After unveiling its range of routers earlier this year, TP-Link has now launched the DECO BE85 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh system in the Philippines. While TP-Link has a range of wallet-friendly models, this latest DECO system is one of the brand’s higher-end offerings as it promises to be the ultimate Wi-Fi router for your home needs.
That’s because the DECO BE85 has an array of features that should make it a huge upgrade for your home internet connectivity needs, especially if you live in a bigger place with lots of users. It promises not only to deliver great speeds throughout the home but also has an array of new connectivity features that should ensure fast speeds even if you have plenty of devices connected.
Of course, for non-techies, it may not be clear why the DECO BE85 is a top option, especially considering how Wi-Fi router tech can be a bit hard to wrap your head around given all the numbers and specs. To help you out, here we explore the DECO BE85’s features that promise to make it a proper premium router option, starting with its three bands.
TP-Link’s DECO BE85 features a 2.4, 5, and a 6GHz band
If you’re using an older router or just your ISP-provided unit, chances are that you only have a 2.4GHz and 5GHz option. With the DECO BE85 though, you get access to a 6GHz band, meaning you have three connection options.
Now, if you’re unfamiliar with what exactly a frequency band is for routers, you can think of each band as its own highway. With much older models that only come with a 2.4GHz band, the maximum download/upload speed is slower and all devices are forced to share that one band. Now though, most routers have 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, meaning devices have two “highways” available. Continuing with the highway analogy, the 2.4GHz has a lower speed limit compared to the 5GHz band.
With newer routers like the DECO BE85, you get access to the 6GHz band which is supported by newer phones, laptops, and other devices. This new band offers even faster top speeds than 5Ghz. What’s more, it should also have less interference.
Even if you have a fast internet connection, if there are many devices connected to 5GHz, the speed and latency can be affected. This shouldn’t be an issue with the 6GHz band as it is much wider. Again, going back to the highway analogy, you can think of 5GHz as a four-lane highway while the 6GHz band is an eight-lane highway.
Aside from this frequency band having faster top speeds, it should also be great news if you live in an apartment complex where lots of 2.4 and 5GHz Wi-Fi router connections are flying around. With 6GHz, you have less interference with other routers, meaning lower latency which is important for games.
If you’re already familiar with router tech, the 6GHz band may not seem like a big deal given that it has been available for some time now since the release of Wi-Fi 6E routers and devices. But with Wi-Fi 7 though, the 6GHz band has been improved even more. Plus, it adds a bunch of great connectivity features.
What exactly is Wi-Fi 7?
Wi-Fi 7 is the latest wireless internet standard that has only begun rolling out on this year’s routers and devices like the new iPhone 16 family. One of its biggest improvements is the widened channels for the 6GHz band.
With Wi-Fi 6E routers, the 6GHz band is 160MHz wide at max per channel. Now, with Wi-Fi 7 routers like the DECO BE85, these channels are double the size as the 6GHz band on this router is 320MHz wide. In simple terms, the DECO BE85 should allow for even faster internet speed while maintaining low latency, even when there are numerous devices connected to it.
That’s not all though. The BE85 also has the Wi-Fi 7 16×16 MU-MIMO feature. Essentially, this allows the router to communicate with 16 devices at the same time. With older routers, they were only able to communicate with devices one at a time. Thus, you can stream or game on lots of devices simultaneously with no bandwidth issues.
That’s not to say you can only connect 16 devices though as TP-Link’s test states that the DECO BE85 can support up to 200 devices at one time. While you probably won’t ever reach 200 devices connected at any point, this means the router can easily handle various AIoT devices – great news if you have a smart home setup.
Speaking of smart, Wi-Fi 7 devices can also take advantage of the BE85’s Multi-Link Operation (or MLO) feature which uses multiple Wi-Fi bands at the same time for a more stable connection. How it works is that Wi-Fi 7 devices can connect to both the 5 and 6GHz bands at the same time so that speed and latency are as stable as possible.
The highway analogy doesn’t exactly work MLO, so you can think of your device as a bucket while the frequency bands are faucets. With MLO, you can essentially fill your bucket with two faucet streams to make things even faster.
Thanks to Wi-Fi 7, the DECO BE85 should offer excellent speeds, especially if you’re in a household with a lot of people streaming 4K content or playing games. What’s more, the top speed of Wi-Fi 7 should mean the DECO BE85 is future-proof, even if you upgrade to an even faster connection in the future.
The DECO BE85 also promises great coverage and security
It’s not just the speed and latency of your home Wi-Fi connection that’s important though as reliable connectivity with zero dead spots is also key for any household. With this in mind, the DECO BE85 shouldn’t be an issue.
According to TP-Link, the BE85 should offer great connectivity, even in multi-floor households. Of course, for places with particularly thick walls, various corners, and even more floors, the DECO BE85 is compatible with every DECO model to make for a wide mesh network. As such, you can get the BE85 as a main router and get other DECO units to cover other spots in your house.
On top of coverage, the BE85 also promises to offer plenty of security thanks to HomeShield. With this, the router examines your network and identifies potential risks. It also has parental control functions so you can set app blocks, SafeSearch, YouTube restrictions, and more.
As a bonus, the router also allows devices connected to the network to access remote VPN servers, all without the need to install VPN software on every device.
TP-Link DECO BE85: Price and Availability in the Philippines
With its combination of Wi-Fi 7 features, coupled with its promise of delivering speedy and secure connectivity throughout the house, the TP-Link DECO BE85 is a promising new Wi-Fi router option for households with demanding internet connectivity needs.
Interested in getting one for yourself? The TP-Link DECO BE85 is available in the Philippines with a price tag of PHP 59,990. You can get one at the TP-Link Store in SM North EDSA, partner stores, and the TP-Link official online stores on Shopee and Lazada.