better in very large homes (3,000+ square feet), but for typical Indian 2-3BHK apartments (1,000 to 2,000 square feet), the difference from the Deco XE75 Pro is negligible. At Rs 18,000 more expensive, the Netgear is hard to justify for most Indian buyers.

The ASUS ZenWiFi ET8 at Rs 38,999 offers similar WiFi 6E tri-band architecture with ASUS's AI-powered mesh management. It is well-reviewed for consistent performance but costs Rs 14,000 more than the Deco with no meaningful advantage for average-sized Indian homes.

The TP-Link Deco X55 at Rs 12,999 (3-pack) is the budget dual-band mesh alternative within TP-Link's own lineup. It covers similar areas and handles most Indian broadband speeds effectively but uses the 5GHz band for both client connections and mesh backhaul, resulting in approximately 30 to 40 percent speed loss at the second and third nodes compared to the XE75 Pro's dedicated 6GHz backhaul. For 100 Mbps broadband plans, the X55 is adequate. For 300 Mbps and faster plans, the XE75 Pro's dedicated backhaul delivers noticeably better performance at remote nodes.

For small 1BHK or 2BHK apartments (under 1,000 square feet) without significant dead zones, a single TP-Link Archer AX73 WiFi 6 router at Rs 7,999 is sufficient and significantly cheaper. Mesh systems are designed for larger spaces or apartments with challenging wall layouts — if a single router covers your apartment adequately, there is no need for a mesh system.

Indian Pricing and Best Time to Buy

The TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro 3-pack is priced at Rs 24,999 on Amazon India, Flipkart, and Croma. A 2-pack option is occasionally available at Rs 17,999 for smaller apartments where two nodes provide adequate coverage. During Amazon Great Indian Festival, the 3-pack has dropped to Rs 19,999 — a 20 percent discount that makes it the best-value WiFi 6E mesh system in India by a significant margin.

TP-Link provides a 3-year warranty on Deco mesh systems — the longest in the networking industry. Warranty service is handled through TP-Link's India service centres in major cities, with replacement turnaround of approximately 7 to 10 business days. The extended warranty reflects TP-Link's confidence in the hardware reliability and provides peace of mind for a networking investment that should serve your household for 5 to 7 years.