TP-Link
TP-Link Deco BE85 — Wi-Fi 7 Tri-Band Mesh
Premium tri-band Wi-Fi 7 mesh with two 10GbE and two 2.5GbE ports per unit, 320 MHz channels on the 6 GHz band, MLO and dedicated backhaul — built to futureproof smart-home Wi-Fi.
4.3/ 5
01
What we liked
- Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 with 320 MHz channels on 6 GHz and 4K-QAM for genuine multi-gig throughput
- Two 10GbE ports per unit and two 2.5GbE ports — rare at any mesh price
- Dedicated 6 GHz tri-band backhaul keeps client traffic off the slow lanes
- Multi-Link Operation (MLO) reduces latency for VR, cloud gaming and video calls
- Polished Deco app with HomeShield security baseline (free tier covers the essentials)
02
What we didn't
- £999+ for a two-pack is genuinely expensive — most homes still won't see Wi-Fi 7 client benefits
- HomeShield Pro features (parental controls, advanced threat protection) require a subscription
- Closed firmware — no OpenWrt or hobbyist-friendly modes, unlike UniFi or some Asus models
- Wi-Fi 7 client device base is still small in 2026, so much of the headline performance is futureproofing
- Standard
- Wi-Fi 7 (BE22000 class)
- Bands
- Tri-band — 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz
- Backhaul
- Dedicated 6 GHz tri-band wireless or 10GbE wired
- Ports per unit
- 2× 10GbE, 2× 2.5GbE, 1× USB 3.0
- MLO
- Yes — Multi-Link Operation across 5 GHz + 6 GHz
- Coverage (2-pack)
- Up to ~750 m² claimed; ~200 m² real-world dense smart home
- Mesh nodes supported
- Up to 8 per network
- Management
- Deco app (iOS, Android), HomeShield (free tier) + HomeShield Pro (subscription)
- Modes
- Router or Access Point (AP) mode
- Typical UK price
- ~£999 two-pack, ~£650 single unit