Which is worth upgrade – Deco XE75 Pro vs eero Pro 6E? The TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro is a decent mesh router that’s capable of delivering download speeds that are about as fast as you could expect throughout homes both large and small. The eero Pro 6E is the fastest eero yet with a tri-band AXE5400 Wi-Fi 6E connection. Each node gets two Ethernet ports with one of them capable of 2.5Gbps connections. What is the difference – Deco XE75 Pro vs eero Pro 6E?
Pros & Cons
eero Pro 6E
Pros
- Solid tri-band AX5400 Wi-Fi 6E speeds
- Compact size
- Works with older eeros
- Fast and easy setup
- Multi-gig Ethernet
Cons
- Few advanced settings
- No choice in backhaul
- eero Secure requires a subscription
- Your device won’t always connect to Wi-Fi 6E
Deco XE75 Pro
Pro
- Terrific value for a mesh router with support for Wi-Fi 6E
- Fast, consistent download speeds
- Auto-pairing Deco devices make for simple setup
Cons
- Relatively weak upload speeds
- No multi-gig internet support
- Most homes won’t see much benefit from 6E connections over the 6GHz band
Specs comparison – Deco XE75 Pro vs eero Pro 6E
eero Pro 6E
- Wi-Fi Spec: AX5400
- Number of Antennas/Removable: 6/No
- Ports: Router and satellites– 2 Ethernet
- Processor/Memory/Storage: Dual-core 1.0GHz/1GB/4GB
- Wi-Fi chip: Qualcomm Immersive Home 316
- Peak 802.11ax performance: 1.144Gbps (at 15 feet)
- Range: 85-feet
- Size: 5.5 x 5.5 x 2.1 inches
- Estimated Annual Electricity Cost: $61.80 (includes host and two satellites)
Deco XE 75 pro
- Wireless Specification802.11ax with 6E
- Number of Bands 3
- Wi-Fi Speed (Total Rated Throughput) AXE5400
- Number of Antennas
- Number of Wired LAN Ports (Excluding WAN Port)3 on each node
- MU-MIMOQuality of Service (QoS)SecurityWPA3, WPA2, WPA
- Parental Controls
- IPv6 Compatible
- Coverage Area for Hardware as Tested5500 sq ft
- Number of Nodes2
- Wired Backhaul
- Anti-Malware Tools
- Number of USB ports
- Separate Bands
Price
A single router is $299 and covers up to 2,000 square feet. The two-pack costs $499 with 4,000 square feet of coverage, and the three-pack is $699 with 6,000 square feet.
There are two-pack and three-pack options for each kits. At $299.99, the XE75 two-pack is the most economical, while the XE75 Pro costs $399.99 when purchased in the same two-pack configuration.
Reviews – Deco XE75 Pro vs eero Pro 6E
Design
eero Pro 6E
The eero Pro 6E’s nodes are larger than eeros of old but still rather small. They measure 5.5 inches square and 2.2 inches tall. There are no external antennas to position, and there is no way to wall-mount your eero without some kind of bracket. Luckily the weight is reasonable at 1.4 pounds
Deco XE75 Pro
The Deco XE75 Pro boasts a simple, modern, and minimalist design, consisting of a tall and slender cylindrical shape with a clean matte white finish accented with glossy black trim. At 4.1 inches in diameter and 6.7-inches tall, the XE75 is a little bit more compact than the 11.1-inch tall Orbi RBKE963.
Ports
eero Pro 6E
On the back of the nodes, you get two Ethernet ports, with one capable of 2.5Gbps. Either can be used for WAN or LAN with automatic sensing. Power is delivered via USB-C with the included power adapter putting out 27 watts.
Deco XE 75 Pro
Each node has three gigabit ethernet ports on the back, one of which needs to be used to connect your modem to the primary mode. Provided your home is (or will be) configured appropriately, you can also use the ports to run Ethernet backhaul.
Band
eero Pro 6E
New eero Pro 6E features an AX5400 Wi-Fi 6E wireless connection with 160MHz band support and a 2×2 connection on each Wi-Fi band.
XE 75 Pro
The main distinction between the two WiFI 6e platforms is that the XE75 Pro has 2.5Gbe whereas the XE75 has three gigabit ports. Other than that, the hardware inside both devices is rather identical. Both devices are capable of 2.4Gbps on the 5GHz and 6GHz frequencies and 574Mbps on the 2.4GHz frequency.
