@M4rver1
Sorry for the late response. Your deco is a real router. You could add another router into your setup but then you would have whats called double nat
What is Double NAT?
- The first router (often part of the modem) creates a private network, and the second router then creates a second private network within the first.
- This creates two layers of NAT, which can lead to issues
- Double NAT happens when you have two or more routers on your network, each performing NAT.
- This often occurs when a modem/router combo provided by your ISP is connected to a second router you purchase.
If you wanted to add another router to your network that isn't a deco then you would want to switch your deco from router mode to AP mode. Doing this you would lose out on a lot of options the decos have to offer as not all options are available in AP mode.
You can have a total of 10 decos in one network. My suggestion would be to add more deoc's to the network in areas where you notice the WiFi is slow.
Another option would be to switch from the M4 units to a new model. If we compare your M4 units to one of the newer units the BE95
If you look at the link below
https://www.tp-link.com/us/compare/?typeId=5757&productIds=73836%2C35380
You can see your M4 - 2.4 GHz band can only push up to 300 Mbps, while the BE95 can push 1148 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band
If we tak your M4 5 GHz band it can only push up to 867 Mbps while the BE95 can push up to 8647 Mbps on the 5 Ghz band
.
The BE95 also supports WiFi 6 and WiFi 7 while the M4 only supports up to WiFi 5. The BE95 is expensive a two pack on amazon runs $800 right now but that 2 pack will cover 7800 Sq Ft.
There are other models out there that are less expensive but will still be better than your current M4 units. Here is a link where you can compare your M4 units to other decos. You can find your M4 units on page 3.
As for the cell phone booster it's fine to leave it connected to the switch or directly into the back of one of your decos if you have one new the booster
