TP-Link Archer AX55

Description

• Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
• Up to 2976 Mb/s Throughput
• 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz (Dual-Band)
• 4 x External Antennas
• 4 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN Ports
• 1 x Gigabit Ethernet WAN Port
• 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Port
• AiMesh Compatible
• TP-Link HomeShield
• Easy Setup with TP-Link Tether App

I think this affordable Wi-Fi 6 router is what most people should go for. The smooth black finish is attractive, and the four antennas direct the Wi-Fi to every corner. (It’s worth tweaking and testing different positions.) Performance was solid throughout my 1,600-square-foot two-story home, but dropped off a bit in the back garden. Stability was excellent over several weeks of testing, hitting the top average in my speed and range tests. This router also has all the required features (MU-MIMO, Beamforming, WPA3 – we explain many of these terms in our How to Buy a Router guide). It has four gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, one gigabit WAN port, and a USB 3.0 port on the back, which is more than enough for most people.

I’m a fan of TP-Link’s Tether app, where you can check traffic, share bandwidth, create a guest network, schedule reboots, set automatic updates, and even have the LED turn off at night. TP-Link’s basic free tier HomeShield offers network scanning, QoS (Quality of Service) for prioritizing devices, and basic parental controls so you can filter and blacklist websites. If you want more benefits like application time limits, downtime, and real-time security protection, you’ll need to upgrade to HomeShield Pro ($6/month or $55/year).