AX1800 WiFi 6 Router (Archer AX21 V5)

This Wi-Fi 6 router delivers absolutely exceptional performance and has completely upgraded my home network experience. Setting it up is straightforward, and it immediately provides a noticeable boost in speed and efficiency across all connected devices. The processing power handles heavy traffic effortlessly, making it perfect for streaming, gaming, and managing multiple smart home devices simultaneously without any lag.The absolute standout feature of this unit is its phenomenal range and coverage. Even at a very far distance from where the router is placed, the Wi-Fi 6 connection remains incredibly stable, strong, and reliable. There are no frustrating dead zones or sudden drop-offs, just a consistently fast and rock-solid signal throughout the entire area. It is a fantastic, high-performing router that offers premium connectivity and complete peace of mind.

So it been about 5 years since I bought a router. My old Netgear R6020 worked as expected , No issues other than the fact that I was mislead that it would be faster than 100mb. Recently , I added a lot of devices to my home network. Running speed tests I could get as high as 90mb...Research told me that this Netgear router was in fact a 100mb router... I am paying for a 150mb internet speed...I searched many routers and decided on this one. Setup was fairly easy ...And making a TPLINK account lets me control this router from anywhere. That's a pretty awesome feature to have . So , I used the same Network logins as my previous router , Enabled the smart device , and let the router do its job. Some people had issues with the smart network feature , but I updated the firmware , let it boot up , and all 13 of my devices were instantly connected. They are a mix of wired , 2.4 , and 5g devices. All 5g devices connected properly. Now , the test I was waiting for . The speed test...All speed tests now result in over 160mb ...I am a happy camper . The phone. Computer , video cams , are all faster and the signal strength is great. I am so glad I chose this router , and I think you will be happy with it also !UPDATE : After playing with all the settings for a couple weeks , I chose to disable " smart connect " and run the same name and password SSIDs for the 2.4 and 5g . Enabling Smart with multiple devices let's the router control the network...With it off it lets the device control it . Some of my dual frequency devices were dropping to the 2.4 network ( which my security cameras are on ) with smart connect enabled....A flick of the switch and now that the devices choose the network , 5g devices tend to stay on the 5g network all the time. Performance and range have been perfect so far , any other issues and I will update !And as Promised , here's my update : After 1 year of using this router with 13 devices connected 24/7 ,I can say this router is a beast ! No issues , great string signal everywhere in my house and yard ....But it , and you won't be disappointed..The APP is fun to play with when you are not home , and is very easy to use. I have stuck with the smartsetting off , and let my device pick the network...My 5g devices stay on 5g then , and my 2.4 network has less traffic this way ....Update : It's been a year since I bought this router and not once has it failed me ...It's a workhouse, and I have 15 devices using it ...You will not be unhappy with this inexpensive long range dual band router !

I was genuinely impressed by how simple this router was to set up. The TP-Link AX1800 connected in just a few minutes and delivered a strong Wi-Fi signal. Streaming, web browsing, and use of multiple devices simultaneously were smooth and interruption-free.The Wi-Fi 6’s modern, sleek design is a nice bonus. For the price, this router delivers excellent value and dependable performance. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable upgrade to their home Wi-Fi.

This was supposed to be delivered to me on the 2nd, I just received it today, but that's not why I'm complaining. I did some research and came to find out that I have been living with throttled internet speeds for years due to false advertisements on my old router manufacturer's part. I was only getting about 12MB a second when I should have been getting over 90MB. I'm pretty angry at myself for not catching this sooner, but at any rate, that is what drove me to buy this product. It is stated to be able to handle about 574mbps, and my plan is only for 500. From the reviews and the price, especially with the price being slashed, I decided to go for it despite never hearing of the brand before. The router itself is fine and has some nice tech and features. What is terrible, however, is the phone app Tether they tell you to download to set it up. I don't know if this app is 3rd party, but if it is, they need to get away as fast as possible. I created my account, set my local account password, did the usual phone things like 2-factor auth and fingerprint access. This all originated from using the routers default password of course. I then created my wifi password, which is separate. I did all this through the phone app, got the confirmation email, opened it and clicked the button to authorize, and yay my account was created. It reset and put me back at the local password login. Ok, no problem, I just set that. Type it in. Incorrect. Delete it, show password, type it in again just to make sure I had no errors. No dice. I try my router password, no dice. I try the default password on the router itself, no dice. I'm about to get locked out at this point. The only options are to "Forget Password?" or contact customer service. I try forget password, "Please hold the reset button on the router for 10 seconds to restore to default settings." Well, guess that's the only way. So I do. Hold it for 20 just to be safe. Let the router do its thing. Try again with the app. Set my passwords up again and it looks like I'm connected. When I'm done going through the motions again, it sends me back to the main login, yet again, for the same screen I just created another password for. I type it in. No good. Try again, no good. Try the router password, the default password, nothing. There's an option to connect to it anyway so I try it. It appears my phone and computer are on the network with full bars, but there's not actually an outside internet connection. I'd been messing with this for about an hour at this point so I was getting frustrated. I decide to reset it again, held it for 30 seconds just to be sure, and it just sat there with a single solid light. I unplug the thing after this for 60 seconds. I plug it back in and my PC finally has internet again, at least enough to get to their website. (Hardwired btw for the PC) So I decide to take the second approach suggested in the instructions and set it up online. Flawless. Actually remembered all of the passwords I created and gave me several more options and screens than the phone application did. I can finally log all the devices in my house onto the network. I just tested my download speed and I went from 12MB to about 80MB with that particular platform. So, to summarize, the product works, just don't use the janky phone app at all.

