Archer a9 vs. c7 – Which is the best budget friendly router
Having a home router is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Putting into consideration that most of your home devices right know are connected to the internet it is prudent to get a router that offers both coverage and speed.
When you purchase a home router you are able to connect all your devices to the internet. Your smartTV is connected, the kids can play some multiplayer games on the PC while you get some work done in your home office. However, you need a good router with the capacity to transmit to all the rooms in the house without buffering.
The router should also come with a considerable amount of malware software to protect your network from attacks. If you have kids in the house then having a router with parental controls will come in handy as you can control what they surf.
Getting the ideal router is a balance between functionality and price. You do not want to spend so much on a route only for it to be obsolete three years later. This review takes a closer look at the Archer a9 and the c7 and we tell you which is the best for home use.
Table of Contents
What are the differences between Archer a9 vs. c7?
Model |
Archer C7 |
A9 (Winner) |
Supported protocols |
IPv4, IPv6 |
IPv4, IPv6, WMM |
Throughput |
450Mbs 2.4 GHz and 1300Mbs 5GHz |
500Mbs 2.4Ghz and 1300Mbs at 5Ghz |
Wireless security |
WEP, WPA, WPA2 |
WEP 64, WEP 128, WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA2, WPA2-PSK |
Dimensions |
9.6 X 6.4 X 1.3 |
9.6 X 6.4 X 1.3 |
Antennas |
6 |
4 |
Range speed |
608Mbps at close distance and 482Mbps at long distance |
508Mbps on 5Ghz at close proximity, 250Mbps at 30 feet |
Availability |
Archer a9 vs. c7 – How do they compare?
Design
When it comes to the design of the a9 it looks very similar to the a7 with the key difference of the word AC1900 on the front of the router. You get a glossy finish which enhances the aesthetic appeal of the router while also making it easy to clean. At the top you have 3 non-removable antennas with an internal one catering for the 2.4GHz band.
You have one USB port for file sharing and printer connection and rear four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. The c7 measures 9.6 X 6.4 X 1.3 inches and comes with the same glossy finish that is available with the a9. It also comes with three non-detachable antennas, two 2.0 USB ports, four Gigabit LAN ports, and one Gigabit WAN port. At the front you will LED lights for display of radio bands, power, WAN port, the four LAN ports, and WPS activity.
Performance and technologies
The a9 comes with a Qualcomm QCN5502 Quad core chipset that is accompanied with by 128MB of Ram. This powerful chipset enables the a9 to transmit at 600Mbps for the 2.4GHz band and 1300Mbps for the 5GHz band. It also features technologies like beamforming, MU-MIMO and smart connect. When the a9 is subjected to a speed test for the Gigabit Ethernet connection it was capable of scoring up to 941Mbps.
The c7 is an ideal router for home use. When put to the test, it was uncovered that the router on its 2.4Ghz band slows down very little (by 10%) when you move 10 to 30 feet away from the router. For the 5GHz band the results are even better as it only slows down to 8%. The router has three internal antennas that serve the 5GHz frequency and you also get three external ones.
The a9 comes with more RAM than the a7 and the processor is faster. The Qualcomm QCA9984 5GHz Wi-Fi radio is guaranteed to offer you superior internet connectivity.
Installation and setup
The router comes with its own set of unique username and password printed at the bottom of the router. Setting up is simple as all you need is connect the router to your web browser. For the a9 the setup is simplified due to the setup built-in setup wizard. This has easy to follow prompts.
The a9 benefits a lot from an improvement in firmware. The setup is courtesy of the smart connect. In this case you have the combination of both frequencies under one name. This completely eliminates your need to manually change your Wi-Fi connection every time you change the band. The TP-link tether app enables you to connect to your router at anytime. It is available for download for both iOS and Android.
The a9 has really changed its firmware to make it easier to setup the router. The router also comes with the QoS function. Here the router will give network priority to various devices that are high intensive. When the router is put to the test it performs exceedingly well in the wired speed LAN test. If you have a wired Ethernet cable it will support a maximum speed of up to 941Mbps. When you put the 5Ghz band to the test you get 600Mbps at close distances and 482Mbps should you move further away.
Archer a9 – A Comparison Overview
Archer a9 – Overview
- 1 of wireless routers for Home which is compatible with all Wi Fi devices, 802.11ac and older
- Gigabit router with 4 gigabit LAN ports, fast Access to Multiple connected wired devices, also ideal as...
Thearcher A9 is an improved version of the A7 with enhanced performance and hardware components. You will also find some of the latest router technologies like MU-MIMO and beamforming. On the surface the a9 is quite similar to the a7 with the exception of the “ac1900” printed boldly on the top surface. You will also see engraved icons for power, Wi-Fi status and others on the top part of the router. The a9 comes with three non-removable antennas with a forth 2.4GHz band one hidden inside. At the back of the router are four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports with a one USB port. This is a drawback for those with multiple printers and devices that need to be connected to the router.
