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Target price of $129 less the 10% coupon is $116. Coupon Expires 10/31
#1 Rated by the New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutte...fi-router/
You can get the AX3000 (Archer AX 50) for $116 at TARGET (see below)
https://www.target.com/p/tp-link-...A-79847621
HOW TO GET IT FOR $116 AT TARGET (2 WAYS)
New price is $129 and then apply the 10% off one electronic item (Target circle coupon). Total came to $116 and change. If you are a target Redcard member get additional 5% Redcard discount[/QUOTE]
10% coupon can be found here (Expires October 31)：
https://slickdeals.net/?sdtid=14448551&sdop=1&sdpid=141342461&sdfid=30&lno=1&trd=https%20www%20target%20com%20offers%20targ&pv=&au=&sdtrk=SiteSearchV2Algo1&u2=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Foffers%2Ftarget-circle[/QUOTE]
At Walmart, you can get the $99 AX1800 (Archer AX 20) model. Note that "PeteyTheStriker" who is very knowledgeable on routers has commented extensively on this thread has recommended the upgrade from the AX20 to AX50 if you can afford it. Through Target (see above, you can get the AX 3000 for $116)
WALMART
$99 AX1800 (Archer AX 20)
https://www.walmart.com/ip/TP-Lin.../210201077
FOR ONLY $17 More (Target), you can upgrade from the Archer AX20 (AX1800) to the TP-LINK Archer AX50, i.e., AX 3000,
https://www.target.com/p/tp-link-...A-79847621
COMPARISON OF AX20 ($99) VS AX50 ($129) [ Thanks - zpeedster_m ]; Note that "PeteyTheStriker" who is very knowledgeable on routers has commented extensively on this thread has recommended the upgrade from the AX20 to AX50 if you can afford it.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutte...fi-router/
TP-Link Archer AX50
The best Wi-Fi router
In our tests the TP-Link Archer AX50 created a speedy, responsive network even from across a medium house. You have to spend a lot more on a router—or a mesh kit if you have a very large home—to get anything even a little better. It's our first WI-Fi 6 (802.11ax) router pick.
The TP-Link Archer AX50 is reasonably priced, yet it can handle a growing selection of laptops and smart devices while surpassing the performance of routers that cost twice as much. It's generally speedy and able to reach long range, it has little lag even when the network is busy, and it's a great choice if you have a high-performance internet service plan. It's compatible with Wi-Fi 6, the latest wireless standard, and it comes with built-in security in the form of a lifetime subscription to updates.
TP-Link Archer AX20
If our main pick is unavailable
The Archer AX20 offers fewer features than our pick for a slightly lower price, but in most cases it can keep up in throughput, responsiveness, and ease of setup.
If our pick is out of stock or its price is more than $30 higher, you should consider the TP-Link Archer AX20 instead. The AX20 looks like the AX50 and offers a strong, responsive network that's nearly as good, especially if your house isn't larger than our 2,300-square-foot-test home. But it's not quite as fast at longer ranges, and TP-Link sacrifices a few advanced features and settings in its administration interface to meet the lower price
REVIEWS (Thanks "PeteyTheStriker")
https://play3r.net/reviews/networ...er-review/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXVGRKgaxYo
https://www.blacktubi.com/review/...cher-ax50/
https://techprojournal.com/tp-lin...ink_AX3000
Overall if you want a entry level to medium end router, you cant go wrong.[/QUOTE]
OTHER THINGS TO NOTE:
1. Donknows has a review on the AX3000 (Archer AX 50) this has thoroughly been discredited on this thread.
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As was mentioned by me and a few others, that DONGKNOWS review is poorly done. It is not an apples to apples comparison, he used a router with a brand new firmware comparing to an identical router with firmware over 6 months old which had major problems just like any other router around that time. It takes time to work out the bugs and TP-Link, Netgear, Asus to name a few all put out routers with bugged performance with their first set of Wifi 6 routers. So yeah..... Important to make apples to apples instead of reading something without understanding the testing. If he did it the correct way he would have had both side by side on the same firmware.The routers are identical outside USB 3.0 port and Homecare included on one, so you will get identical performance results with the same firmware.
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2. CAT7, a CAT 6 or CAT5e cable is needed for gigabit Ethernet. Most cables made for the last 10 years are already 5e, so just saying that cables are usually never a bottleneck.
