TP-Link Archer AXE75 review

Our VerdictA Wi-Fi 6E router capable of super-fast transfer speeds over 5 GHz, and which undercuts a lot of other options on price.

Our Verdict

A Wi-Fi 6E router capable of super-fast transfer speeds over 5 GHz, and which undercuts a lot of other options on price.

ForWi-Fi 6ENot that expensiveStellar 5 GHz speedAgainstBut oddly low 6 GHz speedOutpaced elsewhereNot a Wi-Fi 7 router

ForWi-Fi 6ENot that expensiveStellar 5 GHz speed

AgainstBut oddly low 6 GHz speedOutpaced elsewhereNot a Wi-Fi 7 router

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430 Amazon customer reviews☆☆☆☆☆$199.99$154.99ViewDeal endsSat, Jan 25, 2025$319ViewLow Stock$599.99$478.99ViewShow More DealsWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

430 Amazon customer reviews☆☆☆☆☆

☆☆☆☆☆

$199.99$154.99ViewDeal endsSat, Jan 25, 2025$319ViewLow Stock$599.99$478.99View

$199.99$154.99ViewDeal endsSat, Jan 25, 2025

$199.99$154.99View

Save on TP-Link AX1800 WiFi 6…

Amazon

$199.99$154.99View

$199.99$154.99

$154.99

Deal endsSat, Jan 25, 2025

$319ViewLow Stock

$319View

Restored TP-Link AXE16000…

Walmart

$319View

$319

Low Stock

$599.99$478.99View

TP-Link - Archer AXE300…

Best Buy

$599.99$478.99View

$599.99$478.99

$478.99

Show More Deals

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It is the dawning of the age of Wi-Fi 7, but it’s taking time to become popular and buying a Wi-Fi 6E router can be a good—and more cost-effective—way to boost your Wi-Fi speeds from Wi-Fi 5 or, heaven forbid, Wi-Fi 4.

TP-Link has produced a striking-looking router in the AXE75, taking the standard rectangular wedge with antennas up the back so beloved of tech designers and adding into the mix a geometric pattern and a smooth, angled area. It stands out from other routers that follow the same basic shape, but that pattern is sure going to collect dust. Around the back there’s nothing unusual, with four gigabit Ethernet ports, a gigabit WAN port, power connector, on/off switch, and further buttons for WPS, reset, and turning the LEDs and Wi-Fi on and off.

The router comes as an already assembled unit, though there are individual plastic sheaths tightly wrapped around each of the six antennas that you’ll spend ages picking at with your fingernails to remove. Why they don’t slide straight off is a mystery. There’s also a peel-off sheet of plastic over a section on top of the unit, that you might not even notice until it bubbles up. Power comes via an external adapter with a cable about 1.5m long, so you’ll need to position the router at least that close to a socket.

Archer AXE75 specs(Image credit: Future)Alt-descriptor:AXE5400Wireless standard:Wi-Fi 6EMax speeds (claimed):6 GHz: 2402 Mbps, 5 GHz: 2402 Mbps, 2.4 GHz: 574 MbpsEthernet ports:4x gigabitWAN:1x gigabitProcessor:1.7 GHz quad-coreRAM:Not statedUSB:1x USB 3.0 Type-ADimensions:10.7 × 5.8 × 1.9 in (272.5 × 147.2 × 49.2 mm)Weight:734gPrice:$157|£180

Archer AXE75 specs

(Image credit: Future)Alt-descriptor:AXE5400Wireless standard:Wi-Fi 6EMax speeds (claimed):6 GHz: 2402 Mbps, 5 GHz: 2402 Mbps, 2.4 GHz: 574 MbpsEthernet ports:4x gigabitWAN:1x gigabitProcessor:1.7 GHz quad-coreRAM:Not statedUSB:1x USB 3.0 Type-ADimensions:10.7 × 5.8 × 1.9 in (272.5 × 147.2 × 49.2 mm)Weight:734gPrice:$157|£180

(Image credit: Future)

TP-Link AXE75 Wi-Fi 6E router

Alt-descriptor:AXE5400Wireless standard:Wi-Fi 6EMax speeds (claimed):6 GHz: 2402 Mbps, 5 GHz: 2402 Mbps, 2.4 GHz: 574 MbpsEthernet ports:4x gigabitWAN:1x gigabitProcessor:1.7 GHz quad-coreRAM:Not statedUSB:1x USB 3.0 Type-ADimensions:10.7 × 5.8 × 1.9 in (272.5 × 147.2 × 49.2 mm)Weight:734gPrice:$157|£180

Wi-Fi 6E is Wi-Fi 6 that extends into the 6GHz band, which can give you additional 160 MHz channels to play with. Wi-Fi 7 would double these to 320 MHz wide, but even so Wi-Fi 6E gives you a lot of extra capacity over previous versions. As higher frequencies have a harder time penetrating the bits of our homes that make them homes—the walls and floors—the 6 GHz channels are better for fast, short-range links, such as a gaming PC in the same room as the router. This, in turn, frees up capacity on the 5 GHz network for your phones and tablets, and on the 2.4 GHz spectrum for IoT and legacy devices.

