Your Choice for Router in 2023

[john_pifer]

I went with the TP-Link AXE5400 from Walmart.

As I posted yesterday on page 3, the external case looks different, but the antennas look the same, and all the specs are listed as being the same.

Interesting experience when I got to the store. It was advertised on their website for $136. I got to the store and it was listed as $159 on the shelf. Sales clerk said she couldn't do anything - that even though I could show her on my phone where the price was $136, "that must be a 3rd party seller", and she could not match that price.

At this point, she was getting sort of unpleasant and irritable with me.

So I asked to talk to the manager.

He was very nice and went ahead and honored the price.

I did an online chat with TP Link...the first 2 people had no clue, and argued that there was no such thing.

Then after I bought it, I did another chat and took photos of the box. They said they were going to have to get with engineering to confirm that it has the same specs.

I suspect it's a Walmart-only model with same internal hardware but different external case.

Also picking up an Arris Surfboard S33 modem later today.

 

[Jesse_NE]

I went with the TP-Link AXE5400 from Walmart.

As I posted yesterday on page 3, the external case looks different, but the antennas look the same, and all the specs are listed as being the same.

Interesting experience when I got to the store. It was advertised on their website for $136. I got to the store and it was listed as $159 on the shelf. Sales clerk said she couldn't do anything - that even though I could show her on my phone where the price was $136, "that must be a 3rd party seller", and she could not match that price.

At this point, she was getting sort of unpleasant and irritable with me.

So I asked to talk to the manager.

He was very nice and went ahead and honored the price.

Looking at your link, Walmart.com is the vendor. Retailers will often set up a separate company for online sales. Some stores honor the online price, some don't. Next time you see a discounted Walmart.com item, buy it online and schedule in-store pickup.

 

[Rand]

Looking at your link, Walmart.com is the vendor. Retailers will often set up a separate company for online sales. Some stores honor the online price, some don't. Next time you see a discounted Walmart.com item, buy it online and schedule in-store pickup.

or just talk to the manager their policy is to pricematch walmart.com in store.

First, understand that Walmart.com and Walmart brick-and-mortar stores have two different price match policies. Walmart stores will only price match online prices from Walmart.com.

 

[john_pifer]

Very happy with the speeds we’re getting now, after upgrading to the Arris Surfboard S33 modem, and the TP Link AXE5400 Router.

Set up was easy, as each device has an app that I download it from the Apple store, that held my hand during the set up process.

This modem and router are capable of much faster speeds than the 400 down and 10 up plan I have from Xfinity. But at least I feel like I’m “future-proofed” for a few years.

Definitely worth the $300 that I spent on both devices. Just mad that I just missed the sale on the modem, that would have saved me an additional approximately 28 bucks.

Here’s what we were getting before upgrading modem and router:

And Now, with the new modem and router:

Now, I just need to do some research to figure out what all I can do with this modem and router with regard to settings and configuration, etc, in order to optimize things, as they’re definitely far more complex and configurable than my previous setup.

Tips and tricks with this, that you guys have learned, would definitely be appreciated!

One thing I am, not sure about, is that the wifi 6 signal is not being displayed on our iPhones.

Both my iPhone 11 and my wife’s iPhone 12 pro max are supposedly capable of using a wifi 6GHz signal. However, it is not showing up, even though I believe that the router is transmitting that signal.

 

[Kalle.J]

One thing I am, not sure about, is that the wifi 6 signal is not being displayed on our iPhones.

Both my iPhone 11 and my wife’s iPhone 12 pro max are supposedly capable of using a wifi 6GHz signal. However, it is not showing up, even though I believe that the router is transmitting that signal.

You only want one combined wifi connection anyway. Simplifies things.
Not necessary or preferable to have one each for 2.4 5 and 6ghz.

Also wifi 6ax is not 6ghz. Iphone 11 does not have 6ghz anyway.
Edit: neither does Iphone 12. Only wifi 6ax 5ghz.

This is partly why I recommend wifi 6 with mesh instead of wifi 6E without mesh.

 

[john_pifer]

You only want one combined wifi connection anyway. Simplifies things.
Not necessary to make one each for 2.4 5 and 6ghz.

Also wifi 6ax is not 6ghz. Iphone 11 does not have 6ghz anyway.

I know that the router automatically switches between the 2.4 and 5ghz bands according to which one will be more advantageous (range, etc).

I thought I had to manually switch to the 6ghz signal. No?

Also - our phones (iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 ProMax) aren’t capable of using a wifi 6E signal.

The only device we’ll have that WILL be able to use 6E will be the Mac Mini M2 Pro (once my monitors arrive, hopefully today).

