TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (V2) - Review 2022

At $99.99, TP-Link'southward Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (V2) is an affordable router that performs similar a more than expensive one. Its scores in our two.4GHz and 5GHz throughput tests were significantly faster than the competition, and it offers a nice characteristic set, including four Gigabit LAN ports and a pair of USB two.0 ports. Management settings are plentiful, but the spider web console is slow to reply and lacks user-friendly icons to assist you navigate the menu organisation. Neither gripe prevents it from earning our Editors' Option for budget routers.

Design and Features

The latest Archer C7 is a dual-band AC1750 router that uses a 720MHz CPU. Information technology can achieve speeds of upwardly to 450Mbps on the two.4GHz band and one,300Mbps on the 5GHz band. Design-wise, the C7 hasn't changed from the TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Dual Band Wireless Ac Gigabit Router we reviewed back in 2022. Information technology uses the same glossy-blackness enclosure, which measures 9.6 by six.4 by ane.3 inches. The rear of the router is domicile to iii removable, adjustable antennas, 4 Gigabit LAN ports, a Gigabit WAN port, and ii USB 2.0 ports. Joining them are an On/Off button, a Reset/WPS switch, a Wi-Fi On/Off switch, and two USB action LEDs. The front of the router has LED indicators for power, both radio bands, all four LAN ports, the WAN port, and WPS activity.

The web console is the older, text-based version used on the original TP-Link Archer C7 and lacks the graphical elements that y'all'll discover on newer TP-Link routers, such as the AC2600 Wireless Dual Band Router Archer C2600 and the AC3150 Wireless MU-MIMO Gigabit Router Archer C3150. There'south also a noticeable lag betwixt the time that you brand a change and the time that the change is saved; in some cases I had to await up to 30 seconds. That said, information technology offers a wealth of basic and advanced settings. The main Condition page has a list of settings on the left side and LAN, WAN, Wireless, and Traffic Statistic information in the middle. Off to the right is a detailed explanation for each setting. Network settings include WAN, LAN, MAC Clone, and IPTV options, and each radio band has basic wireless settings (SSID, Mode), also every bit WPS, Security (WPA/WPA2 Person and Enterprise), and MAC filtering settings.

TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (V2)

The Invitee Network folio allows y'all to create split up networks with limited admission for guests, and it lets you set bandwidth command and admission schedules for each network. In Parental Controls you can create access schedules and compile a listing of allowed websites for specific clients. In that location's also a separate Access Control option that allows you to create network-wide net access rules. Other settings include Advanced Routing, Bandwidth Control, Port Forwarding and Port Triggering, VPN Pass-Through and Firewall settings, and Dual-Ring Selection, which lets yous enable and disable each radio ring. In System Tools you tin change fourth dimension settings, run network diagnostics, update the router'southward firmware, back upwards settings, and view organisation logs.

Installation and Operation

Installing the Archer C7 was piece of cake. After connecting information technology to my desktop PC and the cyberspace, I powered it upwardly and typed http://tplinkwifi.cyberspace in my browser address bar to access the direction console. I clicked the Quick Setup tab on the left and chose Auto-Discover. The console found my internet connection and asked me if I wanted to run Concurrent (dual-ring) Wi-Fi or just single band (2.4GHz or 5GHz, but not both). I selected Concurrent and was taken to the wireless settings screen to configure security settings. One time configured, I was ready to go.

TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (V2)

The Archer C7 rocked our throughput tests. Its score of 91.3Mbps in our 2.4GHz close-proximity (same-room) test was significantly higher than the other upkeep routers, including the Netgear AC1200 Smart Wi-Fi Router (R6220) (74.1Mbps), the D-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Router (DIR-842) (75Mbps), and the Linksys EA6350 AC1200+ Dual-Ring Smart Wi-Fi Wireless Router (72.5Mbps). Similarly, its score of 62.8Mbps in our xxx-foot test dominated the competition; the Netgear R6220 scored 48.3Mbps, the D-Link DIR-842 had a throughput 41.5Mbps, and the Linksys EA6350 came in at 39.3Mbps.

In our 5GHz throughput testing, the Archer C7'south operation was outstanding for a budget router. Information technology scored 509Mbps in the close-proximity examination, compared with the Netgear R6220 (331Mbps), the D-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Router (DIR-842) (332Mbps), and the Linksys EA6350 (427Mbps). At 30 feet, its score of 250Mbps once once again took top honors, beating the Netgear R6220 (104Mbps), the D-Link DIR-842 (111Mbps), and the Linksys EA6350 (199Mbps).

To examination the router'southward read and write file-transfer speeds, we use a USB drive and a ane.5GB folder containing a mix of photo, music, video, and document files. Every bit with other budget routers, the Archer C7's file-transfer speeds were middling; its write speed of 21.5MBps was identical to the Linksys EA6350 and slightly faster than the Netgear R6220's score of 17.6MBps. The Linksys EA6100 AC1200 Dual-Band Smart Wi-Fi Router (also a upkeep router) scored 27.4MBps. In the read test, the Archer C7 had a throughput of 27.5MBps, which again was just a lilliputian slower than the Linksys EA6350 (28MBps) and the Linksys EA6100 (28.3MBps) and a bit faster than the Netgear R6220 (25.6MBps). The D-Link DIR-842 was non included in these tests, as information technology does non have a USB port.

Decision

The TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (V2) may toll less than $100, but y'all'd never know it based on its performance and feature set. Its ii.4GHz and 5GHz throughput scores were improve than similarly priced upkeep models, including the $90 Linksys EA6350 AC1200+ Dual-Band Smart Wi-Fi Wireless Router, and information technology offers numerous direction settings and plenty of I/O ports. The Archer C7'south user interface could use an update, however, and its file-transfer performance could exist better. That said, information technology'south the fastest dual-band router in its course and our Editors' Selection for budget routers.