Strong 5GHz throughput, but backed by few extras
Designed for three-bedroom houses, the TP-Link Archer AX73 ($199.99) is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router that installs in minutes and offers strong parental controls and basic network security protection. It delivered solid 5GHz throughput and decent file transfer performance in our tests, but its signal strength could be better. The TP-Link Archer AX50, our Editors’ Choice pick for affordable midrange routers, offers better all-around performance, plus link aggregation, for around $50 less. Six Antennas, But No Multi-Gig Ports The Archer AX73 uses a black enclosure with a textured top and six non-removable adjustable antennas. It measures 1.9 by 5.8 by 10.7 inches (HWD) and can be placed on a flat desktop surface or mounted on a wall. The front edge of the router holds seven LED indicators for power; both radio bands; Internet, Ethernet, and USB connectivity; and WPS activity. Around back are four Gigabit LAN ports, a Gigabit WAN port, a power jack, and buttons for turning on/off Wi-Fi and the front LEDs. There’s also a WPS button, a reset button, and a power button. A USB 3.0 port can be found on the right side of the router. Unlike the TP-Link AX50, this model does not support link aggregation, nor does it offer multi-gig connectivity. The AX73 is a dual-band AX5400 router powered by a 1.5GHz tri-core processor. It can reach maximum data rates of up to 574Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 4,804Mbps on the 5GHz band. It supports Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) technologies, including MU-MIMO simultaneous data streaming, OFDMA transmissions, direct-to-client beamforming, WPA3 encryption, Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), band steering, and 160MHz channel bandwidth. The AX73 can be managed using a web console or TP-Link’s Tether mobile app for iOS and Android devices. The web console offers more advanced settings than the app, such as NAT Forwarding, IPv6, and DHCP server settings. But the mobile app is easier to use, and you’ll need it to access TP-Link’s optional HomeShield subscription service, which is a suite of parental-control, device-prioritization, and network-security tools. The Tether app opens to a My Devices screen, which displays all installed TP-Link devices. Tap the AX73 router panel to open a Home screen with a network map, a list of connected devices on the wireless and guest networks, and buttons for Home, Clients, HomeShield, and Tools. The Home button takes you back to the Home screen from wherever you are in the app, while the Clients button opens a screen that displays a list of connected wired and wireless devices.