 

[alarmguy]

Not that it matters but I do know it's a fun. I do much the same. At these speeds it isn't going to matter if it's 5 or 6GHz
Just saying that so you dont get too hung up if it doesnt matter too much. The 5 will have better range and possibly can perform better at the range limits than 6. Being your are a bit rural you may find range important if you want to stay on your Wi-fi while you are outside in your yard as an example, begin you have a large property though its not going to be drastically better, it will be better.

Im not saying dont go for it but anything above 200 ish even less you wont notice much difference. Your ping times will matter more at this point which having the newest stuff and knowing your interest connection from your provider is good the only thing that couple hold you back at this point would be your providers network traffic.

Talking range, home automation and video equipment I prefer 2.5 for that range. That's really all I use the 2.5 for and why I like to select bands and name the SSID separately. It can also make is easier to learn in devices as the device might be on the 2.5 but you will or can have a problem if your phone is on the 5 while trying to learn a device in on 2.5. So having separate names you can select the band your phone is on and set it to the same as the device you are learning in.

But that's just me

 

[RTexasF]

I second BornSlippery's suggestion on a ASUS RT-AX86U. It is a stealler router. Make sure you keep up on checking the built in firmware update every 2-3 months. I myself check it monthly as I have their app on my iPad/phone.

I third the recommendation. It has been in the top five routers for 2~3 years. Best $250 I've ever spent. It can also be used as a mesh network if needed for future expansion. WIFI 6.

 

[mk378]

I know that the router automatically switches between the 2.4 and 5ghz bands according to which one will be more advantageous (range, etc).

Actually the clients make this decision and they generally will not use 2.4 unless there is no 5 GHz signal available. If all of your devices are 5 GHz capable and you stay close to the router, turn off the 2.4 entirely as it is nothing but noise to the neighbors.

Speaking of neighbors if the router does not have a scan function install a wifi analyzer app on your phone and use it to identify the wifi channels the neighbors are using. Then set your router to one in between.

6 GHz is only a gain if all the 5 GHz channels are occupied by neighbors.

 

[Rand]

Actually the clients make this decision and they generally will not use 2.4 unless there is no 5 GHz signal available. If all of your devices are 5 GHz capable and you stay close to the router, turn off the 2.4 entirely as it is nothing but noise to the neighbors.

I'd leave 2.4 on for weakspots in coverage on the 5ghz network.
the device should switch to the 2.4 network automatically even if named different.
Many IOT devices will be 2.4 only.

Kasa smart plugs with energy monitoring etc.
its a best practice to put them on their own network.

I made a separate network with isolation turned on for mine.

 

[alarmguy]

Not that it matters but I do know it's a fun. I do much the same. At these speeds it isn't going to matter if it's 5 or 6GHz
Just saying that so you dont get too hung up if it doesnt matter too much. The 5 will have better range and possibly can perform better at the range limits than 6. Being your are a bit rural you may find range important if you want to stay on your Wi-fi while you are outside in your yard as an example, begin you have a large property though its not going to be drastically better, it will be better.

Im not saying dont go for it but anything above 200 ish even less you wont notice much difference. Your ping times will matter more at this point which having the newest stuff and knowing your interest connection from your provider is good the only thing that couple hold you back at this point would be your providers network traffic.

Talking range, home automation and video equipment I prefer 2.5 for that range. That's really all I use the 2.5 for and why I like to select bands and name the SSID separately. It can also make is easier to learn in devices as the device might be on the 2.5 but you will or can have a problem if your phone is on the 5 while trying to learn a device in on 2.5. So having separate names you can select the band your phone is on and set it to the same as the device you are learning in.

But that's just me

geez... sometimes I re-read my posts ... and look at all the typos

 

[tbm5690]

Nice speed boost, if I were you I would now see if you can lower your speed from your ISP and save some money...400 down is absolute overkill for your use and number of devices. If they offer 100 (doubt it) that would suffice but if you had a 250 option that was worth the price decrease go for it and you still will have way better speeds than with the old router.

 

[Skippy722]

Nice speed boost, if I were you I would now see if you can lower your speed from your ISP and save some money...400 down is absolute overkill for your use and number of devices. If they offer 100 (doubt it) that would suffice but if you had a 250 option that was worth the price decrease go for it and you still will have way better speeds than with the old router.

He may have different pricing, but for me to drop from 400 to 200 would save me a whopping $5 a month. Gotta love comcast

 

[john_pifer]

In case anyone is reading this thread because they’re looking for a new router and considering the TP Link AXE5400 vs. AXE75, I had emailed the company and asked them about the differences, since Walmart is the only retailer I could find that carries the AXE5400, and there is nothing published (that I could find) that details the differences.

The only reply they had (and bear in mind that this reply is coming from China, from a non-native English speaker) was that the AXE5400 has a different CPU (AXE75 is advertised to have a “1.7 GHz quad-core CPU, while the AXE5400 packaging simply says “high-performance CPU”).

