TP-Link - Archer AX5400 Pro Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router - Black

Best value for your investment - extremely easy to set up and coverage and is phenomenal for my apartment. I definitely recommend this router

I have had internet struggles for a long time but I have been hesitant to upgrade my router, reasoning that my internet provider is the issue. I tried a mesh system to improve it in the past with little success and gave up there. Naturally, when I learned about the TP-Link I was skeptical about its potential and not to sure I wanted a spider-looking thing in my living room. But now that I have tried it, I have been converted. There is just no going back. It was my internet provider’s router that was the issue and not the internet itself. This router works so well and amplifies my signal significantly. My download speed is now over 5-10 times faster and my upload speed has doubled. I tested my speeds at various times during the day with the old router and did the same with the TP-Link and the difference is considerable with each comparison. My household has many devices that connected wi-fi, one ethernet computer connection, and several streams going on simultaneously at times. It can definitely add up to a heavy load periodically. I have not had any issues with connectivity since I installed the TP-Link. Even in problem areas, like a corner surrounded by a brick wall, the connection remains stable and strong. The usual buffering problems I was having during streaming are now nonexistent. The congestion reducing capabilities are an asset as the ethernet connected computer used to cause the rest of the wifi connected devices to lag and that has not been an issue since replacing the router. As for the aesthetics, the antennas rotate all directions so they can be lowered to have low profile, depending on your needs of course. I particularly like this because I subscribe to the teachings of Feng Shui which explains that points bring “fire” element energy and that is not always desirable in certain areas of the home. So having the ability to circumvent this issue is a relief. Set-up was very simple and streamlined. All I had to do was turn off my modem and plug in the proper cables in the appropriate ports. After turning my modem back on, I turned on the router and ¡voila! It was up and running. It includes a link that allows you to complete the installation easily on your smartphone, as well as rename the router’s wifi name and put in a new password. Just be sure to note down each password because you will end up with a total of three and if they are different (which they should be for security reasons) it will get confusing once it is all set and done. This device includes added advanced security which is great and really brings peace of mind considering the increasing changes and threats that exist in the virtual world. Overall, I am glad I made the move to replace my router. I will continue my praises and appreciation for the TP-Link and its ability to improve an increasingly needed utility in my home.

TL;DR Pros -Easy setup through your phone -Can receive up to 2.5Gbs speeds -Has a lot antennas making it have a good amount of range without having to use extenders -Has 4 ethernet switches for wired connection -Has 1 USB port for an entry-level in-home server Cons -Does not allow you make the bands AX only -Has an external power supply (The bulky plug) I will start by saying that TP-link has made it easy to set up your router through their phone app. All you must do, is just plug in the router and connect your phone to its Wi-Fi, and set up your preferences through your app. For people that are not tech savvy this is great because it can be done in a few minutes and keep using the internet like you never changed routers. The router does have options for people with more knowledge. It does give you the option to set up NAT forwarding, firewalls, IP binding, and set up a VPN for the whole network. There are also options to set up Parental Control, and set up a mesh network. Another thing that is barebones is the in-built mini server they offer. What you can do with this is just plug in a USB on to the router, and upload and download files and pictures. They only allow you to use Samba and access content through an ftp link. Lastly, the device capacity is what you might want to take into consideration when looking at routers. If you have a big family or a business that has many wireless devices connected to the Wi-Fi you might want to consider a triband router. The reason this router worked for me is because I have my major bandwidth consuming devices connected directly through the ethernet ports. I will say I have around 12 devices including TVs, speakers, lights, phones, and tablets connected to the Wi-Fi with no issues. There is not much inside the box, all you get is the router, an ethernet cable, the power supply, and a pamphlet with the set-up instructions. In terms of range, the antennas do allow the router to cover a good amount of area, I will say about 80 yards out and I still have ok strength. One thing I do want to note is that, in my case, there are not many dense walls that could cause the signal to get weaker. One thing that did surprise me and somewhat disappointed me, is that the software will not allow you to set up the bands in AX(wifi6) only. It only allows you to have a mix between all the other past technologies (n/g/ac) and AX, which is not bad by any means, but I just wanted to set up one of the bands strictly for AX. Also, this is more of a nitpick, but the power supply is bulky and it is not built into the router like other brands. Overall, this router is great. If you are someone that does not go crazy into your network setup and just want newer technology and faster speeds I will say this is the router for you.

