TP-Link Deco BE65 Pro Wi-Fi 7 mesh router review: Solid performance at a competitive price

As the Wi-Fi 7 router market grows, we’re beginning to see more entrants fill in the gaps that were previously filled by Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E routers. At the low end, we have Wi-Fi 7 routers like the dual-band TP-Link Archer BE3600, which costs just $99 at Walmart. At the high end, solutions like the Amazon Eero Max 7, a mesh Wi-Fi 7 system, cost $1,699 for three nodes.

TP-Link’s Deco BE65 Pro goes for the middle ground, as it’s a three-node Wi-Fi 7 mesh router with an MSRP of $799.99. However, it has recently been available for as low as $579.99 on sale from retailers like Best Buy.

It’s a no-frills mesh router aimed at customers who want a set-and-forget approach to networking. The Deco BE65 Pro requires a smartphone app for the initial setup. Each node offers one 2.5 Gbps and two 5 Gbps ports, along with a USB port for storage, which adds to its versatility.

The Deco BE65 Pro is by no means an impulse buy like the Archer BE3600, but it is one of the more affordable and compelling Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems out there and worthy of inclusion among our picks for the best Wi-Fi routers.

Design of the TP-Link Deco BE65 Pro Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router

The Deco BE65 Pro includes three nodes that look identical. They are plastic with a flat white finish, roughly 4.25 inches across and 7 inches tall. A circular ring at the top of each node incorporates ventilation to cool the internal components. There’s a larger number of ventilation holes on the bottom of the unit, along with a pinhole reset button.

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There’s also a single LED on the bottom of the node, which reflects onto the surface of your table, desk, or shelf. The LED flashes blue when first powering on each node and proceeding through the setup process. Once the network setup is complete, the LED stays solid green to signify that everything is OK.

One design touch I almost missed is hidden in plain sight on each node. Several ridges ring the upper portion of the tower, and another grouping of ridges sweep down diagonally to the bottom. Together, they form a large “7,” an obvious nod to this being a Wi-Fi 7 router.

The back of each node features a rectangular Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button, a 2.5 Gbps port, two 5 Gbps ports, and a USB port for storage.

TP-Link Deco BE65 Pro Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router Specifications

Setting up the TP-Link Deco BE65 Pro Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router

At first, setting up the Deco BE65 Pro threw me for a loop. I’m used to pointing my web browser to http://tplinkwifi.net/, which initiates the setup process. However, this just resulted in a connection error. I was then forced to whip out the TP-Link Quick Installation Guide (yeah, I know), which informed me that I would have to download and install the TP Deco app to complete setup of the Deco BE65 Pro. At least a QR code is provided in the installation guide that you can scan with your phone to expedite the process.

Once installed, the Deco app asked for permission to access networking on my iPhone and began searching for the first node, which was connected to my modem. When the app didn’t initially find the node, I used the alternate method of scanning the QR code on the bottom of the node, and the Deco app immediately found it. One odd thing, however, is that the Deco app required me to sign up for a TP-Link account before I could proceed. I didn’t find any way to avoid this step, which may annoy people who don’t want to sign up for yet another online account.

The setup program verified my internet connection and asked me to pick SSIDs and passwords for the 2.4 GHz/5 GHz and 6 GHz bands. It also allowed me to enable automatic firmware updates.

TP-Link Deco BE65 Pro Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router Software

TP-Link wants you to use the Deco app to control the Deco BE65 Pro, and I had no choice but to oblige. The main Network tab shows the SSID name, the three Deco BE65 Pro nodes, and the number of connected clients. There are also buttons at the top to test your internet speed (powered by SpeedTest) and configure your wireless settings.

Speaking of wireless settings, the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands are combined under a single SSID. You cannot separate the two. You can turn one or the other off, but you can’t have one SSID for the 2.4 GHz band and one SSID for the 5 GHz band. However, you can use the Deco app to specify that individual devices only connect to the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz bands. You can also have a device connect to a specific node.

Luckily, the 6 GHz band does get its own SSID. You can also setup an MLO network to send/receive data across both the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands.

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The Security tab includes Wi-Fi Access Control, Device Isolation (primarily aimed at exploit-prone IoT devices), and Camera security. It also scanned my network and found one “risk” that needed my attention. Clicking the notification showed that I needed to update the firmware on the router, which I completed. I later realized I had completed the firmware update on the first node when I completed the initial setup but didn’t do the same for the other two nodes I added later.