Their email actually says “the processor of the AXE5400 can’t be given”.

Not sure if that means that they’re not willing to disclose what processor it’s using, or if that’s a translation error, and the rep meant to say that he didn’t know what processor the AXE5400 uses.

Anyway, for $138, I’m happy with the AXE5400, even if it doesn’t have a quad-core CPU.

Id say your decision should be based on the price. If you can get the AXE5400 for significantly less than the AXE75, it may be the better deal.

At the time I bought mine, the AXE75 was $179.

If it was only a $20 difference, I’d say get the one with the better CPU.

Im going to needle them again and see if I can get them to spill the beans about what processor the AXE5400 is using.

Or maybe someone here knows?

I wonder if it’s the same one as the AX5400 Pro, since they both use the same external case.

 

[alarmguy]

In case anyone is reading this thread because they’re looking for a new router and considering the TP Link AXE5400 vs. AXE75, I had emailed the company and asked them about the differences, since Walmart is the only retailer I could find that carries the AXE5400, and there is nothing published (that I could find) that details the differences.

The only reply they had (and bear in mind that this reply is coming from China, from a non-native English speaker) was that the AXE5400 has a different CPU (AXE75 is advertised to have a “1.7 GHz quad-core CPU, while the AXE5400 packaging simply says “high-performance CPU”).

Their email actually says “the processor of the AXE5400 can’t be given”.

Not sure if that means that they’re not willing to disclose what processor it’s using, or if that’s a translation error, and the rep meant to say that he didn’t know what processor the AXE5400 uses.

Anyway, for $138, I’m happy with the AXE5400, even if it doesn’t have a quad-core CPU.

Id say your decision should be based on the price. If you can get the AXE5400 for significantly less than the AXE75, it may be the better deal.

At the time I bought mine, the AXE75 was $179.

If it was only a $20 difference, I’d say get the one with the better CPU.

Im going to needle them again and see if I can get them to spill the beans about what processor the AXE5400 is using.

Or maybe someone here knows?

I wonder if it’s the same one as the AX5400 Pro, since they both use the same external case.

It's the same router, but will try to verify for you. TPLink has ALWAYS been this way because they also sell in discount retailers. Sometimes the models are "dialed down" a bit in power but they are always respectable.
TPLink is a PITA trying to figure out what is what, even some technology reviews say the same. It's all ok though and why one can get the performance at the price.

Anyway, first glance I think more than ever it is looking like the same router .. but can not be sure yet. Crud, does your 5400 look different than the 75? Im seeing at Walmart a different looking 5400 compared to the 5400/75 below, TPLink Walmart models sometimes carried lower specs.

https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=p_78:B0...-keywords=wifi+6e+router&tag=bnarcheraxe75-20

Here even TPLINK refers to your router as the AXE75
https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-axe75/

"

• AXE5400 Tri-Band – AXE5400 Tri-Band Wi-Fi delivers Wi-Fi speeds up to 5400 Mbps.†
• Cutting-Edge Processing – Armed with a 1.7 GHz Quad-Core CPU."

@john_pifer
Does the box look like this reviewed router?

Source = https://www.windowscentral.com/accessories/networking/tp-link-archer-axe75-wi-fi-6e-router-review

 

[alarmguy]

Forget what is on the front of the box ...
On the bottom of the router there will be a model #
Can you post that here?
You can also go to TP Link Website under support with that model number and ... see if there is any more info there.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2053/

 

[john_pifer]

It's the same router, but will try to verify for you. TPLink has ALWAYS been this way because they also sell in discount retailers. Sometimes the models are "dialed down" a bit in power but they are always respectable.
TPLink is a PITA trying to figure out what is what, even some technology reviews say the same. It's all ok though and why one can get the performance at the price.

Anyway, first glance I think more than ever it is looking like the same router .. but can not be sure yet. Crud, does your 5400 look different than the 75? Im seeing at Walmart a different looking 5400 compared to the 5400/75 below, TPLink Walmart models sometimes carried lower specs.

https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=p_78:B0...-keywords=wifi+6e+router&tag=bnarcheraxe75-20

Here even TPLINK refers to your router as the AXE75
https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-axe75/

"

• AXE5400 Tri-Band – AXE5400 Tri-Band Wi-Fi delivers Wi-Fi speeds up to 5400 Mbps.†
• Cutting-Edge Processing – Armed with a 1.7 GHz Quad-Core CPU."

@john_pifer
Does the box look like this reviewed router?
View attachment 162695
Source = https://www.windowscentral.com/accessories/networking/tp-link-archer-axe75-wi-fi-6e-router-review

Mine looks like the one on the left in my photo below, advertised for $159 at Walmart.

