For the TP-Link Archer AX6000 router, the value is the name of the game. The Netgear Nighthawk RAX80 and Linksys MaxStream MR9600 are both Wi-Fi 6 rivals, but the Linksys MaxStream MR9600 is a solid all-around router to base your home network on because it costs $100 less.
After doing an extensive evaluation of the TP-Link Archer AX6000, we found that it should provide more than enough bandwidth for all but the most demanding games. The addition of router-based security and eight wired Ethernet connections elevates the Archer AX6000 to the top of the connectivity heap, demonstrating that it is just as capable with wired devices as it is with Wi-Fi. In terms of performance, it’s one of the finest Wi-Fi 6 routers available if you’re looking to upgrade from earlier wireless-AC versions, and it deserves a position on our list of the best Wi-Fi routers you can purchase.
Design
The AX6000 takes a more understated approach to design than its more flashy gaming competitors, which is a welcome change ( like the flagship Archer AX11000 ). Despite the fact that it has eight permanently connected antennas and a horizontal design, it has a black plastic appearance that appears to be more business-like than gaming-oriented. A flashing LED in the upper center, hidden beneath a gleaming gold TP-Link logo, indicates when everything is operating properly (and when it isn’t) but there’s nothing flashy about it. However, the light can be turned off with a dedicated hardware button—which is crucial if your router is located near your television or in your bedroom.
When measured in inches and millimeters, AX6000 is on the bigger end of the range, measuring 10.3 x 10.3 inches and 60.2 millimeters. Its dimensions are 261.2 x 261.2 and it weighs 3.5 pounds (1.59 kg). With dimensions of 10.4 x 10.4 x 2.9 inches and a weight of 3.94 pounds, this is nearly as large as the Asus Rapture GT-AXE1000. However, the antennas on the Archer AX6000 are shorter than those on other routers, and they are permanently connected, so all you have to do when pulling the router out of the box is flip them up.
The Archer AX6000 is a powerful square router that features eight external antennas that can be folded up and down to save space. It’s roughly the size of a dinner plate in total, so you’ll need a lot of space to accommodate it wherever you decide to put it on display. If you wish to connect it to a wall sideways or upside-down beneath a table, there are some mounts on the bottom that would undoubtedly assist with the size issue.
USB-A 3.0 and USB-C 3.0 ports are located on the router’s side, allowing you to attach one external disk or two. If you want to experiment with network-attached storage, this will suffice on a modest scale. Thanks to this functionality, I was able to stream video and exchange data across PCs with relative ease. In addition to three slender buttons on the opposite side of the router, one for WPS, one for turning on Wi-Fi, and one for turning on the top LED.
The router features a 2.5 Gbps WAN port and a total of eight Gigabit LAN connections on the rear, making it an excellent choice for anybody who wants to connect a large number of wired devices to their network. However, link aggregation between the second and third LAN ports is feasible, even though there is no multi-Gigabit LAN connection on this model. If you require it, this would theoretically provide wired rates of up to 2 Gbps.
Wi-Fi 6 Performance
The most compelling reason for many consumers to upgrade to a Wi-Fi 6 router and devices is, without a question, the improvement in performance they will experience. Rest confident that the Archer AX6000 will function flawlessly with older devices as well as newer ones. Even though the Wi-Fi 6 is designed to be backward compatible, I had no trouble connecting all of my gadgets, whether they were old or new. This is a dual-band router with radios operating at 2.4GHz and 5GHz, allowing you to select between signal quality at a range and sheer speed in close proximity. Radios can be programmed to only operate on a single frequency standard. For example, you may limit the use of the 5GHz band to just 802.11ax devices by configuring the band.
The Smart Connect function, which is widespread among mesh systems, is not available on this router, unlike some other contemporary routers. When this feature is activated, the router only displays one SSID to which you may connect. Once connected, the router will automatically switch devices between the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios based on which radio provides the greatest performance. When you go out of range of where 5GHz is effective, you’ll be shifted over to 2.4GHz, and vice versa. It’s a rather seamless transition.
TP-Link Archer AX6000 (2.4GHz)
| Location | Ping | Down speed | Up speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living room (10 feet) | 10ms | 104.45 Mbps | 16.23 Mbps |
| Office (30 feet) | 10ms | 88.48 Mbps | 16.07 Mbps |
| Basement (40 feet) | 11ms | 89.69 Mbps | 16.08 Mbps |
| Outdoors (50 feet) | 11ms | 24.99 Mbps | 15.91 Mbps |
TP-Link Archer AX6000 (5GHz)
| Location | Ping | Down speed | Up speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living room (10 feet) | 11ms | 320.86 Mbps | 16.23 Mbps |
| Office (30 feet) | 10ms | 314.57 Mbps | 16.09 Mbps |
| Basement (40 feet) | 11ms | 173.41Mbps | 16.14 Mbps |
| Outdoors (50 feet) | — | — | — |
With the help of Ookla’s Speedtest and a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme with an Intel Wireless AX200 (2×2) card, I conducted some tests. Please keep in mind that my internet subscription has a speed of 350 Mbps down and 15 Mbps up, which is far from enough for taking advantage of the Archer AX6000’s full capabilities. Something like the Archer AX50, for example, would undoubtedly be a more appropriate Wi-Fi 6 router for my needs. In any event, here are the findings that I obtained using the AX6000 camera.
The 5GHz radio’s speeds remained outstanding throughout my house, however stepping outside to the backyard resulted in a significant loss of signal strength. I was unable to maintain a stable signal for long enough to obtain an accurate readout. Due to a large number of walls and substantial insulation that must be penetrated for the signal to flow through, this is not surprising.
