Review 108: 15.03.2021 at 08:00 am
TP-Link 
Netgear
🕷 In this Review, I’ll review one of the most expensive WiFi 6 routers, and one of the cheapest ones. Which one is better? And what are the things you need to know about them?
Hopefully, by reading this review it’ll be easier for you to choose between them. Let’s start. I’ll review two routers that will be helpful for your home network.
Also, check your budget, because one of them is so expensif, There’s a huge difference in prices between them. There are two things you need to know before I start reviewing them. If you haven’t yet readed the WiFi 6 review, then I advise you to read it. The second thing is keep smart with OTTO Magazin, Because the reviews on this Tech-Blog contain instructions and important advices.
🕷 Let me start with the first router:
🕷 This is one of the most powerful routers, and it comes with high specs and features. I’ll then continue to review the smaller router.
The router is called Netgear Nighthawk AX12. It is a mouthful. Its name means many things.
To clarify, in this review, I won’t ask you to choose between either of these devices. These are just examples. There are other types such as the Mesh Network routers. It is basically more than device connected to each other to cover the whole place.
You’ll find reviews about them in the playlist and I’ll make reviews about them soon. Always stay with spider-Man guys.🕸🕸🕸
The different is that this is a one device, while the Mesh Network is basically three different devices connected to each other to cover the whole place. There are devices from the Mesh Network category like the Orbi and Nighhawk, But for now, let’s discuss this router.
This is the Netgear Nighthawk AX12, and it is suitable for homes and medium business. It supports WiFi 6. WiFi 6 offers higher speeds, and supports more connected devices compared to the previous generation.
The routers comes with wings that can open and close. Each wing contains 4 internal antennas. The design is strange, but it gives an impression as if the router is a spaceship.
When opening the wings, you can see the antenna wires inside. This is how you open and close the wings. With this design, it is easier to install the router on a wall. The router supports OFDMA technology, which is one of WiFi 6’s technologies.
This technology helps in managing transferring data to connected devices in a balanced manner. This will help in minimizing the lag time. It also increases the data transferring for more connected devices., It also supports Multi-User MIMO technology.
This technology will help in streaming data to all devices at the same time.
For example, if a number of devices are connected to the 5GH signal, the signal will reach them with high efficiency. This means faster downloading speed and streaming will be very smooth.
The router supports Sri-Band technology, The first band is 5GHz with 4.8Gbps speed. The second is the same; 5GHz with 4.8Gbps speed.
The third is 2.4GHz with 1.2Gbps speed. You should read thereview till the end as it contains information you need to know whether you’ll buy this device or not. You should know all the details. god benefit all of us.
The router supports a technology called 12-Streams. It as if there’s 12 steams., This technology offers 8 signals with 5GHz band and 4 signals with 2.4GHz band. This means that the router will offer more space for data.
This means that there will be less data traffic. It’ll help in providing efficient connection to playback 4K content and decrease lag while gaming.
So, basically instead of 1 way street, the street will have 3 ways with higher speed limit.
This will provide less traffic. The router comes with a 4 core CPU with 1.8GHz frequency. The CPU will help in enhancing the connection, and faster data speeds and management with connected devices.
The router supports a technology called BeamForming+. This technology help increasing the range of all frequencies. If 6 devices are connected to the router, and one of them is streaming something , then router will apply the Beamforming+ technology with this device. The router will focus on it to enhance the streaming quality.
The content and its resolution depend on the connection, which should be excellent. Devices that require high efficient connection will be getting the Beamforming+ technology.
The router supports WiFi 6, which means it also supports older WiFi technologies. Setting up the router is easy. Connect the router using the main LAN port.
For sure, you’ll have a router at home with fiber or data connection. Don’t depend on that router’s WiFi. Instead, connect it to this router using a network cable and connect the cable to the yellow port.
Then, this router will be your main WiFi provider and you’ll get all the functionalities of it. Think about it!
When you apply for an internet connection from any company, the company won’t give you a router that costs more, They’ll give you a a cheap router. This is an investment that you should do, not the ISP. It is a bit unfair, but there’s nothing we can do about it.
To confirm again, setting up the router is easy. All you have to do is to connect it using the main yellow port. Then scan the barcode of the router using your smartphone camera.
