There are many routers claiming to be fast and support the max speed of the wifi 6 protocol. However, most routers fall short terribly. Some heat up like a toaster like AX3000 and some don't have the processing power i.e. the required number of CPUs to quickly process the packets by 20+ devices. Further, some are $300+ which kind of brings the affordability into play.
This router however finds the right balance in all the features which I was looking to upgrade. I was looking in the range of about $100 and tried to AX3000. However, it heats up too fast and then starts to thermal throttle the speed and doesn't even stay connected with the clients like a laptop or mobile devices. I have tried a Netgear router from Costco AX4300 but fall short when around 20 devices are connected to it and don't support the mesh networking.
Features which I wanted and like:
Range:
This device has a superb range by itself and covers my home pretty easily. I see I have a good wifi signal at all ends of my home and I live in a 2-floor apartment with the router placed upstairs.
Mesh:
I like to receive a good network in my backyard as well and so I have added a RE505X which costs another 80 bucks but saves money on my mobile data plan as I don't invest in an unlimited data plan. There is only 1 SSID that is broadcasted and it automatically switches based on where I am in the home.
Heat:
Some routers heat up and create a fire hazard and also have the probability of breaking down sooner than I like them to. This is not the case with this one and it stays relatively cooler and never experienced any slowing down of the network. I have touched it to check several times and it's good.
Setup:
The setup was really easy. The basic setup can be done in minutes and there is no RnD required. The tether app is pretty cool for basic setup. I also have requirements for static IP based on mac address and port forwarding. Both of them are easy to configure. They also have support for dynamic DNS so you can easily host your basic website in your home network. For this, I need static IP address reservation and port forwarding.
Parental controls:
This is a real plus that allows me to block youtube or any site whenever I need to get my kid away from the TV.
Reboot schedule:
I like to have a reboot schedule which is good this router has it and very easy to set up.
LED lights:
This router allows to turn off led lights and I like it that way once the setup is complete.
Summary:
I think its a router for average home with right balance of ease of use and price and features.
Note: I have not been paid for this review and have bought the router with my own money.
2 Weeks Update:
Going strong with over 20 devices connected, no disconnections reported by anyone in device. I have 3 heavy internet users at home. No heating issues, range is good.
4 Months Update:
Working perfectly for 4 months. No issues.
2 year update
Still works as new with no issues
TP-Link AX6600 WiFi 6 Gaming Router (Archer GX90)- Tri Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router, High-Speed ax Router, Smart VPN
4.5 | 9,739 ratings
Price: 229.99
Last update: 12-31-2024
About this item
Game Band: Tri-Band structure provides a 4.8 Gbps Game Band for your gaming rigs and bings pure immersion. 4804 Mbps (5GHz, HE160) + 1201 Mbps (5GHz) + 574 Mbps (2.4GHz)
Game Accelerator: Detect and optimize gaming streams, to ensure your gaming stays immersive
Ultra Connectivity: 1 × 2.5 Gbps WAN/LAN port + 1 × 1 Gbps WAN/LAN port + 3 × Gigabit LAN ports and 2 x USB ports ensure max flexibility and boosted throughput
Expansive Coverage: 8 detachable high-performance antennas, Beamforming, high-power FEM, 4T4R combine to deliver WiFi coverage up to a 4-bedroom house
More Devices with Less Lag: OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology deliver data to multiple devices, simultaneously
Powerful Processing: 1.5 GHz Quad-Core CPU ensures your network performance always at peak run
TP-Link HomeShield - TP-Link's premium security service keeps your home network safe with cutting-edge network and IoT protection. Free features: 1. Basic Network Security including Security Scan and IoT Device Identification 2. Basic Parental Controls 3. Quality of Service 4. Basic Weekly/Monthly Reports. Visit TP-Link website for more information.