In addition, I checked to see how well the Wi-Fi 5 router provided by my ISP performed in the same places around my house for comparison.
Specifications
| WIRELESS | |
|---|---|
| Standards | Wi-Fi 6 IEEE 802.11ax/ac/n/a 5 GHz IEEE 802.11ax/n/b/g 2.4 GHz |
| WiFi Speeds | AX6000 5 GHz: 4804 Mbps (802.11ax, HE160) 2.4 GHz: 1148 Mbps (802.11ax) |
| WiFi Range | 4 Bedroom Houses8× Fixed High-Performance 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 High-Power FEM Improves transmission power to strengthen signal coverage 4T4R Multiple streams in the same band strengthen the fault tolerance in transmission |
| WiFi Capacity | Very HighDual-Band Allocate devices to different bands for optimal performance 4×4 MU-MIMO Simultaneously communicates with multiple MU-MIMO clients OFDMA Simultaneously communicates with multiple Wi-Fi 6 clients Airtime Fairness Improves network efficiency by limiting excessive occupation DFS Access an extra band to reduce congestion 8 Streams Connect your devices to more bandwidth |
| Working Modes | Router Mode Access Point Mode |
| HARDWARE | |
|---|---|
| Processor | 1.8 GHz 64 Bit Quad-Core CPU |
| Ethernet Ports | 1× 2.5 Gbps WAN Port 8× Gigabit LAN Ports Static Link Aggregation (LAG) available with 2× LAN ports |
| USB Support | 1× USB-C 3.0 Port 1× USB-A 3.0 Port Supported Partition Formats: NTFS, exFAT, HFS+, FAT32 Supported Functions: Apple Time Machine FTP Server Media Server Samba Server |
| Buttons | Wi-Fi On/Off Button Power On/Off Button LED On/Off Button WPS Button Reset Button |
| Power | 12 V ⎓ 4 A |
| SECURITY | |
|---|---|
| WiFi Encryption | WPA WPA2 WPA3 |
| Network Security | SPI Firewall Access Control IP & MAC Binding Application Layer Gateway HomeCare™ AntivirusMalicious Site Checker Port Intrusion Prevention Infected Device Isolation Notification and Log |
| Guest Network | 1× 5 GHz Guest Network 1× 2.4 GHz Guest Network |
| VPN Server | OpenVPN PPTP |
| SOFTWARE | |
|---|---|
| Protocols | IPv4 IPv6 |
| Service Kits | HomeCare™ |
| OneMesh™ | OneMesh™ Supported Without replacing your existing devices or buying a whole new WiFi ecosystem, OneMesh™ helps you create a more flexible network that covers your entire home with TP-Link OneMesh™ products. |
| Parental Controls | HomeCare™ Parental ControlsCustom Profiles Content Filtering App Block URL Filtering Time Limit Time Schedule (Bedtime) Log Insight |
| WAN Types | Dynamic IP Static IP PPPoE PPTP L2TP |
| Quality of Service | QoS by Device HomeCare™ QoSQoS by Application |
| 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) | 10.3 × 10.3 × 2.4 in. (261.2 × 261.2 × 60.2 mm) |
| Package Contents | Wi-Fi Router Archer AX6000 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, CE, RoHS |
| 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(2.4GHz & 5.15GHz~5.25GHz & 5.725GHz~5.825GHz) <24dBm(5.25GHz-5.35GHz & 5.47GHz-5.725 GHz) |
| WiFi Reception Sensitivity | 5 GHz： 11a 6Mbps:-97dBm,11a54MBps:-79dBm 11ac VHT20 MCS0:-97dBm,11ac VHT20 MCS11:-67dBm 11ac VHT40 MCS0:-95dBm,11ac VHT40 MCS11:-64dBm 11ac VHT80 MCS0:-92dBm,11ac VHT80 MCS11:-61dBm 11ac VHT160 MCS0:-87dBm,11ac VHT160 MCS11:-55dBm 11ax HE20 MCS0:-95dBm,11ax HE20 MCS11:-64dBm 11ax HE40 MCS0:-93dBm,11ax HE40 MCS11:-61.5dBm 11ax HE80 MCS0:-89dBm,11ax HE80 MCS11:-58.5dBm 11ax HE160 MCS0:-86dBm,11ax HE160 MCS11:-56dBm 2.4 GHz: 11g 6Mbps:-97dBm,11a54MBps:-79dBm 11n HT20 MCS0:-97dBm,11n HT20 MCS7:-78dBm 11n HT40 MCS0:-95dBm,11n HT40 MCS7:-75dBm 11ac VHT20 MCS0:-96dBm,11ac VHT20 MCS11:-67dBm 11ac VHT40 MCS0:-94dBm,11ac VHT40 MCS11:-64dBm 11ax HE20 MCS0:-95dBm,11ax HE20 MCS11:-64dBm 11ax HE40 MCS0:-93dBm,11ax HE40 MCS11:-62dBm |
Verdict
With eight wired networking ports and the ability to pair two of them together to create a 2Gbps stream of data, TP-Archer Link’s AX6000 router leads the way for Wi-Fi 6 routers that are just as good with wired devices as they are with Wi-Fi, despite the fact that unplugging some of the cables can be difficult.
Despite the fact that it delivered Wi-Fi transmissions that were more than enough for most family needs and were far better than 802.11ac routers, it fell short of the record established by the Netgear Nighthawk RAX80 wireless router when it came to providing high-performance data streams. In other words, gamers who are picky about their games or who consume a lot of data may be let down.
Consider the Archer AX6000 to be the entry-level router for the first generation of Wi-Fi 6 devices on the market. That’s because, at $300, it can save you $100 when compared to high-performance routers such as the Nighthawk RAX80, Linksys MaxStream MR9600, and others.
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