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So while its a cool feature, its not a big MUST deal breaking feature, and in a lot of cases more hassle than its worth.
So while its a cool feature, its not a big MUST deal breaking feature, and in a lot of cases more hassle than its worth.
The intel AX200/201 are kind of a special case to push products. PS5 for example is an 80mhz AX device. Its illogical to release IoT clients with 5G 160mhz, especially with 6E around the corner. Granted 6E clients will also take time and adoption. Intel is the only company ready to push these products from what I can see.
If you can afford the extra money the AX3000 would be your best overall bet, but the AX1800 is a solid performing router for people whos speeds and needs are very basic like surfing the web, checking, email, playing a online game, and or streaming a movie to a couple devices.
AX1500 is a SoC dedicated to 5G in conjunction with a cheap wireless N chip feeding 2.4G (2.4G AX is actually extremely valid and this product is kinda stupid in that regard). AX1800 should be "gold standard" for entry.
AX3000 is still a 2x2 device..but with 160mhz enabled for marketing purposes.. I do not agree with that recommendation. As I said in an earlier post, some 3x3 Wave 1/2 AC routers might perform better in the right conditions.. Assuming majority AC clients. 2x2 AX on 2x2 AX should be an "upgrade" but were not at the point where everything being released in AX oriented. AC is still cheaper for IoT devices at this current time... See google Chromecast with google TV.
I highly recommend going 4x4 AC wave 2 or newer AX routers like the AX82U, and AX86U if you want to "future proof" and get a significant performance boost over a first gen AC router.
AX on AX isn't an automatic performance boost over AC, especially wave 2. There are certain 4x4 Wave 2 routers that out perform these AX routers in terms of speed at range. It really comes down to price to performance ratio in my honest opinion.
The intel AX200/201 are kind of a special case to push products. PS5 for example is an 80mhz AX device. Its illogical to release IoT clients with 5G 160mhz, especially with 6E around the corner. Granted 6E clients will also take time and adoption. Intel is the only company ready to push these products from what I can see.
AX1500 is a SoC dedicated to 5G in conjunction with a cheap wireless N chip feeding 2.4G (2.4G AX is actually extremely valid and this product is kinda stupid in that regard). AX1800 should be "gold standard" for entry.
AX3000 is still a 2x2 device..but with 160mhz enabled for marketing purposes.. I do not agree with that recommendation. As I said in an earlier post, some 3x3 Wave 1/2 AC routers might perform better in the right conditions.. Assuming majority AC clients. 2x2 AX on 2x2 AX should be an "upgrade" but were not at the point where everything being released in AX oriented. AC is still cheaper for IoT devices at this current time... See google Chromecast with google TV.
I highly recommend going 4x4 AC wave 2 or newer AX routers like the AX82U, and AX86U if you want to "future proof" and get a significant performance boost over a first gen AC router.
AX on AX isn't an automatic performance boost over AC, especially wave 2. There are certain 4x4 Wave 2 routers that out perform these AX routers in terms of speed at range. It really comes down to price to performance ratio in my honest opinion.
-ASUS RT-ACRH17 (which is a 4x4 qualcomm QCA9984 Wave 2 radio marketed as 3x3..One chinese site has proven this and the performance is actually extremely good. Currently $89.99 MSRP with sales pushing into $70-80 USD on sale. https://koolshare.cn/thread-127245-1-1.html
- Motorolla MR2600 $99 usd.. @ amazon. 4x4 mediatek MT7615 router. 3rd party reviews show this router performing well. Same OEM/PCB as dlink DIR882
https://www.cnet.com/reviews/d-li...-review/2/ Performance may vary due to environment and channels.
- NETGEAR R7800 can hover around $120-130 on amazon and Walmart during holidays. QCA9984 based. More expensive, XR450 gaming version was listed on Walmart.com for months @ 140 USD. "gold standard" 4x4 wave 2 router
-ASUS blue cave (on sale for $100 usd, happens often), Intel based 4x4 router. https://www.cnet.com/reviews/asus...-review/2/
Performance may vary due to environment and channels.
