The TP-Link Archer A7 is a mid-range wireless router designed to create a solid wireless network for households with both new and older devices. The router manages to be affordable while offering some pretty decent features, but it does have its shortcomings. Keep reading this TP-Link Archer A7 router review to learn why this router is decent for a small to mid-sized household, and the instances when this router simply won’t do the job too.
Guest Network and Dual-Band Support:
The TP-Link Archer A7 is a powerful tool for handling many different devices at the same time. This 802.11ac device has an impressive maximum speed of 647.4 Mbps and can transmit signals over the networks for new and old devices in your home to connect to. Not only that, but it can create a guest network as well for three potential network options. With so many wireless networks to select from it’s simple for devices to get good speeds and for many different users to all make use of their devices at home without too much interference.
USB Port at the back of the router:
The router comes equipped with a USB port for sharing media over the network. Users can connect an external hard drive or a flash drive and make the information on that drive available across the network. This is a useful tool for accessing pictures and achieving other storage goals effectively throughout the home across multiple devices. Unfortunately, the port is just the USB 2.0 standard, which means significantly slower transfer speeds than the USB 3.0 ports on some devices available today.
Supports 802.11ac standard – 3 times faster than wireless N speeds
3 External Antennas to support long range
3 External Antennas for better range:
This router has an excellent wireless range, thanks to its three external antennas and increased transmission power. The antennas can be adjusted for an increased broadcast range and this router can be used in mid-sized homes effectively. Since the router is based on the 802.11ac standard it can deliver greater wireless speeds further away from the central hub, making it more useful along the edges of your home than older devices would be.
Parental Controls and QoS options:
The TP-Link A7 device features built-in parental control features giving you the ability to change what features your children can access on the network. It also comes with built-in QoS (quality of service) features that allow you to designate what the most important devices and services are so they get the most stable connection on your network for improved user experience.
The device does lack other advanced customization tools though, which can keep advanced users from being able to make the most of their wireless network. Basic users will be happy with the simple interface and highly capable function of this wireless router, but advanced users will feel stifled and a bit disappointed in the options available.
The TP-Link A7 router is a good reliable router priced decently for small to mid-sized households that don’t have too many users. It should handle all the typical devices that a small family has without too much issue, but the trouble comes when you get to homes that have way more than the average number of devices.
The lack of MU-MIMO support can cause a house with dozens of concurrent devices to experience some slowdowns during use. The router also falls short in oversized homes.
In testing the router’s range was about 80 feet in a standard home, which is enough for many spaces, but some houses will need a mesh network or wireless access points to extend the internet everywhere.
If you have a typical sized home with an average number of wireless devices, the TP-Link A7 router is a good investment and a reliable tool for connecting to the internet.