TP-Link

Archer AX21 AX1800 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router

TP-Link Archer AX21 AX1800 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router

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Overall

#52 in

WiFi Routers

according to Reddit Icon Reddit

Sentiment score82% positive
14
2
1

Top Pros

Top Cons

Last updated: Jun 5, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit Iconandreasrolen
8 months ago

This might be obvious to a lot of people, but replacing the Spectrum router with [a TP-Link router](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H8ZLKKK) made my life so much better. The issues I faced before I switched router, that are now gone: * Losing Wifi on mobile devices: Sometimes just disconnected and forced me to reconnect with the password again. Quite frustrating with a longer password. * Sonos disconnecting: Very often my Sonos speakers struggled to connect, lost connection, or just didn't show up on the system * TV not connecting when waking from hibernation: Often had to fully restart the smart TV to get a proper connection to the wifi * Chrome cast lagging: Casting video from my computer to the TV ended up showing the video on the TV in slow motion. I tried to resolve many of these issues by optimizing which units are on which bands etc, but never really got it working well, until I bought a new router that just solved all of this without any additional setup. If you're having struggles like these, I really recommend investing $60-80 in an okay router. Nothing fancy needed, just get something off Amazon and you'll be very happy you did!

Reddit Icondelmecca
8 months ago

I had issues with my spectrum router has a tp link router that I was using that was an ax 2100 and it worked perfectly but my kid broke it so I upgraded to a different one that has been horrible be5800 I don't know what I have had my modem replaced tried different setting I own a newer built house and I am not sure what is really the issue.

Reddit IconElderGrub
about 1 month ago

I have a TP Link Archer AX21 and honestly I just use steam remote play to run The Division 2 with no issues. I haven't done much in the way of tinkering, I tried remote play on a whim expecting it to be ass but it worked fine. I do have Apollo set up and I bounce between the two but I can't tell the difference. Could be from me not tinkering enough though. I did have the standard Spectrum router before it was noticeably less smooth.

Reddit IconG00dSh0tJans0n
about 2 months ago

Just a basic TP-link Archer Ax21. The one that came with Google Fiber is okay but I really needed one that allowed me to control DNS because I'm using a Pi zero 2 with Pihole on it for DNS.

Reddit IconInternetGuruChris
8 months ago

Nah dude, you don’t need to waste money on one of those “network security plans.” Most consumer routers are fine right out of the box as long as you tweak a few settings. If you grab something decent in the $100–$150 range (TP-Link Archer AX21, ASUS RT-AX57, Netgear, etc.), just do this after setting it up: • Change the default admin login. • Use WPA2 or WPA3 for Wi-Fi security. • Turn off WPS and remote management. • Keep firmware updated. That’s honestly 90% of what those “security subscriptions” do anyway, minus the upsell. When the tech installs that Cat6 wall jack, you’ll just plug your new router into it and you’re good. You’ll save cash over time and still be plenty secure.

Reddit Iconmotion55
5 months ago

TP-Link AX23. Setup as access point mode to work with most primary routers.

Reddit Iconpakthedude
about 2 months ago

The router from the addon would be yours to keep. Sort of instalment plan. Nowadays, the fibre ONT device is not required to return back to the ISP. Depends on your needs. If you need 6ghz, go for tri-band. If you have supported device (2.5/5/10 GBe) to plug in network cable to the router, then consider the one with those network port. Those router without 2.5GBe port would have capped output of 1gbps 3gbps plan, free router: ASUS RT-BE58U (1x 2.5 port) or TP-Link Archer EB210 Pro (2x 2.5 port). Both are dual-band router, no 6ghz, has 2.5gbps WAN ASUS RT-BE92U tri-band router with 10gbe WAN, 2.5GBe LAN TP-Link BE805 tri-band router with 2x 10GBe WAN/LAN, 4x 1GBe. This model maybe out of stock or no longer be available for selection. I gotten the M1 HomePac 10Gbps (Plan only) and bought a TP-Link BE805 from Carousell for $250 It depends on your living situation and commitment You may consider M1 3mbps plan as it has a lower UP of $65. Early termination clause for M1 is UP rate multiplied by remaining month. Otherwise, go with MyRepublic as their contract price and off-contract price is narrower.

Reddit IconRitzlr
7 months ago

Been using Tplink AX20 since around Wifi 6 (ax) was kinda new, was around 18k back then & have served really well so far apart from rare occasional quirks. AX23 which is currently available in your budget is probably the same model with minor changes. Specs are good (quad core with enough ram) and dual band is definitely 100% 'not just marketing'. You get high link speed with wifi 6 devices. I get upto 1200Mbps link speed between wifi 6 PC & the router (depends on distance) and have played competitive multiplayer game on wifi with similar experience to Ethernet. If you ever end up transferring files over local network (between laptop & PC for example) you get good transfer speeds due to stable and higher link speeds. Large files can be transferred over network & there's also option to stream content over wifi within your local network. If you have an android tv box connected with wifi (or get one in future), it better be supporting 5Ghz for it to stream HD over wifi and a dual band router is needed in that case (when you don't wanna run an Ethernet cable) I have it connected to a line interactive sine wave UPS though, and probably that's the way to do it or you are just risking your router. It did survive Karachi heat so far. The more expensive AX50 version was known for overheating so I would still avoid AX53/AX55 unless they have fixed those issues. Also with tplink routers, for stability, it's a good thing to set them to auto reboot daily or at minimum weekly at some hour when no one is likely using internet.

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