TP-Link Archer C2300 Wi-Fi Router Review: Three Online Cinemas in the House

Appearance, design, equipment

Represent TP-Link to readersgghardly necessary, but here are her new items

we are always happy to show you.Remember we tested the top-end router Archer C3150? So, the Archer C2300 is almost the same, only there are not four antennas, but three (and not three Wi-Fi bands, but two, like most routers - 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). And its main advantage is support for MU-MIMO technology, which allows you to aggregate radio frequencies and simultaneously serve in this mode up to three devices that consume a large amount of traffic (streaming video in 4K, for example).

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Layout standard - antennas, gigabitLAN and WAN ports, connector and power switch are located on the back of the router. On one of the sides there are two USB ports (one version 2.0, the second 3.0), as well as WPS buttons, Wi-Fi off and a hidden reset button. All the information needed to configure the network (the MAC address of the router, the administrator password and the wireless network password) is on a sticker on the bottom of the case, and is also duplicated on a separate card included in the document package.

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The router for home and office should not make noise, thereforeactive cooling is inappropriate here, and the “hardware” inside is quite powerful — a 2-core Broadcom BCM4365E processor with a frequency of 1.8 GHz and 512 MB of RAM. Therefore, the entire bottom wall of the case and half of the top are perforated to improve heat dissipation, and there are a number of holes on the front and sides.

The power supply is integrated with the power plug, itsmall and fairly easy, because, unlike the AC3150's five-amps, it produces “only” 2 A at a voltage of 12 V. The cable length (non-removable) is one and a half meters, in most cases this will be enough.

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Interface and functionality

The web interface of the router is the same, with the separationThree levels of difficulty (see the tabs at the top of the page): a step-by-step “master” of six steps, basic settings and advanced. Although it would be more correct to say “advanced” or “detailed”, because this tab contains, among other things, the basic settings, but with a large number of parameters and options. That is, a novice, an advanced user and an experienced system administrator can simply select the desired tab and work at their own level of competence. The difference in levels can be seen in the screenshots below.

Quick setup of TP-Link Archer C2300:

The basic setting of TP-Link Archer C2300:

Additional settings for TP-Link Archer C2300

Interface languages include Russian andUkrainian, in both versions of localization there are small flaws – not critical and not affecting the ease of use, but it’s still worth paying a little more attention to this.

The router has a convenient Smart Connect function,which combines two access points (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) into one virtual one, that is, the user sees only one network identifier (SSID), and the router itself connects client devices to one or another network and switches between them depending on the clients’ capabilities and their distance from the router (the 5G network, as is known, has less coverage than 2.4G).

The functions of the built-in antivirus, parental control, VPN, and some others are described in some detail in the AC3150 review, so we will not repeat here.

It’s easy to plug into a USB portorganize access both from the local network and through the Internet (in the presence of a permanent external IP address). Copying a randomly selected folder with 488 files totaling 56 MB from a flash drive in a router to a computer via a 2.4 GHz network took about 70 seconds (transfer speed of about 800 kb / s), and to download the same files to a smartphone via a 5 GHz network just 20 seconds, that is, the average download speed was 2.4 MB / s, and instantaneous, displayed in the AndFTP application, reached 6-7 MB / s.

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It's not so easy with a printer - you need to install it onPC printer driver and utility for launching and configuring the print server. The advanced settings for the USB drive have another feature - it can be used to save backups from Apple computers using the Time Machine feature. I was not able to test this function in practice due to the lack of Apple equipment.

Impressions from using TP-Link Archer C2300

As you might expect, there are problems withThere is no problem with performance, it is more than sufficient for home use. The signal level with high power turned on in the settings at the maximum distance from the router for the apartment (10 meters and one obstacle in the form of an interior partition) in both ranges was at a level of about -70 dB. I tried simultaneously watching YouTube videos in 4K and 1080p on two smartphones connected at 5 GHz, and 1080p video on a computer also connected via Wi-Fi, but at 2.4 GHz - everything works great, no lag, fast loading when moving back and forth. In this case, one of the smartphones and the computer were at the same point where the signal level was measured. At low power in the same place, Wi-Fi Analyzer showed about -80…-75 dB, which is more “satisfactory” than “good”, but the repeated test with video was just as successful, without any noticeable difference.

When working, the router was slightly heated, whichno wonder - in fact, he stood in an apartment without air conditioning, where the air temperature reached + 27 ° С. This had no effect on the performance of the device, and indeed, during the whole time of testing, no malfunctions were noticed. Unfortunately, I simply do not have the equipment on which to unleash the full power of this router, and I could load it with what I could load it without straining.

In the dry residue

AC2300 is one of the company's top devices,“little brother” of the AC3150 model, noticeably simplified in hardware, but just as functional in software and still too cool for a typical home network of a laptop, several smartphones and (even) a smart TV. It seems to me that this is an excellent choice of home router for a system administrator or other IT specialist who has a static IP and his own small home server, which is not so uncommon now. Or for a small office, somewhere up to 100 sq.m., which mainly uses portable/laptop computers and, in addition to Internet access, needs shared access to a printer and additional file storage. The price corresponds to the equipment - if the AC3150 now costs about 6,000 UAH, then the most common (apparently recommended by the manufacturer) price for the AC2300 is 4,499 UAH. In principle, this is not so much, and the AC2300 can be purchased simply “for growth” for future devices and tasks, so that you don’t have to change it later.

3 reasons to buy TP-Link Archer C2300:

You really like the AC3150, but the price is too high for you and the features – redundant;
you know exactly why you need two USB ports in the router;
you have young users in your family, and additional protection from malicious content will not hurt you.

1 reason not to buy TP-Link Archer C2300:

components of your home or office network do not match the performance level of the AC2300, which means there is no point in overpaying for it.

Technical characteristics of the router TP-Link Archer C2300

Interface
4 LAN ports 10/100/1000 Mbps
1 10/100/1000 Mbps WAN port
1 USB 3.0 port and 1 USB 2.0 port

Dimensions (without antennas)

216x164x37 mm

Antennas
external, removable, 3 pcs.

Power supply
external, 12V, 2A, cable length 1.5 m

Wireless Standards
IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5 GHz, IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz, MU-MIMO

Transfer speed
5 GHz: up to 1625 Mbps
2.4 GHz: up to 600 Mbps

Wireless security
Encryption modes: 64/128-bit WEP,WPA / WPA2,WPA-PSK/ WPA2-PSK

Transmitter power
< 20 dBm or < 100 mW

WAN connection type
Dynamic IP/Static IP/PPPoE/PPTP (Dual Access)/L2TP (Dual Access)

DHCP
Server, client, DHCP client list, address reservation

Port Forwarding
Virtual Server, Port Triggering, UPnP, DMZ

Dynamic DNS
DynDns, NO-IP, TP-Link (with TP-Link ID account)

VPN traffic pass
PPTP, L2TP

Protocols
IPv4 and IPv6 support

USB sharing
Support Samba (Storage Device)/FTP Server/Media Server/Print Server

VPN server
PPTP, Open VPN Server