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The router your internet company installed barely connects your laptop, smartphone, and TV to the internet, and you’ll likely soon wonder why the Wi-Fi signal is so slow. The culprit was the cheap and slow router you installed so the idea of getting an upgrade starts to haunt your mind. do not worry. To stop the suffering, it does not require a degree in systems, but rather a modern, better wireless router that takes advantage of the latest technology.
This example is carried out by TP-Link, a technology brand of Chinese origin known for manufacturing reliable and affordable networking equipment, which offers in our region a router that first appeared in 2018 in its line of advanced gaming equipment. It’s a great option that will satisfy most of the most demanding whims. We recently had the opportunity to try one out to tell you about our experience. In short, it is a luxury model that has almost everything: 3 bands, MU-MIMO, bandwidth, utilities, antivirus and Ethernet port multiplier like the traditional models.
TP-Link Archer CX5400X
Design
Let’s start with the design because it’s a team that carefully watches and talks about, so it wouldn’t be surprising if your visitors ask you what the «crown» occupies the telephone table. It is large, thick, and black in color, with 8 antennas (non-adjustable) that stand out strongly and stand out with red accents. It’s amazing and you need very little to claim your little table.
On the back we find 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 1 Gigabit WAN port; In addition to the power and reset button; However, what stands out through their absence are the Activity LEDs, which are essential troubleshooting tools at first sight. On one side there are two USB 3.0 ports, on the other hand a series of buttons to turn Wi-Fi on and off, the general status LED and the WPS button. On the other hand, an interesting detail of the router is that it has two link aggregation ports to merge two links in parallel and increase the device’s bandwidth (to 2 Gbps), which is useful if you have a NAS (network attached storage) that can be used by multiple users. Access to it (although at this point you should already have a capable device).
Ethernet ports are twice those that are usually added to similar devices.
It is clearly a very special model that spared no cost to show, which is evident in its aggressive dimensions and luxurious operating capabilities. For example, I like that the Ethernet ports are twice that of similar devices; With this, I can connect all of my video game consoles by cable and even make a lot of space for other devices, such as the TV and the rest of the connections in my home, without having to maneuver to get free slots. It’s also nice to see high-speed USB ports to ensure a good readability of the connected hard drives, although the device’s life is noticeable due to the lack of USB Type-C slots. The only thing I didn’t like, as I mentioned, is that the LEDs for the Ethernet ports are missing. In the past, these lights have helped me identify wiring failures, when they go bad and lose their gigabit capabilities.
The qualities
Moving on to other topics, the Archer CX5400X is a 4×4 MU-MIMO router with a 1.8 GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB of RAM; It operates in three bands and has a theoretical bandwidth of 5334 Mbps, which is 2167 in each of the 5 GHz (802.11ac) and 1000 Mbps at 2.4 GHz (802.11n) – emphasizing the «theory» -.
But we do go into bits, because you’re definitely wondering what is MU-MIMO, 4×4, and everything else. «MU-MIMO» means multiple users, multiple inputs and multiple outputs, and it is a tool that allows Wi-Fi to connect to different devices simultaneously, which reduces wait time and increases device operating speed. net. The numbers «4×4» refer to the version of MU-MIMO, or rather the simultaneous «streams» of data that can be supported by devices and subject to compatibility. For example, some high-end smartphones may have 4×4 MIMO LTE antennas, while Wi-Fi is only 2×2. The above affects the theoretical results of the router.
On the other hand, the router uses beamforming technology, which focuses on the signal in a specific direction to deliver a high-quality signal, and also uses Smart Connect to choose the optimal operating range with respect to network traffic (it is activated in the setup menu).
Operation and configuration
Speaking of the configuration menus, we found that it is possible to configure the Archer CX5400X router for the first time via Bluetooth using the TP-Link Tether app – downloadable from the App Store and Play Store – however, this method requires the manufacturer to provide an email … though It is not the end of the world, since it is possible to enter the settings via Wi-Fi from the same app.
