Pros: This is a review of a free product received from TP-LINK for evaluation & feedback as part of their review program. The Archer C2600 is an 802.11ac Wave 2 Router offering the Best Combination of Performance & Price. I am an electrical engineer who tests routers & communication gear. In my judgment the C2600 is a best buy with outstanding performance in terms of Wi-Fi signal strength, coverage & its ability to handle multiple simultaneous data streams. I’ve used the C2600 for 2 months & have only good things to say. The C2600 has been stable with the out-of-the-box firmware (Hardware v1.0, Firmware Version 1.1.2 Build 20150924 Rel. 66046). No disconnects, resets or other incidents. No buffering delays with several devices streaming video simultaneously. No reboots were needed. It has been smooth sailing & I highly recommend the C2600 router to friends. Although TP-LINK’s C2600 uses the same Qualcomm chips as its competitors, which is reflected in its performance, the C2600 costs less.

A comparison table “Find the Right Router for You,” on the back of the retail box, indicates that the C2600 has the furthest “Wi-Fi Range” & designates it as “Best” in “Wi-Fi Class”, “4K Streaming” & “Online Gaming”. The C2600 is a Dual Band (2.4GHz & 5.0GHz) 802.11ac Wave 2 router, meaning it’s faster than standard 11ac routers. There are 4 Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports, 4 full-length detachable antennas, it handles 4 simultaneous Wi-Fi streams per band, has Beamforming Technology, a Dual-Core 1.4Ghz CPU & 2 USB 3.0 Ports.

TP-Link’s C2600 router is MU-MIMO 4x4, capable of fielding 4 simultaneous data streams on each of the 2 bands, increasing speed & reducing latency. (Acronyms: MU=Multiuser; MIMO=Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) On the 2.4GHz band it’s capable of 800Mbps (4x200Mbps) & on 5.0GHz it’s1,733Mbps (4x433Mbps). Hence, the AC2600 designation. Wi-Fi 802.11ac is a significant improvement over 802.11n. When I recently shopped for new laptops a primary consideration was that they have 802.11ac. After witnessing the superiority of 802.11ac, I will never again consider an 802.11n device, even bargain priced.

I have a Time Warner Cable (TWC) Internet subscription, 200Mbps down & 20Mbps up. One might ask why in the world I’d need a high-end router like the C2600, that’s capable of much higher speeds. At first glance this router might look like overkill. The answer is that having extra router capacity means different phones, tablets, laptops, PC’s, webcams & smart TV’s can all be streaming video & data simultaneously without impacting one another. Also, aside from the Internet, we transfer HD video & data from one device to another thru our internal LAN & router. No buffering occurs when we stream HD video to a far-away back bedroom Roku TV, even while others are using the Internet for their own thing. After enjoying the benefits of a C2600 router for 2 months, family members now take it granted & we’d never be able to go back.

For us the C2600 router has been a significant upgrade. My experience is that external antennas work better than internal ones, & external full size antennas function better than small midget antenna. The C2600 has 4 full-length 5” antennas. For optimum Wi-Fi performance adjust the antenna orientation. Stand the middle 2 antennas straight up. Bend the 2 end antennas outward by 30 degrees.

There are 2 USB 3.0 ports on the C2600. Files on the USB devices can be accessed by any Android, iOS, Windows, Linux & Roku device in my house. Using browsers, editors or FTP we can see all the folders & files on these USB storage devices from any phone, tablet, laptop or PC connected to the router. On our smart TV the “Roku Media Player” displays “Share-C2600 Media Player” with four folders (Browse Folders, Music, Pictures, Video). Content is conveniently categorized so we can view USB stored photo slideshows, videos & hear audio books on our smart TV’s.

I live in an old large 2 story brick house in New York City, where there is lots of interference from neighboring Wi-Fi. The C2600 is in my front living room on the first floor. To give you an idea of the C2600 capabilities, 3 Speedtest screenshots are included. They were measured with a new ThinkPad 802.11ac laptop, running Windows 10. Wired Ethernet speeds were 233/24Mbps. In the same room as the router, Wi-Fi 802.11ac speeds were 219/24Mbps. Even in a second-floor corner back bedroom, furthest away from the router, Wi-Fi 802.11ac speeds were 103/24Mbps. That’s pretty good considering the Wi-Fi went through a ceiling, three plaster-lathe walls & a walk-in closet. All these test results are conservative because 2 Roku TV’s & 2 TP-LINK NC200 cloud webcams were simultaneously streaming video through the C2600 router. Even a 10 year old PC had Ethernet speeds of 90/24 Mbps; that limitation was due to its internal 10/100 Mbps NIC card.

