The TP-Link Archer AXE300 is one of the ideal routers you can buy when it relates to speed and price alone. When you add in the amazing design and expansion options with the 10Gbps networking, this router can stand toe-to-toe with the most expensive routers available similar to the ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 and the Orbi RBRE960.
TP-Link Archer AXE300 Router Pros and Cons
TP-Link Archer AXE300 Design
The TP-Link Archer AXE300 is a large square box with eight non-removable antennas mounted at its four corners. These are large antennas making the whole package relatively bulky. It’s pretty hard to figure out which side is the router’s “front”, but you can call the side that houses the network port its “back” and go from there.
What’s important on the inside, the TP-Link Archer AXE300 practically has all the things you ‘d want in a standalone router. This third Quad-band piece of hardware– after the Netgear Orbi RBRK960 and the Asus GT-AXE16000– has mighty processing power, three flexible Multi-Gig ports, and top-tier Wi-Fi specs with a combined bandwidth of 16000Mbps.
TP-Link Archer AXE300 Router Feature
- iF DESIGN AWARD 2022 Quad-Band Router– AXE16000 Quad-Band Wi-Fi delivers Wi-Fi speeds up to an unprecedented 15.6 Gbps( 6GHz, 4804 Mbps; 5GHz-1, 4804 Mbps; 5GHz-2, 4804 Mbps; 2.4GHz, 1148 Mbps)*
- Two 10G Ports – A 10 Gbps WAN/LAN Port and a 10 Gbps SFP+/RJ45 Combo WAN/LAN Port not only provide ultra-high-speed internet access but also open up the possibility of faster NAS transmissions over the LAN(The two 10 Gbps WAN/LAN ports and 2.5 Gbps WAN/LAN port cannot be concurrently configured as WAN ports)
- Next-Gen Processing – Armed with a powerful Quad-Core CPU, faster gaming, browsing, streaming, and downloading, all at the same time
- Wi-Fi 6E Unleashed – The brand new 6 GHz band brings more bandwidth, faster speeds, and near-zero latency
- Maximized Coverage – 8 x antennas provide maximized Wi-Fi coverage
- VPN Server and Client: Archer AXE300 Supports both VPN Server and VPN Client (OpenVPN/PPTP/L2TP)
- 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.
- Works with most internet service providers, such as AT&T, Verizon, Xfinity, Spectrum, RCN, Cox, CenturyLink, Frontier, etc.( a modem is required for most internet service providers)
TP-Link Archer AXE300 Router Specifications
| Product Dimensions | 9.13 x 9.13 x 2.68 inches |
| Item Weight | 3.37 pounds |
| Item model number | Archer AXE300 |
| Date First Available | October 11, 2022 |
| Manufacturer | TP-Link |
| Country of Origin | Vietnam |
TP-Link Archer AXE300 Router Performance Test
TP-Link Archer AXE300 6GHz speed tests
Wi-Fi at 6GHz doesn’t provide the coverage of 5GHz or 2.4 GHz and that is apparent in the upload speeds in the two testing locations with at least one wall between the router. The first thing to crumble was the upload speeds but in reality, you’ve still got quciky speed for just about anything. Overall, I was pleased with the 6GHz performance and in day-to-day usage on the Zenfone 8, I didn’t notice the speed issues. If you’re considering using 6GHz Wi-Fi for larger backups though, you may need to get creative with finding a good line of sight to the router.
As with all TP-Link routers, the Tether app made setup a breeze and the Archer AXE300 is even easier than normal because of Bluetooth setup. Basically, my phone connected to the router using Bluetooth to complete the initial configuration. This was nice considering I didn’t need to scan any QR codes or type in temporary passwords. It also worked flawlessly and I was up and running in minutes.
The Tether app has many settings for most people with the basic Wi-Fi settings that most people need within a few taps from any screen. You can also set up HomeShield from here. HomeShield is TP-Link’s security and parental controls software package with a few features free of charge and some more advanced features locked behind a subscription. While it’s a bit disappointing to see TP-Link still asking for more money after you’ve paid for a $599.99 router, the features are nice and work well.
TP-Link Archer AXE300 5GHz speed tests
The Zenfone 8 has support for 160MHz connections with a top speed of 2402Mbps on both the 5GHz and 6GHz bands. This link is double what many older Wi-Fi 6 devices, such as the Galaxy S20+ will get with their 80MHz connections. The slower speeds on the Galaxy S20+ could be attributed to the router putting it on 5G-1 (about 5.2 GHz) with the LG G8 being put on 5G-2 (about 5.8 GHz) which is a bit more open in my area.
The LG G8 also has an 80MHz connection but with Wi-Fi 5. It’s apparent from these results that the main uplift with modern devices comes from better use of spectrum, and not necessarily being on the recent tech like Wi-Fi 6. I’m actually rather impressed by the performance of the G8’s Qualcomm FastConnect 6200 Wi-Fi chip and it points out to me that there’s much more to a phone’s chipset than the CPU and GPU.
The TP-Link Archer AXE300 isn’t perfect but it’s also not that far off. It has an AXE16000 quad-band Wi-Fi 6E connection with dual 10Gbps Ethernet ports. The wireless speed breaks down to 1148Mbps at 2.4 GHz, two 4804Mbps 5GHz bands, and 4804Mbps at 6GHz. Both 5GHz bands and the 6GHz band support 160MHz connections so no matter which connection your device uses, you should get plenty of speed.
TP-Link Archer AXE300 Router Verdict
TP-Link AXE16000 Quad-Band WiFi 6E Router (Archer AXE300)
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