IMO most underrated router is the RT-ACRH17 out of all of them. Thing decimates most entry AX routers at 30 feet range with 2x2 Intel client.
https://www.mbreviews.c
Performance may vary due to environment and channels.
compared to the intel based netgear AX3000 which is the same hardware in a TPLINK AX3000.
https://www.mbreviews.c
Performance may vary due to environment and channels.
Edit: Broadcom 2x2 AX3000 router in same environment
https://www.mbreviews.c
Performance may vary due to environment and channels.
-ASUS blue cave (on sale, happens often), Intel based
-ASUS RT-ACRH17 (which is a 4x4 qualcom QCA9984 Wave 2 radio marketed as 3x3.. Some Chinese sites have proven this and the performance is actually extremely good. Currently 89.99 with sales pushing into $70-80 USD on sale. https://koolshare.cn/thread-127245-1-1.html
- NETGEAR XR450 and R7800 can hover around $120-150 on amazon and walmart. Same device, just branded and marketed differently with different SW. QCA9984 based.
- Motorolla MR2600 $99 usd.. 4x4 mediatek MT7615 router. 3rd party reviews show this router performing well. Same OEM/PCB as dlink DIR882
Blue cave from reviews is said to be a good router, but a ton of people have had problems with them so I could never recommend it.
The Motorola I dont know enough about cause their gateways are pretty poor so I dont even think Motorola when I think routers, so outside of modems, I dont touch that brand. The D-Link has not so great 5Ghz throughput performance so also would not recommend it.
Your best choice which I completely forgot about but am very familiar with since I am kind of an Asus fan boy is the ASUS RT-ACRH17, for a little over a $100 on average that's a great pick up for current gen. Would I recommend it long term over an AX probably not anymore, since none of them support OFDMA. OFDMA mixed with MU-MIMO is the future once all the bugs get ironed out, and is more important than pure speeds so needs to be taken into the equation. With house holds adding tons of low bandwidth usage always on devices, its importance is going to be more and more important. So this far along in Wifi 6 life span I just cant recommend Wifi 5 gear anymore when prices are so close, if this was over a year ago I could still justify a Wifi 5 system.
Blue cave from reviews is said to be a good router, but a ton of people have had problems with them so I could never recommend it.
The Motorola I dont know enough about cause their gateways are pretty poor so I dont even think Motorola when I think routers, so outside of modems, I dont touch that brand.
Your best choice which I completely forgot about but am very familiar with since I am kind of an Asus fan boy is the ASUS RT-ACRH17, for a little over a $100 on average that's a great pick up for current gen. Would I recommend it long term over an AX probably not anymore, since none of them support OFDMA. OFDMA mixed with MU-MIMO is the future once all the bugs get ironed out, and is more important than pure speeds so needs to be taken into the equation. With house holds adding tons of low bandwidth usage always on devices, its importance is going to be more and more important. So this far along in Wifi 6 life span I just cant recommend Wifi 5 gear anymore when prices are so close, if this was over a year ago I could still justify a Wifi 5 system.
I'm not against AX routers at all, but my argument is solely against buying entry 2x2 devices over valid 4x4 devices that can hover around the same price and perform much better in real world situations at range.
Theres no point arguing for 6E as it will prob lie victim to the same stagnation as AX has for the last 2 years, granted 160mhz is valid here, along with potential 320mhz blocks.
Also $89.99 is the current MSRP for that ASUS router. Ive seen it for 59.99 at times. 100% best value on the market in terms of real world use. The only downside is that once 2.4G IoT AX clients are actually available, its kinda going to feel dated as 2.4G AX IS a valid upgrade over previous N radios.
for AX routers, I highly recommend AX86U. It performs well @ range. I returned mine due to diminishing returns from my main GT-AC2900 (Upgraded AC86U). Both on AX200 clients.
I'm not against AX routers at all, but my argument is solely against buying entry 2x2 devices over valid 4x4 devices that can hover around the same price and perform much better in real world situations at range.
I mean I am currently rocking a Asus RT-AC5300 in one location, orbi RBK50's in another, and manging a few wifi 5 mesh of various types for a few people, not a single AX device in that list. All these were implemented minimum over a year ago, back then I still found it worth wild to purchase Wifi 5 gear, now going forward anything I get or replace will be wifi 6 cause I am not wasting money on a product I will want to decommission in less than 2 years, instead of have running for 3-5. Only reason I would even consider a wifi 5 high end mesh or router currently is if there was a steal of a deal on one, out side of that people should just start passing on them.