Cons: I’ve been using and testing the C2600 for the past 2 months and have only good things to say.

Other Thoughts: Router configuration settings are made via a simple web browser User Interface from any tablet or computer connected by either Ethernet or Wi-Fi. In the browser address bar type “192.168.0.1/”. The menu is well organized. “Login” & you’ll see “Quick Setup”, “Basic” & “Advanced” tabs. Initially Username & Password are both “admin”. Select the “Quick Setup” tab, follow instructions on the one page Quick Installation Guide, & you’ll be on the Internet within 5-minutes. It’s that simple. I used the same SSID & password for both bands. “Basic” lists all connected “Wired Clients” & “Wireless Clients”. “Advanced” lets you adjust & modify numerous settings. “Guest Network” & “Parental Controls” appear on both the “Basic” & “Advanced” tabs. I used the “Guest Network” a few days ago when visiting relatives requested Wi-Fi access. Worked great! Gave my visitors what they needed while keeping my regular SSID password & files secure.

For me, one of the handiest features of the C2600 User Interface menu is configuring “Address Reservations”. My routers are normally set up with 12 fixed IP reserved addresses; a fixed static IP address is assigned to each of these devices. I have a separate IP Address for each Roku TV, printer, webcam & analog telephone adapter. That’s so I can place shortcuts to them on my Windows desktops. Until the C2600, entering Address Reservations had been a chore. With the C2600, go to “Advanced”, “Network” & “DHCP Server”. Under “Address Reservation” click “Add”. Click on the MAC address to be added, enter the desired “Reserved IP Address” & type a “Description”. Repeat for each device. When done, “Save” & “Reboot”. The router was configured in a snap.

Using the web browser User Interface menu I also made these changes to my C2600 configuration.

OpenDNS (For faster & more reliable DNS.)
Advanced, Network, DHCP Server
Primary DNS: 208.67.222.222, Secondary DNS: 208.67.220.220

DMZ (Put my OBi200 ATA in DMZ to solve a Localphone port forwarding issue.)
Advanced, NAT Forwarding, DMZ, Enable DMZ, DMZ Host IP Address

USB (Devices connected to the router get access to USB drives.)
Advanced, USB Settings, Sharing Access, Enable Network Neighborhood & FTP

Router Password (I suggest changing the router’s password to your SSID password.)
Advanced, System Tools, Administration, Account Management

“Tether”, an Android & iOS App, can also be used to configure router essentials. Plus, a visual Network Map is displayed of all your connected devices.

“Beamforming” concentrates & focuses Wi-Fi on the 5.0GHz band towards active 802.11n,ac devices, increasing range, speed & stability. Built-in intelligence also automatically handles QoS (Quality of Service). Since I started using the C2600 all my Voice Over Internet (VoIP) telephone calls have been clear, without delays or dropouts. That’s without manually changing QoS settings.

The C2600 comes with a powerful external power supply, resembling a laptop charger. It has a regular power plug that uses only one power-strip outlet. Some other routers have wide or long power adapters which take up significant power-strip real-estate. The charger never feels warm. The top of the router is barely warm, never gets hot. A 5’ Ethernet CAT.5E data cable was in the retail box (10,100,1000BASE-T).

My setup requires more than 4 LAN ports, so I teamed up the C2600 with an inexpensive TP-LINK 8-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch (TL-SG1008D). They work very well together. No Switch setup or configuration change was needed. Just connect an Ethernet cable from any LAN Port on the C2600 to any port on the Switch. This increases the number of usable Gigabit LAN Ports from 4 to 10.

The C2600 comes with a 2-year warranty. If you need help TP-Link offers unlimited 24x7 toll-free technical support by telephone & email. When I phone during regular business hours my call gets answered in California, after-hours by helpful & knowledgeable English speaking technicians in China. TP-LINK also sponsors extremely useful Tech Support Forums (Google: TP-LINK Forums).

