TP-Link Archer AX73 review

Because of Wi-Fi 6, it shouldn’t be too difficult to locate a Wi-Fi router that delivers both coverage and speed at a price that’s easy on the pocketbook in this day and age. The TP-Link Archer AX73 meets all of these requirements owing to its six antennas, blazing dual-band 5,400Mbps speeds, and affordable pricing. Is this the Wi-Fi 6 router that you’ve been waiting for? Find out more in the TP-Link Archer AX73 review at bestwifirouterguide.com.

The TP-Link Archer AX73 is an AX5400-class router, which means it supports 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 at a speed of 5,400Mbps and is compatible with 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6. Also included is 8K streaming capability, which allows you to stream content to dozens of devices at the same time while providing a high-speed signal across your whole home. In addition to sheer performance, the Archer AX73 provides WPA3 security, USB media sharing, and a full-throttle CPU that is constantly available owing to its vented architecture.

Add in parental controls, backward compatibility with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards, and intelligent power-saving capabilities, and you have an enticing choice at a reasonable price on your hands.

Design 

If you look closely, you will see that TP-Link routers are rarely plain in their appearance, and the AX73 is one of those devices in which the manufacturer agreed to every design suggestion made by its design staff. And the end effect is a little strange, but it’s still a lot of fun. That being said, the TP-Link AX73 is housed in a rectangular plastic shell with a matte black finish, with the exception of a big chunk of glossy black plastic at the top of the device.

A distinctive design that spans virtually the whole upper portion of the router is broken up by this piece — the pattern is reminiscent of some type of textile braiding, and there are various cut-outs to allow air to circulate through the machine.

A similar design is used to cover the bottom portion of the router and the small but many ventilation holes perform a good job of keeping the interior temperature under control. It is true that the router gets warm when it is in use, but it did not exhibit any indications of overheating as of this writing.

Performance

The Archer AX73 is a lightning-fast aircraft. It was designed to provide raw data rates of up to 5,400Mbps by combining both 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequencies. During operation at 5GHz, it can accommodate a single 4.8Gbps stream and a single 574Mbps stream at 2.4GHz. Most home connections aren’t nearly that fast, but it’s still crucial for future-proofing your home connection. Its dual-band architecture allows it to double the bandwidth to 160Hz, which is a great broad channel — this is what allows it to handle multiple devices at the same time thanks to its increased capacity. In addition, the six antennas allow for up to six simultaneous streams to be supported. At endpoints such as cellphones, tablets, and laptops, the Archer AX73 achieved maximum speeds of 940Mbps, which is comparable to the speeds I experienced with my home internet connection (Verizon FiOS). To be fair, such speeds were achieved when I was in close proximity to the AX73. The more I walked away from the router, the slower the internet connection became. Nonetheless, my minimum download and upload rates were in the 300Mbps range, which was more than sufficient for streaming.

2.4GHz results (two tests):

DeviceLiving room (router)Front roomBathroom
LG V60111 Mbps
105 Mbps
102 Mbps
96.5 Mbps
82.1 Mbps
75.2 Mbps
Galaxy S20+105 Mbps
108 Mbps
87.4 Mbps
65.5 Mbps
78.5 Mbps
63.9 Mbps
LG G8 (Wi-Fi 5)108 Mbps
110 Mbps
86.8 Mbps
62.8 Mbps
67 Mbps
69 Mbps
iPhone 11 Pro119 Mbps
126 Mbps
80.9 Mbps
80.5 Mbps
90.9 Mbps
79.2 Mbps

The Archer AX73 offers a respectable level of coverage. Sure, the AX73’s six antennae give it the appearance of an alien spaceship, but it is these antennas that are responsible for broadcasting the signal across your home. All of my networking equipment is housed in a second-floor bedroom, which also serves as my office. With the AX73, I was able to establish a robust Wi-Fi signal across the second story as well as the first level’s ground floor and basement. Although I observed a slight decrease in signal strength in the basement (which is two stories below the router), the connection was still strong enough to stream high-definition movies. The signal was also successful in reaching my front and rear yards without difficulty but at considerably lower rates.

5GHz results (two tests):

DeviceLiving room (router)Front roomBathroom
LG V60573 Mbps
551 Mbps
492 Mbps
531 Mbps
513 Mbps
494 Mbps
Galaxy S20+582 Mbps
585 Mbps
569 Mbps
554 Mbps
541 Mbps
535 Mbps
LG G8 (Wi-Fi 5)523 Mbps
503 Mbps
411 Mbps
446 Mbps
386 Mbps
330 Mbps
iPhone 11 Pro530 Mbps
521 Mbps
537 Mbps
554 Mbps
437 Mbps
410 Mbps

The Tether app, which is also available for other TP-Link routers, is the quickest and most convenient method of configuring and managing the Archer AX73. This software makes it simple and quick to get your network up and running, but if you want greater control over your network, you’ll need to use a web browser to make the necessary adjustments. The Tether software includes a link to the setup page, which is located under the advanced settings menu option, which is quite convenient.

My settings were easy to customize because the web browser interface is well-designed and straightforward to utilize. Because of this, the 5GHz channel was initially set at 80MHz, although it could be increased to 160MHz without causing any problems. It is possible to use Smart Connect to combine both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz channels under a single name, but it is not designed specifically to provide the fastest possible performance. My devices were only able to get a connection speed of 600Mbps while using smart connect. This is sufficient for the majority of ordinary usage, but in order to understand what this router is capable of, I wanted to divide my bands and configure them for maximum performance.

