TP-Link Archer AX10 (AX1500) Wi-Fi 6 Router Review

TP-Link Archer AX10 is a completely new router launched by TP-Link with another generation WiFi 6 technology. WiFi 6 can not only create your WiFi quicker, but it will also ensure it is more reliable particularly when there are even more devices linked to your network.

You can try out Wi-Fi 6 for the first time for $79.99 with the TP-Link Archer AX10 ($79.99), which is the most reasonable option if you want to do so without spending a lot of money. While this dual-band router provided strong 5GHz performance and demonstrated good signal range in our tests; nonetheless, its 2.4GHz performance might be improved.

As is customary with budget-class routers, you will not find capabilities like multi-gigabit and USB connections, nor will it enable channel widths more than 160MHz or WPA3 encryption. However, for a price of less than $100, you might be ready to ignore such shortcomings.

A compact router, the Archer AX10 is finished in a two-tone glossy and matte black finish, and it has textured grilles and a TP-Link badge on the back. Its overall dimensions are 1.5 by 10.2 by 5.3 inches (HWD), and it features four non-removable antennae on the top.

With a series of LED indicators for power, both radio bands, internet connectivity (including LAN and WPS), Ethernet activity, and WPS activity, the front edge is easy to navigate, and the rear panel contains four gigabit LAN ports as well as a WAN port, a reset button, a WPS button, a power button, and a power jack.

Unlike most budget routers, including the D-Link EXO Mesh AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 Router DIR-X1560, the AX10 does not have USB ports or multi-gigabit LAN ports found on high-end Wi-Fi 6 routers such as the TP-Link AX6000 and the Netgear Nighthawk RAX120. As with most budget routers, the AX10 does not have a built-in antenna.

Design

TP-Link Archer AX10 is powered by Broadcom BCM6750 1.5Ghz Triple-Core CPU, like the one in ASUS RT-AX3000 which costs a lot more than twice as much. There’s furthermore a row of Directed indicators in leading of the router showing the current standing of the system.

On the trunk, you will discover all of the ports on the Archer AX10. It has 4 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and an individual Gigabit Ethernet WAN interface. It doesn’t include any USB port. It really is powered by way of a 12V energy adapter.

I appreciated the discreet “X” design across the top of the gadget, which I believe is a reference to 802.11ax, the official name for Wi-Fi 6. The little TP-Link AX10 is clad in glossy black plastic and sports a quartet of antennae on the rear — but it isn’t very striking.

It’s not nearly as large or ostentatious-looking as some of the higher-end Wi-Fi 6 routers I’ve tried so far, measuring 10 inches broad and about an inch thick (excluding the antennas, of course). It’s also not nearly as expensive. If you believe that routers of this type are overly forceful in their appearance, you’ll likely prefer the understated style of this device.

You’ll find four spare Ethernet ports at the back of the machine, as well as a WAN port if you turn it over. At this budget, you shouldn’t be surprised that the WAN ports are limited to 1Gbps, unlike the multi-gigabit WAN ports we’re starting to see on more expensive routers. The absence of any USB ports is likely to be the most noticeable omission for the majority of people.

Performance 

As previously said, we will not have complete speed test results until we are able to return to our test lab, where we measure the maximum speed of each router under consideration in a controlled setting. That didn’t stop me from trying it out at home, with the obvious caveat being that the speeds in my house are limited by my AT&T fiber internet package, which has a cap of 300Mbps on upload and download rates.

I also use a laptop with Wi-Fi 5 to conduct my speed testing. When connected to a Wi-Fi 6 device, speeds are likely to be a little faster, which is something else we’ll look into as soon as we can.

The Archer AX10, which is a dual-band AX1500 router, has top speeds of 1,200Mbps on the 5GHz band and 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, according to the manufacturer. Manufacturer speed claims are always based on ideal, lab-based measurements that do not take into account real-world issues such as distance, interference, and obstructions, resulting in actual top transfer speeds that are far lower than the manufacturer’s promises.

Furthermore, I’d like to point out that 1,200Mbps is significantly slower than the fastest Wi-Fi 6 speeds we’ve been able to achieve in the lab, which was approximate 1,500Mbps late last year. It is therefore unreasonable to expect this router to maximize the speed of 802.11ax networks at its maximum capacity.

Nonetheless, in my home, it operated consistently well, and I never saw a dip in connection while moving from room to room conducting speed tests over the course of a few days of testing. The speeds, on the other hand, were a little uneven. I measured close-range wifi speeds on the 5GHz band in my living room, where the router is located, that ranged from 189 to 330Mbps, resulting in a final average speed of 248Mbps. Even though this isn’t a horrible result, it isn’t quite on par with higher-end routers such as TP-own Link’s Archer AX6000 router, which averaged an amazing 310Mbps in the same room.

When I took into consideration the remainder of my house, the AX10’s overall average speed on the 5GHz band was 189Mbps. The speeds in my back bathroom, which is the room that is the furthest away from the router, were what really dragged down the overall average. With a poor connection at the range, the AX10 achieved an average speed of 59Mbps in that room, with numerous tests registering speeds of less than twenty megabits per second. My shotgun-style home, on the other hand, isn’t particularly large.

