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TP-Link Archer AX55: what the reviews say
By S. Dahani and the RealDigitalTech editorial team
TP-Link's budget AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 router lists at about $110 in the US. Reviewers like its value and easy setup, but disagree on its range and 2.4 GHz performance.
© TP-Link
Quick Take
Key figures
Launch details
The Archer AX55 is one of TP-Link's entry-level Wi-Fi 6 routers. Tom's Guide lists it at $110 in the US and found it for as little as $74.99; TechGearLab quotes a $130 list price. It is a dual-band AX3000 model, rated at 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 2,402 Mbps on 5 GHz, with 160 MHz channels and WPA3. The first version uses a 1 GHz dual-core Qualcomm chip with 512 MB of RAM; Digital Citizen notes that a second hardware version uses a Broadcom chip. It has four fixed antennas, one gigabit WAN port, four gigabit LAN ports and a USB 3.0 port.
What reviewers agree on
- Value: TechGearLab gives it a Best Buy award, and Tom's Guide sees it as a strong budget pick.
- Setup: TechGearLab calls it "exceptionally easy to set up", and it can be managed from TP-Link's Tether app.
- 5 GHz up close: Digital Citizen rates its 5 GHz downloads as outstanding, and Tom's Guide measured 823.7 Mbps at 15 feet.
- Gigabit limit: all ports are gigabit, so Digital Citizen recommends it for connections up to 1 Gbps.
- Low power: Tom's Guide measured 8.4 watts, about $11 a year.
Where opinions differ
| Topic | Favourable view | Reserved view |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4 GHz band | TechGearLab calls it best in its test group, with 155 Mbps at 35 feet. | Digital Citizen found 2.4 GHz uploads weak in distant rooms. |
| Range | Tom's Guide praises its range for the price, reaching 110 feet. | TechGearLab scores range only 5/10 against pricier models. |
| Mid-range speed | TechGearLab found 5 GHz speeds above average, at 325 Mbps through walls at 35 feet. | Tom's Guide calls its mid-range throughput disappointing. |
| Extras | TechGearLab likes the included parental controls; Digital Citizen praises OneMesh and EasyMesh support. | Digital Citizen calls the USB port "painfully slow" and notes premium HomeShield features are paid. |
Scores: 4/5 from Digital Citizen; 68/100 from TechGearLab (Best Buy award).
Reviewer consensus
average of 2 published review scores
Broad agreement- Digital Citizen84/5
- TechGearLab6.868/100
Scores published by the outlets cited in this article, converted to a 10-point scale. RealDigitalTech did not test this product itself.
Verdict
The Archer AX55 remains a sensible budget router for an apartment or small home with internet up to 1 Gbps. Buyers with multi-gigabit fibre or a large home should look higher: the Wi-Fi 7 Archer BE550 adds a 6 GHz band and 2.5 GbE ports. See also our guide to the best Wi-Fi 7 routers.
This article analyses reviews published by other outlets, in our own words. RealDigitalTech did not test the Archer AX55 itself.
Sources
How this article was made: our editorial team selected and read the reviews listed above, compared their results and wrote this synthesis, with AI tools assisting the research and drafting. Every figure was checked against the sources, and the article was approved by the publication director. Our AI Disclosure · Our methodology · Report an error: editorial@realdigitaltech.com