Pros: 1. It is very easy to set up and because it is flat it is easy to hide.
2. The online tool to configure your network's quick setup is excellent, and then once it's good to go you can make adjustments through the advanced settings.
3. I was able to put my range extender back in the box - the wireless range on this router is stupefyingly better than my old router, and that router was only a year old.

Cons: 1. The VPN support is limited at best.
2. I don't know if this is standard for routers, but it was a little annoying when I updated the firmware and it wiped all of my settings (granted it does warn you it will do this).

Other Thoughts: I would definitely recommend this product to others, unless hosting a VPN server is an important feature for the buyer. I do believe that the router supports certain open-source firmware if you're an advanced user (which often comes with the aforementioned feature) so there is a workaround if you want this router and really want that feature (so you can have your cake and eat it too).

Pros: This router was an upgrade from my Linksys e2500 and right off the bat I saw a speed improvement of 5Mbps from the internet download.
I loved that I could hook up a flash drive and use it for storage.
The Router was also easy to configure through a computer but has an even easier mobile app to control it from.
I also noticed that transfers through my network were faster, in my testing I was able to transfer a 9.23Gb Folder to my in house NAS in 3 Minutes 52 Seconds at an average speed of 50Mb/s.
The WiFi Connection I was getting the same speeds as on Wired LAN.
This is great for a larger family that has multiple people using the internet at any given time.
I do video work which requires me to constantly upload and download video while transferring video off to Various devices, The AC2600 had no problem what so ever handling what I needed it to. In terms of Wireless range, In my stone house which does not normally have a good wireless signal, This router was able to keep me connected in all areas.
Would Highly recommend getting this device.

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ROUTER TO ANY HOME OWNER.

Pros: The last few TP-Link products I have owned and reviewed have been a little hit or miss, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by its reliability.

My previously router was driving me up a wall, randomly deciding it was going to send through 1-2 mbps rather than the 50 it was supposed to. I found myself resetting it daily, if not multiple times in an evening. However, this TP-Link is yet to require a reset in more than 3 continuous weeks of running. On more than one occasion, I have suspected it of being slow, but a quick stop at a popular internet speed testing site revealed I was pulling 51 down with a ping of 16-20. It was very consistent.

As with any consumer level router these days, setup is a breeze. It has you input all your info and you get rid into the config.

The other biggest boon of this device for me is the range. I had recently moved by router from the basement (where my switches and modem are) to the living room in an attempt to get better signal in my spare bedrooms. Obviously the move had helped, but I am still able to pull a relatively strong -50 dB in the farthest room. Not ideal for FPS online games, but it generally did alright with everything else.

Finally, I did hook up an old flash drive to the unit to pull some files off and it seemed to immediately recognize it and allow me to access it. Nice and simple. No drivers, no jumping through hoops, no 30 seconds of power cycling, etc.

Cons: I’m still kind of confused as to one issue I’m having. Randomly, my service speed will slow to a crawl. Certain pages won’t open or take a very long time to load (considering the 50 mbps connection). With my old router, this happened on all my wireless devices randomly. Now, it seems to happen exclusively to only one wired device; my main rig! This was especially infuriating when I was trying to do my taxes and it would load Google, but refused to pull up anything else (like, yanno, TurboTax.) Not sure if it is somehow an incompatibility with my PC, but you’d think in 2016 it wouldn’t have a problem.

As others have pointed out, there is no one-click solution to firmware updates. My phone does them automatically. My TV does them automatically. My iPad does them automatically. Everything else in my house that is on the internet does them automatically. Why not my brand new, top dollar router?

Other Thoughts: Whereas with other routers, I have tried to be a little more quantitative, I did not actually run speed and throughput results on my local network with this unit. My current network has the signal going from my modem, across the house to the router, then back across the house to my network switch to feed the wired jacks throughout my home. I would hope the switch wouldn’t suck much bandwidth, but it seems unfair to report any numbers against just the router.

I have a handful of TP-Link products in my house. I previously used another review unit from TP-Link and was only moderately satisfied. I think this unit makes a great case as a strong consumer grade unit that offers lots of power and configuration options without being too complex or confusing.