Deco XE75 Pro vs eero Pro 6E – Coverage
Deco XE75 Pro
With two nodes, the TP-Link Deco XE75 is a fast Wi-Fi 6E mesh system that can cover an area of up to 5,500 square feet. It provides an AXE5400 connection that is comparable to the eero Pro 6E. There is no option for multi-gigabit wired networking since each Deco node only has three gigabit ethernet ports. If you require additional security and parental controls, TP-Link’s HomeShield software costs a little more than eero Secure. In spite of the drawbacks, this mesh kit costs $300, which is over $200 less than the price of a two-piece eero Pro 6E.
eero Pro 6E
You can expect fast Wi-Fi on any band and excellent coverage from this system (TP-Link says up to 9,000 square feet for a 3-pack). There’s potential for stable, low latency, multi-gigabit speeds if you have Wi-Fi 7 devices.
Transfer speed – Deco XE75 Pro vs eero Pro 6E
The eero Pro 6E transmitted at 868.5 Mbps even after having to pass a wall and travel 25 feet across a room. That is far slower than the speeds of the Deco XE75 (990.1Mbps) and the Linksys Atlas Max 6E (1.008Gbps).
The eero Pro 6E kept lagging in the upstairs-downstairs testing. The test system measured a throughput of 418.0Mbps when it was 40 feet away from a mesh node that was positioned one story above the router. That is 28% slower than the Deco XE75’s 579.1Mbps, but it is still rather close to the ZenWiFi ET8’s 434.0Mbps.
When I moved downstairs and positioned the test machine 40 feet away from an eero mesh node one story below the host router, this pattern persisted. It recorded 315.5 Mbps, which was less than the Deco XE75’s 576.9 Mbps.
App
Deco XE 75 Pro
The Deco online interface and app are a little awkward to use and have few settings, but they are functional nonetheless. A large number of the devices on my network were not recognized by the app. The absence of a router speed test feature to see what my ISP offers also upset me. Although many people won’t notice a change from the addition of that 6-GHz band in the end, this is a reasonably priced approach to tinker with 6E.
eero 6E
As long as you’re willing to follow Amazon’s instructions, the setup process is easy and error-free. You can configure Eero using your phone’s internet connection, unlike most other router settings, so you don’t have to bother about connecting to a default SSID. It’s a fairly simple process to finish, but you’ll need to link your Amazon or eero account to your eero.
Subscription
eero 6E
With the addition of 1Password, Encrypt.me VPN, Malwarebytes antivirus, and remote access via DDNS, Eero Secure+ is a less attractive choice. If you want the software, it’s not bad at $9.99, but most people putting up their eeros won’t find it worthwhile. Even if you can’t sign up using the app, having the choice is still nice. You must visit the eero website.
Deco XE75 Pro
Subscription to HomeShield Pro, which provides more control over those capabilities along with comprehensive network usage data and device-specific security assessments, is available for $6 per month or $55 per year. The majority won’t need it, but power users will find it to be a useful choice, and TP-Link isn’t overly aggressive in encouraging you to sign up.
Processor
eero 6E
Its six Wi-Fi antennas are joined with one that’s shared by a Bluetooth radio and the built-in Zigbee hardware. In addition to a hardware network accelerator, the eero Pro 6E has a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of storage space for the system’s firmware, settings and smart home routines.
Deco XE 75 Pro
Similar to the Asus ZenWiFi E8, the Deco XE75 houses a four-core, 1.7GHz Broadcom Wi-Fi CPU. Three networks can be established by it using the 2.4-, 5-, and 6GHz bands. Nevertheless, it lacks the Orbi RBKE963’s second 5GHz LAN for transferring data from the satellites to the host router.
Deco XE75 Pro vs eero Pro 6E alternative
ASUS Zen
Despite its poor 1200Mbps 5GHz connection, the ASUS ZenWiFi ET8 is one of my favorite Wi-Fi 6E mesh solutions and the greatest Wi-Fi 6E mesh router. ASUS favored a robust 6GHz 4800Mbps connection over eero and TP-Link’s more balanced setup. After a year of eero Secure, you’ll have made up the difference even though it costs $30 more than the eero with two nodes because it covers an estimated 1,500 square feet more and has free parental controls and security add-ons.
