TP-Link Archer AX50
Decent download speeds can’t hide the fact that rivals offer more
SCORE
PRICE £108 (£130 inc VAT) from johnlewis.com
The Archer AX50 cuts an unpretentious figure, with a long, low case that stands just 39mm tall – leaving aside the four sticky-up aerials at the back, of course. It’s also one of the cheapest Wi-Fi 6 routers around, undercut only by sub-£100 offerings from D-Link and Honor.
It’s pleasing, therefore, to spot a USB 3 connector at the back, alongside a quartet of Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. The software is better than you might expect for the price too: the web portal is clearly laid out and feels snappy, as well as including upmarket features such as a VPN server for inbound connections, twin guest networks and flexible QoS settings.
Install the Tether smartphone app and you can additionally take advantage of TP-Link’s Homecare service. Powered by Trend Micro, this adds profile-based parental controls, with plenty of filtering and time-limiting options, plus a network security module that blocks malicious content both inside your LAN and out on the internet. Originally offered on a three-year basis, it’s now free for the lifetime of the product, and you can’t say fairer than that.
The AX50’s wireless specifications meanwhile, are promising, if not exceptional. Its 5GHz radio is rated at 2,402Mbits/sec with the use of 160MHz channels, and 4x4 MU-MIMO helps compatible clients maximise their transfer speeds.
Regrettably, in our performance tests the AX50’s spindly antennae struggled to project a strong wireless signal more than a room away. Over both Wi-Fi 5 and 6 we saw good download speeds as long as there was no more than a single wall between the laptop and router, but as soon as we moved further afield, performance dropped off by around 50%.
That still translates to a perfectly usable connection throughout the house. Even 4K video streaming over Wi-Fi 5 should be fine in most locations, and overall the AX50 proved faster than our recommended Honor Router 3. However, if you’re looking for a value option, D-Link’s DIR-X1860 provides similar speeds for a mere £89. And if you’re willing to pay just a little more, you’re within easy reach of the Asus RT-AX82U, or Linksys’ overperforming MR7350. Despite all its trimmings and plus points, that makes it hard to see a niche for the Archer AX50.