As A Spectrum Internet CustomerI had a Spectrum Advanced WiFi router that does 2G and 5G on the same WiFi network. There is not a way to split the networks in two. If you have a cell phone that is compatible with device steering and you use to connect your 2G devices to, you can call or chat with their Internet Repair support team to set up a feature on your cell phone that may allow the 2G devices to connect but it can be a hit or a miss and it's too much of a hassle to keep calling/chatting to set this up with as the feature is enabled for only sixty minutes. If the 2G device is connected before the hour is over, it will remain connected but if it's not, you'll need to reach back out to try again and you'll also need to reach back out for other new 2G devices only that don't automatically connect to the 2G network.This is a major flaw for an "Advanced" WiFi router. Customers paying a monthly $5 fee to lease their routers should be able to either split the networks in two or leave them as a single network for band steering. Outside of this, the Spectrum routers are fine. However, it's just better to get your own router.It would be great if they offered more advanced routers with more features such as VPN's, hiding network SSID, splitting the 2G and 5G networks, guest network and more. I'd pay $5 more a month on top of the already $5 charge for this. This way customers can select which router they need for their home and still get customer support for it.As A New Customer For Echo Dot'sThis is the reason why I purchased my own router. I purchased four Echo Dot's, 5th generation, '22 release. All of them connected to the Spectrum WiFi router without issue and individually they operated great. However, the Echo Dot's have a "multi-room audio" feature where you can play music all throughout your home. This was my entire reason for getting these in the first place. This feature was a hit or miss. Sometimes it would work but most of the time only one or two would work and trying to get them all re-paired so I could say, "Alexa, play Discover Weekly from Spotify everywhere," was a huge inconvenience and took too much time.After going online and reviewing forums such as Quora and Reddit, I could see what the issue was. The Spectrum WiFi router would switch them between 2G and 5G based off of interference and signal strength throughout the day and if even just one Echo Dot was on a different network than the others, it would throw off the multi-room audio so that it wouldn't work. So the hunt for a dual band router began.TP-Link AX1800 WiFi 6 Router (Archer AX21) ReviewThe TP-Link AX1800 Router has been amazing so far. It arrived on the same day that I ordered (Thank you Amazon and of course, most of all, the delivery drivers). When it first came in, the first thing I noticed was how ridiculously light it was which kind of made me nervous about the purchase. The router itself came very nicely packaged, nothing was damaged.I followed the instructions to the letter but the router was not showing any lights on there after plugging it in once the Internet modem came back online. I re-read the steps again and re-checked the power connections and tried unplugging from both ends but not luck. I honestly thought I got a dud. I looked on the back of the router and saw a button and pressed it in; all the lights began to show and I could begin the setup process.I use an iPhone and when I pulled up the TP-Link App to set up the router I couldn't help but notice its low star rating so I opted not to download the app and instead login using the IP address (the instructions provide you with this information and how-to as well). This is my first time ever logging into a WiFi router without the use of a mobile app and I have to say, it is significantly better and heavily preferred. I was able to turn off TP-Link Smart Connect so that I could have two separate SSID's for the 2G and 5G network. I could also see there was a whole new host of features that I did not have prior such as hiding your WiFi networks from neighbors and having a guest network.I also did a speed test and they all came back higher than normal and my computer noticeably moves faster when browsing the Internet and streaming video despite being roughly around the same speeds (before it was around 310mbps download/9mbps upload; now it is at around 360mbps/13mbps upload). Maybe the 50mbps DL and 4mbps UL makes a huge difference. I'm not entirely sure. I believe the difference really comes from the router provider a more stable/stronger connection than the Spectrum router. The signals itself are just healthier now.I also like that the TP-Link router has antennas, four of them to be exact, that you can see. The Spectrum routers don't have these and if they do, they're within the router itself. I believe routers with antennas that you can visibly see operate better and send stronger signals.Did This Resolve My Issue With The Echo Dot's?It absolutely did. I re-connected all four Echo Dot's to the 2G network, which was kind of a pain as well to do (but well worth the time and effort; it would've been significantly easier to do if I originally connected them to a dual band router in the first place) and ever since then I have had no issues with multi-room audio. Anytime I want to play music from all four Echo Dot's at the same time, they all play without issue. Which is great because I plan on purchasing more for a more surround system environment.Final NotesIf you need a dual band WiFi router that is able to split the networks in two so that you can sign into them separately, this is it. And honestly, if you have a Spectrum router, this is a major upgrade for a fraction of the cost. Just make sure you keep it clean of dust, and keep it in a well-ventilated and cool area of the home and this will easily last you 2+ years. It saves you money and it works better. It's honestly a no-brainer.There is also a common misconception with spotty/slow Internet speeds. The majority of signal issues do not come from cable lines (confirm with your ISP provider first though that the signal levels look healthy coming into and from your Internet modem) but come from the equipment itself (modem and/or router) or from the devices you are using (assuming it is only occurring on one or two devices). Which is why upgrading your WiFi router and/or Internet modem can resolve the issues.I honestly don't have any issues with the Spectrum Internet modems. I think they're fine. They all come pre-built, meaning, you can't change any settings on them. Not a deal breaker for me. However, honestly, if I didn't have a Landline service with them, I would've purchased my own modem as well and long-term wise I will definitely consider it. The Spectrum Internet equipment are fine for the majority of homes. However, there is no one size fits all and if you're having issues with your equipment whether due to the lack of features available or signal issues (and confirmed with their Internet Repair team that there are no signal issues coming from the lines), this TP-Link router is an exceptional purchase.