Specifications

WIRELESS
StandardsWi-Fi 6
IEEE 802.11ax/ac/n/a 5 GHz
IEEE 802.11ax/n/b/g 2.4 GHz
WiFi SpeedsAX5400
5 GHz: 4804 Mbps (802.11ax, HE160)
2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps (802.11ax)
WiFi Range3 Bedroom Houses6× 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 CapacityHighDual-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

6 Streams
Connect your devices to more bandwidth
Working ModesRouter Mode
Access Point Mode
HARDWARE
Processor1.5 GHz Triple-Core CPU
Ethernet Ports1× Gigabit WAN Port
4× Gigabit LAN Ports

Static Link Aggregation (LAG) available with 2× LAN ports
USB Support1× USB 3.0 Port

Supported Partition Formats:
NTFS, exFAT, HFS+, FAT32

Supported Functions:
Apple Time Machine
FTP Server
Media Server
Samba Server
ButtonsWi-Fi On/Off Button
Power On/Off Button
LED On/Off Button
WPS Button
Reset Button
Power12 V ⎓ 2.5 A
SECURITY
WiFi EncryptionWPA
WPA2
WPA3
WPA/WPA2-Enterprise (802.1x)
Network SecuritySPI Firewall
Access Control
IP & MAC Binding
Application Layer Gateway

HomeShield SecurityReal-Time IoT Protection
Malicious Site Blocker
Intrusion Prevention System
DDoS Attack Prevention
Home Network Scanner
Guest Network1× 5 GHz Guest Network
1× 2.4 GHz Guest Network
VPN ServerOpenVPN
PPTP
SOFTWARE
ProtocolsIPv4
IPv6
Service KitsHomeShield
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 ControlsHomeShield Parental ControlsCustom Profiles
Professional Content Filter Library
Family Time
Bedtime
Off Time
Time Rewards
Family Online Time Ranking
Pause the Internet
Weekly and Monthly Reports
WAN TypesDynamic IP
Static IP
PPPoE
PPTP
L2TP
Quality of ServiceQoS by Device
Cloud ServiceAuto Firmware Upgrade
TP-Link ID
DDNS
NAT ForwardingPort Forwarding
Port Triggering
DMZ
UPnP
Virtual Server
IPTVIGMP Proxy
IGMP Snooping
Bridge
Tag VLAN
DHCPAddress Reservation
DHCP Client List
Server
DDNSTP-Link
NO-IP
DynDNS
ManagementTether App
Webpage
PHYSICAL
Dimensions (W×D×H)10.7 × 5.8 × 1.9 in
(272.5 × 147.2 × 49.2 mm)
Package ContentsWi-Fi Router Archer AX73
Power Adapter
RJ45 Ethernet Cable
Quick Installation Guide
OTHER
System RequirementsInternet 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)
CertificationsFCC, CE, RoHS
EnvironmentOperating 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 PowerCE:
<20dBm{2.4GHz}
<23dBm{5.15GHz~5.35GHz}
<30dBm{5.47GHz~5.725GHz}
FCC:
<24dBm{5.25GHz~5.35GHz&5.47GHz~5.725GHz }
<30dBm{2.4GHz &5.15GHz~5.25GHz&5.725GHz~5.825GHz }
WiFi Reception Sensitivity2.4GHz:
11ac VHT20 MCS0:-94.5dBm
11ac VHT20 MCS8:-72.5dBm
11ac VHT40 MCS0:-92.5dBm
11ac VHT40 MCS9:-69.5dBm
11ax HE20 MCS0:-95dBm
11ax HE20 MCS11:-64.5dBm
11ax HE40 MCS0:-92.5dBm
11ax HE40 MCS11:-62dBm
5GHz:
11ac VHT20 MCS0:-97dBm
11ac VHT20 MCS8:-74dBm
11ac VHT40 MCS0:-95dBm
11ac VHT40 MCS9:-70dBm
11ac VHT80 MCS0:-91.5dBm
11ac VHT80 MCS9:-66dBm
11ac VHT160 MCS0:-86dBm
11ac VHT160 MCS9:-61dBm
11ax HE20 MCS0:-95dBm
11ax HE20 MCS11:-64dBm
11ax HE40 MCS0:-91.5dBm
11ax HE40 MCS11:-62dBm
11ax HE80 MCS0:-88dBm
11ax HE80 MCS11:-58dBm
11ax HE160 MCS0:-85.5dBm
11ax HE160 MCS11:-55dBm

Verdict

A router’s unexpected disconnects can’t be ignored since they are unpredictable. Even so, I haven’t been able to duplicate the drops, and the router has been performing beautifully since I haven’t interfered with the configuration. In any case, it is simply not suitable for heavy users who rely on their internet connections if it is unable to ensure 100% uptime outside of internet connection problems and power outages. If you want 100% uptime, however, you should select a router that has been in operation for a longer period of time and has more mature software.

With the Archer AX73, TP-Link is so close to having a winner on its hands. The speeds are rapid, and the coverage is sufficient for the majority of households. Because the pricing is far lower than the bulk of the competitors, there is nothing that can be done to move quicker for less money. The USB choices are also excellent, and there are some additional benefits for Mac users. If you’re looking for a Wi-Fi 6 router that supports full 160MHz bandwidth, is simple to set up, and has parental control features, this is still a good option.

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