TP-Link AX3000 WiFi 6 Router (Archer AX55 Pro) - Multi Gigabit Wireless Internet, 2 x 2.5 Gbps Ports, Dual Band, VPN Router, OFDMA, MU-MIMO, USB 3.0 Port, WPA3, Compatible with Alexa

The TP-Link Archer AX55 delivers fast, stable dual-band Wi-Fi 6 with excellent coverage. Setup was straightforward, and the EasyMesh compatibility makes expanding the network hassle-free. Features like VPN support, HomeShield security, OFDMA, and MU-MIMO improve performance and safety. The USB 3.0 port is a nice bonus for file sharing. Perfect for busy homes needing reliable, secure, and fast internet. Highly recommend for upgrading to Wi-Fi 6!

I bought a Deco X55 back in July 2022 after my 11-year-old Apple AirPort Extreme / Time Capsule just couldn't keep up with all my connected devices (now numbering 27 including IoT lights, etc).Although I liked the Deco, it was a bit harder to set up than it should have been. I will separately comment on that product instead of including it here.Suffice to say that I could never achieve the full 500 Mbit/s speeds I was paying for and instead would get in the mid 400's if I was lucky and often it fell to the high 300's. I put devices that didn't need the bandwidth, such as IoT light switches, thermostats, etc. on the 2.4 Ghz band. But still, even with my computer 4 feet from the Deco, I could never hit 500. The forcing function for me was the Deco did not have a USB port and I wanted to hook my 6TB external hard drive to the router so it would be accessible by my iPad and two computers "over the air".The first thing I noticed was how easy it was to set up. I used the tether app and it did not skip a beat. Very intuitive and it just worked, first time, out of the box when I followed the guidance of the app on my phone.The second thing I noticed was the speed. Routinely getting 520-540 Mbit/s speeds from the devices where I need it, like Apple TV, iPad, and my laptops.The third thing I noticed was the signal strength. I guess that is to be expected since it has 4 antennas instead of the hidden one in the Deco's little white cylinder that is aesthetically pleasing but just simply not as powerful.The Archer AX3000 also has two processors so whether it is signal strength, processing power, or a combination of the two, every device in my house that needs to have a high-speed connection has it - no matter where I am at within the 1800 sq. ft. structure.I place the router on top of a tall bookshelf and I like that I can see the LEDs without standing on a step stool. The Deco didn't permit that because of where the LED was located; I had to stand on the couch to see if the light was red or green.Both the Deco and the Archer AX3000 were good at keeping devices connected without dropping them and with staying connected to my cable modem. My old Apple AirPort would drop its connection to the modem about 3-4 times per week, and that is what prompted me to start looking for something more reliable. Also, the Time Capsure (2TB hard drive) was starting to faintly squeal on occasion, and I think that was the fan. It tended to get very hot and it was clear to me that it was being taxed too heavily with so many devices. It started it's life in 2012 with only 5 connections (iMac, 2 phones, 1 iPad, 1 printer) and this gradually increased to 5X as many devices. I am today at 27 and counting and the Archer AX3000 has no trouble keeping up.I like the Tether app and the ability to give names to my connected devices, to see what band they are on, and to assign icons.Connecting my external hard drive was also pretty straightforward and most of my issues were in understanding how to enable Win 11 and my ipad to use SMB and FTP to access the HDD - not any failing of the router.The price was reasonable ($135) and I could not be happier with the upgrade. Now, to put my Deco X55 on eBay and find it a new home. It was a good little device for the 6 months I had it, but my home is small enough that it doesn't need a mesh device and satellites, and now that I have compared it to the Archer AX3000 it is clear that the Deco cannot match the performance. I pay for 500 Mbit/s through my ISP (Spectrum) and I am finally getting not only the full 100%, but actually about 110% in most cases.