Pros: The TP-Link Archer C2600 router has a lot going for it. It is a very nice looking, high quality workmanship, well laid out, descent firmware settings and wall mountable. I like to mount my routers high up on the wall near the ceiling to get the best coverage in my home.

I removed a competitor’s router and set up this router up with several home computers, laptop, iPhones, iPad, TV/DVD and my home server. All went very well on both the 2.4 and 5Ghz channels. The server did not fair to well and I’ll discuss that below.

Transfer speeds were disappointing between the USB3 thumb drive attached to the router and a wired network computer, and two wireless computers (one running with an “N” adapter and the other with a TP-Link AC1900 T9E adapter).
To test the speed I transferred 54 JPG files totaling 325MB to each computer as follows;

Wired direct to C2600 router = 15 MB/s
Wireless “N” adapter = 7 MB/s
Wireless TP-Link AC1900 = 12MB/s

Overall the speed was lacking for file transfer. Internet browsing was fast and snappy for all devices connected with no issues.

The firmware is very extensive and includes a quick setup, basic and advanced sections. The advanced sections gives a lot of control over the router and has the majority of setting you expect to have available.

Cons: The C2600 Router and Windows 2012R2 Essentials that I use for my home server refuses to cooperate in establishing Remote Server Access. I use this capability to access files from the server to my work office. My previous router had no issues and turning on UPnP was all it took. With the C2600, UPnP is available and on but refuses to establish the remote connection. Windows Server always times out with several error messages to turn on UPnP, which it is. I have been tinkering with it over the past several weeks and have given up at this point.

There is no updated firmware for this device so server remote access is a failure at this point and a substantial disappointment for such a nice high powered router.

Other Thoughts: I was unable to test the MU-MIMO features. The iPhones do not support the technology, no does my TP-Link AC1900 adapter. Hopefully new devices will be released soon with MU-MIMO capabilities.

This router is a real tossup. Fast internet access, slow file transfers and no server remote access. Depending on your needs it may suit your needs.

Pros: Mobile app allows basic config changes from a touch friendly mobile app. It logs into the device via the inside interface when you provide the username and password (no cloud access). I had two tp-link access points on my network and it detected both of them, so you don’t have to be directly connected to the device, just on the same lan.

Wall Mount works well

Wifi is faster than any one client device is going to use.

Parental controls make an attempt to filter content as well as usage times.

Basic and advanced modes in the web interface cater to both the “just make it work” type and the “I want to personalize every setting” type

Simplistic yet powerful QoS settings. You can categorize by MAC address, by switch port (wifi is considered one port, with a separate port for the guest wifi), or by application (tcp/udp ports)

Ping & Traceroute tools built into web ui

Cons: If you’ve never owned a full-featured 802.11ac router, it may be larger than you are used to. It would take up a lot of desk space if it was not hanging on the wall.

Dynamic DNS requires the device to be connected to the internet via the wan port. If you are using this as just a wifi AP and not your main firewall, you can’t use it as a dyndns client.

You can configure static routes, but you cannot configure the default route. As a standalone AP, the device won’t be able to access the internet (this does not affect any clients connected so long as they get their DHCP address from somewhere else).

USB3 flash drive connected to router averaged about 20 MB/s. Even factoring in the wifi, it should be able to do at least double that. In it’s defense, I have yet to test a wifi router that will get the full potential out of attached storage. Most are not even this fast.

Other Thoughts: Wifi and wired switch performance are excellent, the setup wizard is useful, the hookup instructions are well thought out and easy to follow. This represents the best value in AC2600 devices right now. You could pay a lot more, but you don’t gain anything more other than brand name recognition. The only real negatives I have are if you try to use the device soley as a wifi access point. It was obviously not designed for this application, however it does work if you don’t mind the negatives mentioned above. I don’t imagine this will affect 95% of users though. Bottom line, if you are looking for an all-in-one AC2600 wifi router/firewall, this by far the best value.

Pros: After a month of typical household use, I have little to complain about, which is becoming my consistent experience with TP-LINK stuff. Fills a large house with a strong signal; the four antennas and beamforming seem to find every corner. Supports multiple streaming users with no apparent slowdowns.

