Setting up a TP-Link Deco M5 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi

Large houses or homes with interior adobe or stucco walls might need help to extend the router’s wifi into every corner. One way to do that is by using a Mesh or Campus system to put multiple Wi-Fi access points around the house.

Extending Wi-Fi with a Mesh system is beyond the scope of our volunteer installs or support, but most people can install a simple system like the one below themselves. In fact, this TP-Link M5 system is the only mesh system we recommend for self-install since it has easy 5Ghz radio management built in. We’ve made a simple video, below, for you to watch that shows how to install and configure it.

Advantage of Mesh

The advantage of a Mesh or Campus system (over less expensive extension solutions) is that it provides you with one network name (called the SSID) throughout your location over multiple wifi access points. That means you don’t need to manually switch your cell phone or laptop to the closer Wi-Fi point—it’s automatic and you are always online throughout your whole house. Plus you get much better performance than with an extension.

The system recommended by LCWA is the TP-Link Deco M5 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi costing about $130 for a 2-point system and $180 for a 3-point system.

Why do We Like this TP-Link M5 System?

We recommend the TP-Link Deco M5 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi system, and that’s what the video below shows you how to install and configure. Why did we pick this one out of the many mesh systems out there?

• It works well with our recommended airCube router, so be sure to start with that by the way.
• The main reason this is our recommended self-install system is that it is very easy to turn off the 5 Ghz radio (again, be sure to get the M5 model) to eliminate interference with the LCWA network without fine-tuning Wi-Fi channels. How to do that is shown in the video.
• Very good price compared to the other brand-name systems on the market, ones that can cost 3 times as much.
  • The 2-point system covers the average size large home, up to 3800 square feet, and costs about $130 (at Amazon).
  • For $50 more, you can instead get a 3-point package that covers up to a 5500 square feet for about $180 (at Amazon).
  • Note, when you go to those links on Amazon, it will tell you there is a newer version of that product available. Ignore that message because this particular model (the M5) is the one the works best with the LCWA network.
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• This system is easy to configure using an app on your smartphone. Our video below shows how.
• Speeds are very good for the LCWA network.
• Over 100 client devices can be connected; capable of up to 10 access points.
• Can be installed as wired system or as a wireless mesh. By the way in the video below we will show the wireless mesh install.

Self-Install Planning

A little up-front planning is needed on your self-installation before you sit down to do it, and the first part of the video below discusses that. So watch this video before you consider whether to go this route.

By the way, this product recommendation, article, and video, is for self-install and member-self-support only. Please don’t call our support line asking us to install this mesh system for you, or to fix any issues you may encounter when installing the mesh system. Our volunteers are not trained for this system.

We’ve provided this article and video solely to help you succeed with your own endeavors. Many LCWA members are starting to buy similar (and more expensive) systems and failing with them because many such systems don’t play well with the LCWA network. So, in this article, we just want to point you to a system that we know will work, that is affordable, (and then show you how to self-install it).

That said, TP-Link Support is pretty good. And we can refer you to paid contractors if you need more complex, hands-on design or help.

Watching the Video

Okay, you are now ready to watch the planning and install video. By the way, once you start the video you can click the full screen button in the lower right corner to see a bigger view.

By the way, the video below may not show up on Google browser when used on Mac. Try refreshing screen, but if that does not work, try a different Mac browser (e.g. Firefox, or Safari) to see the video and run it.

Also, so you can watch this video while offline, go to share site at this link and download the video by clicking the download button in the upper right (button has icon with arrow pointing down). Movie file is 46MB in size.