The Parental Controls tab is self-explanatory, while the More tab provides more granular controls of Wi-Fi settings, IoT and guest networks, firmware updates, QoS settings, VPN access, and LED controls (among other things). There’s even an option to enroll in Deco Lab, which allows you to try out experimental features.

Although the Deco BE65 Pro is designed to be used with the Deco app, you can access the web interface with a browser (it’s only accessible after completing setup with the Deco app). However, it’s so barebones that it’s barely worth using. There are only two tabs: Network Map and Advanced. The Advanced tab only gives you access to the basics, like firmware updates, time settings, and it’ll let you reboot the system.

TP-Link Deco BE65 Pro Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router Performance

As with all of our recent tests, our server dedicated to Wi-Fi testing consists of an MSI Pro B650M-A Wi-Fi motherboard, AMD Ryzen 5 7600 processor, 32GB of DDR5 memory, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, an MSI Herald-BE Wi-Fi 7 adapter, and Windows 11 Home. The iPerf3 and ping tests are conducted six feet and 25 feet, with and without traffic on the network. In the congested traffic tests, we add six wireless clients streaming 4K YouTube videos evenly across all bands. 

TP-Link allows you to configure a wireless device to have a preferred node if you wish. However, it is recommended that you leave the “Preferred Deco” option set to Auto. With this setting, TP-Link explains that “This client will automatically connect to the Deco that provides the fastest wireless speed.”  

You can also specify what band a wireless device connects to. For example, the router defaults to combining the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands under one SSID. While this is problematic when testing each band individually, the Deco app allows you to lock a wireless client to the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz bands as needed.

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I performed the short-range tests at six feet from the primary node. The long-range tests were performed at as close to 25 feet as I could get from all three routers at a central location in my home (which just so happens to be the kitchen).

In our testing, the Deco BE65 Pro performed exceptionally well. It won the iPerf3 tests at 6 GHz in both uncongested and congested conditions at six feet, achieving 1,846 Mbps in the former and 1,310 Mbps in the latter. When centrally located, roughly 25 feet from all nodes, it had to settle for second place in the 25-foot tests behind the Netgear Orbi 770.

For the 5 GHz tests, the Deco BE65 Pro took top honors in iPerf3 in the six-foot and 25-foot uncongested tests, hitting 1,530 Mbps and 652 Mbps, respectively. The Deco BE65 Pro again took first place in the six-foot iPerf3 congested test but came up short against the Orbi 770 at 25 feet.

The Orbi 770 pulled ahead in all the iPerf3 tests at 2.4 GHz, but the Deco BE65 Pro wasn't far behind.

I also enabled the MLO setting on the Deco BE65 Pro, which allows data to be transmitted across the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands for a client. Unfortunately, performance wasn’t all that impressive across the board. At most, I saw 662 Mbps in iPerf3 with MLO enabled.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking to upgrade your home network from an aging Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 network to Wi-Fi 7, there are plenty of options to consider. However, a mesh system is likely the best route if you want to optimize coverage and minimize dead spots. Thankfully, the TP-Link Deco BE65 Pro is a solid option to consider.

It offers strong performance across the board on the 6 GHz and 5 GHz bands, and 2.4 GHz performance wasn’t too far off the mark. You also get one 2.5 Gbps, two 5 Gbps ports and one USB port on each node, which is a nice bonus if you need wired access all around your home.

Best of all, the Deco BE65 Pro, which is a three-node system, has an MSRP of $799 but a street price of $579. For comparison, the street price for a Netgear Orbi 770 two-pack is $699; the three-pack costs $999. That’s a considerable price delta for two mesh routers that perform similarly. Even when not on sale, the $799 price tag of the Deco BE65 Pro is hard to ignore for someone who needs the coverage of a mesh router.

However, it’s not all roses with the Deco BE65 Pro. For starters, you’ll need to use the Deco smartphone app to control most of the features/settings offered – the web GUI is a barebones husk compared to the smartphone app. In addition, you’ll need to create a TP-Link ID to install the Deco app, which is a bit of an annoyance.

However, these are likely minor inconveniences for most consumers who want an easy setup and maintain mesh routing system. With this in mind, the Deco BE65 Pro is an easy recommendation as one of the best Wi-Fi routers on the market.