The unit itself is sleek and unobtrusive, which is really all I ask, optically, of a router. It's nice that you can turn off the flashy lights. Doesn't seem to generate a lot of heat, so ventilation shouldn't be a problem.

The control panel is well laid out, and is impressively responsive. I was able to swap out my old router and be back online in five minutes. And unlike many other routers, changing a setting doesn't automatically necessitate a two minute reboot sequence. The controls were easy to understand (for a router), and seem full-featured, though more tech savvy reviewers have commented on some missing functions.

Cons: My one attempt to get geeky with the C2600, fiddling with the QOS (quality of service) settings to improve my VOIP performance, resulted in some frustration. The router allowed me to assign high priority to either a device, an application, or a LAN line. But the list of applications seemed short and obsolete – it showed "”Gtalk” but not Google Voice or Hangouts. There's a provision to upload an updated QOS database, but I didn't find anything at the TP-Link website. Then, clicking "view existing devices" only showed a few devices, and not the VOIP device. I had to go to the Network/DHCP Server/client list to find the MAC address of the VOIP and manually enter it. And then it insisted I enter all the dashes. ;-)

It's hard to understand why such an advanced device can't at least have a button in the control panel that will take you to the firmware update web page. Better yet, update automatically, as other companies have been doing for years.

Lastly, and most annoying "feature" of several of my TP-Link routers is the dreaded "auto-log-out." Yes, every 10 minutes while configuring this router you get to reenter your user name and password – made even more annoying by the fact that neither Chrome nor Firefox are able to remember the username or password.

Other Thoughts: I see other reviewers have given detailed accounts of range and throughput. I'll only add that the router, like all its predecessors, wasn't able to broadcast much of a signal outside my house. For that I still need to use a dedicated outdoor router, mounted above the roof…

Pros: Great range. Great wired and wireless speeds. Seamless USB storage integration. Security as expected. 5Ghz band is SUPERB. DHCP or static IP configurations work. Parental controls are a nice touch if you've got curious kids or simple room mates. Easy web-based interface. LED indicator switch in the interface that lets you make it dark if you have it close and don't want to see it. Typical port forwarding seen on business class routers. Good guest network with options like allowing connected devices to see each other, and even giving guests the ability to see your internal network (you'd better be on top of sharing permissions if you want to allow that!) Easy firmware update utility that works. Traffic statistics is a great tool if you think you're being hacked. Simple reboot button in the web-based interface.

Cons: Print server is incompatible with most old printers. :(

Other Thoughts: This thing has exceeded my expectations by miles. It has so much power I no longer have any need for any of my range extenders -even the AC-1200 jobbbie... It jacks up the 5Ghz range and speed that no other dual band router I've used can touch. It's easy to log in and control the web-based utility and it's on par with other business class routers I've used like the Nighthawk, but with even more flexibility in the print server function, guest network, and USB sharing. I plugged in an external Seagate USB 2.0 HDD into the USB 3.0 port and it powered it and shared immediately without a reboot. Talk about a painless NAS solution!!! It's hard to find anything wrong with this router other than legacy printer support. I'm off to buy a new printer. :)

Pros: Sleek design, typical of most routers. Sits neatly on a test or surfaceThe 4 antennas are not that obtrusive but serve primarily for functionality which will be explained later. Buttons are easily accessible on the sides and notification LED lights are easily distinguishable under light or in low light.

Spec-wise the C2600 is a solid high performance router. Supports MU-MIMO via the 4 antennas that can send out multiple output/input streams at once. This also allows for a theoretical maximum throughput of 1733 Mbps via 5 GHz (AC) and 800 Mbps via 2.4 Ghz (N). All 5 major bands are supported, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. The C2600 also supports Gigabit ethernet which is another plus which is standard on high performance routers such as this one. Not sure if there are any comparisons regarding this but another plus is the addition of 1.4 Ghz dual-core processor to manage the multiple streams. I personally like the addition of a Wireless On/Off button. Before on most routers you would have to access the software settings to disable Wi-Fi but now you can with the touch of a button. Compatible with IPV6 which allows flexibility depending on your internet provider. Two USB 3.0 ports are included for attached devices such as NAS, printers and other forms of external storage. I haven't really tested it but I am glad that TP-Link decided to make the ports USB 3.0 which eliminates the USB 2.0 data bottleneck.