As an owner of a similar lower model wifi-6 TP-Link router prior to owning this router, I have had great experiences with TP-Link routers and their quality in the past, but this router absolutely blows the lower models out of the water, even though for most this router is probably a bit overkill. If you're looking for a router that is extremely reliable, able to produce blazingly high internet speeds, has range that can span your entire home and is highly customizable, this is absolutely the router for you. In terms of speed, this router can pretty much support any internet speed you may need - it reliably supports up to 2.5gbps internet both wired (from its 4 ethernet ports excluding the port receiving internet from a modem) and wireless, and 5.4Gbps peak dual-band support, also using Wifi-6 technology to improve network performance! Needless to say, this router is absolutely futureproof in terms of internet speed and reliability! Also, I am a remote worker and am constantly streaming meetings and digital content, and I have never had a single issue with this router in terms of speeds or connection reliability. The range distance of this router is also extremely broad, and I find myself getting full wifi bars in any room of my home because of the 6 antennae found on the unit. With reliable range and reliable high speed support it is already very easy to recommend this router to anyone, but to sweeten the deal the router is highly customizable with software and is very high tech! All network settings are completely customizable, you can manage the router (as a smart device) from the TP-Link app, the router supports load/band balancing between the 2.4 and 5 Ghz band ranges under a single SSID (router name) to minimize network management with all of your devices, supports parental controls and website filters, DNS options for in-home networks and servers, firewalls and so much more! Setting up the router is extrememly easy as well, and the internal TP-Link user interface is very easy to use. Definitely would recommend picking up this router if you're looking for a futureproof and luxurious option for a router!

For starters, this is a “pro” router with everything so simplified that even the UI of the app looks like it was intended for a kid to install. It is really meant for one to just hook it up and be online. You can use the Tether app on your phone or through the web interface that will automatically come up when connected to a computer for the first time. The only confusion I had was their differentiation between the 2.5 Gbps and the 1 Gbps ports. Like most routers, you have your WAN port as one color and the LAN as another. But, the 1 Gbps WAN port is one of the LAN ports and the images make it seem like they are side by side and the same blue as the 2.5 Gbps port. That and it took a fair amount of time for it to connect to the internet that I thought my device couldn’t use the 2.5 Gbps, which it can. I don’t have 2.5 Gbps internet to test it out with, but the 1 Gbps and the 300Mbps of the two ISPs I tried with work fine albeit it taking a few more minutes that I am used to. Once the device is up and running, I am kind of disappointed that most of the typical pro features that you see in other routers are actually behind a paywall. Virus protection, web protection, intrusion prevention and internet of things protection, all offered with a 30 day free trial leading to a monthly or annual fee. There are some basic parental controls, but many of the options require “upgrade”. Another, maybe nit picky type thing, is that you can enable/disable the LED status, which is good for people that want their room to stay dark. However, the lights don’t show the individual status of your ports, like most routers show 1-4 status. Just so long as 1 port is active, the LAN light is on. Making it harder to determine if one of your four wired devices may be disconnected. To me, that just seems the opposite of a “pro” device. Overall, I just feel like with this one, the “pro” label is just to make someone think they are getting a professional device that even they can understand while it truly doesn’t have all the professional settings that other pro routers have. Then all of the additional protection that you know you want in your device is hidden behind a paywall. I can’t tell if there is even the basic protection as the security just gives check marks that certain high risk options are disabled. In all actuality, the label of this product should have an asterisk beside the word Pro in every part they mention, as it is just basic unless you subscribe for more.