TP-Link Archer C3150

A GREAT MID-RANGE ROUTER, A GREAT COMPROMISE BETWEEN COST AND PERFORMANCE.

ALTHOUGH TP-LINK’S PRODUCT range runs the gamut from $70 cheapies to monstrous AC5400 routers with forests of antennae, we’re more fans of its affordable mid-range products, which tend to strike a nice balance between price and features. The Archer C3150 falls nicely into that category, offering very good wireless without being ridiculous.

The wireless is 4 x 4 MU-MIMO, capable of speeds up to 2,166Mbps. That means that it has enough oomph to support a mid to large home with multiple users streaming in HD or even UHD at once.

It’s also a nice looking router (something that can’t be said for many of TP-Link’s range), elegant enough for public placement.

We haven’t always been fans of TP-Links firmware, and we still think it has a little way to go to catch up in terms of usability when compared to the likes of Linksys, D-Link and ASUS. But TP-Link’s improved mobile apps more than make up for it, and it now provides a slick setup process and access to most of the router’s important features, including schedule-based parental controls and USB device management. Unfortunately, there are some things you’ll still need to use the web admin for. For instance, TP-Link supports PPTP/L2TP VPNs as a client, which is great, but you’ll need to dive into the web UI and dig for it a little to set it up.

It did manage to perform very well in our tests, and at $270, it’s significantly cheaper than most tri-band devices. For most home users, that makes it a nicely balanced router, affordable but capable of delivering top wireless speeds when needed.