In the midst of many mesh wifi6 products in the ax3000 and ax6000 network segment, tplink deco x20 is still favorite product in the entry-level network segment. Netgear did not release entry level products for the Orbi series, but released the nighthawk mk62. How good is the deco x20 compared to the nighthawk mk62?
What this Deco X20 does
In the previous deco series with legacy wireless ac technology, we can see lines of tplink products with deco series including most popular tplink deco m5 which is the first mesh wifi product released by tplink. And then it released tplink deco s4, deco m4 with the same dual band ac1200, and tplink deco m9 plus with three radio bands.
Entry level wifi 6 products
Tplink debut in mesh wireless ax technology was tplink deco x20 which is very popular to date with entry level ax1800 network segment with big market share. In this network segment, netgear doesn’t release product with Orbi series but Nighthawk mk62. On the other hand, another big vendor Asus released its entry level product with Zenwifi xd4 mini ax1800.
Deco x20 is one level lower than the Deco x60 series. Today you can find few new series with higher level than deco x20 including deco x55, deco x68 and deco x90. And a new addition of deco series is deco voice x20, a similar product as deco x20 ax1800 with built-in Alexa skills and integrated with array of microphone and speakers. However, this deco voice doesn’t come with built-in smarthub like eero 6.
What about deco w3600? Is this another series of deco?
If you find out there with the name Deco W3600, actually this is a two-unit deco x20 kit which is typically sold in Ebay, Amazon refers to deco x20. Deco x20 and deco w3600 are the same products, the same hardware specs and features, all are the same.
Early 2022 tplink released another series of deco ax1800 with its tplink deco x25, another model with the same network segment. So what is the difference between these deco x20 and deco x25?
Deco x20 vs deco x25
The model and dimensions of these two products can be said to be exactly the same, only slightly different in color and appearance on the upper side of the body where the x25 is black while deco x20 is white.
All other parts are the same, including the same two Ethernet ports, no USB port, software running on each board is also the same including the security feature. What makes deco x25 is different is the embedded CPU on the board is already quad core processor as opposed to dx20 and deco x20 which is still dual core processor. You can expect faster processing on x25 than deco x20.
What about the higher level model of deco x60? What is the difference between these two series of tplink deco x20 and x60?
Deco X20 vs X60
If we look closely at the deco x60 and deco x20, we will see the same physical model – a round cylinder with two Gigabit Ethernet ports for WAN / LAN per Deco unit. Unlike the physical appearance of other Deco series like the Deco P9 Powerline which is also sleek cylindrical shape, the deco x20 ax1800 is rather fat and short.
What are the main differences between deco x20 and x60? The main difference only lies in the network segment different of wifi-6 technology as shown in the following comparison table (table 1). The processor is the same quad core CPU but different brand.
All other features are the same including the new WPA3 wifi security support, dual mode you can select either as the mesh wifi system or access point mode, MU-MIMO, band steering, beamforming, AP steering, self healing and still more are all the same.
Table 1 Deco X20 vs Deco X60
| Model | Deco X20 | Deco X60 |
| Wifi technology | Dual band ax1800 | Dual band ax3000 |
| Wifi speeds | 1,200Mbps @5GHz 574Mbps @2.4GHz | 2,402Mbps @5GHz 574Mbps @2.4GHz |
| Processor | 1GHz quad core CPU | Qualcomm 1GHz quad core CPU |
So deco x60 is one level above deco x20 with higher speed, nearly doubled aggregated bandwidth as deco x20.
Tplink deco x20 series is typically sold in a two-pack deco that covers up to 4,000 sq ft, and a three-pack deco that covers up to 5,800 sq ft technically in ideal situation. However in the real world you may find many obstacles that might cause signal attenuation and sometimes create dead zones. When you require wider coverage you can easily add another deco. As soon as you have completed setup the deco network with deco app, you can easily add one or more deco units.
In overview, you need to tap ‘+’, and you need to select ‘Deco’ button that will shows you lists of available deco models. It’s quite easy to expand the coverage by adding another deco units, it’s like adding wireless extender device for a wireless router.
TP-Link Home Care
There is something different with the feature embedded in deco x20, which is the built-in TP-link HomeCare. TP-link Home care has different features for each product and is not free but paid services. However, specifically for tplink deco x20 ax1800 the HomeCare service is a free lifetime with three types of features: the Parental controls, Antivirus, and quality of service (QoS).
