The TP-Link Deco XE5300 is a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router with 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. It's designed for use in a mesh system and is sold in a three-pack. Like TP-Link's other Deco routers, it has a simple design with a small footprint, and you set it up and manage it through an app. It's compatible with Amazon Alexa-enabled devices for voice control.
Our Verdict
The TP-Link Deco AXE5300 is a great router if you live in an apartment, condo, or single-story home. It has a simple design and a small body that easily fits into your living space. It provides impressive network coverage and speeds fast enough for high-bandwidth activities like streaming 4k video and even game streaming. While it has three networking ports, they're only rated for 1Gbps, so you can't use multi-gigabit speeds.
- Small and sleek design.
- Wi-Fi 6E support.
- Great top speeds.
- Lacks multi-gigabit networking ports.
The TP-Link Deco AXE5300 is a very good router if you live in a multi-level home. It provides great coverage throughout your home with fast enough speeds for high-bitrate 4k video streaming. It's also compatible with all other TP-Link Deco models, so you can easily add more access points for better coverage throughout your home or backyard. It has three networking ports, but they're only rated for 1Gbps, so you can't take advantage of devices capable of multi-gigabit speeds.
- Small and sleek design.
- Impressive range performance.
- Wi-Fi 6E support.
- Can add additional mesh access points to improve range.
- Great top speeds.
- Lacks multi-gigabit networking ports.
- 6GHz band is slower than the 5GHz band when connected to the satellite unit.
The TP-Link Deco AXE5300 performs reasonably well for gaming over Wi-Fi. While its wireless latency performance is relatively average, its high top speeds and impressive range make it a capable option for downloading large games and updates across the home. As with all routers, connecting directly over Ethernet provides much lower latency and more consistent performance for competitive play.
- Impressive range performance.
- Can add additional mesh access points to improve range.
- Great top speeds.
Adequate latency for browsing and casual gaming over Wi-Fi.
- Lacks multi-gigabit networking ports.
- 6GHz band is slower than the 5GHz band when connected to the satellite unit.
Unsuitable for competitive gaming over Wi-Fi.
The TP-Link Deco XE5300 isn't made for travel. While an individual unit is reasonably compact and has no external antennas to worry about, it still needs a conventional power outlet and isn't particularly lightweight. Its VPN support is useful, but it lacks the versatility and portability of a dedicated travel router.
VPN client and server support.
Not designed as a portable router.
No USB-C power, hotel Wi-Fi sharing, or cellular tethering.
The TP-Link Deco AXE5300 delivers impressive speeds suitable for an internet connection of up to 1Gbps. It also supports DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) channels, which can help reduce interference in crowded Wi-Fi environments.
- Great top speeds.
The TP-Link AXE5300 has great range performance. Since it's a mesh router, satellite access points help it maintain impressive average speeds over long distances, making it suitable for high-bandwidth uses and high-speed downloads over a wide area.
- Impressive range performance.
- Can add additional mesh access points to improve range.
- 6GHz band is slower than the 5GHz band when connected to the satellite unit.
The TP-Link Deco AXE5300 offers fair overall wireless latency performance. It maintains adequate ping and jitter for general internet use, video calls, and casual gaming. Like most mesh systems, devices connected through a satellite node will experience higher latency, so a wired connection is generally recommended if you're gaming competitively.
Adequate latency for browsing and casual gaming over Wi-Fi.
- 6GHz band is slower than the 5GHz band when connected to the satellite unit.
Unsuitable for competitive gaming over Wi-Fi.
The TP-Link Deco XE5300 has decent configurability overall. The required Deco app provides easy access to everyday settings, including guest networks, device monitoring, and traffic prioritization. The router supports VPN client and server functionality, along with a good selection of parental controls. However, you can't separate its main Wi-Fi bands into individual networks, and more advanced options like custom firewall rules and WAN failover are missing. Some parental controls also require a paid subscription.
Straightforward app-based network management.
VPN client and server support.
Advanced networking options are limited.
More advanced parental controls require a subscription.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Oct 30, 2026: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.10! This update adds Portability and Configurability testing to evaluate how suitable routers are for travel and to show how configurable their settings are. Read the changelog for more info.
- Updated Jun 22, 2026: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.9.1! This is a minor change that makes the router type easier to see at the top of each review. Read the changelog for more info.
