Just for info, I purchased a TP-Link Deco BE85 Wifi 7 mesh router system in January of this year. Like many I reside in a condo with high Wifi density and in the past have suffered the consequences with streaming music to a couple of KEF speaker pairs. The BE85’s allow a wireless and/or wired backhaul and seeing as building regulations preclude me running ethernet/fibre “in-wall” in the concrete walls I am relying on wireless backhaul between 2 of the Satellites and the main router. (Received a nasty letter and fine from the building management after chiselling out a fibre run between the KEF’s satellite and the main router!)
By default the MLO functionality was turned off in the Deco setup/monitoring app, I assume due to the relatively early nature of the technology. In theory the throughput afforded by MLO operation should allow 22Gbps by combining the bands and channels into a single data pipe to improve latency, throughput and reliability. As such, and after a number of firmware updates gave me confidence, I have enabled the MLO technology. Whilst all devices in my home are wifi 5, 6 or 6E and can’t take advantage of MLO, the communication between the main and 3 satellite routers can.
I have been running the Wifi network with MLO enabled and using networking monitoring tools can confirm that throughput and latency have significantly improved and match and on occasion exceed the throughput of the one wired satellite when measured at the satellite and the main router. I have been extremely happy with the results so far and the performance streaming from my office over wifi to KEF speakers has so far been flawless. Only time will tell whether reliability is improved but after 4 days with zero issues for all my network communications confidence is beginning to grow…
If you have a Wifi 7 system I would certainly give MLO a try if you are experiencing any issues with UPnP over wireless. Determining reliability of the connection will take a while longer but performance seems very good as measured. Hopefully for all of us who are constrained in our ability to run cable/fibre in our homes the promise of Wifi giving a reliable, high speed alternative to cable for backhaul between routers and connections with devices seems to be getting closer…
