TP link c20 vs. c60 – which offers the longest range
Having a home router enables you to connect all your devices to the internet without any of them hogging bandwidth. The best routers will be tri-band and come with some useful features like parental control
With so many devices now connected to the internet, having a home router is no longer a luxury but a necessity. You do not even have to be an IT expert to understand how routers work. Simply plug in one to a power source, follow the guidelines on the router web-interface and you are good to go. Some of the routers even come with features for parental control so that you can always know what the little ones are surfing. In addition, the availability of settings on cloud and mobile apps means you can always monitor what is going on from anywhere.
When it comes to choosing the right router for your home then speed is a factor. You have to select a router that enables you to stream live your 4K videos, support playing of graphic intensive games and allow you to connect some of your other devices like the printer or hard disk to the router. In this review of TP link c20 vs. c60 we check out this two routers and tell you which one is best for your home.
Let’s get started!!!
Table of Contents
What are the differences between the TP link c20 and c60?
Model |
TP Link c20 |
c60 |
Dimensions |
230 X 144 X 35 mm |
230 X 144 X 37 mm |
Standards |
802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
802.11ac/n/a on 5GHz, 802.11b/g/n for 2.4Ghz |
Signal speeds |
867Mbps for 5GHz and 450Mbps for 2.4GHz |
300Mbps for 2.4Ghz and 433Mbps for 5Ghz |
Quality of service |
WMM, Bandwidth control |
NAT forwarding, parental control |
Availability |
TP link c20 vs. c60 – How do they compare?
Design
The c60 is a large router with huge antennas and a sleek design. The router comes in a nice white finish with patterns on the top. You have edges that are slanted to offer more ventilation. You will have your ports like power adapter, four Ethernet LAN ports, power button and reset pin-hole. For the antennas you have three at the back – one 2.4GHz and two 5GHz. The antennas are made of plastic and are durable enough not to break down. They are also rounded on the edges to help spread the signal effectively. The four Ethernet LAN ports are colored yellow for easy recognition. The WPS button allows you to connect other devices at the push of the key. You also get a host of privacy settings like WPS-PSK/WPA2-PSK2.
The c20 is well shaped with patterns on the top. It measures 9.1 X 5.7 X 1.4 inches hence making it suitable for home use. You can easily place it on your table and it will not obstruct you in any way. Like most routers it comes with 1 WAN and 4 LAN ports. It also has two dedicated WPS switches and a power switch button that allows you to turn ON/OFF the router. The glossy design is a great addition to your house and helps complement your surroundings. Air vents underneath the router help in heat dissipation.
Performance and speed
When it comes to signal speed the c60 is capable of delivering 867Mbps for the 5GHz and 450Mbps for the 2.4GHz. The c60 uses a Qualcomm Atheros QCA9561 750MHz chipset. The RAM is not that impressive at 64MB and 8MB flash. The router uses the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac circuitry. This enables it to achieve speeds of 450 and 867Mbps. The router offers more connection through 4X100 Mbps LAN ports and 1X10/100 Mbps WAN. Due to the availability of dual band antennas you will not experience any buffering or glitches when connecting to the net. The router also enhances your multiplayer experience through a strong and fast internet connection.
The c20 is a dual band router that supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. It is also 802.11ac certified. You will find some of the more common protocols features like UPnP, DMZ, port forwarding and Dynamic DNS. It will also support IPv4 and IPv6 while also enabling VPN protocols like PPTP, VPN pass through and L2TP. When it comes to router speeds expect to get 300Mbps on 2.4GHz band and 433Mbps on the 5GHz one. The LAN and WAN are 10 and 100Mbps respectively.
Installation and setup
The setup for the c60 is very easy. Once you power on the router you then need to connect it to the internet for the customization settings. You will first need to visit the tplinkwifi.net site where you will find a host of basic setup options. Here you can choose which band to use – 2.4Ghz or the 5Ghz. For more advanced settings go to the to this tab. Here you can set stuff like NAT forwarding, parental controls, system tools and VPN server.
Setup of the c20 is through its router control panel. The user interface is easy to navigate and user-friendly. It features the light blue TP link website colors that make it very visible. At the parental control panel you can choose when your kids access the internet and the kind of sites they should or not visit. You can configure and monitor your router through the TP link tether app. When it comes to network speed you can get speeds of up to 60 Mbps on the 2.4GHz.
While the c20 offers you tri-band frequencies you will find the 2.4GHz band having lots of shortcomings for long ranges. You will experience ranges of 40 to 50 meters for the 2.4GHz and 40 to 50 GHz for the 5GHz. If you are a new to using routers you will notice that it is a bit of a challenge making changes from the user panel; it has so many controls and features that finding your way is a challenge. Thankfully you have the TP Link tether app. The status lights positioning is also not that good and you may experience challenges in the night trying to find out what is working and not. The guest network feature is a great feature as it allows you to avoid some guests from hogging the network. With the feature you can control bandwidth to your guests.
