tp-link Archer BE230 BE3600 WiFi 7 Dual-Band 2.5GbE EasyMesh Router

If you, like me, are a Virgin Media customer who has been gnashing their teeth in frustration at their absolutely rubbish so-called 'Superhub 3.0', then prick up your ears (and/or eyes) and read on. I've had my Superhub for about five years now and it was ok at first and its coverage used to reach the very rear of my long, narrow house, but over the past few months its WiFi has been randomly dropping until earlier this week when I received a message from Virgin Media saying 'Your account has been upgraded - reboot your kit', so I duly rebooted the Superhub only to find that the WiFi from it had completely stopped working. My partner and I both work from home, so this wasn't the best, but after some hair-pulling moments of panic I discovered that the ethernet ports on the back of the superhub still worked, so I was able to get some semblance of connectivity restored (the WiFi hotspot feature in Windows 11, indicentally, is absolutely superb) and decided that it was time to switch the superhub to modem only mode and purchase a WiFi router.After a little bit of hunting and research, I whittled my selection down to a few routers. The TP-Link Archer C64 obviously won the battle due to its bargain basement price and richness of features, so I snapped one up and it landed into my grubby little paws a few hours later, and I was quickly tearing through its cellophene wrapping to get a gawp at it.>>> WHAT'S IN THE BOX?In the box, you'll get the router itself, a short ethernet cable, the power adapter and a couple of quick-start instruction books. Bonus green points to TP-Link for making the packaging purely out of cardboard and better for the planet.>>> FIRST IMPRESSIONS?The first thing that struck me about this router is just how small and light it is - it's really tiny and weighs next to nothing. It's also square, which is a radical departure from the routers I've bought in the past which resembled artfully modelled matchboxes, and is very minimalist in its design. At each corner are its massive antennas which make it look like some sort of dead robot/crab creature.There are a row of LEDS on the front of it and, around its back, there are four ethernet ports (with a dedicated one for plugging into your hub) and a WPS/Reset button and the input for the power adapter.>>> IS IT EASY TO SET UP?Well, I work in IT and have set up a few routers in my time so I've got a fair bit of experience in such things. Saying that, I did find this router particularly simple to set up, mainly thanks to the TP-Link app which guides you through the setup process. From plugging it in, setting the Virgin Superhub to modem-only mode and getting the Archer C64 router up and running and pumping out its WiFi connection, it took less than 15 minutes, I reckon.Less IT savvy folks might find it a little more difficult (the app isn't great at explaining what you need to do next) so you might want to grab an IT-savvy pal to help you if you're not too sure what to do.>>>WHAT FEATURES DOES IT HAVE?Despite the relatively cheap price of the Archer C64, I think it's pretty fully featured. It's got all of the bells and whistles such as a built-in Firewall, Dual SSIDs, DMZ, port forwarding and all sorts of things.>>>HOW DOES IT PERFORM?Well, coming from a Virgin Superhub 3 - a hub that's not exactly well regarded - this thing is lightning fast and has an impressive range. The superhub failed to reach the bathroom at the very rear of my old, long, narrow house (with thick walls), but with the Archer C64 I'm getting a fantastic signal and good speeds. Running a speed test sees this router hitting and sustaining the maximum speed my contract is capable of. You can't ask for more than that!>>>SUMMING UPThis is an absolutely cracking router for the price and, if you're sick of the hub that came with your broadband package you should definitely consider getting one of these!

Bought this when I was shopping for a WIFI 6e router after some research into cost vs performance etc.I chose this product as I was familiar with other TP-link products and was happy with their quality and usability. This product was also on the more affordable side of WIFI 6e routers at the time of purchasing.Firstly, the setup was easy and relatively quick.The user controls and network settings were well layed out and easy to change. The Router gives a strong signal and good connection through the gigabit RJ45 ports too.I haven't had any dropouts or lost signals through the router and had nothing but consistent service.I would highly recommend this router to anyone wanting to upgrade from the pitiful routers that internet service providers (ISPs) provide. Just be mindful that the ISP mostly want their equipment back if you cancel your contract so as tempting as it is... dont bin your old router.

Update: July 2024 firmware update bricked my router! Returned to Amazon for a refund. Great router when used with the excellent TP-Link Tether app. Annoyingly the package is supplied with a 0.5 metre Cat 5e cable instead of 6e. Old tech cable and cable too short. Also, really annoying is that the power adapter also has a really short lead. Hopeless if you want to place high up and slightly away from a power point. Little things like that let it down. Router however is nicely designed and highly spec'ed for the value for money price. Didn't find it made much of a speed improvement over the supplied WiFi 6 router from EE, but software is infinitely better and full control over the device. Recent price drop makes this WiFi 6e router close to the price of it's WiFi 6 sibling. Worth the extra £30 for future proofing. Overall happy, but will need to purchase a new adapter and Cat 6e longer network cable.

Having put up with Virmin Media's hub3 for too long with it's totally dire WiFi performance (they dulled the ouput power of the hub3 WiFi with firmware updates deliberately so you ring them & they offer to rent you their rubbish WiFi boosters, DON'T!!) I decided to switch my hub3 into modem mode & plug it into this TP-Link Archer AXE75 AXE5400Mbps router, so happy I did.This router is easy to set up & configure, easy to read & understand the instructions (I used my PC web browser, I didn't bother with app), I now get 100% solid WiFi performance with no drop outs at all, full signal in every room on any device, good signal/range/decent speeds in the garden through concrete wall/trees etc, at about 60ft away, much better speeds overall over the WiFi than what the pathetic hub3 router mode provided.Very happy with this router & how it is performing with a lot of devices connected to it over WiFi, in all areas, anyone with the hub3 looking for a decent router replacement without the need of using Virmin Media's rip off "rented boosters", the TP-Link Archer AXE75 AXE5400Mbps is does a decent job, no fuss, 24/7, haven't switched mine off or had to reset it since I got it!

Easy to install with the tp link application. Easy to also install nord VPN to it, though this needs a bit more understanding as there are two different ways to do the setup. Make sure to add devices to the VPN client, if you want them to use it.It can be used if needed as a second WiFi, connected to the router provided by the internet provider.