TP-Link Touch P5
A multi-talented router that can be configured without a computer
The TP-Link Touch P5 router is that rarest of things – a networking device that’s meant to be seen and not hidden. That’s thanks to its capacitive touchscreen, on which you can perform almost all of the configuration that’s required.
In hardware terms, the Touch P5’s port selection is pretty standard. It has four Ethernet ports, a clearly labelled internet Ethernet port for connecting to your service provider, one USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port for connecting a hard drive, which can be shared over the network, or to share a printer or another peripheral.
DLNA-enabled devices will be able to stream media, and the manufacturer even boasts capacity for streaming 4K video on the faster 5GHz band supported by the router. This transmits at up to 1300Mbps, with an additional 600Mbps available on the 2.4GHz band for less demanding tasks. We found signal strength to be excellent, thanks in part to the three large antennae that you connect to the rear of the router.
What you make of the Touch P5’s aesthetics will be a matter of personal choice, but you can’t deny it has some grunt when it comes to file transfer speeds. Although a browser-based interface is available, you can do most of your interaction using the touchscreen. Inside the router there is, remarkably, a dualcore 1GHz processor, which makes everything fairly smooth. The software is easy to understand and has useful options like guest networking, parental controls and the option to work as a router, repeater or access point. It’s a matter of opinion how much a router needs a touchscreen, but this one works very well. Hollin Jones
A full-featured router with lots of bandwidth and a well-designed touchscreen interface for computer-free configuration.