OFDMA, or orthogonal frequency-division multiple access—a new Wi-Fi 6 technology—allows these channels to be further split up if a device isn’t using them to their fullest, for simultaneous low-data-rate transmission from several users.

This means a Wi-Fi 6 network is better at handling lots of light-use devices, such as smart lightbulbs and coffee machines, while you keep the 6 GHz network free for those multi-gig Steam downloads and low-ping gaming sessions. Another bit of cleverness, MU-MIMO, which allows multiple nodes and antennas to communicate with each other simultaneously, came in with Wi-Fi 5, but in Wi-Fi 6 and 6E is can be applied in both the down and up link directions, instead of just down as was the case in Wi-Fi 5. This means you’ll get a boost in capacity for uploads as well as downloads, which is important for keeping latency down when gaming.

Image1of6(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Image1of6

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

TP-Link AXE75 Wi-Fi 6E router

(Image credit: Future)

TP-Link AXE75 Wi-Fi 6E router

(Image credit: Future)

TP-Link AXE75 Wi-Fi 6E router

(Image credit: Future)

TP-Link AXE75 Wi-Fi 6E router

(Image credit: Future)

TP-Link AXE75 Wi-Fi 6E router

(Image credit: Future)

TP-Link AXE75 Wi-Fi 6E router

The best thing about getting a Wi-Fi 6E router now rather than a Wi-Fi 7 model is that you’ll save a bit of cash, as the slightly older tech doesn’t attract the price premium of the new hotness. The TP-Link AXE75 is one of the more reasonably priced Wi-Fi 6E routers on the market, with Netgear’s RAXE300 going for over £100 more, Asus' RT-AXE7800 adding £70 to your bill and Acer’s Predator Connect W6 needing £40 more in terms of outlay.

Buy if…

Don’t buy if…❌You absolutely, positively have to have the latest thing:If the idea of using something not on the bleeding edge brings you out in a purple and green rash, I’d probably steer clear of the AXE75.

Don’t buy if…

❌You absolutely, positively have to have the latest thing:If the idea of using something not on the bleeding edge brings you out in a purple and green rash, I’d probably steer clear of the AXE75.

As fast fibre internet connections continue their rollout, a router like this increasingly makes sense, as internet connections get faster and are shared between more devices, and as games get larger and take longer to download. It can also make a useful hub for a home network if you’re running a media server or networked backup solution, and the ability to handle multiple connections at once is almost as important as straight-line speed.

A Wi-Fi 6E router is starting to look like yesterdays news compared to the very best Wi-Fi 7 models, but networking equipment isn’t a sexy purchase, and if you’d rather save your money toward RGB RAM or a step up the graphics card hierarchy, then getting one that supplies enough throughput and the extra features of Wi-Fi 6E is a good way to do it.

In our testing, the AXE75 provided a particularly fast 5 GHz connection when uncongested and up-close, meaning gamers with a speedy internet connection will be able to download over wireless without suffering too much in the way of slowdown. And the price is low enough that if you’re after a speedy gaming router on a budget, this neat little TP-Link Archer will hit the target.

TP-Link Archer AXE75: Price Comparison

430 Amazon customer reviews☆☆☆☆☆

☆☆☆☆☆

$199.99$154.99ViewDeal endsSat, Jan 25, 2025$179.99$154.99View$319ViewLow Stock$398View$599.99$478.99View

$199.99$154.99ViewDeal endsSat, Jan 25, 2025

$199.99$154.99View

Save on TP-Link AX1800 WiFi 6…

Amazon

$199.99$154.99View

$199.99$154.99

$154.99

Deal endsSat, Jan 25, 2025

$179.99$154.99View

TP-Link AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi…

Amazon

$179.99$154.99View

$179.99$154.99

$154.99

$319ViewLow Stock

$319View

Restored TP-Link AXE16000…

Walmart

$319View

$319

Low Stock

$398View

TP-Link AXE16000 Quad-Band…

Amazon

$398View

$398

$599.99$478.99View

TP-Link - Archer AXE300…

Best Buy

$599.99$478.99View

$599.99$478.99

$478.99

We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

The Verdict81Read our review policyTP-Link Archer AXE75A Wi-Fi 6E router capable of super-fast transfer speeds over 5 GHz, and which undercuts a lot of other options on price.

The Verdict

81Read our review policyTP-Link Archer AXE75A Wi-Fi 6E router capable of super-fast transfer speeds over 5 GHz, and which undercuts a lot of other options on price.

81Read our review policy

TP-Link Archer AXE75A Wi-Fi 6E router capable of super-fast transfer speeds over 5 GHz, and which undercuts a lot of other options on price.

TP-Link Archer AXE75

A Wi-Fi 6E router capable of super-fast transfer speeds over 5 GHz, and which undercuts a lot of other options on price.

LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in AprilWorld of Warcraft’s most recent patch soars with fun additions that last just long enoughSee more latest►

Latest

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in AprilWorld of Warcraft’s most recent patch soars with fun additions that last just long enough

Wordle answers

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

the last of us season 2 trailer

The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in April

Image for World of Warcraft’s most recent patch soars with fun additions that last just long enough

World of Warcraft’s most recent patch soars with fun additions that last just long enough

See more latest►

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Our Verdict#

Our Verdict