Deco X10 satellite speed much lower than main Deco even at very close distance
Hello,
I would like to ask for clarification from TP-Link regarding the real-world satellite performance of the Deco X10 in a 1 Gbps fiber environment.
I recently upgraded my internet connection from DSL 100 Mbps to fiber 1000 Mbps. My setup is:
- ISP: fiber 1 Gbps
- ISP router: Vantiva / fiber router
- Deco system: 2 × TP-Link Deco X10
- Deco operation mode: Access Point mode
- Firmware: Updated to the latest available version
- QoS: Disabled
- Main Deco connected to the ISP router by Ethernet
- Second Deco connected wirelessly as a satellite
The issue is the large speed difference between the main Deco and the satellite Deco.
Speed test results
Using the ISP router Wi-Fi directly:
- Close to the ISP router: approximately 900 Mbps – 1 Gbps
- In the second room: approximately 700 Mbps
Using Deco X10:
- Close to the main Deco: approximately 600–900 Mbps
- Close to the satellite Deco: approximately 200–300 Mbps
The important point is that I also tested the two Deco X10 units very close to each other, in the same room. Even then, the satellite Deco still gives only around 200–300 Mbps, while the main Deco gives much higher speeds.
The Deco app shows that:
- The satellite Deco is connected to the main Deco
- Signal/source quality is shown as “Good”
- The client device is connected to the expected satellite Deco
- QoS is disabled
- The system is now in Access Point mode
The client device is a recent premium Samsung phone, and when connected directly to the COSMOTE router from the second room it can reach around 700 Mbps, so the client device and the house layout do not seem to be the main limitation.
My questions
- Is 200–300 Mbps on a wireless satellite Deco X10 considered normal/expected behavior for this model, even when the satellite is very close to the main Deco?
- Is this mainly due to the Deco X10 being a dual-band AX1500 system, where the same 5 GHz band is shared between client traffic and wireless backhaul?
- Is there any way in the Deco app to confirm whether the wireless backhaul between the two Deco X10 units is using 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz?
- Does the “Good” signal indication in the Deco app only mean connection quality, or does it also indicate high-capacity backhaul performance?
- Is the Deco X10 intended to support near-gigabit speeds only when used as the main wired Deco or with Ethernet backhaul, but not as a wireless satellite?
- Would upgrading to a stronger Deco system, such as Deco X60 v4.20 2-pack or Deco XE75 Pro 2-pack, be expected to significantly improve wireless satellite speed in this scenario?
I understand that theoretical Wi-Fi speeds are not the same as real-world throughput. However, the difference is quite large: the ISP router alone gives around 700 Mbps in the second room, while the Deco X10 satellite gives only around 200–300 Mbps, even with good signal and even when tested close to the main Deco.
I would appreciate an official clarification on whether this is expected behavior for the Deco X10 wireless satellite/backhaul design, or whether there is something else I should check in configuration or diagnostics.
Thank you.