I bought the TP-Link TL-WR3002X for travel, and it’s exceeded my expectations. The compact size makes it super easy to pack, and the USB-C power option means I can use it with a power bank on the go. Setup was quick using the TP-Link Tether app, and switching between router, access point, or repeater mode is seamless.The Wi-Fi 6 performance is excellent — I got stable speeds for video streaming and work calls, even when multiple devices were connected. It also supports several VPN protocols (OpenVPN, WireGuard, etc.), which is a must-have when using hotel or public Wi-Fi.I love the extra features like the microSD slot and USB 3.0 port for media sharing. My only gripe is that it sometimes struggles to connect to networks with captive portals, and it doesn’t support SIM cards for cellular fallback.Overall, if you're a frequent traveler or need a powerful mini router, this is a great pick!Pros:Fast Wi-Fi 6 speedsMultiple operation modesVPN supportCompact and travel-friendlyUSB-C poweredCons:No built-in cellular connectivityOccasional issues with public Wi-Fi login pages

I've been using TP-Link for years now (this is my third router in a row from them) and they continue to lead the industry in price/performance. Don't make the mistake of thinking your router doesn't make a difference. Like most people, my wife and I have switched from standard cable to streaming services, mostly in 4K, and we also have two home NAS units (one is mainly for local use over both wired and wireless connections, the other more of a "personal cloud" that's connected to the internet). So when my internet provider offered a deal on gigabit internet that was cheaper than what I'd been paying for 200mbps, I of course jumped on it.But I was never satisfied with the speed, which actually seemed worse than my old internet plan most of the time, and I blamed my provider (Cox) for that. Cox didn't seem to really cap my old 200mbps connection so I'd often get closer to 300mbps. With the gigabit internet, I was actually still getting right around 300mbps. On my Xbox, which is how I watch most of my streaming stuff, I measured more like 78mbps! It is across the house from the router, but still. This was bad enough that some services (especially Hulu, but also YouTube and occasionally others) would drop resolution periodically, and sometimes freeze up. Again, curse that infernal Cox!It was when transferring approximately 3TB of data to my new NAS over wifi, feeling how slow that was and then looking at my actual connection speed that I started to suspect the router. The speed was rock solid at around 400mbps (like it was stable but maxed out), and I was actually connected to the router at something like 570mbps, which I knew seemed pretty slow for wifi in 2024. I'd forgotten that my old router was a wifi 5 router that I bought maybe 3-4 years ago, and we're well into the wifi 6 era now and on the verge of wifi 7. So I started researching and this router consistently came out on top of everybody's "best value" lists. That did not surprise me, because TP-Link's Archer routers are almost always at the top of those lists and I had been happy with my old router until time just passed it by.When I hooked up this router, I immediately noticed my connection speed was now 1576mbps. That's on a computer on a different floor than the router and with a bunch of "stuff" in between. Some days I connect at a little less than that. Right next to the router I can get around 2000mbps with my laptop. Keep in mind you won't get actual transfer rates that high because of overhead and error correction and things like that, but this is a *lot* faster than my old router. On my internet connection, I can get about 700-800mbps next to the router, or about 400-500mbps on my upstairs computer. Even my Xbox is improved, now getting around 250mbps, which is good enough for stable 4K on every streaming service.There are two versions of this router and for me, the "new" version with the 2.5gbps ethernet and WAN ports made a lot more sense given that I'm using a NAS with it and have gigabit internet. With only a gigabit WAN port, you won't ever quite max out a gigabit internet connection, again because of overhead. Same with the NAS, and I wanted the ability to someday have a NAS with faster than gigabit connections anyway. Keep in mind that even the new router only has two 2.5gbps ports; one WAN and one LAN. That "should" be enough for most home users. The other ports are still 1gbps. Also, if you don't have gigabit internet and don't have or plan to have a NAS or home server, then you can safely stick with the older, cheaper version with only 1gbps ports.Sounds like a 5 star review, right? Well, I'm taking a star off for a simple reason, and that's that TP-Link has started down the horrible anti-consumer path of putting all of its more advanced or just useful features behind a subscription paywall. Luckily I do not need any of these and most home users probably wouldn't, although things like parental controls are included in that category - gotta pay a monthly fee for those. You also need at least a free TP-Link account to use their app to remotely manage the router, although you can still just set it up so you can connect the old fashioned way through DNS forwarding or something.I have a feeling this may be my last TP-Link router because once a company starts down the road of putting stuff behind a subscription paywall, they only ever seem to add things to that and locking their products down more and more over time. So I expect this to get worse with subsequent TP-Link products. I could easily see them including remote management via the app as part of their subscription service, for example, since it already requires an account.But for now, this router still does everything *most* home users would need without a subscription, and it's fast and cheap, and has really good signal strength (this has long been TP-Link's biggest selling point). Don't blame your internet provider for slow speeds - it could be your router!