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Updated May 25, 2026:
We've updated this review with additional text to help contextualize new results and usages introduced in Test Bench 0.9.
- Updated Apr 22, 2026: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.9! This update adds wireless latency testing to evaluate router gaming performance. Read the changelog for more info.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The TP-Link Deco AXE5300 is only available in a three-pack, which we bought and tested in dual mesh and standalone modes. Here's a photo of our unit's label.
TP-Link also sells the nearly identical Deco XE75 and XE75 Pro, which are available in one, two, or three-packs. The XE75 Pro has a 2.5Gbps networking port and two gigabit ports.
Popular Router Comparisons
The TP-Link Deco AXE5300 is a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router with 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. It's designed for use in a mesh system and is sold in a three-pack. It's compatible with every other TP-Link Deco model, so that you can add more access points for better coverage. Other integrated mesh routers, like eero, also have this functionality.
Overall, it performs pretty similarly to other Wi-Fi 6E mesh routers. That said, it doesn't reach quite the same top speeds as the eero Pro 6E, but it's faster than the Google Nest Wifi Pro and has a better range than both competitors.
For more recommendations, check out the best mesh Wi-Fi systems, the best Wi-Fi routers for large homes, or the best routers for streaming.
The ASUS ZenWiFi ET9 and the TP-Link Deco XE5300 are Wi-Fi 6E mesh routers. They deliver similar performance, but the ASUS has better connectivity with more LAN ports, a USB port, and a faster WAN port that's capable of 2.5Gbps.
The TP-Link Archer AXE75 and TP-Link Deco XE5300 are tri-band Wi-Fi 6E routers with DFS support. The main difference is their usage for mesh networks. Whereas the XE5300 comes as a three-pack for use in a mesh network, the AXE75 is sold as a standalone router but is configurable with other OneMesh-compatible devices for use in a mesh network. As a result, the XE5300 delivers more consistent and higher speeds over a longer range, making it ideal for larger multi-floor homes. By contrast, for people who live in a small apartment or condo, the AXE75's standalone configuration delivers comparable short-range performance to the XE5300.
The TP-Link Deco XE5300 and the Davolink Minions Kevin are both tri-band Wi-Fi 6E routers, but they serve different networking needs. The TP-Link is a dedicated mesh system designed to work with multiple nodes for seamless whole-home coverage, while the Davolink is a capable standalone router whose main draw comes from its recognizable exterior. While marketed as "Easy Mesh" compatible, the Kevin lacks interoperability with third-party standards like EasyMesh but can be paired to the Davolink Minions Bob for greater coverage. It features one 2.5Gbps WAN port and one 1Gbps LAN port for slightly higher wireless speeds, whereas the TP-Link is limited to 1Gbps ports but touts significantly better wireless performance at range. The Deco features a discrete, cylindrical design that makes it simpler to tuck away compared to the Davolink's tall novelty chassis.
Test Results
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for pictures & test results
This router's networking ports automatically detect whether you're using a WAN or LAN connection.
If you're looking for a mesh router with faster 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, check out the NETGEAR Orbi 370.
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- Ethernet cable
- Power adapter x3
- User documentation
This router's parental controls are excellent, even without paying for a subscription. You can create family profiles, filter websites, pause internet access, and set a basic bedtime schedule. More advanced restrictions, including app filtering and daily time limits, require a subscription.
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We tested this router in dual mesh mode. There's a slight speed penalty when connected to the satellite, but this is expected, and the router still delivers impressive speeds up to 60 feet.
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We tested this router in dual mesh mode. While there's a slight speed penalty when connected to the satellite, this is expected, and the additional access point helps deliver more consistent speeds over very long distances.
Note that this test's average 6GHz speed was slightly slower than the average 5GHz speed while connected to the satellite unit. While we don't know precisely why this occurs, our best guess is that the mesh system uses the 5GHz band for wireless backhaul between the main router and the satellite unit when it detects usage on the 6GHz band, bottlenecking the speeds. That said, this is just a theory. We encourage you to reach out in the comments section if you have any feedback on this or any theories of your own.
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
Wi-Fi 6E gives access to the 6GHz band, which takes advantage of less signal interference for faster speeds, but you'll need devices that support it to benefit from it. If you just need a standalone router and are looking for a Wi-Fi 6E option, consider the TP-Link Archer AXE75.