Don’t lose this barcode. Stick it to the bottom of the router. If you want to factory reset the router, how will you scan the barcode if you’ve lost it? It is a mistake from Netgear.
You’ll then connect to the network. You can then download the Netgear Nighthawk app on your smartphone. It is available on Android and iOS devices.
Follow the instructions. They’re easy to do. What can the app do?
The app lets you know what are the connected devices, and what band they’re connected to. It also lets you connect the internet and enable/disable the guest network.
You can also specify the frequency of the guest network. It supports parental control, but through the Circle 1 app. The app will offer limited options, such as enabling/disabling devices. But to get deeper settings such as scheduling time and content filtering. then you’ll need a Netgear subscription.
You’ll need to subscribe to the premium package and pay 10 USD monthly for it. I think it is very unfair. I paid 1000 USD for this router, and on top of it, I have to pay for a monthly subscription?
Damn man! 😅
🤡 This is unfair! and funny too!
🕷 Subscriptions are spreading everywhere. It is coming for cars and smart homes, too. God help us. Let me discuss this router.
The app supports a feature called Netgear Armor. It is an advanced system to help against cyber security attacks on your network and connected devices.
To clarify, this feature will be free for the first 30 days. And then you’ll have to pay 69 USD to continue using it. I was shocked with the Orbi routers since they have the same option.
I haven’t started using the router yet. I was testing it. The router supports Google Assistant and Alexa. But how you can benefit form them?
You can ask the assistant to enable the guest network. Or even disable it. This feature is available on this Netgear router. For more details, you should consult the company.
We’ve tested the coverage of the router in a 340m place with 3 offices. The router was able to provide full coverage without any interruption.
There was 6 connected devices. Even outside the office, but at the same floor, the connection was stable without problems.
The router provide full internet speed, and even in games, the connection was highly stable. TO confirm, the test was done in the same floor. The WiFi signal won’t be the same on other floors. It’ll be good, but it won’t be excellent. If you want a better coverage for multiple floors, then you’ll need to buy a Mesh Network router.
It is basically different devices connected to each other to cover a wide space or multiple floors. There are videos on the channel for WiFi 5 mesh network routers and I’ll more of them soon. The router comes with 2x USB 3.0 ports. Through these ports, you can share the content of storages connected to the router.
You can share the content of these storages with anyone connected to the network. You can also share these files anywhere in the world using the Ready Cloud feature.
You won’t have to copy these files on your device. The router also comes with Gigabit LAN port. There’s also a port that supports 2.5Gbps speed. And there’s a port to connect to the router to internet, which I discussed previously.
There’s a button to turn on/off the LED lights. You an turn off the LED lights in this bothers you in a dark room. There’s another Reset button and on/off button.
The box contains the router, network cable, adapter and instruction booklet. Prepare to be shocked with the price of this device; it costs 600 USD,🙀 and I bought it from overseas. This is something unfair!
But why does that happen? I won’t rationalize their prices, but from my experience, they export it from the UK market.
This means that the prices are higher than from the US market. It also supports 220V current. This will make it more expensive
You have two options: either to buy it from outside and use a 110V to 220V converter with it, Or buy it from here with a warranty but with a higher price.
I even pain more for the Orbi router. God help us all.
Pros:
it supports WiFi 6. It provides excellent performance. It is easy to set up and the supported apps will be beneficial for the users.
Cons:
The design is beautiful but a bit strange and impractical since you can’t direct the antennas how you prefer.
You might face problems with the WiFi 6 and you might not.
The second thing is the subscription. It comes with a high price and you’ll also have to pay 200, 300 or 400 USD on top of it.
I don’t think that this is logical.
Also, the prices in your country are high if you decide to buy it locally. But it could be different in your country. It is expensive? Yes, it is!
Let me now discuss the cheaper option with WiFi 6 support.
If you’ve been reading the review from the start, then you’ll know that there are feature mentioned with the first router. You might not need these features with this 80 USD router. This one might be more suitable for you.
Let me introduce you to the TP-LINK Archer AX1500 router.
It comes with a simple and calm design. It is made from plastic, and it is not even a strengthened plastic. It comes with 4 antennas that can be redirected how you prefer. It comes comes with LED lights to let you know the status of the router. It supports OFDMA and MU-MIMO technologies.
