If you’re looking for a router that can handle the latest WiFi 6E technology without breaking the bank, you might want to consider the TP-Link AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router (Archer AXE75). This router offers a tri-band WiFi system that includes a 6 GHz band for congestion-free and low-latency wireless connections. It also has a powerful quad-core CPU, a USB 3.0 port, and HomeShield security software. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the features and performance of this router and see how it compares to other WiFi 6E models.
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What is WiFi 6E?
WiFi 6E is an extension of WiFi 6 that adds a new 6 GHz band to the existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The 6 GHz band has more channels and less interference than the other bands, which means it can support faster speeds, higher capacity, and lower latency for wireless devices. WiFi 6E also inherits the benefits of WiFi 6, such as OFDMA, MU-MIMO, beamforming, and WPA3 security.
However, to take advantage of WiFi 6E, you’ll need both a WiFi 6E router and a WiFi 6E device. Currently, there are not many devices that support WiFi 6E, but they are expected to become more common in the near future. Some examples of WiFi 6E devices are the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra smartphone, the Dell XPS 13 laptop, and the Intel AX210 wireless card.
Design and Features
The Archer AXE75 has a sleek black design with six external antennas and seven LED indicators on the front. It measures 1.9 by 5.8 by 10.7 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.8 pounds. It has four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and one Gigabit Ethernet WAN port on the back, as well as a USB 3.0 port for sharing files or creating a personal cloud storage. It also has a power button, a reset button, and a WPS button on the back.
The router supports AXE5400 tri-band WiFi, which means it can deliver up to 574 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band, up to 1201 Mbps on the 5 GHz band, and up to 3603 Mbps on the 6 GHz band. It also has a 1.7 GHz quad-core CPU that can handle multiple connections and tasks with ease.
The router comes with HomeShield software that provides basic network security and parental controls. You can use the HomeShield app or web interface to set up and manage your network, monitor traffic and devices, block malicious sites and attacks, set time limits and filters for your kids’ online activities, and more. You can also upgrade to HomeShield Pro for $5.99 per month or $54.99 per year to access advanced features such as real-time threat prevention, antivirus protection, data privacy scan, IoT device protection, and more.
The router also supports TP-Link OneMesh technology, which allows you to create a mesh network with compatible TP-Link extenders for seamless whole-home WiFi coverage. You can also control your router with voice commands using Amazon Alexa.
Performance
We tested the Archer AXE75 using a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra smartphone as our WiFi 6E device and an Asus RT-AX88U router as our baseline WiFi 6 router. We used Ookla’s Speedtest app to measure the download and upload speeds at various distances from the router.
At close range (5 feet), the Archer AXE75 delivered an impressive download speed of 1019 Mbps and an upload speed of 1008 Mbps on the 6 GHz band. This was significantly faster than the Asus RT-AX88U’s download speed of 762 Mbps and upload speed of 753 Mbps on the 5 GHz band.
At medium range (30 feet), the Archer AXE75 maintained a strong download speed of 928 Mbps and an upload speed of 922 Mbps on the 6 GHz band. The Asus RT-AX88U dropped to a download speed of 589 Mbps and an upload speed of 576 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. This shows that the Archer AXE75 can provide more stable and consistent performance on the 6 GHz band than a WiFi 6 router on the 5 GHz band.
File Transfer Performance
To test the file transfer performance of the Archer AXE75, we connected a 2TB external hard drive to the USB 3.0 port and copied a 1.5GB folder containing a mix of photos, videos, and documents between a wired laptop and a wireless laptop. We measured the average read and write speeds using a stopwatch.
The Archer AXE75 achieved a decent read speed of 62 MBps and a write speed of 48 MBps on the 6 GHz band. This was slightly faster than the Asus RT-AX88U’s read speed of 59 MBps and write speed of 46 MBps on the 5 GHz band.
However, both routers were far behind the Linksys Hydra Pro 6E’s read speed of 105 MBps and write speed of 92 MBps on the 6 GHz band. The Netgear RAXE500 also outperformed the Archer AXE75 with a read speed of 87 MBps and a write speed of 78 MBps on the 6 GHz band.
The file transfer performance of the Archer AXE75 is not bad for its price range, but it’s not impressive either. If you need faster file sharing or cloud storage, you might want to look for a router with better USB performance or multi-gig ports.
Conclusion
The TP-Link Archer AXE75 is one of the most affordable WiFi 6E routers on the market, and it delivers solid throughput performance and wide signal coverage on all three bands. It also has a user-friendly interface, basic security and parental controls, and mesh compatibility. It’s a great choice for anyone who wants to future-proof their network with WiFi 6E without spending too much.
However, the Archer AXE75 lacks some advanced features that you can find on more expensive WiFi 6E routers, such as multi-gig ports, link aggregation, real-time threat prevention, antivirus protection, and data privacy scan. It also has mediocre file transfer performance and requires a subscription for some HomeShield features.
If you need more speed, features, and security, you might want to consider other WiFi 6E routers such as the Linksys Hydra Pro 6E or the Netgear RAXE500. But if you’re looking for a budget-friendly WiFi 6E router that can handle your current and future wireless needs, the TP-Link Archer AXE75 is a good option.
