TP Link ax6000
EVEN IN THESE EARLY DAYS, THE NEXT GENERATION OF WI-FI IS LOOKING SPECIAL.
AX WI-FI HAS arrived and it aims to enhance wireless network performance by boosting speed and responsiveness while reducing network congestion. There are many technical improvements but they vary in complexity. We’ve seen MU-MIMO before but it’s been less-than-thrilling as a bolted-on addition to earlier technology: we’ve higher hopes for it now that it’s integrated into the standard. The key improvement is called orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) which supposedly “Increases average throughput by a factor of four in high-density scenarios.” In basic, technical terms it ups the number of independently-modulated and simultaneous sub-carriers in a single 20MHz channel from 52 (AC wireless) to 234. There’s also band steering to automatically ensure that less-crowded bands are used.
Unfortunately, compatible AX computer adapters won’t become available until the second half of the year – only the new Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphones are currently fully compatible. However, performance improvements should extend to older-technology connections too.
First, we performed our regular Wi-Fi range tests using an iPad Pro, Ookla’s Speed Test and a 115/5Mbps Telstra cable internet connection. This was done next to the router, one floor up then another floor up while simultaneously playing online PC games and watching YouTube on two, old Android tablets. History dictates that performance will drop off the higher we go – even with Mesh systems and Wi-Fi extenders. However, TP-Link’s Archer AX6000 achieved maximum speeds at all locations! Could it just have killed the need for Mesh networks?
Our S10+ also achieved maximum internet speeds at all distances but the AX6000 offers theoretical network performance of 4,804 Mbps (5GHz) and 1,148 Mbps (2.4 GHz) so we attempted some 2GB file transfers using our Dell XPS’ integrated AC Wi-Fi then again using the S10+ as a tethered, USB Wi-Fi dongle. Using the 2.4GHz band, AC transfer hit 102Mbps while AX hit 319Mbps. On the 5GHz band AC Wi-Fi hit 492Mbps while AX was slower at 341Mbps. These low AX scores merely reflect the foibles of Wi-Fi testing and that an integrated laptop antennae will usually beat a jury-rigged USB/phone connection.
A final note on performance is that AX’s complexities require serious processing which is why there’s a 1.8GHz quad-core processor on-board. We certainly noticed the expected boost in responsiveness this affords with many video streams opening almost-instantly.
Elsewhere, the AX6000 looks impressive and we’re pleased to see eight Gigabit Ethernet ports. The WAN port supports 2.4Gbps connections to suit office environments. There are two USB 3.0 ports: Type-A and Type-C. Other router features are largely standard though we were impressed by the ease of access to settings – both by browser of TP-Link’s app. A major boon is the built-in Trend Micro Security features, which offer antivirus and some decent family filtering options – including the ability to set usage limits and bed times for different users across multiple devices. At $499 it’s not cheap, but it’s got all the important features, looks good and performs so well that you likely won’t need to buy other networking equipment for a long time to come.