Backhaul
Almost all deco series provide wired backhaul option in addition to wifi. Of course, by using wired backhaul, the connection between decos becomes more stable, without signal interference as in wifi backhaul. How to connect wired backhaul between decos?
Please refer to the following figure to understand the wired Ethernet backhaul for deco units.
You need to use Cat5e or Cat6e UTP network cable with RJ45 configuration. One end of the cable on the first deco (that connects to the modem) and the other end to one of the Ethernet ports of the second deco. To add one more deco, then do the same by connecting the second deco to the third deco. Such of this configuration is called a daisy chain topology (figure 1).
You can also combine daisy chain topology and star topology, connect the first deco to the unmanaged Ethernet switch and connect other decos to the switch in star topology.
If you compare with Netgear nighthawk mk62, you will have the same concept in wired backhaul configuration.
Deco X20 vs Netgear Mk62
In addition of Orbi series, Netgear releases couple series of Nighthawk mk62 (2-pack) and Nighthawk Mk83 (3-pack) mesh wifi, each based on ax1800 and ax3000 respectively. TP-link Deco x20 is comparable with Netgear mk62, while Deco x60 is comparable with Netgear mk83.
What is the difference between deco x20 and nighthawk mk62?
Take table 2 below as reference to show you spec comparison table between TP-link Deco X20 vs Nighthawk mk62 ax1800. Both products are simultaneous dual band ax1800 mesh wifi-6 systems.
Ethernet Ports
Both deco x20 and Netgear mk62 (the mesh router) come with two Gigabit Ethernet ports, one port for WAN while the other is for LAN port. Unlike Deco x20 (either router or satellite) that comes with 2x Ethernet ports, Netgear mk62 satellite (Nighthawk ms60) only has one port.
With only one Ethernet port on each satellite, will affect the way you configure the optional wired backhaul. With mk62 you can daisy chain the units; however with more than two satellites you require unmanaged Ethernet switch to connect each satellites in star topology.
Network protection
Deco x20 comes with free lifetime subscription to TP-Link HomeCare, it’s very advantages for connecting all of your connected devices. This features parental control, antivirus and QoS. On the other hand, Netgear mk62 gives you option to subscribe annual Netgear Armor. It’s a an advanced cybersecurity to protect all of your connected devices unlimitedly against any internet threats either at home or in the go.
Read more details the spec comparison table below:
Table 2 Deco x20 vs Nighthawk mk62
| Model | Deco X20 (2-pack) | Netgear mk62 (2-pack) |
| Wifi technology | Simultaneous dual band ax1800 MU-MIMO with 4 streams | Simultaneous Dual-band WiFi 6 AX1800 |
| Wifi speeds | 1,200Mbps @5GHz 2×2 MU-MIMO 574Mbps @2.4GHz 2×2 MU-MIMO | 1,200Mbps @5GHz 600Mbps @2.4GHz |
| Antennas | 4x internal antennas / Deco unit | 4x high performance internal antenna |
| Ethernet Ports | 2 LAN/WAN Gigabit Ethernet Ports | (1) WAN Gigabit Ethernet port (1) LAN Gigabit Ethernet port (only one Gigabit Ethernet port for satellite) |
| Coverage | Up to 4,000 sq ft | 3,000 sq ft |
| Backhaul | wifi and optional wired backhaul | wifi and optional wired backhaul |
| Processor | 1GHz quad core CPU | Powerful Quad-Core 1.5GHz processor with 128MB Flash and 256MB RAM |
| Security | WPA3 ready; Free HomeCare antivirus | Netgear Armor subscription ($35 yearly); WPA3 ready |
| Guest network | 1 SSID /each band | Yes, each band |
| Price | $229.99 / (3-pack) | $189.99 (3-pack) |
Typically deco x20 comes in three-pack for larger home, however for standard size home in general you may buy the 2-pack kit is appropriate. Not much price different between the two products.
Click the link below to learn more spec details and link to SHOP in Amazon (#ads).
- Click here to SHOP Deco X20 AX1800 (#ad) (2-pack)
- Or you may like to Click here to SHOP Nighthawk MK62 AX1800 (#ad)
Related products
For easy to deploy – three in one product you may consider Arris Surfboard Sbg8300 cable modem wireless router – wifi router with built-in DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem.
For businesses, and can also be for homes, you may consider Unifi UAP-Flex HD and Omada wireless ac access point with network controller software.