These technologies will help in data flow to connected devices with higher stability and less lag time. It also supports TWT Target Wait time technology.
This technology communicates with connected devices and decided the amount of data it requirers to transfer to it. This help in hibernating these devices while elongating the battery life. I don’t like this feature.
I didn’t know how to interact with it. Have you tried it?
Unfortunately, we didn’t know how to experiment with it. I don’t know what to say about it. The router supports dual band with AX1500 standard. I already explained it in the WiFi 6 review.
The data transfer using the 5GHz frequency is 1201Gbps. The 2.4GHz frequency supports 300Mbps. The route comes with 3 core CPU with 1.5GHz frequency. The CPU helps with the connection and data transfer. The router supports Beam-forming technology. It helps with directing the connection to connected devices that requires high data transfer speeds.
The router supports WiFi 6, which means it also supports older generation of WiFi. The router is easy to set up; all you need to do is to connect to the internet using the blue port.
Then, connect to the internet, and you’ll find the username and password on the bottom of the router. Install the TP-Link app and follow the easy steps.
The app will enable you to know the connection status, number of connected devices and the devices’ type. It also lets you know the name of the network and password.
You can enable a guest network and decide which frequency it uses. There’s a parental control option, which lets you schedule when devices should be connected to the network. It’ll let you block certain websites, and you won’t need a subscription for it. But I should say that the details are limited. But it doesn’t require a subscription.
It doesn’t support Google Assistant, but supports Alexa. The app is available on iOS and Android.
We’ve used the router in a 206m place with two officers. The router was able to cover all the space, even outside the offices. But the offices are basically in an open area without walls.
The more walls there are, the less signal and coverage you’ll get. The coverage in offices and the same floor was very good.
We had between 3 to 4 signal bars, and the connection worked with no problems. We also got full internet speed most of the time.
To clarify, in some circumstances, we didn’t get the full speed depending on the connected device and other factors.
Despite that, the coverage didn’t drop and didn’t face any problems. Data flow was ongoing with all connected devices.
I confirm that we’ve done the test on one floor. For multiple floors, I advise buying a Mesh Network system.
Do it to get a better experience. One router won’t be able to cover multiple floors. The router comes with 4x LAN ports.
And there’s a WAN port to connect the router to the internet. The box contains the router, network cable, adapter and an instruction booklet. I told you previously about the price. Have you noticed that this router supports different features?
If your home consists of 2 or 3 bedrooms, then this router with WiFi 6 support will work sufficiently. But if your place is bigger or you have more devices that stream from Netflix or other platforms, then you’ll need a router that withstand all the pressure. Probably the first router will be good for you.
This router supports WiFi 6. If offers good connection and excellent data transfer speeds. But if your internet speed doesn’t exceed the speed of the router, which I previously mentioned.
Then this device is better for you than the bigger one, which also comes with higher price. Always check your needs.
Let me now tell you about the pros and cons of this router. The device is not expensive to enter the WiFi 6 world. It is easy to use and install.
The options supported on the app will enrich your experience. It offers stable performance and good coverage for apartments and small companies.
Cons:
the data speeds of the 2.4GHz band isn’t high.
Pros:
Unlike other similar routers, this one doesn’t come with USB ports.
It is limited in functionality. It is lightweight, though.
Look at the huge size difference between them! It is way smaller than the other one.
Your needs will define which one is better for you.
These devices are to do certain functionalities. If you need these functionalities, then buy the one that suits you the most.
There’s an important point that I should mention.
Let’s consider that this is your home. Don’t place the router in the corner. Instead, place in the middle to get the best experience. What ISP do is wrong. They’ll find a way to place the router near the exit.
Reject that. Find a way to place it in the middle of the home. You’ll get a better coverage if you do this. This is the end of this review. Hopefully, these advices and tests are informative to you.
As we enter the WiFi 6 world, I’ll Mae more reviews about these routers. I’ve brought all devices that support it to test them and let you know the results.
🕷 See you later. Take care Guys.
Good job bro, good job 💪💪 we needs this routers, you know where we live hhh
😻 Wow, there is heroes on this Magazine? i like it! 💖 💖 💖
🙄🤨❗❗