Thank you Omochao. You state: "E4 WAN/LAN port only supports 10/100mbps speed. Time to change the E4 to something that can support up to 1Gbps for WAN/LAN port". But on the TP-link website it states: "Deco E4 [the same model I have] provides fast and stable connections with speeds of up to 1167 Mbps [1.167 Gbps] and works with major internet service provider (ISP) and modem." This is mot my area of expertise, so am I missing something? 

  @captain_slocum 

That is wireless speed, and that is just a theorotical speed under lab test which in daily life we will never be able to achieve at all due to other frequences interference and also the house walls and such.

www(dot)maketecheasier(dot)com/router-ac-ratings-mean/

Check this website out
https://www.tp-link.com/en/home-networking/deco/deco-e4/#specifications

The WAN/LAN port is 10/100Mbps which is Fast Ethernet and not Gigabit Ethernet.
 

  @Omochao Thanks, that's very helpful.

  @captain_slocum 

If all your Satellite Deco E4 are wirelessly connected to Main Deco, you can unlock faster speeds by buying single Deco unit with gigabit Ethernet ports and making it Main Deco.

It may be more cost efficient than replacing whole mesh.

I would recommend choosing from: M4, M5, M9 Plus.

Also, see this: How to Set up the Satellite Deco or a new Deco to be the Main Deco

  @Alexandre. Thanks, that  looks a good way to go, I'll check it out.

  @captain_slocum 

You are now running 400Mbps, you can consider getting either a router/deco with AX rating of 1800 and above, anything that has AC will not be sufficient in the near future.

Unless budget is a constraint for you, then you can look at AC rated mesh or decos.

WiFi6 was introduced solely to address the bandwidth limitations for 100Mbps and above.

Also you have to understand the wireless hop concept.

https://www.tp-link.com/my/support/faq/3075/


Let's say you get a M9/plus and set it as a main, you get full speed, 400Mbps, but on your satellite node deco E4, through wireless backhaul, I dare say you can only get 200Mbps at most or if you are lucky , maybe 300Mbps. I'm not sure whether E4 decos support wired backhaul or not, but since the port is limited to 100Mbps, it defeats the purpose of backhauling it.

So in a nutshell, fork out a good amount and invest in a good and worthy of your money and time for a mesh/router that can last you a minimum of 5 years.

All WiFi5 is slowly approaching EOL and phasing out. With WiFi 7 around the corner, I foresee Tp-Link is going to drop support for all of their WiFi5 series soon anytime.

  @Omochao Thank you. There are so many Deco products it seems impossible to choose, but you have helped clarify it. Can I assume what you are saying is, if you want the fastest speeds and future proof it, don't use the E4s as satellites but replace them all with AX ones? I do a lot of video editing and have to collaborate remotely using large DaVinci resolve files, which is why I got the Gigaclear with its fast upload speeds, but that would only be from my main computer which is Ethernet wired into the Gigaclear hub. Elsewhere I would only be using the wifi for the normal domestic use, streaming movies, etc, for which 200Mbps is overkill. But who knows what might change in the future, so your advice is good.

  @captain_slocum Thanks everyone for helping my understanding of mesh networks. I bought an S7, replaced my existing main node with it, and kept the other E4s around the house and workshop. I am getting nearly full speed in two rooms - symmetrical 380Mbps - and 200 in another room which is behind two internal and one external brick wall, and in the detached workshop 15m from the house. Also, it was incredibly easy to set up, a matter of minutes.

  @captain_slocum 

Glad to know help you to solve out the slow capped 100Mbps speed.

Don't forget to update to the latest firmwares to enjoy the newest features.