I upgraded my Internet speed in spring 2020, in the early part of the pandemic to 1GB to keep up with 4 laptops, 1 desktop, a Ring camera with chime, a Ring security system, two Roku sticks on smart TVs, 1 Ubiquity WAP, and two NES Switches (among other Wi-Fi devices), TV streaming, and online PC gaming. As our Internet-home grew, the devices with Wi-Fi connected devices exceeded 20. With the upgrade, I had to replace my coaxial router/modem to a permanently installed Frontier modem and an Arris NVG468MQ router that could take a WAN Ethernet port. The Frontier-provided Arris router was not new, low range, and buggy. I went through 3 of these Arris routers in 2.5 years with full Wi-Fi bars but with exactly the same errors ("Connected, no internet", "No Internet, secured", etc.). Nearly pulled my hair. The family was not happy either. Although the Arris router is compatible with 1GB Ethernet upgraded speeds, it appears to cap at about 600 MB. Believe me, I NEVER, ever, got close to 600 MB with Arris. At an OK speed check I would get 30-60 MB Wi-Fi speeds and sometimes crack 100 MB on my Wi-Fi connected laptops, and maybe a bit higher on my Ethernet-connected desktop. On my Samsung S20 phone I would get 80-120MB speeds.
When the Frontier tech visited to check my Internet problems on the second Arris router, I gave him the list of errors (4 in total, two that I named here) and right away he said it was the router and just gave me another one (the 3rd one at that point). Since I had him at home, I asked him if I could buy a router from Best Buy or Amazon and just "plug it in?". He said, "Yes, your Internet setup is plug-n-play, just make sure the router has a blue or red Ethernet port." With that information I started some light research figuring I had maybe a year before the "new" Arris router would get buggy again. Well, it took about a month and I started getting the same exact errors as the previous Arris routers I had replaced. Although the Arris router "corrected" itself a few days later, I was done with Arris routers from Frontier. I sped up my research urgency for a new router from better known brands. At this point I felt I had control over the brand and price point I could buy knowing that I only needed a router and not a modem since Frontier installed a permanent modem when they upgraded my Internet to 1GB speed.
Having read about 6E enabled routers–catching up on the newest router/Wi-Fi standards–I figured that a 6E router would be the best option for me as a "future-proof" investment. I narrowed the search to TP-Link, Netgear Nighthawk, and Asus models. This TP-Link AXE5400 beat all the other brands in price for roughly similar, or at least comparable, reviews, features, and range. I purchased this TP-Link AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router (Archer AXE75). TP-Link AXE5400 had excellent reviews on Amazon but also across the Internet from reputable technology websites and sources. I did not rely only on Amazon reviews given the issues with bogus reviews. The "plug-n-play" setup at my home with a Frontier 1GB speed was just that easy. Within about 2 minutes of connecting the TP-Link AXE5400 router, all the lights came "on". I rushed to my Ethernet-plugged desktop and opened my browser. Right away I saw the TP-Link landing page asking for an admin login and password setup, and an Admin account. Several steps later, I reused the previously used SSID and password credentials to minimize connectivity disruptions on all my Wi-Fi-enabled devices and in a flash I was connected to the Internet. I might have spent maybe 20 minutes total, from unboxing to setup to Internet, with some thought-provoking time needed to come up with a new login and password for my TP-Link account.
My desktop Ethernet-connected speed test blew me away: I broke the 700/800MB download/upload speeds! I ran a speed test on my Samsung S20 but got the 100+ MB speed that I had gotten with the Arris router. I wondered if it would make a difference if I "forgot" the SSID on the phone and then log back in to the same SSID and password? Sure did! After I "forgot" the SSID on my phone and logged back in and ran a speed test, I broke the 800 MB download speed on the phone. Fantastic! My laptop speeds exceeded the 200 MB download/upload speed marks. Another laptop hit the 190/200 MB download/upload speed marks.
Although I am kinda rushing with this review, I feel I made the right purchase and that this TP-Link AXE5400 will outlast the last 3 Arris routers that this router replaced. I will return to review in a few months with good or bad impressions at that time. But, right now, I am a happy dad with a happy family.
(Update: September 21, 2024): Ok, so I didn't return after a few months. Rather, a few years. 😳The TP-Link is still going strong. No issues. No problems. No headaches. No regrets.
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