TP-Link OneMesh Supported: Flexibly Create Whole Home WiFi with Archer GX90 by adding a OneMesh supported Range Extender, like RE505X
Game Accelerator: Detect and optimize gaming streams, to ensure your gaming stays immersive
Ultra Connectivity: 1 × 2.5 Gbps WAN/LAN port + 1 × 1 Gbps WAN/LAN port + 3 × Gigabit LAN ports and 2 x USB ports ensure max flexibility and boosted throughput
Expansive Coverage: 8 detachable high-performance antennas, Beamforming, high-power FEM, 4T4R combine to deliver WiFi coverage up to a 4-bedroom house
More Devices with Less Lag: OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology deliver data to multiple devices, simultaneously
Powerful Processing: 1.5 GHz Quad-Core CPU ensures your network performance always at peak run
TP-Link HomeShield - TP-Link's premium security service keeps your home network safe with cutting-edge network and IoT protection. Free features: 1. Basic Network Security including Security Scan and IoT Device Identification 2. Basic Parental Controls 3. Quality of Service 4. Basic Weekly/Monthly Reports. Visit TP-Link website for more information.
TP-Link OneMesh Supported: Flexibly Create Whole Home WiFi with Archer GX90 by adding a OneMesh supported Range Extender, like RE505X
Product information
| Product Dimensions | 8.35 x 8.35 x 2.04 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 2.43 pounds |
| ASIN | B08TGKX9MT |
| Item model number | Archer GX90 |
| Customer Reviews |
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars
9,739 ratings
4.5 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #14,289 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #105 in Computer Routers |
| Date First Available | January 22, 2021 |
| Manufacturer | TP-Link |
| Country of Origin | Vietnam |
Top reviews from the United States
Prateek GargPerfect router for most users
MyProductPortraitsAn excellent device
MyProductPortraits
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2021
Installation is super easy, it’s basically plug and play. You connect the router to your internet modem, and then connect your devices via the WiFi networks. The A5400 will come with default wireless settings, including a predefined network name and password, for easy initial setup. It is strongly recommended to change these settings to your own, for security reasons. Management can be done either via the smartphone app or (very happy about this one) the web interface. More about that later.
Aesthetically, you will notice that this router has a rather interesting rectangular design, and it is equipped with 6 (!!!) antennas. Yes, you read that right: 6 antennas. TP-Link claims that this supports large wifi coverage and good signal strength to all devices with their beamforming and 4T4R technologies. Even though I have no practical way of measuring the performance of these technologies, I can attest to the fact that the AX5400’s coverage is excellent and I didn’t notice any dead spots at home (including the devices located outside my home, such as wifi cameras and doorbells). In case you do experience dead spots, you can add an extra TP-Link mesh device compatible with the AX5400 to solve the issue. I talk more about mesh networking below.
One of the major features of the AX5400 is mesh networking. Mesh means that all your routers connect with each other, forming a mesh of coverage rather than having one router that acts as a single point of connection. Your wireless device will always connect automatically to the mesh router that provides the strongest signal. This is called Roaming. Much like in telecom/mobile networks, your Wi-Fi devices might change positions and move around your house. This means that the wireless signal between your device and the router gets weaker with distance. With mesh routers your device will automatically connect to a different router unit that offers a stronger signal, without interrupting the running service and streams. This not only increases the coverage vastly, but also offers seamless handovers and transitions of Wi-Fi services as you change your position in your house. In other words, you get Wi-Fi Roaming capabilities that will vastly improve the reliability of your wireless connection. That, of course, means that you need another TP-Link mesh capable device to achieve this functionality. TP-Link provides a list of mesh devices compatible with the AX5400 on their website.