While the c60 is a great router it lacks dedicated USB ports. In today’s world the number of devices that require USB are many. The fact that you cannot replace the antennas is also a drawback.
TP link c20 vs. c60 – A Comparison Overview
TP link c20 – Overview
- AC750 MEDIATEK IN
The TP Link c20 is a budget friendly router suitable for most homes. The router comes in a stylish design that will blend well with the rest of your house. It measures a decent 9.1 X 5.7 X 1.4 inches and will stand easily on your table or shelf without causing too much destruction. Since it is a dual band router, it will support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. It also comes with the latest 802.11ac certification.
When you first purchase the c20 you will be first captivated by the black and glossy finish. This gives it an appealing design but also makes it quite easy to clean. You also have some durable large air vents underneath that will keep the router from overheating.
No matter the size of your rooms the c20 three large external antennas are capable of providing adequate coverage to all your rooms. The router also supports some of the most common and latest router technologies like Dynamic DNS, DMZ, port forwarding, UPnP, IPv4, IPv6, L2TP, and PPTP. On the outside you will find 1 WAN port, 4 LAN ports as well as dedicated switches for WPS, power on/off buttons and wireless on/off switch.
You can access the internet through either the static IP, dynamic IP, PPPoE, and the BigPond cable network – this however operates in specific countries so you may want to know whether you country is on the list.
You can manage some of settings remotely like bandwidth management, parental controls and the ability to block specific gadgets from accessing your network. Setup is simple and fast. You can access it by visiting 192.168.0.1/192.168.1.1 through your web browser. From their you will be asked to enter the username and password. For a new router the default is normally “admin” but you can change this to your own secret and unique passwords once you are done with the setup process.
The c20 offers some decent speeds. You get 433Mbps on the 5GHz band and 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. The LAN and WAN speeds are 10 and 100Mbps respectively. You can change a lot of things on the router by going to the control panel. With the parental control feature you can define the time and your kids can access the internet. If you find the TP-link web interface a bit complicated you can do your settings controls on the TP-link app. Here you will find everything you need from basic settings to the more complicated stuff.
What we liked:
- The glossy black finish makes the router very attractive
- Parental controls
- You can connect to the net through a variety of technologies
- Decent speeds for home use
What we did not like
- The Wi-Fi coverage weakens a lot as you move further away from the router
TP link c60 – Overview
- Get faster Wi-Fi at both the 2.4GHz band (450mbps) and the 5GHz band (867mbps)
- The advanced AC Wi-Fi unlocks the performance of all your wireless devices
The TP Link c60 is compact router that offers both 2.4GHz at 450MHz and 5GHz at 867Mbps. It has an attractive design that will easily complement your home design. It also has non-detachable three 2.4GHz antennas and two 5GHz antennas. The router also features parental control and guest network settings. This router is what you need for your high internet connectivity needs. It also comes with the latest 802.11n internet standards that ensures you get strong and fast internet access.
The TP link c60 measures 9.1 X 5.7 X 1.5 inches and features WDS (four address), WDS (AP+APC), and wireless router modes. You also get Access control, remote management, local management software. With 3X3 MIMO technology you have the capability of playing a host of online games, stream HD videos, and do video chats. The TP-link c60 is easy to setup and with the TP-link app you can monitor all the key router functions on the go.
The setup for the c60 is through visiting the tplinkwifi.net this gives you a list of basic setup requirements. Here you can set the two bands and view your connected devices. The parental control is a tool that comes in handy as it allows one to restrict the kind of sites kids come into access to. It also regulates the time your kids can surf the net. You also get advanced settings like VPN server and NAT forwarding. When it comes to wireless standards the c60 comes with 802.11b/g/n for the 2.4GHz, and 802.11ac/n/a for the 5GHz. The signal speed for the c60 is 867Mbps for the 5GHz and 450Mbps 2.4Ghz. Due to the dual nature of the router you should expect to get effortless internet connectivity.
What we liked:
- Dual band for enhanced connectivity
- Many air vent holes for improved ventilation
- Easy to install
- TP link tether app
What we did not like:
- Lack of USB port
Conclusion: So which is better? TP Link c20 or c60
In this review we found the TP Link c20to be the better home router. It is compact and will easily fit on the table without causing any obstructions. It also supports a number of dynamic protocols as well as been superfast. The setup process is easy and should take you less than 5 minutes.
FAQ
What can affect router bandwidth?
The bandwidth is measured in bits per second and is a used to measure how data is transferred through your router. The number of internet tasks that need to be processed at any given time can affect the bandwidth. It is for this reason that high end routers will come with QoS software that enables them to prioritize the bandwidth usage. This prioritization is done when there is a lot of increased up flow traffic.
Is it normal to have router noise?
The router can beep if there is some signal interference. This occurs when you have stuff like microwaves, cordless phones or radar that are near the router. The router measures this noise in decibels from 0 to -120 decibels. The closer this number is to -120 the less there is interference. You should make every effort to ensure that your router is not obstructed by anything.