Why did I buy the TP-Link Archer C2300?

I, like most people, am not a IT specialist. I never really thought that the router I got from my internet service provider was that bad. Until I purchased the TP-Link AC2300, I had lived with cable internet that was supposed to be 300Mbps and never got speeds close to that. Well, that is why I have decided to give you a review of the TP-Link AC2300 Wireless Gigabit Router. 

I had been paying $80.00, on promotion, that went up to $120.00 when my contract ran out. I had then started to shop around for a more affordable internet plan. Being a student, I always have my ear to the ground when it comes to deals as I need them. I found an ISP (Internet Service Provider) that was only $60.00 for the same plan that I had previously had. Unfortunately, I came to find out that they were closed on Sundays and that just wouldn’t work for me. The silver lining of this experience was that they only provided a modem with their internet service, so I would have to buy my own. I went through the available offerings online and found one that matched my budget. For $100.00 I bought a router that had fairly good reviews online, the TP-Link AC2300. I couldn’t be more happy with the functionality of this little thing.

Features

This router offers the following list of items:

•Parental Controls that allow you to manage when and how connected devices access the internet.

•Device Prioritization that allows you to choose which devices get priority over others. Tired of all your streaming constantly buffering? Make that device a priority.

•Secure VPN Access that will allow you to route all traffic from your router through a VPN service. You have to pay extra to a VPN service to use this feature.

•Beamforming that sends a targeted wifi signal to specific devices.

•IPTV features that will improve your IPTV streaming.

•Allows you to attach hard drives to the router that can be shared to all connected devices.

•A switch for both the power and the wifi. For those people who would like to switch off the wireless but leave wired devices connected to the internet.

Specifications

•1625Mbps on 5GHz

•600Mbps on 2.4GHz

•Four Gigabit LAN ports

•One Gigabit WAN port

•512MB RAM

•128MB Flash

•Three detachable antennas

•One USB 2.0 port

•One USB 3.0 port

My Thoughts

Although I can’t test the max wireless speeds with my internet, I have seen a huge increase in speed test results alone. Now that I have my Apple TV and my Nvidia Shield set as priorities within the app, which is called Tether, and I haven’t had any buffering issues since setting those devices as a priority. 

I never really thought anything about using the Hitron modem/router combo that I rent from my current ISP. Let’s just say that a dedicated router is all the better than something trying to preform two functions at once.

Although this router is slightly bigger than I would have preferred, it fits nicely on the shelf in the office. Measuring 8.5” wide by 6.5” deep by 1.4” tall it will fit most places, but keep in mind that it has three, fully adjustable, antenna that will need to be attached to allow it to function as a wifi router. 

The range that this router has, has been very good as well. I don’t live in a mansion, but with my old two-in-one I was struggling to get a signal while I was laying in bed. The worst part of that being that my phone would frequently not update. Now my 900 square foot condo has full bars on all devices, through all the walls, with very little drop of signal.

Would I recommend the TP-Link Archer C2300?

I would most definitely recommend this router. If most of what you do is streaming and surfing the net, this will most assuredly up your wifi game at home. This router will keep up with nearly anyone’s bandwidth from their ISP. 

I have yet to plug a hard drive in and share it through out the network, but I do plan on doing that in the near future(when I can afford it). 

So, if you just want to speed up your home internet connection, maybe this is the one for you. 

Thanks for taking the time to read through my TP-Link AC2300 review. I look forward to hearing from you!

Posted on: March 28, 2019, by : Mike