TP-Link AX1800 WiFi 6 Router (Archer AX21 V5) – Dual Band Wireless Internet, Gigabit, Easy Mesh, Works with Alexa - A Certified for Humans Device, Free Expert Support

I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this router was to set up. The TP-Link Archer AX21 connected quickly and provided a strong, stable Wi-Fi signal throughout my home. Streaming videos, browsing the internet, and connecting multiple devices all worked smoothly without interruptions. The Wi-Fi 6 technology helps improve speed and performance, and the sleek design looks great as well. Overall, this is a reliable router that offers excellent value for the price. Highly recommended for anyone looking to upgrade their home network.

As A Spectrum Internet Customer I 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's This 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) Review The 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 Notes If 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.

What an upgrade over WiFi 4! My internet plan got a big speed upgrade so I had to replace my entire home network in order to take advantage of it. All my old stuff worked great all things considered, and I packed it away in the rare circumstance that I need a backup to get back online. Boy what a difference this new router made though! Setup was easy and the administration interface is well designed. There's a TON of options for power users to utilize if they have a more intricate home network. The range is excellent and my web activity is served up quickly and efficiently. I've used TP-Link for YEARS and all their equipment has been excellent: sturdy, visually pleasing, and extremely stable with long uptimes between power cycles. Their prices also tend to be reasonable compared to other brands that all offer the same options and security features. If you need a new router but don't necessarily need the absolute cutting edge most recent WiFi version, then I highly recommend this model. It may not be as fast as WiFi 7, but if you're looking to save a little money with "last year's tech" then this router is the way to go.

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.

The best part of this router is that i knew there would be a significant change in load speed, and there was, but I k new nothing about this whole, combining of 2.4G and 5G and the router knows which signal of the 2 your device works best with and boom...thats which signal it chooses. Oh, and the set-up was easy. None of that "this page isnt secure do you want to continue" stuff popping up from Chrome when typing in the i.p. to access the administrator settings in the router. And, just like everything that seems to have a plug on it these days guess what? Yep. "Theres an app for that". Thats the one thing I cant seem to avoid...putting another stinking app in my phone. I have 32 devices connected pretty much at at all times. Everything from my printers to this phone. Amazon Echo Show 5 device and my Suface Pro. My plan is for one gig internet. So all of my stuff is hooked up, and then, I have all of my broke neighbors sucking up bandwidth with all of their things connected via the guest accounts on here. Pretty rad its handling this much stuff, seemingly with ease. Its kinda ugly. I mean, for a router. I hope it didn't hear me. Lotsa antenna and sharp angles. I hid mine up under an end table. Strong signal. Runs fast. Easy to navigate menu. New features...now that WiFi6 has become what I'd call affordable, I'm very glad I purchased this.

I wanted a more secure WiFi router while also saving money on the rental from my cable provider, so I was suggested to purchase this by a very experienced tech and cyber security wiz. Now, I personally don't feel that I know much about anything technical these days, but I have really enjoyed this so far. Performance wise, but more than anything I REALLY love the security of the back-office type of controls the TP-Link gives you. PERFORMANCE Now, my current home is 1500 sq ft and a split level home, so most of the areas I use WiFi at home are never too far from the router. I placed the router right on the TV stand underneath the TV so that certainly is as close as it gets. When I'm upstairs (technically 1.5 levels up from the router) I still seem to get fine enough WiFi when I'm browsing on my phone. I will say that the WiFi randomly cuts out for me, but, this is definitely an issue I had with my previous equipment so I don't blame the router itself, it is my provider. Or the wiring outside my house.. not really sure. I have noticed however that when the service does go out, ever since changing to the TP-Link, the service returns much faster and I never have to reset it. With my old provider-provided router, it would be out for hours and I always seemed to have to manually reset the equipment. So in summary, the service and performance for me has been exemplary! SOFTWARE The primary reason I got this was to make sure nobody could hack into my WiFi. With other routers, I am not sure if the same service is available, but this was the first I've ever seen it. Yes... we all know that WiFi is password protected. BUT. Someone can easily hack into it, right? Well not with the TP-Link! You can access the router security through the routers IP address, and you set a password for that as well. The user interface is pretty simple for even a dolt like myself to understand. You can control who can access your WiFi by using a blacklist or a whitelist. A blacklist means that all who have the login details *except* for specific IP addresses you've blocked can access. A whitelist means that ONLY the IP addresses you have added to your list can access the WiFi. I am using the whitelist, since I do not want anyone random or unwanted accessing my service. Let me tell you, it works perfectly! Sometimes I forget that I have this setup, and I have tried many times with many different devices to try and access the wifi... heck, even the guest network, that I thought was specifically setup for this, doesn't seem to let random users access it. It also shows you who is currently accessing it, although I find that feature doesn't seem to be totally accurate sometimes. I give the software 5 stars for the simple fact that it is so easy to control access through it. SUMMARY Overall I am very happy with this purchase. It does what I want it to do, very securely. Setup was a little confusing because if I recall correctly, nobody could access it until we were able to get into the back-office software and setup password first. Other than that I really have had no issues and enjoy using it. When I need to change a setting it is super easy to get in and make any adjustments.

Upgraded from 10 year old modem. The instructions for setup was really easy and now the internet so much faster. The WiFi router was the bottle neck and this was worth every dollar for the upgrade.

So far this router works pretty well. The installation was quick and easy. The app is great, so many settings. I have less internet spikes than I did when I had the Spectrum router so thats a plus. They pair up nice with the TP link extenders and so far Ive had no problems.