So far I have no complains regarding the AX5400’s performance. The Wi-Fi is very quick and outperforms my internet connection. I haven’t noticed any issues with latency either. One remark I want to make here is that, even though older WiFi cards will still be able to connect and operate with the AX5400, you will need a Wi-Fi 6 compatible wireless card to make the most out of the mesh system. Making the most out of it doesn’t mean that you will experience speeds close to 5.4 Gbps. These speeds are a theoretical maximum, they are achieved in the lab and they are impossible to see in the average home network setup. You will see, though, very high speeds depending on the quality of your wireless card (in my tests, I used the TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 PCIe WiFi Card), the distance from the router and the obstacles that separate you from it. Bottom line: it’ll be fast, but be realistic with your expectations.
But probably one of the things I’m most happy about this router is the availability of a web interface for management. Being the owner/user of the otherwise great TP-Link Deco system, one of my main complaints was the lack of a web interface for network configuration. As a power user, I find it hard to configure my network equipment via the small screen of a smartphone. You can access the web interface by typing the router’s management IP (you can find it listed as Gateway on your computer’s network settings) in your browser. You’ll have to first set up a local password (or create an account with TP-Link) before accessing the router configuration.
Once you log in, the first screen you’ll see is the home screen, or a summary screen if you like. You can see the internet status, the router status and some shortcut button to common functions, your mesh devices (if you have any) and the connected client devices. This last bit is quite interesting, since you’ll be able to see the connected devices, their real time speed (up/down), the interface they’re connected to (ethernet, 2.4G or 5G), their “negotiated” max bandwidth, how long they’ve been connected to the router and, finally, a “block” button to deny the device access to the network. Below, I’m going through some of the functions that I find interesting, but I will omit the ones that are so common you can find them virtually in every router out there.
On the Wireless screen you’ll find your WiFi settings. You can turn on or off OFDMA, TWT, Smart Connect and, of course, the Wireless radio itself. OFDMA (simultaneous transmission to different devices within the same transmission window) will significantly increase the traffic speed with compatible devices (your device must support OFDMA), TWT will help increase your device’s battery life by maintaining the connection with the router and allowing the device to go to sleep (aka not forcing the device to send keep alive messages to the router too frequently), while Smart Connect optimized the connectivity of the router’s radio bands with the client devices.
TP-Link offers a security platform with the AX5400, similar to what they offer with the rest of their flagship devices, HomeShield. The user will get some basic functionality out of the box, and additional sophisticated features and analytics are available with a subscription service.
The last screen on the web interface is the Advanced screen, where all the advanced options are located. Power users will definitely appreciate some of these. The first thing that caught my eye was Lan —> Link Aggregation. You can aggregate (combine) up to two Ethernet ports into one (logical) network port, aggregating their bandwidth as well. Of course, you’ll need to aggregate ports on the other end of the connection as well, but that is the other side of the problem. Pretty cool. The router also supports direct DynDNS logins, for those of you who still use a DynDNS client on your computer. Another cool section is Routing. You can use your own static routes defined in the router’s config if you need to direct specific traffic to specific destinations. Use this only if you know what you’re doing, otherwise a bad routing config will probably block your access and traffic. The router comes with a USB port, which is nothing unusual. What is very cool, though, is the fact that the USB port supports (except for mass storage devices) Apple’s Time Machine. Just connect a storage device to the AX5400’s USB port, enable Time Machine in settings, and voila! No need for one of those old Apple AirPort Extreme routers anymore. NAT is, of course, present in this device as well, for your port forwarding needs. Security features include a Firewall, ACLs and MAC spoofing protection (by binding IPs to specific MACs). You have your standard VPN server built in, supporting both OpenVPN and PPTP, IPv6 support for you dual-stackers out there and a bunch of router Admin features (firmware update, backup, remote management, system logs etc.). Last but not least, you can switch the mode of the device between a Router (the device will route traffic and provide routing services) and an Access Point (the device will become a wireless gateway for clients, but you will need to connect it to a router for routing services - this is used mostly to expand the WiFi network).
Overall the TP-Link AX5400 WiFi 6 router is a great home routing device and a strong contender in this segment of products. I’m very happy with it for the time I’ve been using it, and I definitely recommend it.
Images in this review
Rowan denny