TP-Link Archer C3200 Review
In case you have a high-traffic system with multiple customers vying for bandwidth, you might want to consider upgrading to a tri-band router. Whereas dual-band versions offer one 2.4GHz and something 5GHz Wi-Fi band, tri-band routers offer you 1 2.4GHz and 2 5GHz bands. The excess 5GHz band goes quite a distance in easing cellular network congestion and provides you more handle over how clients link wirelessly. With the TP-Link AC3200 Wireless Tri-Band Gigabit Router Archer C3200 ($259.99), you obtain good 5GHz throughput and a slew of management settings, also it does a good job of transferring files to and from attached USB storage products. However, it can’t match up the overall performance of its triple-band competitors.
# | Image | Details | |
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1 | TP-Link AC3200 Wireless Wi-Fi Tri-Band Gigabit Router (Archer C3200) | Amazon.com | |
2 | TP-Link AC3200 Wireless Wi-Fi Tri-Band Gigabit Router (Archer C3200) (Renewed) | Amazon.com |
Design
The C3200 can be an AC3200 router; its 2.4GHz band has an optimum data-link velocity of 600Mbps and each one of the 5GHz bands may reach speeds as high as 1,300Mbps. It really is powered by way of a 1GHz dual-core processor chip and helps the 802.11 b/g/n/ac networking standards. Along with Beamforming, which transmits Wi-Fi signals right to clients instead of in a wide spectrum, this router functions TP-Link’s Wise Connect technologies, which, when allowed, instantly assigns the very best rate of recurrence band to customers predicated on network traffic.
Measuring 1.5 by 7.9 by 7.9 inches (HWD), the C3200 is of typical size and sits horizontally. It is also installed on a walls utilizing the two mounting brackets on underneath of the chassis. The router will be black, and the very best is protected with a grille that provides it some style. It offers six exterior antennas that fold flush in to the top you should definitely used and nine Brought exercise indicators on leading panel for energy, USB, all three bands, Ethernet and WAN ports, and Cellular Protected Set up (WPS). Furthermore on the panel are usually control keys to initiate WPS, disable the LED lights, and change Wi-Fi on / off. Around back are usually four wired Gigabit Ethernet ports, a WAN (Web) slot, an USB 3.0 port, the USB 2.0 slot, and an electrical switch.
Performance
The C3200 performed similar to a midrange router when compared to a high-end model on our 2.4GHz throughput tests. Its score of 47.8Mbps on the close-proximity check is on par with the Tenda AC1900 Wi-fi Dual Band Router AC15 (53.4Mbps) and the Linksys WRT 1200AC($280.00 at Amazon) (50Mbps), both of which are usually midrange routers. Nevertheless, it couldn’t maintain pace using its fellow tri-band routers; the Linksys EA9200 have scored 90Mbps, the Netgear R8000 scored 90.7Mbps, and the Asus RT-AC3200 scored 86Mbps. Once more, the D-Hyperlink DIR-890L/R took best honors with 92.7Mbps. Email address details are comparable on the 30-foot check; the C3200’s rating of 24.2 Mbps may be the slowest of most of its tri-band competitors.
Specifications
WIRELESS | |
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Standards | Wi-Fi 6 IEEE 802.11ax/ac/n/a 5 GHz IEEE 802.11ax/n/b/g 2.4 GHz |
WiFi Speeds | AX11000 5 GHz: 4804 Mbps (802.11ax) 5 GHz: 4804 Mbps (802.11ax) 2.4 GHz: 1148 Mbps (802.11ax) |
WiFi Range | 4 Bedroom Houses 8× Detachable 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 |
WiFi Capacity | Very High Tri-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 12 Streams Connect your devices to more bandwidth |
Working Modes | Router Mode Access Point Mode |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |
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Interface | 4 10/100/1000Mbps LAN Ports, 1 10/100/1000Mbps WAN Port 1 USB 3.0 Port + 1 USB 2.0 Port |
Button | Wireless On/Off Button Power On/off Button LED On/off Button WPS Button Reset Button |
External Power Supply | 12V/5A |
Dimensions ( W x D x H ) | 7.9 X 7.9 X 1.5 in. (200 X 200 X 39mm) |
Antenna | 3 dual band Fixed antennas & 3 single band Fixed antennas |
HARDWARE | |
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Processor | 1.8 GHz 64 Bit Quad-Core CPU |
Ethernet Ports | 1× 2.5 Gbps WAN Port 8× Gigabit LAN Ports Link Aggregation (802.3ad) 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 |
Buttons | Wi-Fi On/Off Button Power On/Off Button LED On/Off Button WPS Button Reset Button |
Power | 12 V ⎓ 5 A |
WIRELESS FEATURES | |
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Wireless Standards | IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5GHz IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz |
Frequency | 2.4GHz and 5GHz Band1/Band4 |
Signal Rate | 5GHz Band1: Up to 1300Mbps 5GHz Band2: Up to 1300Mbps 2.4GHz: Up to 600Mbps |
Reception Sensitivity | 5GHz: 11a 6Mbps: -94dBm 11a 54Mbps: -76dBm 11ac HT20: -68dBm 11ac HT40: -64dBm 11ac HT80: -60dBm 2.4GHz 11g 54M: -77dBm 11n HT20: -73dBm 11n HT40: -71dBm |
