Deco BE85 (BE22000) Wi-Fi 7 2-pack, my review coming from Orbi RBK50 mesh system
(I originally posted this on r/TpLink)
After 6+ years with an Orbi Wi-Fi 5 system, I decided it was time upgrade to take advantage of my AT&T 5Gbps fiber connection/LAN, and the growth of Wi-Fi 6/6E devices in my home.
I got the BE85 two pack about 5 days ago, and I need to get the big negative point out of the way, first.
The BE85 satellites have a fan that loudly runs a 5-min cycle, a few times every hour. I can tell the fan(s) run 24/7 at a very low rpm, you'd have to get your ear within one inch in a very quiet room. This is not the problem. It's the ramp to 100% that goes for apparently exactly 5 minutes, then drops back to idle speed. Happens on both satellites, so I don't think it's a hardware issue. The satellites aren't even under heavy load when the fans ramp. They just blast off, and 5 minutes later settle down.
It would be great if @Riley_S has any guidance on this. Because it's so annoying, I may have to consider returning the system.
So let's talk about the 'good stuff'. Pretty much everything else. Starting off with the OOB experience, the packaging and design is fitting of the $1000 price point. I realize this is cutting edge hardware, and I'm paying a premium for that. Right now, I think the BE85/BE95 systems appear to be the first/only mesh system with 10Gbps support and pass-through ethernet ports. No doubt this is what adds quite a bit to the premium over older TP-Link systems like the EX75 Pro, Eero and Orbi 6E competitors.
The app experience is pretty good, from initial set-up to normal usage. I use the system in Access Point mode, letting my AT&T BGW320-500 handle routing. No issues here.
There's one UI annoyance - my device names seem to have a bug, where 50% of them are designated "BSH Hausgeräte" which is somehow related to a Bosch refrigerator I recently purchased. If anyone knows how to refresh device names, I would really appreciate it.
The two pack covers my 2400sq ft home very well. The biggest difference over the Orbi system is how the Deco is able to maintain speeds at the edge of the coverage area and/or through walls. The Orbi had good coverage too, but speeds would drop significantly when you got away from line-of-sight.
I also bought the Deco X50-Outdoor. I haven't installed it just yet, as I'm trying to decide if the '5-minute fan problem' from the BE85s is going to ultimately drive me crazy.
Anyways, I'll wrap this up before it gets too longwinded, but I'm happy to answer any questions in the comments.
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@turns2stone almost like it's a known issue that they don't have a fix for... hopefully an upcoming firmware update fixes the issue. I'm getting along fine using the top 10gig jack and 2.5gig for backhaul since I only have a 2gig connection.
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@kellisj2003 That's my theory as well. I have 5Gbps fiber internet, so I really can use the 10Gbps backhaul, and was counting on the second 10Gbps ports to feed other devices in the room(s) for my 5Gbps internet.
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@kellisj2003 have you tried the new firmware update released over this weekend?
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@Richardj186 just updated today. So far I haven't noticed any fan noise while using either 10gb ports! What about you?
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I will be trying tonight or this weekend. Hard to boot everyone off the internet for even 5 minutes ha.
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@kellisj2003 no issues here now either. They actually seem a little cooler temperature wise (to touch) then before, and more responsive too. Wonder what the bug(s) was/were.
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Firmware 230815 for HW V2.6 did not solve anything for me. Within 60 seconds of the update and a power cycle after I switched to the lower port, the fans ramped right on back up.
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@Richardj186 great to hear. I'm also receiving around a 8-10% increase in speeds testing with my iPhone 14. Great to see this was fixed (at least so far) and a boost in performance.
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