The TP-Link Archer C2300 Router ($ 149.99) is a moderately priced midrange router that offers solid close-range throughput performance and MU-MIMO data streaming. It also has robust antivirus and malware protection, Quality of Service options, and parental controls, and it is very easy to install and configure. However, its long-range throughput and file-transfer performance come up short compared with our Editors’ Choice, the Asus RT-AC86U.
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TP-Link Archer C2300 Router Review: Packed
The TP-Link Archer C2300 Router($ 120.73 at Amazon UK) looks similar to its older sibling, the Archer C3150, which we reviewed a few years back. On the left side of the router are WPS and Reset buttons, a Wi-Fi On/Off button, a USB 2.0 port, and a USB 3.0 port.
Around back are four Gigabit LAN ports, a WAN port, a power jack and power button, and three screw-in connectors for the included adjustable antennas. The TP-Link Archer C2300 supports Link Aggregation, which allows you to combine two LAN ports for data rates of up to 2GB.
Under the hood are a dual-core CPU (1.8 GHz), 512MB of RAM, and 128MB of flash memory. The TP-Link Archer C2300 Router is a dual-band AC2300 router capable of throughput speeds of as high as 600Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 1625Mbps on the 5GHz band. It supports the newest 802.11 ac technologies including Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) data streaming, which helps for simultaneous data transmissions to multiple MU-MIMO-enabled clients, and beamforming, which sends data directly to a client instead over a broad spectrum. It also supports TP-Link’s Smart Connect, a type of band steering technology that picks the best radio band for optimal performance, and HomeCare, which offers Trend Micro anti-malware and antivirus protection and parental controls with web filtering for specific age groups, internet access scheduling, and online-monitoring tools.
HomeCare also offers preset and custom Quality of Service settings for specific applications (Standard, Gaming, Streaming, Chatting, Surfing) and for specific client devices.
You can use either the TP-Link Tether mobile app (iOS and Android) or the more extensive web console to manage the Archer C2300 Router. The main screen contains a network map and a SpeedTest button that measures internet upload and download speeds.
Off to the left is a menu for adjusting Internet, Wireless, USB Sharing, and HomeCare settings. There’s also a menu tab for configuring guest networks for each band and a tab for configuring the router to work with the TP-Link Cloud, which lets you access the router and its settings from anywhere via the internet.
Advanced settings include LAN (DHCP, Static, Link Aggregation) and Wireless (WPS/WPS2, WEP, Channel Width, Wireless Scheduling) adjustments along with things such as Port Forwarding, Port Triggering, ALG (Application Layer Gateway), and IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) settings. Here you can also configure the device to operate as a router or as an access point.
TP-Link Archer C2300 Router Reviews: Mixed Performance
Installing the Archer C2300 is easy and quick. I confirmed that both radio bands were enabled, checked for the latest firmware, and was ready to test.
The TP-Link Archer C2300 Router turned in mixed results on our throughput tests. At a distance of 30 feet, the TP-Link Archer C2300 Router’s score of 42Mbps trailed the pack and was only half as fast as the D-Link and the Asus routers.
To test how the TP-Link Archer C2300 Router handles simultaneous data streaming using MU-MIMO technology, we use three identical Acer Aspire R13 laptops equipped with Qualcomm’s QCA61x4A MU-MIMO circuitry. On the close-proximity test, the Archer C2300 Router’s score of 155Mbps was just 23Mbps slower than the Asus RT-AC86U and 46Mbps slower than the Phicomm K3C, but trailed the D-Link Dir-885L/ R by 82Mbps. Its performance on the 30-foot MU-MIMO test was dismal: it garnered only 44Mbps. The Phicomm scored 110Mbps, the Asus RT-AC86U scored 150Mbps, and the D-Link DIR-885L/ R scored 165Mbps.
To test file-transfer performance, we move a 1.5 GB folder containing a mix of music, photo, document, and video files between a USB drive and a wired desktop PC and time its read and write speeds. The Archer C2300 Router’s read score of 29MBps was slower than the scores we saw from the Phicomm (32.6 MBps), the D-Link (44.1 MBps), and the Asus (38.4 MBps) routers. On our write test, the C2300’s score of 26MBps was a hair faster than the Phicomm (25.6 MBps), but slower than the D-Link (33.2 MBps) and the Asus (30.7 MBps).
TP-Link Archer C2300 Router Reviews: Keeping Your Network Safe
The TP-Link Archer C2300 isn’t the fastest midrange router out there. However, it does pack some useful tools designed to help keep your network secure and safe, including Trend Micro-powered malware and antivirus protection and parental controls. It also offers QoS settings that let you prioritize network bandwidth for specific applications and clients, and it supports the newest 802.11 ac Wi-Fi technology. That said, the Asus RT-AC86U also provides robust malware and antivirus protection, and it delivered superior throughput performance in our tests. That’s why it remains our Editors’ Choice for midrange routers.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The TP-Link Archer C2300 Router may not be quite as fast as some of its competitors, but it’s packed with customization and safety features.
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