Netgear Orbi 970 outperforms TP-Link Deco M5 by wide margins in speed and future-proofing per CNET and RTINGS mesh tests, with 27.6 Gbps Wi-Fi 7 versus 1.3 Gbps Wi-Fi 5. Deco M5 remains functional for light use but lacks 6 GHz band entirely. Orbi wins on every performance metric while Deco only competes on initial cost.