TP-Link Archer AX6000

amazon TP-Link Archer AX6000 reviews

TP-Link Archer AX6000, one of the first few Wi-Fi 6 routers to show up in our labs, is a massive device packed with the latest 802.11ax technology and Multiple connectivity options, including eight gigabit LAN ports, multi-gigabit WAN ports, and two USB ports. It’s easy to set up and can be managed from the phone using the TP-Link Tether mobile app, but the web control panel offers more advanced controls. The Archer AX6000 delivers solid transfer speeds and file transfer performance, but it’s not as fast as the Netgear Nighthawk RAX120, and it currently lacks support for WPA3 encryption, which means it’s not yet Wi-Fi 6 certified.

Multiple connection ports

At 2.4 x 10.3 x 10.3 inches (HWD), the Archer AX6000 is one of the largest routers we’ve come across. It uses a black textured enclosure with eight non-removable foldable antennas. A square LED indicator at the top glows solid blue when everything is working properly, glowing blue on startup and firmware upgrade, glows solid orange when it’s connected to the internet. Still, wireless is off and glows solid red when no internet connection is available. The connectivity ports are plentiful. The rear panel houses eight gigabit LAN ports, a 2.5 gigabit WAN port, a power button, and a reset button. The left edge houses a USB 3.0 Type-A port and a USB 3.0 Type-C port, and there are WPS, LED On/Off, and Wi-Fi On/Off buttons on the front edge of the Router.

Archer AX6000 is equipped with a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, and 128MB flash memory. It’s a dual-band eight-stream (four streams per band) Router that uses the latest 802.11ax technology with 1024 QAM (Quad Amplitude Modulation) to achieve a maximum theoretical data rate of up to 1,148Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 4,804Mbps on the 5GHz band. It also supports 160MHz channel width, automatic band control, MU-MIMO data transmission, and direct-to-client beamforming. Still, it does not yet support the new WPA3 encryption protocol required for Wi-Fi 6 certification.

Wi-Fi 6 (or 802.11ax) builds on the Wi-Fi 5 (or 802.11ac) standard, which has been around since late 2013. The new version promises faster transfer rate performance and increased capacity for customers to meet the growing smart home market and increase battery life for connected mobile devices.

The AX6000 can be managed using the TP-Link Tether mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Still, you will need the comprehensive web control panel to access and configure advanced options such as DHCP Server, NAT Forwarding, VPN Server, and IPv6 Settings. The web control panel is the same as the one used to manage the Archer A6 and other TP-Link Routers. It opens a screen containing a network map showing wired and wireless connected clients and has a Speedtest button to measure internet upload and download speeds. The top of the screen has the Quick Settings, Basic, and Advanced tabs, and the left side is the menu bar.

The basic settings allow you to configure internet settings, set a name and create a password for each band, configure USB sharing settings and create a guest network. You can access TP-Link’s Home Care settings, use Parental Controls to create user profiles, specify Child, Teens, and Adults content filters, configure activity-specific QoS settings with presets for Gaming, Streaming, Chat, Custom.

Home Care also offers Trend Micro-powered anti-malware settings that allow you to configure malicious content filters, enable Intrusion Prevention System and quarantine infected devices.

In addition to the Advanced settings mentioned above, you can also toggle between Router and Access Point modes, configure wireless channel number and channel width settings, enable/disable OFDMA, create access schedules, and enable Connect intelligent (band steering). The Smart Life Support tab shows you how to configure the Router for use with Alexa voice control and IFTTT apps, and System Tools is where you go for firmware updates, view the Syslog, and backup and restore settings restart the Router.

Wi-Fi 6 Performance

You can install the Archer AX6000 using the TP-Link Tether mobile app, or you can use a web browser. Either method is quick and easy. I connected the Router to my modem, and my desktop started it and typed http://tplinkwifi.net in my browser address bar. That launches the Quick Setup screen, where I create an admin password, choose my time zone and connection type (Dynamic, Static, PPPoE, L2TP, PPTP), and set a name and password for both radio frequency bands. I’ve saved my settings, checked for firmware updates, ready to test.

As my client, I tested the Archer AX6000 using a Dell XPS 13 laptop equipped with the Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s (802.11ax) network adapter. In our 2.4GHz (same room) proximity test, the AX6000’s 124 Mbps score was nearly identical to the Netgear RAX120’s but 20 Mbps slower than the Asus RT-AX88U. On the 30-foot test, the AX6000’s 55Mbps score was only slightly behind both the Netgear RAX120 and the Asus RT-AX88U.

The transfer rate performance on the 5GHz band is very strong. The AX6000’s 775Mbps score on the proximity test is only a few Mbps slower than the Asus RT-AX88U, while the Netgear RAX120 leads the way with 839Mbps. In the 30-foot test, the AX6000 clocked at 315Mbps, which is again right behind the Asus RT-AX88U, but over 100Mbps behind the Netgear RAX120.

To test file-transfer performance, we moved a 1.5GB folder of photos, videos, music, and office documents back and forth between a USB 3.0 drive connected to the Router and the desktop to test it. Check to write and read speeds. The AX6000 hit a fast write score of 76MBps, topping both the Asus RT-AX88U and the Netgear RAX120. Its 73MBps read score was slightly faster than the Netgear RAX120 but couldn’t keep up with the Asus RT-AX88U.

Time to upgrade?

If you’re craving the faster speeds offered by 802.11ax technology, the TP-Link Archer AX6000 will meet your needs. But as with all Wi-Fi 6 routers, you’ll have to use Wi-Fi 6 compatible clients to realize the increased performance benefits. It performed well in our transfer speed tests and is easy to set up and manage, offers plenty of ports, and comes with powerful parental controls and malware protection harmful. That said, it doesn’t support WPA3 encryption and isn’t currently Wi-Fi 6 certified, though both issues will likely be resolved with a firmware update in the future.

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