Model # on the bottom of the unit is Model:Archer AXE5400 (USW Ver: 1.6).

Somehow I just caught mine on sale for $138. The sales associate wasnt going to honor that price, but when I got a manager involved, he went ahead and sold it for the $138.

The AXE75 was going for $179 on Amazon; now it’s up to $199. I think a few places are still $179 Currently.

I swear, Amazon has software that detects a few people searching for a particular product. They detect a few searches, they up the price.

Ive seen it time and time again.

 

[alarmguy]

Mine looks like the one on the left in my photo below, advertised for $159 at Walmart.

Model # on the bottom of the unit is Model:Archer AXE5400 (USW Ver: 1.6).

Somehow I just caught mine on sale for $138. The sales associate wasnt going to honor that price, but when I got a manager involved, he went ahead and sold it for the $138.

The AXE75 was going for $179 on Amazon; now it’s up to $199. I think a few places are still $179 Currently.

I swear, Amazon has software that detects a few people searching for a particular product. They detect a few searches, they up the price.

Ive seen it time and time again.
View attachment 162716

Thanks for the info, I really thought I could get to the bottom of this. I dont give up easily but for now I guess I will, very much limited information. SOMETIMES a review of the routers will point out the difference if similar TP models vs similar retail models from Walmart/Target
I cant find anything, fist time I am seeing a different looking "case" for the same type of router. Someday I might find an answer.
Oh, for sure, I agree, you are 100% correct, Amazon algorithm switches up pricing ALL the time. my wife and I (big shoppers *LOL*) see it all the time and I mean ALL the time.

Someday once your used to your new computer give us an update in the computer thread you started!

 

[john_pifer]

Thanks for the info, I really thought I could get to the bottom of this. I dont give up easily but for now I guess I will, very much limited information. SOMETIMES a review of the routers will point out the difference if similar TP models vs similar retail models from Walmart/Target
I cant find anything, fist time I am seeing a different looking "case" for the same type of router. Someday I might find an answer.
Oh, for sure, I agree, you are 100% correct, Amazon algorithm switches up pricing ALL the time. my wife and I (big shoppers *LOL*) see it all the time and I mean ALL the time.

Someday once your used to your new computer give us an update in the computer thread you started!

So did I!

Heck. Even one of the TP Link company reps I did an online chat with argued with me that what I was describing to him did not in fact exist.

Then, another rep I talked to, said that there were small differences, but it was like pulling teeth to try to extract what those differences actually are.

Such is life when so many consumer goods are made in China and elsewhere.

Re: Amazon algorithm: I wonder if using a VPN would have any effect on that.

I’ll post an update once I get the new M2 Pro up and going. I have the computer, monitors, keyboard, everything. Just need TIME to connect and set everything up!

With a 2.5 year old, 1.5 year old, and a 4-month-old, and both the wife and I working, and me on 4 12’s, essentially, all I have time for on work nights is getting the kids fed, grabbing a bite for myself, shower, and bed. Maybe stop for a run at the park once or twice a week on the way home.

So, probably won’t have time to get it set up until Sunday at the earliest.

In the mean time, we’re enjoying the quicker internet speeds!

I appreciate you and everyone else taking the time to post suggestions and advice.

 

[FordSVTGuy]

So did I!

Heck. Even one of the TP Link company reps I did an online chat with argued with me that what I was describing to him did not in fact exist.

Then, another rep I talked to, said that there were small differences, but it was like pulling teeth to try to extract what those differences actually are.

Such is life when so many consumer goods are made in China and elsewhere.

Re: Amazon algorithm: I wonder if using a VPN would have any effect on that.

I’ll post an update once I get the new M2 Pro up and going. I have the computer, monitors, keyboard, everything. Just need TIME to connect and set everything up!

With a 2.5 year old, 1.5 year old, and a 4-month-old, and both the wife and I working, and me on 4 12’s, essentially, all I have time for on work nights is getting the kids fed, grabbing a bite for myself, shower, and bed. Maybe stop for a run at the park once or twice a week on the way home.

So, probably won’t have time to get it set up until Sunday at the earliest.

In the mean time, we’re enjoying the quicker internet speeds!

I appreciate you and everyone else taking the time to post suggestions and advice.

Hey. Just checking in to see how this is all working out now that it’s almost 9 months later. Has it been reliable? I recently put a TP Link AX 4400 into service, but as a router only. I disabled the Wi-Fi and use some older ASUS routers as Wi-Fi access points scattered around my 3 story home. The APs are hardwired into the new router and the setup is great. Very low latency and excellent performance overall… I have Verizon’s 300 Mbps symmetrical service, so I don’t need hardware with the highest specs…