Firmware
published Date: 2023-07-21 Language: Multi-language File Size: 15.49 MB
Modifications and Bug Fixes
1. Add the EasyMesh function;
expiredDigitaldac posted Mar 08, 2024 09:10 PM
Item 1 of 2
Item 1 of 2
expiredDigitaldac posted Mar 08, 2024 09:10 PM
TP-Link Archer AX1450 WiFi 6 Dual-Band Wireless Router
+ Free Shipping$36
$59
38% offWalmart
Visit WalmartGood Deal
Bad Deal
Save
Share
Leave a Comment
Top Comments
One of the features of WiFi 6 is that it supports both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, and one of the benefits of upgrading from WiFi 5 to WiFi 6 is that you're getting a 2-generation upgrade for the 2.4 band. While 2.4 isn't exciting like 5, it is the longer-range band, and WiFi 6 offers improvements to efficiency and congestion management for that band.
The vast majority of WiFi 6 routers will have two WiFi 6 radios, one for 2.4GHz and one for 5GHz. This model, which BTW, is exclusive to Wal-Mart, cheaps out by having just one WiFi 6 radio for the 5GHz band and using a cheap legacy WiFi 4 radio for the 2.4GHz band.
Anyway, "AX1800" is generally the low-end budget spec for a "pure" WiFi 6 system (almost 600 on 2.4GHz, plus 1200 on 5GHz). "AX3000" is a midrange pure WiFi 6 system (almost 600 on 2.4GHz, plus 2400 on 5GHz from the use of wider channels). And you can spot the gimped systems by the "AX1500" or "AX1450") (300 or less on 2.4GHz, plus 1200 on 5GHz).
The real kicker is that "pure" WiFi 6 routers that support WiFi 6 on both bands are not that much more expensive. For example, look at these past SD threads:
https://slickdeals.net/f/15515443
https://slickdeals.net/f/15902134
https://slickdeals.net/f/15969214
https://slickdeals.net/f/15961666
103 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank yoFu
All wifi routers have security problems. All normal consumers can hope to do it get sufficient updates from reputable companies that have long support periods. In general, that isn't what TP-Link does. Beware.
At this point, there are just a few wifi-router consumer companies that strive to have fixes for their equipment. One of them was really bad and got sued by the FTC. In the settlement with the FTC, they agreed to 20 yrs of oversight, following security best practices, and they've been doing it. That company is Asus. I picked up a used Asus Wifi-6 router to use as an AP inside the house last month for $38. The other companies that I believe do their best to patch and have long support periods are Asus, Netgear, MikroTik, and Ubiquiti. The last two have nerd-friendly offers, not so great for normal people. I've had wifi connection issues with Netgear stuff and had to replace the wifi part of the router with a Ubiquity AP. So, those are the choices for people who care about security to consider. Watch out for similar-sounding names. There are a few out there trying to make sales based on the reputation of others.
I decided to to get off the "buy new router every 3-5 yrs" treadmill and switched to a purpose built x86-64 box that supports openwrt, dd-wrt, pfSense and OPNSense routing software - among others. I've had that router for about 10 yrs now and expect it will last another 10 yrs. Every week, I patch the current OPNSense software as part of my normal server patching processes. About 1-2 times every month, there are updates as they close security issues and fix flaws. Almost all of the flaws are in the web-GUI used. I think that is very common for all these small routers.
I'm always surprised that people spend $150+ for a home wifi router. Unless you have a huge home or one made with concrete walls between interior rooms, it just isn't needed.
I decided to to get off the "buy new router every 3-5 yrs" treadmill and switched to a purpose built x86-64 box that supports openwrt, dd-wrt, pfSense and OPNSense routing software - among others. I've had that router for about 10 yrs now and expect it will last another 10 yrs. Every week, I patch the current OPNSense software as part of my normal server patching processes. About 1-2 times every month, there are updates as they close security issues and fix flaws. Almost all of the flaws are in the web-GUI used. I think that is very common for all these small routers.
Wondering how these two products compare.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
All wifi routers have security problems. All normal consumers can hope to do it get sufficient updates from reputable companies that have long support periods. In general, that isn't what TP-Link does. Beware.
At this point, there are just a few wifi-router consumer companies that strive to have fixes for their equipment. One of them was really bad and got sued by the FTC. In the settlement with the FTC, they agreed to 20 yrs of oversight, following security best practices, and they've been doing it. That company is Asus. I picked up a used Asus Wifi-6 router to use as an AP inside the house last month for $38. The other companies that I believe do their best to patch and have long support periods are Asus, Netgear, MikroTik, and Ubiquiti. The last two have nerd-friendly offers, not so great for normal people. I've had wifi connection issues with Netgear stuff and had to replace the wifi part of the router with a Ubiquity AP. So, those are the choices for people who care about security to consider. Watch out for similar-sounding names. There are a few out there trying to make sales based on the reputation of others.
I decided to to get off the "buy new router every 3-5 yrs" treadmill and switched to a purpose built x86-64 box that supports openwrt, dd-wrt, pfSense and OPNSense routing software - among others. I've had that router for about 10 yrs now and expect it will last another 10 yrs. Every week, I patch the current OPNSense software as part of my normal server patching processes. About 1-2 times every month, there are updates as they close security issues and fix flaws. Almost all of the flaws are in the web-GUI used. I think that is very common for all these small routers.
I'm always surprised that people spend $150+ for a home wifi router. Unless you have a huge home or one made with concrete walls between interior rooms, it just isn't needed.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank code65536
The device has a wireless access point, a network switch, and a router. The access point provides connectivity for WiFi devices, the switch lets you connect multiple Ethernet devices together, and the router is your gateway to the Internet.
The access point and the switch are fine; they have a small attack surface and are not threats. The router is complicated because it connects your home network to the Internet and is more open to attacks, and there are groups that try to break into consumer-grade routers, knowing that they are rarely updated and thus can contain security flaws.
I personally have a dedicated router, and then I have a couple of WiFi routers that I use as access points / switches, with the routing component disabled (all WiFi routers support this mode of operation--AP mode--where the routing component is turned off and the WiFi router stops acting like a router and is just an access point and switch).
And there are lots of options for a dedicated router; one would be to get a dedicated PC running something like opnsense, which is what the person who you quoted was referring to with "x86-64", but frankly that's like swatting a fly with a sledgehammer; it's overkill for the typical home scenario, not that efficient, and requires a good amount of technical know-how (if you have to ask what "x86-64" meant, you probably should not be going down this route). A MikroTik router would probably be slightly a better fit, but it's still not for novices, and honestly just a cheap consumer-grade router capable of running OpenWRT would be more cost-effective and solve the same problem (but also not for novices). Remember, the main issue isn't the hardware, but rather the software that's running on that hardware, so if the hardware supports something like OpenWRT, it should be fine.
odifications and Bug Fixes
1. Add the EasyMesh function;
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
odifications and Bug Fixes
1. Add the EasyMesh function;
Leave a Comment