TP-LINK ARCHER MR600 REVIEW: A GREAT 4G + AND WI-FI ROUTER
" The Italian connections are not the best ". We have all been repeating this for a long time now and we know well how many areas of Italy still navigate through the now obsolete 7 Mega ADSL, or even worse. Over the years, the most disparate solutions have been sought to solve the coverage problems of the most remote areas, but a stable solution has hardly techsupportreviews been found. However, a recent TIM report shows that 99% of the Italian population lives in an area covered by the LTE network(4G and 4G Plus). Despite the clear problems in terms of latency, which do not allow some operations such as gaming to be carried out in the best possible way, the cellular network is a consolidated reality in our country and in many areas it can guarantee much higher speeds than the traditional cable connection.
In short, in some cases a router with support for 4G + SIM
cards becomes indispensable. For this reason, TP-Link has created Archer MR600,
currently sold on Amazon at a price of around 119 euros (4G + / Wi-Fi AC1200
model).
Sales, design and connections pack
The design of the TP-Link Archer MR600 is what is expected
of a common router. Body in black color, two removable antennas, all the
appropriate ports in the back and status LEDs clearly visible in the front (the
three bars above the various icons show the LTE signal level). The only
"touch of class" is the presence of the silver-colored support, which
allows you to position the router both vertically and horizontally in no time
at all . In the lower part of the device there are air intakes made with an
original "checkered" design. The dimensions of the device are 229 x
160 x 37 mm.
Inside the sales package we find, in addition to the router,
an Ethernet RJ45 cable, theadapter from nanoSIM to microSIM and various
manuals. Speaking of the ports present, on the back of the TP-Link Archer MR600
there is a 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN / WAN, three 10/100/1000 Mbps LANs and a slot
for a microSIM. TP-Link's choice to include support for this type of SIM, still
very widespread, and to insert a nanoSIM to microSIM adapter in the package is
quite apt, since it allows you to use the router with essentially all the SIMs
on the market .
Remaining on the back of the router we also find the buttons
for reset, for turning on / off, for WPS and to activate / deactivate Wi-Fi. In
short, we are talking about a router with a normal design, very similar to that
of the myriad of products of this type on the market.
However, it is clear that we are talking about a device that
must not "be seen", but fulfill its tasks as it should and here the
peculiar feature is the presence of the SIM slot.
As for the configuration, the router has a complete
multilingual manual (Italian included) and the classic and quick guided
installation , which allowed us to start using the TP-Link Archer MR600 in a
very short time. Just insert the SIM, turn on the router and connect with a
device to the network.
From there, the classic browser procedure will begin to name
the networks and set everything up. The configuration is also very similar for
the operating mode that uses the product as a wired router: just connect the
Archer MR600 to the modem using the Ethernet cable included in the package and
complete the classic guided installation. If used as a 3G / 4G router, the
device will "appropriate" the IP address 192.168.1.1 by default,
while using it as a wireless router the IP will be 192.168.0.1. Alternatively,
you can use the URL tplinkmodem.net.
Technical features
TP-Link Archer MR600 supports a maximum speed of 300 Mbps in
download and 50 Mbps in upload in 4G + Cat6. These are pretty good values, able
to make the most of the data connection offered by the major Italian operators.
As for Wi-Fi, the wireless connection works simultaneously on the classic 2.4
GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, with the first offering a maximum of 300 Mbps and
the second 867 Mbps. Excellent numbers for the context in which it must be used
the router, which we remind you can be taken anywhere and could also be ideal
for holiday homes, temporary stores and remote areas, as suggested by TP-Link
itself on the back of the sales package.
Full support for OneMesh networks, which allow you to expand
the signal through the use of multiple routers or mesh extenders. In this case,
the mobile terminals automatically switch to the closest device, ensuring
greater network stability. Then there is the guest network, the Parental
Control functions, support for TP-Link Cloud products , NAT forwarding, dynamic
QoS (able to optimize the network by giving priority to packets based on the
type and their final use). and all the settings related to firewall, IPTV and
VPN.
Summing up, the technical features of the TP-Link Archer
MR600 offer everything you need. TP-Link declares that it is possible to
connect up to a maximum of 64 devices simultaneously via wireless.
Software and user experience
Many of you have already guessed this, but it is always
better to specify it: we are talking about a router and therefore it is not
possible to use this product alone as a modem to configure your home wired
network (you have to connect it to a modem via an Ethernet cable) . However, it
is possible to use TP-Link Archer MR600 without other devices when inserting
the SIM.
Regarding the configuration interface, it is quite clean and
well done. The main screen welcomes the user by showing which wireless / wired
clients and Mesh devices are connected to the network, which allows you to
monitor the usage of the connection. There is no shortage of the icon that
allows you to quickly start a Speed Test and all the details of the case on the
type of connection, on the gateway and on the IP and MAC addresses of the
individual clients.
On the left there are all the other options that allow you
to access the tabs relating to the various functions offered by the Archer
MR600, from the mesh network to the Parental Control.
For advanced tools, such as VPN and QoS, for quick
configuration, to search for a feature or to restart the router / log out, just
select the appropriate options at the top.
The system made by TP-Link is really easy to use even for a
inexperienced person and the Chinese company has done a great job in terms of
documentation. In fact, each tab has a "?" which includes detailed
information on the functionality involved. We found the directions really well
done.
The TP-Link Tether application is also excellent , available
both on the Play Store and on the App Store. The latter is very simple to use
and allows you to manage all the features of the router on the go and with a
few taps. The available options are essentially all those we have listed for
the browser-accessible interface, from the guest network to the Parental
Control up to the ability to update the firmware and perform a speedtest. In
short, the software sector is certainly complete with every functionality that
a user who points to this type of product needs.
However, we must say that we have encountered a small
inconvenience with the latest firmware available: using the router in wireless
operating mode, the latter "emits" a hidden network for no apparent
reason. The problem seems to be widespread on different models, as reported by
users on the official forum and on Amazon Italy . In any case, the hidden
network does not create particular problems with the connection and it seems
that not all users have encountered this problem.
As for performance, during our test the router held up
excellently in every situation, even with many connected devices. We tested
TP-Link Archer MR600 even with a very slow connection and it is in these cases
that the benefits brought by technologies such as QoS are most noticeable.
Excellent signal coverage , with the 2.4 GHz band that
manages to connect without problems even places covered by structural
obstacles. We have never had any problems when it comes to using the 3G / 4G
operating mode, which has always proved to be stable and reliable.