TP-Link Deco M series (2017) vs Linksys EA9500 (AC5400)

The TP-Link Deco M5 is a great Wi-Fi Router for its $93 asking price.

The Linksys EA9500 (AC5400), however, while a reasonable product for $325, doesn't stack up against its competitors quite as well. If you're considering Wi-Fi Routers in the $260 range, you might want to check out some better options.

The TP-Link Deco M5 has done really well in a number of roundups conducted by sources that perform reliable hands-on testing, like Android Central, PC Gamer, Windows Central, and PCWorld - it ended up getting the "Best Value" title from Android Central, "The best budget complete mesh solution" from PC Gamer, and "Best value" from Windows Central. That's high praise coming from reliable sources.

As for the Linksys EA9500 (AC5400) analysis - it impressed reviewers at Expert Reviews, a source that's known for its objective testing and well-thought-out methodology - it performed great in its "Best wireless routers 2020: Boost the range and speed of your internet connection from £85" roundup and earned the "The best all-round router you can buy" title.

To get a better idea of how they fare when compared directly to each other, we analyzed review scores of sources that tested both. Tech Advisor and CNET, for example, preferred the TP-Link Deco M5, while Expert Reviews and PCmag rated both of them the same.

We also took a look at which sources had the best things to say about them. We learned that the TP-Link Deco M5 got reviewed the highest by Expert Reviews - it gave it a rating of 10, while the Linksys EA9500 (AC5400) most impressed reviewers at Expert Reviews, which gave it a score of 10.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Wi-Fi Routers on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Wi-Fi Routers being 7.4 out of 10, whereas the TP-Link Deco M5 and Linksys EA9500 (AC5400) managed averages of 8.5 and 8.6 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct TP-Link Deco M5 vs. Linksys EA9500 (AC5400) comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.