When it comes to performance the A9 uses Qualcomm QCN5502 quad core chipset that is able to deliver 600Mbps at 2.4GHz and 1300Mbps at 5GHz. It also features 128MB of RAM. What really makes the a9 outstanding when compared to its predecessor is its use of MU-MIMO and beamforming technologies. This helps in offering seamless connections to all users.
Setting up for the A9 is simple and fast. Once you connect your router to the modem all you will be required to do is input the PPoE username and password. An easy to use installation wizard guides you through the processes. The tp-link setup interface has a lot of awesome features that were introduced when the firmware was upgraded. For example, the smart connect feature allows the 2.4GHz and 5GHz to share the same Wi-Fi name. This feature completely eliminates the need to constantly change band for the best signal.
You can choose which device you want to have high priority through the QoS feature. The router also comes with an easy to use app called the TP-Link tether app that is both available for iOS and Android. With the app you have the option of monitoring what is going on with your router remotely. It is can also be accessed through cloud hence enabling you to manage your router from anywhere.
For those in search of an affordable router with decent speeds the archer a9 is an excellent choice. When subjected to a speed test it was able to clock 600Mbps at close distance and 482Mbps when you are far away.
What we liked:
- Beamforming and MU-MIMO technologies
- Fast connectivity
- Support of HyppTV
- Offers good value for money
What we did not like:
- Few USB ports
Archer c7 – Overview
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The Archer c7 comes with 5 antennas dedicated to the 5GHz frequency and 3 internal ones for the 2.4GHz. The router has a glossy finish that is easy to clean (but leaves your fingerprints on the surface) and that boosts the routers aesthetic appeal. On the rear, you have one Gigabit WAN port, four Gigabit LAN ports, and two 2.0 USB ports. You also get buttons for power and WPS. The router measures 9.6 X 6.4 X 1.3 inches which makes it ideal for home use.
The c7 uses a 720MHz CPU that helps it deliver speeds of up to 450MHz for the 2.4GHz and 1,300Mbps for the 5GHz band. The only problem during the installation process is it’s the router uses an older version of its web console. You will notice that this version lacks the enticing graphics and appealing user-interface common in newer TP-link versions. Problems will arise when you make a change as you will be forced to wait for about 30 seconds before they are effected.
If you want to set separate networks for your guests you can do this easily through the Guest Network page. The parental control page allows you to set restrictions on various websites you do not want your kids to access. The Access control page allows you to configure settings regarding bandwidth control, advanced routing, port triggering, port forwarding, firewall settings, and VPN pass-through.
The installation process for the router is fast and straightforward. Once you have powered it up you can go to the tp-link setup url and configure the router. When it comes to various connectivity tests the C7 performs incredibly well. In the close proximity test it scores 91.3Mbps at 2.4GHz frequency and 62.8Mbps for 30 feet. For the 5GHz the results are even better. Here it scores 509Mbps at close proximity and 250Mbps at 30 feet. It also measures well when it comes to file transfers through the USB file.
Once you are connected to the router you will be asked which band you desire to use – 2.4GHz or 5Ghz or both. At the concurrent page you will be asked to configure your security settings. Overall, at the price it is been offered the C7 is a decent router for home use. It comes equipped with a host of customizable management settings.
What we liked:
- Affordable
- Performs well in performance tests
- Compact design suitable for home use
- A host of management settings
What we did not like:
- Outdated web-interface
Conclusion: Which is better? Archer a9 or C7
The Archer a9is a clear winner in this review. The router comes packed with some of the latest router technologies like MU-MIMO, beamforming and smart connect. Added to this you have two strong bands – 2.4Ghz and 5GHz that ensure flawless internet connection. The router comes in a compact design that makes it suitable for most home use applications. It offers high speeds and range and with the addition of USB ports you are able to connect most of your peripherals to the router. The price is decent hence making the router ideal for home use.
FAQ
What is the difference between a router and modem?
In most cases you will find the two words been used interchangeably but they are very different. The modem is a device that sends internet signals from your ISP which are then picked by your computer. This was very common in the old days when the signals would be transmitted through telephone lines connected to the modem. The modem would then decode the signals and transmit them to your computer. Things have changed as nowadays internet signals are transmitted through fiber cables which are faster and have more bandwidth. The router has two ends – on one it is connected to the private network and the other to the fiber network. The router allows multiple devices to receive the internet signal wirelessly without been connected to it through cables. The router receives all the search queries as if they are one as all the devices share the same world wide web IP address.
Does Wi-Fi have any disadvantages?
As in with everything good, you have pros and cons. When it comes to the Wi-Fi the biggest challenge is that as the number of devices connected to the network increases the data transfer rate also decreases. It is for this reason that some routers will come with QoS features to prioritize network devices. You also are not assured of internet security when it comes to Wi-Fi. Hackers can gain access to your private network if you are operating with a router that lacks in-built anti-malware software.
