Top pick
This router created a speedy, responsive network throughout our test house. You have to spend a lot more on a router—or a mesh kit if you have a very large home—to get anything even a little better. It’s our latest Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) pick.
The TP-Link Archer AX3000 Pro offers the best combination of price, features, and performance. Most people are best served by a Wi-Fi 6 router like this one, as Wi-Fi 6E is not worth the extra expense, and it’s too early to recommend expensive Wi-Fi 7 for everyone. The Archer AX3000 Pro is speedy both at close range and at a distance, easily punching a Wi-Fi signal through multiple walls in a home. The Archer AX3000 Pro can handle a busy network 99% of the time, so it’s reliable too. It also has some future-proofing, notably a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, so it’s ready for 2-gigabit internet service (2,000 megabits per second) once that becomes commonplace.
It’s ready for multi-gig internet. Over the past couple of years, 2-gig has surpassed 1-gig as the fastest internet speed available to most US residents. The Archer AX3000 Pro’s 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port can connect to 2-gig fiber service or a 2-gig cable modem. As home internet speeds get faster, this router won’t be a bottleneck like those equipped with only a 1 Gigabit Ethernet connector.
Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 speed-test results (Mbps)
It delivers fast Wi-Fi at long range and close to the router. The Archer AX3000 Pro performed better than competitors at long range with the signal passing through several walls. The Acer Predator W6, for example, costs two times what our top pick costs but was four to five times slower at long range in our tests. At close range, the benefits of the Archer AX3000 Pro’s solid Wi-Fi radios were clear: Whereas the Archer AX3000 Pro averaged 887 megabits per second (almost full-gig speed), alternatives such as the Linksys Classic Micro Router 5 were relatively slow at about 90 Mbps. Gigabit speed near the router is fast enough for most gaming downloads.
Browsing the web on a busy network
It is responsive, even when the network is busy. Many networks are prone to lag and delays, making you wait for sites to even start loading. In our responsiveness test, which shows how routers handle the added stress of multiple devices accessing the network simultaneously, the Archer AX3000 Pro posted short lag times better than those of the Acer Predator Connect W6, even though it’s considerably less expensive than that router. It also bested routers with more comparable prices such as the TP-Link Archer AX55 Pro and D-Link M60. Based on these tests, we can say that the Archer AX3000 Pro won’t keep you waiting, even when multiple family members are using the Wi-Fi at the same time.
It has all the wired connections you need. The Archer AX3000 Pro provides five Ethernet ports: one 2.5 GbE WAN/LAN internet port for connecting your cable modem, fiber terminal, or network-attached storage, plus four gigabit ports for wired devices. That’s enough for you to hardwire your most demanding gear—streaming set-top boxes, TVs, and game consoles—if you keep your router close by.
The Archer AX3000 Pro also has a USB 3.0 port for connecting a shared portable hard drive or SSD. This setup can’t replace a full-featured NAS unit, but it can help you back up your laptops regularly. In contrast, less expensive routers are limited to much slower data transfers over USB 2.0 (as with the Archer AX21, for example) or lack USB connectivity entirely (like the Eero 6).
It’s easy to set up. All routers walk you through initial setup, but TP-Link’s administration page for the Archer AX3000 Pro is neither too simple nor too complicated. The overall setup, whether you handle it through TP-Link’s Tether smartphone app or the administration website, is quick. Note that you have to sign up for a TP-Link Cloud account if you want to use Tether.
TP-Link’s smartphone app lets you quickly configure settings. Tether for iOS and Android allows you to customize the router’s parental controls, security, and performance. Among the parental controls are basics such as time limits, content filtering, and bedtime settings. (I’ve written about how I used parental controls, among other tools, to stop my teen from gaming all night.) If you want to prioritize functions such as streaming over gaming or vice versa, QoS (quality of service) settings are also included and easy to adjust.
You can expand its reach with TP-Link’s OneMesh and EasyMesh Wi-Fi extenders. We recommend the compatible TP-Link RE315 if you need to add a single extender. You can also use TP-Link’s EasyMesh feature to connect multiple TP-Link routers and extenders in your home to create a DIY mesh network. However, if you have more than one or two dead spots in your home, you might want to upgrade to a full mesh-networking system instead.
Its warranty is longer than others. TP-Link covers this router with a two-year warranty, which matches the coverage period for our other picks. D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, and Ubiquiti routers have one-year warranties.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It isn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing. Four adjustable but nonremovable antennas connected to the back panel make the Archer AX3000 Pro stand out visually, and not necessarily in a good way. Although it is basic black, its antennas and its bulky chassis are guaranteed to clash visually with nearly any decor. Our budget pick, the Eero 6 router, is much smaller and easier to ignore.
It has a single 2.5-gigabit port. While this isn’t a drawback for most people, the Archer AX3000 Pro’s single 2.5-gig port forces you to choose: You can use it for your internet connection (as a WAN port) or for hooking up a 2.5-gig NAS box or PC (as a LAN port). In contrast, our upgrade pick, the TP-Link Archer BE550, has multiple 2.5-gig ports, so you don’t have to decide which part of your network gets the fastest connection.
It’s a Best Buy exclusive. The Archer AX3000 Pro should be easy to find at your local Best Buy or shipped from one farther away, but you don’t have an alternative when the retailer is out of stock. Our upgrade pick and budget pick are available from a wider range of brick-and-mortar and online stores.
It requires an online login for setup through TP-Link’s Tether app. You can kind of get around that by using the built-in website interface to set up the router instead. Some shoppers actively look for routers that don’t have any online logins because they’re worried about companies mining their data and tracking them. However, more router companies are requiring online accounts for convenience, remote monitoring, and paid subscription services. If you’re concerned about such things, we suggest an alternative such as our former upgrade pick, the Synology WRX560, which you can set up and administer without an online account.
Still, a lot of the functionality of the Archer AX3000 Pro and some of its settings are found only in the Tether app, so if you want to have parental controls or monitor IoT (Internet of Things, aka smart home) security, for example, you need a TP-Link Cloud online account. You can set up a burner email address for this purpose if you don’t want the account connected to your primary email.
Some features are locked behind an optional paid subscription. Advanced parental-control software costs $3 per month or $18 per year. TP-Link also offers a $5-per-month or $36-per-year plan for Security+ network protection and IoT security. If you don’t pay, you still get some basic functionality such as the ability to block websites and to manually toggle internet access on your kids’ devices, but advanced settings, automatic timed internet control, most protection, and reporting are disabled after the one-month free trial. That said, the Archer AX3000 Pro will continue to provide solid Wi-Fi connectivity even if you don’t sign up for the added plans.