Side note no matter how much I love SNB they are becoming more and more irrelevant, their commitment to the site just does not seem as good as it used to be, if it was not for their active forums, I would rarely visit there now a days. Alright nice chatting with you, I am going to bed.
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I mean I am currently rocking a Asus RT-AC5300 in one location, orbi RBK50's in another, and manging a few wifi 5 mesh of various types for a few people, not a single AX device in that list. All these were implemented minimum over a year ago, back then I still found it worth wild to purchase Wifi 5 gear, now going forward anything I get or replace will be wifi 6 cause I am not wasting money on a product I will want to decommission in less than 2 years, instead of have running for 3-5. Only reason I would even consider a wifi 5 high end mesh or router currently is if there was a steal of a deal on one, out side of that people should just start passing on them.
Side note no matter how much I love SNB they are becoming more and more irrelevant, their commitment to the site just does not seem as good as it used to be, if it was not for their active forums, I would rarely visit there now a days. Alright nice chatting with you, I am going to bed.
The problem: Current majority market of AC clients trade off significantly depending on radio config. Some AC clients are also quite buggy on newer AX radios to this day. Its a YMMV kinda thing.
I'm just being logical here.. Outside of a few phones, Intel AX200(201), and the upcoming PS5, there are no other 5G or 2.4G AX clients on the market and were 2 years in.
Then factor 6E being released this year in the form of tri-band routers.. Which may have its own delay for actual clients outside of Intel being a front runner for desktop PCs lol.
On that note, prepare for AX 6E wireless backhaul's with 5G AC radios for clients to lower cost in some devices. It makes 100% sense for point of entry for some brands.
My argument is this.. I think AX routers are 100% valid (especially if bugs get ironed out), but a 3x3 or 4x4 radio should be minimum at this current time. I think its legitimately stupid to downgrade to a 2x2 radio when 4x4 AC wave 2 devices are the same price and provide real advantage in terms of RANGE for majority clients.
Can 2x2 AX + 2x2 AX out perform typical AC connections? Yes, but I would argue in favor of the 4x4 radio due to the lack of actual clients/IoT devices released to this day.
If it was minimum 50/50 client market share, my ideology would be a bit different as things like 2.4G AX have a significant advantage over the older N standard, but were up to 2 years off before that happens. Both google and Amazon keep releasing AC clients for cost reasons.
Sorry for ranting, but I legitimately think people get suckered into marketing too much and fall into the "future proof" ideology when half the technology doesn't even work and isn't wide spread enough to make a difference. More than likely if you care about your wireless devices, you will upgrade in 2 years regardless.
ASUS 160mhz marketing is a prime example of hyping AX over its capabilities.. Especially if you live in a region that removes usage of a 2nd DFS 160mhz channel block. Whats the freaking point when the "42" 80mhz block is overly saturated and crowded? The graphs on the site saying "2.3x faster" are easily misleading and for a better lack of terms bullshit since AC w2 can technically do the same.
End of the day, the biggest advantage to AX is PHY rates and SNR when using AX clients. 80mhz in general also performs better in range regardless of the wireless standard in use.
No other advantages until stuff is fixed and or new products are released.. Sorry I just don't see the point in buying an entry 2x2 AX router at this point. 3x3 5G products will be released soon anyway and cost should slowly adjust once AC ever gets phased out.
Expect ASUS and TPlink to release BCM6750 SoC in conjunction with the newer BCM6710 shortly. (Currently being used as a 2.4G radio for the AX86U). Also functionally supports 6GHZ for tri brand.
https://www.broadcom.co
This will push product stack and pricing down for 2x2 devices.
The problem: Current majority market of AC clients trade off significantly depending on radio config. Some AC clients are also quite buggy on newer AX radios to this day. Its a YMMV kinda thing.
I'm just being logical here.. Outside of a few phones, Intel AX200(201), and the upcoming PS5, there are no other 5G or 2.4G AX clients on the market and were 2 years in.
Then factor 6E being released this year in the form of tri-band routers.. Which may have its own delay for actual clients outside of Intel being a front runner for desktop PCs lol.
