So, is the Deco X50 better than Sky’s router?
Most of us in the UK will be using the default broadband hub or router that is supplied by our Internet Service Provider and will be perfectly happy with the results. Sky and Virgin generally do a good job of providing hardware to support their network.
But what if you have a large home or wish to extend your broadband to your garden or up to a third floor for example?
In my view you have 3 viable options:
Deco X50 Review
I’ve always been a fan of TP-Link and their range extenders and powerline adaptors. I’ve sold them in my PC hardware store and only ever had good feedback.
When connecting to my VPN when working remotely, I would encounter issues and wanted to find a solution that meant that I wouldn’t lose connectivity when working from the home office, which is situated away from the house in the garden.
I chose the X50 as it sat in the middle of the range available to me and selected the 3 node version as I felt this would give me adequate coverage. I watched several YouTube videos and this gave me enough confidence to make the purchase.
The Deco X50 is a significant investment, around £150 when this article was written for the 3 node version. So did it work for me?
Firstly, I think the nodes look good and they blend in quite well with no complaints from my better half.
I did notice that the Kitchen node had provided storage space for our “trolley pound”, so please don’t think of these units as unidimensional.
The Setup
The main node needs to be connected via ethernet to your Modem (or router acting in Modem mode). The rest work wirelessly off of the other nodes.
Each node has 3 ethernet ports, so you can plug in wired devices. You will also need to plug each node in to a power socket.
We live in a typical 3 bedroom end of terrace house, around 1250 square feet over 2 floors. I’m pleased to say that the 3 node setup absolutely does the trick.
I have one node placed in my living room, which is at the centre of the ground floor. This replaces my old Sky router (more about that later), one in my kitchen (approx. 6 metres from main node) at the front of my house. Finally, one in my garden office which is some 13 metres away from the main node.
The signal remains very strong in all of the house and varies from weak to moderate in the outside office.
I should at this point make it absolutely clear that I have never dropped the connection to my VPN (which was horribly temperamental when using the Sky router & range extender setup. The internet speed has always been good to excellent.
It is the Deco app which sometimes describes the signal as weak to the node in the garden office but I really have never noticed a problem.
Results
Speed
The line speed of my broadband is published by Sky as 73.5Mb/s, it’s fibre to the cabinet so not the fastest available from them but likely similar to many homes in the UK (all the more reason to make sure performance is optimal around the house).
Testing was conducted using M-Lab on an iPhone 14 @ 22:00 on Tuesday 12th March 2024.
Next to Node 1 in the living room, the speed was measured at 70.8Mb/s download & 18.6Mb/s upload.
Out in the garden office, download speed was 57.2Mb/s and 13.9Mb/s upload.
In the kitchen at the front of the house near the final node the download speed was 69.1Mb/s download & 17.1Mb/s upload.
Moving upstairs, I went to the 4 corners of the house and directly above node 1. I achieved between 54.0Mb/s – 62.4Mb/s download and 13.9Mb/s – 17.3Mb/s upload.
Outside is where I managed the lowest speed, I found one area of the garden where I could get the speed down to 30.8Mb/s download and 16.1Mb/s upload which I was quite happy with as both node 1 and node 2 had to go through walls to provide a signal.
So you can see the difference the distance of the nodes makes to both upload and download speeds, but I think most people would agree that this is negligible.
Do keep in mind that my “real world” test is by no means scientific but in practice is at least reflective of the experience I have day to day. With a mesh system, you automatically connect to the node that offers you the best connection and can provide the best speeds.
Our Family
We are a family of 4 who are heavy on device usage and I can honestly say that we never experience any lag and having a single SSID (network name). This means we can roam around the house without any of the issues that range extenders pose or the need for our devices to change over to a different SSID.
I occasionally play PC games online and my experience has been much better since using the Deco, I’m still terrible but having fun regardless.
Conclusion
The Deco X50 has been an absolute god send and the price paid more than justified. I couldn’t use a powerline adapter effectively in this house as the outside electrics run on a separate ring. When using a range extender my devices would cling on to the previous connection at the detriment to the speed.
My VPN is 100% stable now and everything runs as smoothly as it would in the main office.
Another bonus is that I only have to give my family one SSID (network name) to connect to and one password when they come to visit. The Deco system does the rest to ensure that they get the best experience possible.
The Deco app is intuitive and gives you plenty of information about what is going on throughout your network. You can remotely change the WIFI access to any device and are notified when a new devices joins the networks, helping to keep you and the family safe.
You can optimise the performance of your network using the app, which will provide you with the best channels to broadcast on. Remember to keep the firmware up to date.
So in my opinion, to the question: is the Deco X50 better than Sky’s router? It’s an absolute yes from me! There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Sky router, it’s just designed to cater for the masses.
Also Consider
If you’re looking to save some cash, the Deco X20 is the entry point for this ecosystem, reviewed generally well but I haven’t had any personal experience.
Have cash in abundance or looking to spend to reduce your tax bill before April 5th, then maybe consider the Deco XE75. The XE range adds WIFI 6E capabilities, thus improving performance yet again.
1. Powerline Adaptors
For me, this is the best option for people that have the luxury of having both their broadband router and devices they wish to serve in another room, close to a power socket.
Powerline adaptors generally perform best when you plug them directly into the wall (without using extension leads, etc.) and connect them to the same electric circuit. This is by far and a way the most stable connection type.
Pros – Most Stable & Fastest Connection.
Cons – Both Router & End Devices Must Be Close To A Plug Socket. Become unusable if not on the same electrical circuit.
2. Range Extenders
In simple terms these devices amplify the WIFI signal beyond the normal range of your router. They plug in to the wall and often have ethernet ports and usually have their own SSID (network name).
Pros – Fairly cheap for a good one
Cons – Can suffer from interference & not always as reliable as the other methods available.
3. WIFI Mesh System
The mesh system links multiple access points from the MODEM, replacing the default routers signal. A Mesh system uses separate units (or nodes) to create one network with a single SSID (network name).
Pros – Great coverage.
Cons – Can be quite pricey.
