Custom PC - UK (2020-01)

A

s the cheapest router in this Labs
test, you might expect the TP-Link
AX6000 to be lacking in a few
areas. However, right across the board this
router is about as good as it gets. For a start, it
doesn’t make the mistake of the Netgear AX8
of omitting any Ethernet ports – you get a full
complement of eight of them.
However, instead of having various link
aggregation options, all of the TP-Link’s LAN
connectors are standard Gigabit ports, while
the WAN port offers a single 2.5Gbps
connection. This is useful in the one specific
instance where you have an extremely fast
internet connection, but it’s less versatile than
the competition overall. For instance, you can’t
provide a single fast connection to a NAS with
it, which would require a high-speed
connection on the LAN ports.
Otherwise, the AX6000 really wants for
little. On the side of the router you get one
USB 3 port and one USB Type-C port for
sharing USB storage devices or printers on
your network. Meanwhile, up front there are
buttons for WPS, Wi-Fi and LED functions –
the gold TP-Link logo glows various colours
to indicate the router’s status.
Inside, you get the same 4x4 dual-band
Wi-Fi configuration found in the other routers
on test this month, with eight dedicated flip-
up antennae arrayed around the outside.

We would prefer to

see separate indicator

LEDs for each part of the

router – showing the status

of LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi and so on – but it’s not

a deal breaker.

The Archer AX6000 is a hefty beast of a

router too, with its square shape making it

particularly deep, so you’ll need a deep shelf

or other place to stow it. Otherwise, it’s neither

as tall as the Netgear nor as wide as the Asus,

so it offers a reasonable compromise in that

regard. Unlike the Netgear, TP-Link hasn’t felt

the need to fit a fan to the AX6000 either, so

there are no noise concerns.

Setup of the router can be performed either

via a web interface (just plug in the router,

connect a device to the Wi-Fi or Ethernet and

navigate to 192.168.0.1 in your browser) or an

app. Like all the routers on test this month, it

also doesn’t require you to either have an

internet connection or sign up with an account

to get going, unlike some mesh routers. This

makes it much easier to set up your network

and trace any problems you might be having.

The web interface of the Archer AX6000 is

also by far the slickest of all the routers in this

Labs test, with a stylish white and light cyan

colour scheme and intuitive menu layout.

All this and the AX6000 doesn’t disappoint

when it comes to performance. It topped the

chart in our shortest-range 5GHz test

(for the non-mesh routers) and

performed consistently well in

the longer-range tests too. It

also did well in the 2.4GHz

tests. USB speed was decent

too, even if it didn’t quite hit

the maximum speed of the

Netgear AX8. Crucially,

though, it did recognise our

exFAT-formatted drive,

allowing us to connect our

largest, fastest drive to it.

Conclusion

The TP-Link Archer AX6000 offers all the

performance and features you’d expect

from a top-end Wi-Fi 6 router, yet it

undercuts the price of its competitors, even

if it is only by £10. For that reason alone, it’s

well worth considering. Add in the slick

interface and chart-topping performance

(for a non-mesh router), and you have a

winner if you’re looking for an independent

single 802.11ax router.

TPLINK ARCHER

AX6000/£290inc VAT

SUPPLIER amazon.co.uk

VERDICT

Performance, features and value combine in

this still pricey but powerful Wi-Fi 6 router.

DESIGN

16 / 20

PERFORMANCE

25 / 30

FEATURES

16 / 20

VALUE

26 / 30

OVERALLSCORE

83

SPEC

Weight

1065g

Dimensions (mm)

261 x 261 x 119 (W x D x H)

Ethernet

8 x Gigabit LAN + 1 x 2.5Gbps WAN

Wi-Fi

802.11ax dual band (AX6000)

USB ports

1 x USB 3, 1 X USB Type-C

Processor

1.8GHz quad-core Broadcom BCM4908

Memory

1GB RAM, 128MB flash

Extras

2.5Gbps WAN port, exFAT USB storage support

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