Installation was a breeze. Plugged it in, setup wireless settings via the tool and I was connected within 3 minutes. GUI layout is very user friendly, easy to read and navigate. It is not cluttered like other router GUI's in the past.

I currently have a gateway router through Verizon Fios so I had to take this to a friends's house to test on his cable modem. The router had to be setup in the basement, not the most ideal spot since you want a strong signal to broadcast all throughout the house and not just the basement and the main floor. Used a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 to test range and speed. Basement as usual was 5 bars for 5 Ghz and 2.5 Ghz. Main floor, 3 bars for 5 Ghz and 4 bars for 2.4 Ghz. Attic 2-3 bars for 5 Ghz and 3 bars for 2.4 Ghz. Results can vary for others based on the size of the residence, materials used for ceilings and walls, and interference from other devices such as Microwaves, cordless phones etc. Speed was very good regarding data transfers, even better via 5 Ghz due to the increased throughput of Wireless AC.

Cons: UPnP is automatically disabled. A must have for file-sharing between local network computers or shared printers

Other Thoughts: Overall I had absolutely no issues with this router. This is a high performance router meant for individuals that utilize data intensive activities such as streaming 4K, gaming etc. Firmware needs to be update after installation. Price point is absolutely justified by the specs. Definitely a solid router for anyone that is looking to buy.

Pros: - Extremely fast and user friendly interface. I have to say without a doubt this is one of the smoothest and user friendly layouts for a router GUI I've ever used. You can quickly jump between menus with literally no waiting. There's also 2 modes to choose from "basic" and "advanced". Basic is stripped down to exactly what a novice end user would need to get their router setup and running. The advanced features are definitely better suited for your intermediate to advanced+ users however there are a few features there that you may find to your liking so don't be afraid to browse through them.
There's also a quick setup option. 6 steps and a minute later you'll be ready to go.
- Incredible coverage. I'm actually able to pick up a strong 5G signal in my bedroom which is at the complete opposite end of the house. This router should effortlessly cover most small to mid-sized homes or businesses.
- Comes with every feature you'd want (Except for one and I'll address that in the "cons") for a home or small business router. File/print sharing, remote management, and a slew of security features.
- This may sound like a dumb thing to add but not only can you turn the LED's on and off you can set a "night time" mode for them. The reason I need to mention this is because they are, just like most LED's, bright! Let's say you like your room dark but the router is fairly close. No problem! Set the router to disable all lighting from 6pm to 6am or whatever time works for you. It's little things like this that show a lot of thought was put into the product.
- Not a single drop, hiccup, issue in 3 straight weeks of use. I took a little longer than normal to review this because I was determined to find something wrong. I've never used a router where I just didn't have some tiny little issue that bugged me. Literally nothing.
- Backup and restore features. Once you get this router setup (and you're at the appropriate firmware version) you can backup your configuration for easy recovery. Again, the little things. I've been in situations before where I've run a firmware upgrade that ended up resetting EVERYTHING. Wireless settings, port forwarding, etc. It's nice to know if that does happen, no biggie; it's a minor inconvenience at most.
- Renaming the admin account. You'd be amazed at how many routers don't allow this very basic function. I like keeping things secure and not giving away half of what you need to get in is a big plus.

Cons: - If I had to nitpick and really stretch for something close to a "con" it would be the lack of VPN given the price point this router is competing at. However this is something you know going in so it's not really something I can deduct an egg for.

Other Thoughts: First thing to do when you get this router is verify you're on the latest firmware. No exceptions. The improvements they've made have addressed earlier concerns of the router. And the firmware upgrade process is fast and painless; no worries there.
One thing I need to stress is whether or not this is the right solution for you if you're not going to take advantage of all the features the C2600 offers. Simply put, just because a product is absolutely amazing doesn't always means it's the right one for what you need. If you're reading this review and looking for just something basic and don't need a large coverage area then there are a lot of really good mid-range routers that would be much friendlier to your wallet and you'd be equally happy with. Not to mention to the VPN issue can be a huge deal breaker for some.

However, if you can live without VPN and want what I consider to be one of the most solid performing routers I've had the pleasure to use and review (and you're OK with the price tag!) then you found it.