With mesh systems Wi-Fi-7-Standard means it TP-Link serious: According to the high-end system Deco BE85 and that located in the upper middle class BE65 With the Deco BE25, the manufacturer presents an entry-level system – in this case, too, with Wi-Fi 7.
As the smallest representative of TP-Link’s Wi-Fi 7 mesh family to date, the Deco BE25 is limited to Dualband and 2×2 MIMO. This results in theoretical maxima of 688 Mbit/s on 2,4 GHz and 2882 Mbit/s on 5 GHz. For fast connections to the home network or for connecting fast network clients, each BE25 node offers two 2.5 Gbit/s LAN ports.
The Mesh-Backhaul can be done via Ethernet or via WLAN furnish. TP-Link offers a set with three mesh nodes for an RRP of 350 euros, a set of two for 250 euros and a single node for 150 euros.
The Deco app plays the first fiddle
As with the larger Deco systems, configuration and initial setup are done in the Deco-App. It logs on to the device’s setup WLAN, sets up the desired wireless networks and integrates additional nodes into the mesh system.
The devices also offer a web interface – although this is less functional than the app and essentially provides status information as well as the ability to retrieve logs and carry out firmware updates.
As with other representatives of the Deco series, the app is now the central control point for all settings and options. These include, among other things, separate IoT and guest networks and VPN support. Also the basic version of the AI-based network protection Homeshield is included, its more powerful Pro version is available as an option for a subscription price of 60 euros/year.
No USB, but MLO
On one USB interface waive the BE25 nodes, so they do not support storage shares. If you need this, you have to choose one of the larger deco systems. However, as is typical for TP-Link, the Deco BE25 system supports it MEAL (Multi Link Operation – Wi-Fi 7 channel bundling).
In this case you can combine the data rates of the two frequencies 2.4 and 5 GHz. The Windows 11 update required for this function is now available – whether MLO can be used now depends on the capabilities of the WLAN module used.
The one we use Surface Pro 11 It can – the benchmark values above show the worthwhile effect on data throughput. We measured a power consumption of 8 watts when the transmission was running and 6 watts (one node each) in idle mode – i.e. relatively modest consumption.
Conclusion
As an entry into the Wi-Fi 7 Deco family, this does it TP-Link Deco BE25 inevitably compromises compared to the larger models. If they don’t bother you, you get a high-performance and feature-rich mesh system.
Source: www.connect.de
