Value:8/10
Features:8.5/10
Performance:9/10
Design:7.5/10
Usability:9/10

Total Score: 8.4

 Verdict:Very stable connections, high quality product and reliable.

Routers are one of the most highly competitive networking device in the consumer market. The features and designs are constantly improved on to meet the growing needs of Internet users. You might find yourself overwhelmed at the sheer number of options available, let alone knowinghow to pick a suitable one for your usage.

For this very reason, we are reviewing a brand name that isn’t a stranger to the market. The TP-Link Archer C2600 may not be the latest and greatest – and may look the plainest – but it has everything one needs for home or SOHO users.

What’s Inside?

Like most routers, the Archer C2600 comes with standard features, includingport forwarding and QoS to control users’ networking usage. The router also offers dual band connectivity: 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. Through the use of the 4-Stream technology, the Archer C2600 is just like its namesake – able to shoot out and boosting Wi-Fi capability to give the whole house or office a seamless wireless connectivity no matter which space you are in.

In providing more stability and extra efficiency, the Archer C2600 comes equipped with Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) technology that’s powered by Qualcomm MU|EFX. This comes in handy especially when you are using it in a space where a large number of users wanting to connect to the wireless connection simultaneously, while trying to do all sorts of things – downloading, streaming, playing games and much more.

Performance

As innovation continuously happens in the network device sector, new features and technologies get implemented within routers. For the Archer C2600, it has powerful processing capabilities, thanks to its 1.4GHz dual-core processor.

During our tests, the router’s CPU is often running at peak levels since we have more than a dozen devices connecting to it at any given time. Despite the load, there were no signs interruptions or connectivity cutting off.

We also tested this router with multiple users for browsing internet, streaming videos and gaming through Wi-Fi without any lag problem. The latency or ping in game is stable provided your internet service itself is as well.

This router will mostly have no compatible issue as it is capable of transmitting ac/n/a and b/g/n signal, which most if not all recent devices are equipped with either one of these standards.

Reliability & Assurance

One of the most important jobs of a router is its reliability. This router comes with a two-year warranty, which demonstrates TP-Link’s confidence of its product. In my opinion, two years is very generous given the extent of use for routers. From personal experience, any flaws will likely show its colourswithin the year. That said, there are competitors who are offering longer warranty.

Do I Really Need a MU-MIMO Router?

I would highly recommend to select routers with aMU-MIMO featureseeing as the broadband speed and connectivity is increasingly improved in Malaysia. Now that 100mbps broadbandconnectionsare being offered in the market, the need for such feature will be increasingly important. With multiple users and increase of data streaming, the support for higher speeds should be even stronger.

If you are certain that you do not have multiple users using Wi-Fi connections with high data streaming consumption, you may not need this kind of router. Otherwise, the Archer C2600 would definitely best suit your current and coming future needs.

Written by Ng Thim Soon