Fantastic router! I received the Archer BE230 / BE3600 router and it's working very well! It was fairly easy to setup, but I'm experienced with setting up routers, so it was easy for ME. :) I love the quad-core processor and since I re-entered my existing network's SSIDs and passwords, all of my wireless devices got connected without any issues at all. I'm very happy with this router, especially at this price!

Easy to set up and works well. The Wi-Fi connection is stable and the speed is good for everyday use. The TP-Link app also makes the setup and management pretty straightforward. Overall, a solid router for the price.

If I were rating this router on its most basic functions, then I would give it five stars: (1) It gave me strong and fast Wifi in most rooms. (It is somewhat weak in my most distant room, but the 2017 TP-Link router I used previously did not even reach that room.) The Ethernet is also good. (2) It took me just five minutes to set up. (3) The website and app are easy enough for basic router functions.Nevertheless I am disappointed in this router, the company, and their tech assistance on questions of security and privacy. One of my motivations for upgrading to this router was to be security-conscious. (I don‘t know too much about routers, but I know that the first piece of conventional wisdom is to always replace routers that are no longer supported by regular firmware updates, and this was true for the 2017 TP-Link that I had had—with their last firmware update in 2017!)As part of my security-consciousness, I was also on the market for a new (VPN-compatible) router in order to add a VPN (NordVPN) to my router. I now feel misled by this TP-Link product because both their website and this Amazon page suggest that it is possible to add a VPN to the router itself (as a Free Agent or whatever it‘s called—as opposed to merely using a VPN for individual devices like a laptop). It turns out that TP-Link decided to remove the option of adding a VPN for this model of router, and it didn‘t bother to make this change apparent. At least as of last week, TP-Link still posts instructions about how to add a VPN, but these instructions refer to an interface that does not exist on this new model.. The TP-Link tech personnel I was in contact with were very emphatic and clear that there is no way now to add a VPN to the router. (I do not have the knowledge to know for sure there isn’t some technique or work-around, but they sounded convincing enough, and there is no longer a place in the firmware interface to add a server.)If the company had been transparent up-front that this is not VPN-compatible, that might be a different matter. For sure, I would not have chosen to buy this router. And I would not waste time knocking them in this review.But I also wonder about the company‘s possible motives for deciding to change from a practice of permitting a VPN to disallowing them. Perhaps there is some advantage for a router company to be anti-VPN that I am not knowledgeable enough to guess? Myself, I can‘t help worrying about the fact that this company is based in an authoritarian country that goes very far to make the internet un-free (including making VPN‘s illegal for its citizens). I would never assume all Chinese companies or individuals are in sync their government, but this no-VPN policy actually looks exactly in sync!I take it that a router like this has access to all our traffic.. I guess this means we are placing a fair amount of trust into the router company, and now this particular company has chosen to make it harder to keep our traffic private by preventing a VPN? I don‘t know enough to know if this worry is reasonable or not. (I find it weird that I could not find any online information or debate about such questions.) My own activities are too boring to be of specific interest to a bad actor, but I wonder if there could be more general risks to consumers in the future? Should the political/digital system in the home country of one‘s router company be a factor in whether to trust the router? I am clueless. But I can‘t help feeling a little uneasy about the fact that this company that just prevented me from putting a VPN on my new router is a company based in a country that does not want its citizens to have digital privacy. ):