Wireless Functions | Enable/Disable Wireless Radio, WMM, Wireless Statistics |
Wireless Security | 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryption |
Transmission Power | CE: <20dBm(2.4GHz) <23dBm(5GHz) FCC: <30dBm |
Guest Network | 2.4GHz guest network × 1 5GHz guest network × 2 |
SOFTWARE FEATURES | |
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Quality of Service | WMM, Bandwidth Control |
WAN Type | Dynamic IP/Static IP/PPPoE/ PPTP(Dual Access)/L2TP(Dual Access) |
Management | Access Control Local Management Remote Management |
DHCP | Server, Client, DHCP Client List, Address Reservation |
Port Forwarding | Virtual Server, Port Triggering, UPnP, DMZ |
Dynamic DNS | DynDns, NO-IP |
VPN Pass-Through | PPTP, L2TP, IPSec |
Access Control | Parental Control, Local Management Control, Host List, Access Schedule, Rule Management |
Protocols | Supports IPv4 and IPv6 |
USB Sharing | Support Samba(Storage)/FTP Server/Media Server/Printer Server |
IPSec VPN | Supports up to 10 IPSec VPN tunnels |
SECURITY | |
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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 | |
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Protocols | IPv4 IPv6 |
Game Center | Game Accelerator Detects and optimizes gaming streams to keep latency as low as possible Game Statistics Check real-time latency, system utilization, and game duration on a redesigned dashboard to tweak every detail Game Protector Keep your accounts and system safe with HomeCare™ antivirus protection |
Service Kits | HomeCare™ |
Parental Controls | HomeCare™ Parental ControlsCustom Profiles Content Filtering App Block URL Filtering Time Limit Time Schedule (Bedtime) Log Insight Monthly Report |
WAN Types | Dynamic IP Static IP PPPoE PPTP L2TP |
Quality of Service | Game Accelerator QoS QoS by Device HomeCare™ QoSQoS by Application |
Cloud Service | Auto 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 | |
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Dimensions (W×D×H) | 11.3 × 11.3 × 7.2 in (288 × 288 × 184 mm) |
Package Contents | Wi-Fi Router Archer AX11000 Power Adapter RJ45 Ethernet Cable Quick Installation Guide |
OTHER | |
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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 |
OTHERS | |
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Certification | FCC, RoHS |
Package Contents | AC 3200 Wireless Tri-Band Gigabit Router Archer C3200 Power supply unit Ethernet Cable Quick Installation Guide |
System Requirements | Microsoft Windows 98SE, NT, 2000, XP, Vista™ or Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1/10 MAC OS, NetWare, UNIX or Linux |
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 | |
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WiFi Transmission Power | CE: <20dBm(2.4GHz) <23dBm(5.15GHz~5.35GHz) <30dBm(5.47GHz~5.725GHz) 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_1: 11a 6Mbps:-96dBm, 11a 54Mbps:-78dBm 11ac VHT20_MCS0:-95dBm, 11ac VHT20_MCS11:-65dBm 11ac VHT40_MCS0:-93dBm, 11ac VHT40_MCS11:-62dBm 11ac VHT80_MCS0:-90dBm, 11ac VHT80_MCS11:-59dBm 11ac VHT160_MCS0:-87dBm, 11ac VHT160_MCS11:-54dBm 11ax HE20_MCS0:-94dBm, 11ax HE20_MCS11:-62Bm 11ax HE40_MCS0:-91dBm, 11ax HE40_MCS11:-59dBm 11ax HE80_MCS0:-88dBm, 11ax HE80_MCS11:-57dBm 11ax HE160_MCS0:-84dBm, 11ax HE160_MCS11:-54dBm 5 GHz_2: 11a 6Mbps:-96dBm, 11a 54Mbps:-78dBm 11ac VHT20_MCS0:-95dBm, 11ac VHT20_MCS11:-65dBm 11ac VHT40_MCS0:-93dBm, 11ac VHT40_MCS11:-62dBm 11ac VHT80_MCS0:-90dBm, 11ac VHT80_MCS11:-59dBm 11ac VHT160_MCS0:-87dBm, 11ac VHT160_MCS11:-54dBm 11ax HE20_MCS0:-94dBm, 11ax HE20_MCS11:-62Bm 11ax HE40_MCS0:-91dBm, 11ax HE40_MCS11:-59dBm 11ax HE80_MCS0:-88dBm, 11ax HE80_MCS11:-57dBm 11ax HE160_MCS0:-84dBm, 11ax HE160_MCS11:-54dBm 2.4 GHz: 11g 6Mbps:-97dBm, 11a 54Mbps:-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:-96dBm, 11ax HE20_MCS11:-64dBm 11ax HE40_MCS0:-93dBm, 11ax HE40_MCS11:-61dBm |
Pros
- Lots of management features.
- Good close-proximity 5GHz throughput and relatively fast file-transfer speeds in testing.
Cons
- Expensive.
- Middling range performance and 2.4GHz throughput on our tests.
Conclusion
The TP-Link AC3200 Wireless Tri-Band Gigabit Router Archer C3200 offers you an extra 5GHz band to greatly help ease Wi-Fi congestion. In addition, it supplies a nice collection of fundamental and advanced configurations to assist you manage your system and optimize your bandwidth. While its 5GHz performanc will be good its 2.4GHz throughput and overall variety performance can’t contend with some other similarly priced tri-band routers. For a supplementary $50, our Editors’ Option for high-finish routers, the D-Hyperlink AC3200 Ultra Wi-Fi Router (DIR-890L/R), is a far better choice. It includes a feature-loaded Web-based management user interface and is particularly the fastest router we’ve seen up to now.