@Bazzy 

I am going to be brutally honest with you. Influenced by marketing materials and claims, you bought the wrong WiFi mesh hardware (Deco M5), have unrealistic expectations of what it can achieve (again, "thanks" to marketing claims you must have seen) and positioned Satellite Deco incorrectly (at least, some of them).

I could write a very long post detailing each topic, and if you ask me I will, but I think it'll be just waste of my and your time. Deco M5 will not meet your expectations, no matter what.

I would suggest you pack M5s and send them back. Instead, see what Virgin has to offer with their Router Hub 5. I can't post links here, so google for "Virgin Media offer the fastest wireless speed guarantee, promising 30Mbps in every room with their WiFi Pods." This is the article by Lyndsey Burton, last updated: 22 July 2023.

First paragraphs from that article:

"Customers who take out Virgin Media's WiFi Max guarantee will be sent up to three WiFi Pods to help improve wireless signal around their home.

The WiFi Max guarantee costs just £8 per month, or is free to some customers, and promises minimum download speeds of 30Mbps in every room, or a £100 bill credit.

This guide looks at how Virgin Media's WiFi Pods work and whether the WiFi Max add-on is worth paying for."

Also, note this from the same article:

"If after installing three WiFi Pods a customer still doesn't have 30Mbps speeds in every room, Virgin Media will first look at any other possible problems, for example if the Hub needs replacing, and potentially arranging an engineer visit to check the position of the WiFi Pods around the home."

Having an engineer visit and tune Virgin WiFi mesh (which is what it is) is the best option you could have.

  @Alexandre. 

Hi,

Thanks kindly for the sincerely honest reply & feedback - it seems that the Deco M5's are totally not suitable for a 1GB internet service - it looks like I will just have to now get rid of them - what a waste of time, effort, money & hassle that was.

I have an garden outhouse with power that is about 17 metres away from the main house - WiFis is extremely weak there - Tried TP-Link 1200mbps Powerline Adapters - AV1200 with the 3 Ethernet Ports but very, very flaky indeed & most of the time, it comes up with "Self Assigned IP Address". 

As, after your input, I will be going back to just using the Virgin Hub 5 WiFi 6 Router (which is fine in the house), what option/solution can you suggest for my garden outhouse please?

Many Thanks!

Bazzy wrote

  @Alexandre. 

 

I have an garden outhouse with power that is about 17 metres away from the main house - WiFis is extremely weak there - Tried TP-Link 1200mbps Powerline Adapters - AV1200 with the 3 Ethernet Ports but very, very flaky indeed & most of the time, it comes up with "Self Assigned IP Address". 

 

What option/solution can you suggest for my garden outhouse please?

  @Bazzy 

Sorry, can't help you much with this: my knowledge in this area is limited. I would have suggested powerline adapters, but you tried them already.

You may wish to check commercial grade equipment, the one that can blast WiFi on wide outdoor area. See https://www.tp-link.com/en/business-networking/solution/outdoor-wifi/

Start with Omada outdoor WiFi access point from TP-Link. That may be the hardware for you, or it may give you an idea what to look for (similar equipment from different manufacturer).