Of course, the router can be accessed through a web browser, and this is where the device is configured as desired. The first thing you notice is that the user experience is one that TP-Link uses across its computers, with the traditional cyan and white arrangement. The user experience is elegant and clear, as it contains the basic information needed at first glance, although it is also possible to switch to Advanced View, which is ideal for those who are obsessed with data.
Inside these menus is a built-in counter that displays the bandwidth being consumed at the moment, and the classic Speedtest along with a history of the speeds obtained. In addition, it is possible to monitor the bandwidth consumed by each connected device in real time to set different operating modes for Quality of Serivice (we’ll talk more about that later).
If you have a hard drive connected by USB, in the settings you can name the unit for easy identification on the network, and be able to access it from home televisions to watch movies and multimedia (as if there is no streaming from the Internet.) Or copy files via the network.
Archer CX5400X configuration lists
Additionally, the Archer CX5400X has a protection kit. TP-Link HomeCare is a suite of tools with security and parental control features. From here you can add content filters to one or more devices (for example, a tablet for a minor), and set the type of content they can access, as well as the hours and time of consumption. In this same section, TrendMicro’s antivirus is activated, which contains malicious content filtering, intrusion prevention, and quarantine systems in the event of a faulty breaching the local network.
Another tool within HomeCare is QoS (Quality of Service), which is a service that monitors network performance to set priorities and reserve bandwidth resources in critical applications. The interesting thing about the app is that it is configured to detect GeForce NOW traffic locally, so if you want NVIDIA service to have top priority for your bandwidth, it is only necessary to activate it in the menu. Likewise, it is also possible to set the bandwidth manually and choose between different usage scenarios: gaming, live broadcasting, browsing and chatting. On the other hand, you can give the highest priority to the network to a single device, and even do it for a limited time.
You can also register an email account to create a TP-Link ID account and save all your settings in the cloud. Last but not least, it also supports Alexa voice commands, as well as IFTTT (If This Then That) actions.
In terms of gaming features, I was a bit disappointed when I encountered a gaming router (he even says that in the box) with few features focused on this segment. While the tools can be used to prioritize bandwidth for my favorite gaming devices, I wanted to find advanced traffic analysis and automatic detection and game detection options to set them the highest priority.
Performance tests
Well how does it work? Fabulous; It is a fast router. To test the device bandwidth, I configured two computers wirelessly, 4 meters with direct view of the device and 10 meters with partition walls. The results go hand in hand with what was promised. It is a model that provides high bandwidth and file transfer. The 4-meter test yielded an average of 120 Mbps for the 2.4 GHz band and 550 Mbps for the 5 GHz frequency; With a distance of 10 meters, performance remained high, but some degradation in saturation was observed: 80Mbps at 2.4GHz and 350MHz at 5GHz. For the file transfer test, the router transferred 2.4GB of files at a maximum speed of 110Mbps, and I am sure the hard disk mechanical mechanism works at that speed.
4 meters from vision tests
- 2.4GHz – 120Mbps
- 5 GHz – 550 MB
10 meter tests with walls
- 2.4GHz – 80Mbps
- 5GHz – 350Mbps
File Transfer
Regarding the use experience, I must say that I am very satisfied with the signal saturation throughout my house (it is a small apartment). At no time did I notice that navigation – especially on a smartphone – came to a halt, waiting for its turn to communicate with the router. Plus, for the first time, I was able to enjoy all the internet bandwidth that I contracted with, since the 5GHz band has more than enough capacity to use the 100MB that I contracted with. With such a device, it is quite possible to have a home connected wirelessly, with devices distributed in the three available bands, without noticing the deterioration of the quality of playback.
Rule
Great performance and speed. These are the special features that TP-Link has chosen to compete in the gaming sector router segment. Although a bit pricey and limited special gaming functions, there is no doubt that the Archer CX5400X is a powerful device with many surprises up its sleeve, such as integrated antivirus and parental controls, plus it is extremely easy. Configure and even control it thanks to its Alexa and IFTTT compatibility. However, this router is a great upgrade for anyone looking to leave the old, outdated router your internet company provides you with.