According to conventional wisdom, using the 2.4GHz band should provide you with some more range (though at a slower speed), however, this wasn’t true while testing the AX10. In the rear bathroom, as you can see in the graph above, my speeds dropped significantly once more, this time by a significant amount.

Specifications

WIRELESS
Standards	Wi-Fi 6 IEEE 802.11ax/ac/n/a 5 GHz IEEE 802.11n/b/g 2.4 GHz
WiFi Speeds	AX1500 5 GHz: 1201 Mbps (802.11ax) 2.4 GHz: 300 Mbps (802.11n)
WiFi Range	3 Bedroom Houses Antennas Multiple antennas form a signal-boosting array to cover more directions and large areas Beamforming Concentrates wireless signal strength towards clients to expand WiFi range
WiFi Capacity	High Dual-Band Allocate devices to different bands for optimal performance OFDMA Simultaneously communicates with multiple Wi-Fi 6 clients Airtime Fairness Improves network efficiency by limiting excessive occupation 4 Streams Connect your devices to more bandwidth
Working Modes	Router Mode Access Point Mode

HARDWARE
Processor	1.5 GHz Triple-Core CPU
Ethernet Ports	1× Gigabit WAN Port 4× Gigabit LAN Ports
Buttons	WPS/Wi-Fi Button Power On/Off Button LED On/Off Button Reset Button
Power	12 V ⎓ 1 A

SECURITY
WiFi Encryption	WEP WPA WPA2 WPA/WPA2-Enterprise (802.1x)
Network Security	SPI Firewall Access Control IP & MAC Binding Application Layer Gateway
Guest Network	1× 5 GHz Guest Network 1× 2.4 GHz Guest Network
VPN Server	OpenVPN PPTP

SOFTWARE
Protocols	IPv4 IPv6
Parental Controls	URL Filtering Time Controls
WAN Types	Dynamic IP Static IP PPPoE PPTP L2TP
Quality of Service	QoS by Device
Cloud Service	Auto Firmware Upgrade OTA Firmware Upgrade TP-Link ID DDNS
NAT Forwarding	Port Forwarding Port Triggering DMZ UPnP
IPTV	IGMP Proxy IGMP Snooping Bridge Tag VLAN
DHCP	Address Reservation DHCP Client List Server
DDNS	TP-Link NO-IP DynDNS
Management	Tether App Webpage

PHYSICAL
Dimensions (W×D×H)	10.2 × 5.3 ×1.5 in (260.2 × 135.0 × 38.6 mm)
Package Contents	Wi-Fi Router Archer AX10 Power Adapter RJ45 Ethernet Cable Quick Installation Guide

OTHER
System Requirements	Internet Explorer 11+, Firefox 12.0+, Chrome 20.0+, Safari 4.0+, or other JavaScript-enabled browser Cable or DSL Modem (if needed) Subscription with an internet service provider (for internet access)
Certifications	FCC
Environment	Operating Temperature: 0℃~40℃ (32℉ ~104℉) Storage Temperature: -40℃~70℃ (-40℉ ~158℉) Operating Humidity: 10%~90% non-condensing Storage Humidity: 5%~90% non-condensing

TEST DATA
WiFi Transmission Power	FCC: <30dBm(2.4 GHz & 5.15 GHz~5.825 GHz)
WiFi Reception Sensitivity	5 GHz: 11a 6Mbps:-97dBm, 11a 54Mbps:-79dBm 11ac VHT20_MCS0:-96dBm, 11ac VHT20_MCS11:-66dBm 11ac VHT40_MCS0:-94dBm, 11ac VHT40_MCS11:-63dBm 11ac VHT80_MCS0:-91dBm, 11ac VHT80_MCS11:-60dBm 11ax HE20_MCS0:-95dBm, 11ax HE20_MCS11:-63dBm 11ax HE40_MCS0:-92dBm, 11ax HE40_MCS11:-60dBm 11ax HE80_MCS0:-89dBm, 11ax HE80_MCS11:-58dBm 2.4 GHz: 11g 6Mbps:-91dBm, 11a 54Mbps:-74dBm 11n HT20_MCS0:-90dBm, 11n HT20_MCS7:-73dBm 11n HT40_MCS0:-88dBm, 11n HT40_MCS7:-70dBm

Pro

• Affordable Wi-Fi 6 Router
• Easy to setup
• Good Wi-Fi performance

Cons

• No USB Port

Conclusion

I recommend the Archer AX10 if you are searching for a fresh budget router nowadays. At RM349, it beats many aged Cellular AC routers that price even doubly much. It’s a real no-brainer to get this Archer AX10, it includes really good performance and is incredibly stable.

The TP-Link Archer AX10 delivers Wi-Fi 6 networking into your home for less than $80, yet you will not be able to take advantage of all of the benefits that this new technology has to offer because it does not support 160MHz channel width or WPA3 encryption, among other things.

Other technologies such as multi-gigabit Ethernet, link aggregation, and USB connectivity are absent. Having said that, you’d be hard pushed to find these features on any router priced less than $100. With that in mind, as well as its strong throughput on the 5GHz radio band, the AX10 is a reasonable choice for anyone looking to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6.