On that note, prepare for AX 6E wireless backhaul's with 5G AC radios for clients to lower cost in some devices. It makes 100% sense for point of entry for some brands.
My argument is this.. I think AX routers are 100% valid (especially if bugs get ironed out), but a 3x3 or 4x4 radio should be minimum at this current time. I think its legitimately stupid to downgrade to a 2x2 radio when 4x4 AC wave 2 devices are the same price and provide real advantage in terms of RANGE for majority clients.
Can 2x2 AX + 2x2 AX out perform typical AC connections? Yes, but I would argue in favor of the 4x4 radio due to the lack of actual clients/IoT devices released to this day.
If it was minimum 50/50 client market share, my ideology would be a bit different as things like 2.4G AX have a significant advantage over the older N standard, but were up to 2 years off before that happens. Both google and Amazon keep releasing AC clients for cost reasons.
Sorry for ranting, but I legitimately think people get suckered into marketing too much and fall into the "future proof" ideology when half the technology doesn't even work and isn't wide spread enough to make a difference. More than likely if you care about your wireless devices, you will upgrade in 2 years regardless.
ASUS 160mhz marketing is a prime example of hyping AX over its capabilities.. Especially if you live in a region that removes usage of a 2nd DFS 160mhz channel block. Whats the freaking point when the "42" 80mhz block is overly saturated and crowded? The graphs on the site saying "2.3x faster" are easily misleading and for a better lack of terms bullshit since AC w2 can technically do the same.
End of the day, the biggest advantage to AX is PHY rates and SNR when using AX clients. 80mhz in general also performs better in range regardless of the wireless standard in use.
No other advantages until stuff is fixed and or new products are released.. Sorry I just don't see the point in buying an entry 2x2 AX router at this point. 3x3 5G products will be released soon anyway and cost should slowly adjust once AC ever gets phased out.
Expect ASUS and TPlink to release BCM6750 SoC in conjunction with the newer BCM6710 shortly. (Currently being used as a 2.4G radio for the AX86U). Also functionally supports 6GHZ for tri brand.
https://www.broadcom.co
This will push product stack and pricing down for 2x2 devices.
Its funny cause if you look back at statements I made on here in other deal threads on networking gear 6 months to 1 year ago, you are making my exact same claims against upgrading to wifi 6 that I was making. Unfortunately its time to change with the times, since almost all new computing and devices are coming with AX cards, and for those that have older gear the to upgrade their said equipment is a pretty cheap prospect for a nice gain. If money was not a issue sure buy the best 4x4 item you can and replace it every year, but most people dont live like that, so my suggestions look toward longevity of a product in my recommendation.
As for wifi 6E its great and I cant wait, but most people are completely impractical in 6E expectations, such as using it for wireless backhaul. The 6E band is extremely short so I doubt unless they find some way to blast that frequency like a precision laser to another station you could not have it serve the purpose as wireless backhaul unless the devices are a room apart. Most people with current mesh put their nodes more than a room apart. some initial test and most speculation agrees that 6E will be a same room close proximity solution only type of product, so new routers will still rely on Wifi 5/6 for the majority of the workload.
Also 6E will almost always fall back on standard Wifi 6 frequencies for most devices that are not in the same room as the node, cause again extremely short range.
So while wifi 6E is a great step forward, and I do recommend waiting if you are not in a rush, to see the new wave of 6E routers next year, if you have to buy something now just go with Wifi 6.
I'm coming from an Archer C7, which has performed ok, but is starting to have issues (probably because my husband and I are now both on video calls at the same time), or one of us is on a call while the other is trying to stream. I have about 2,000 square feet that I'm trying to cover (through walls, etc).
Is it worth upgrading to the AX3000, or will the AX1800 do everything I need?
Thanks!
I'm coming from an Archer C7, which has performed ok, but is starting to have issues (probably because my husband and I are now both on video calls at the same time), or one of us is on a call while the other is trying to stream. I have about 2,000 square feet that I'm trying to cover (through walls, etc).
Is it worth upgrading to the AX3000, or will the AX1800 do everything I need?
Thanks!
Separately, since you are a two income family with no children, why does a $30 difference even matter? Isn't the value of your time more valuable than the effort to figure if it's worth it?
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