OVERALL
ALTERNATIVES
SPECS
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REVIEWS
Scored using Routers Methodology v3.0
Routers Methodology v3.0
Mathematical & Unbiased Scoring
Products in this category are scored under Frontum Routers Methodology v3.0: the technical score from the specifications is the base, and independent expert and video reviews (up to ±0.5 points), owner opinions (up to ±0.3) and best-of lists (up to +0.3) move it up or down.
Explore Routers Methodology v3.0

TP-Link Archer AX21 review: 77 specs compared

Avg. price:~£80Wi-Fi version:Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)Wi-Fi speed:1775 MbpsLAN port speeds:1 GbpsMesh Wi-Fi:yes

TP-Link Archer AX21 Review: Compare 77 technical specifications, 8 expert and video reviews and 2 best-of lists to see how this product ranks in the Routers category and whether it is worth buying.

TP-Link Archer AX21
7.9/10

Overall score

Score
7.9/ 10
✕
What it is
Our main score for this model, 1–10. It combines specs, expert reviews, best-of lists and owners.
How we count it
Parts: Technical score 40%, Reviews score 25%, List score 25%, Sentiment score 10%
Marks: Each part gets a mark out of 10. For reviews, lists and owners, a typical model in this category gets about 8 and the best one gets 10.
No data yet: A part with no data shows "?". It counts as the mark of a weaker model in this category (4 in 5 models with data score higher). This way, models with reviews, lists and owners usually come out ahead.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▲ Better than 75% of models
Score components

40%

7.5

Technical score

25%

8.4

Reviews score

25%

8.2

List score

10%

7.0

Sentiment score

▲Better than 75% of routers
8.5

Value for money

Value for money
8.5/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the router's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a router with a good balance between network performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▲ Better than 81% of models
Score components

70%

7.9

Overall score

30%

10

Price

▲Better than 81%
7.5

Technical score

Technical score
7.5/ 10
✕
What it is
How good the specs are compared with the other models in this category, 1–10.
How we count it
Areas: We rate the specs in each area against the other models in this category.
Weighting: The areas that matter most to buyers count more. The shares are shown under Score components.
Share: The technical score is 40% of the overall score.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▲ Better than 65% of models
Score components

26%

7.3

Wireless

20%

5.8

Ports

18%

8.8

Networking

14%

9.5

Security

12%

6.6

Hardware

10%

7.6

Management

▲Better than 65%
8.4

Reviews score

Reviews score
8.4/ 10
✕
What it is
Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
How we count it
Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Big test sites count more, short reviews half as much as full tests. A video review counts half.
Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.7 for now.
Share: Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▲ Better than 68% of models

80%

8.4

Average grade

20%

8.4

Popularity

Grades by review (8)
8 video reviews, each counting half as much as a written test. Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
▲Better than 68%
8.2

List score

List score
8.2/ 10
✕
What it is
How often independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers put this model in their best-of lists for this category.
How we count it
Points: The model in the most lists of this category gets 10; the others get 8 to 10 in proportion. In no list yet: 7.5. Lists count 25% of the overall score.
Enough data: Every list counts, even a single one. With fewer than 5 best-of lists in the category, this part is left out.
Lists with this model (2)
List score: in 2 of 84 lists (2%)
▲Better than 82%
  • tp-link-archer-ax21
tp-link-archer-ax21
Where to buy
    N/A~ £80
Best rankings
Available: ranking among products currently available (including other versions of this product).All: ranking among all products in the database.

What reviewers say about the TP-Link Archer AX21

Based on 0 · 8

Reviewers like the easy setup, fair price and solid coverage and speed, but criticise the wired connections and limited advanced features.
Praised
Criticised
Pick a topic to see who said what
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Technical Specifications of router TP-Link Archer AX21

Technical score
Technical score
7.5/ 10
✕
What it is
How good the specs are compared with the other models in this category, 1–10.
How we count it
Areas: We rate the specs in each area against the other models in this category.
Weighting: The areas that matter most to buyers count more. The shares are shown under Score components.
Share: The technical score is 40% of the overall score.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▲ Better than 65% of models
Score components:

26%

7.3

Wireless

20%

5.8

Ports

18%

8.8

Networking

14%

9.5

Security

12%

6.6

Hardware

10%

7.6

Management

7.5
Reviews score
8.4
List score
8.2
Value for money
Value for money
8.5/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the router's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a router with a good balance between network performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▲ Better than 81% of models
Score components:

70%

7.9

Overall score

30%

10

Price

8.5
Brand name
TP-Link
Wi-Fi version
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
This router uses Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), which is more advanced than 58.5% of routers and equal to 25.9% of routers.
Wi-Fi bands
2.4 GHz + 5 GHz
This router supports 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands, which are more versatile than 24.2% of routers and equal to 65.6% of routers.
Wi-Fi speed
1,775 Mbps
Market range: <0 Mbps – >6k Mbps
This router delivers 1,775 Mbps Wi-Fi speed, which is higher than 53.3% of routers and equal to 0.6% of routers.
Channel widths supported
20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz
This router supports 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz channel width options, which is more than 36.5% of routers and the same as 29.9% of routers.
Show more
What reviewers say
Wi-Fi security protocols
WPA3, WPA/WPA2, 802.1X
This router supports WPA3, WPA/WPA2, 802.1X Wi-Fi security protocols, which are more advanced than 60.6% of routers and equal to 4.5% of routers.
DoS protection
yes
This router includes DoS protection. 9.8% of routers include DoS protection.
SPI intrusion protection
yes
This router includes SPI-based intrusion protection. 4.7% of routers include SPI-based intrusion protection.
MAC address filtering
yes
This router supports MAC address filtering. 1.7% of routers include MAC address filtering.
URL filter
yes
This router supports URL filtering. 2.6% of routers include URL filtering.
Show more
IPv6 support
yes
This router supports IPv6. 8.8% of routers are IPv6-ready.
Dynamic routing
yes
This router supports dynamic routing. 54% of routers support dynamic routing.
Inter-VLAN routing
no
This router does not support inter-VLAN routing. 24.5% of routers support inter-VLAN routing.
VLAN tagging
yes
This router supports VLAN tagging. 33.6% of routers include VLAN tagging.
QoS
yes
This router includes QoS controls. 2.4% of routers include QoS controls.
Show more
N. of LAN ports
4
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 4 LAN ports, which is more than 34.2% of routers and the same as 59.3% of routers.
LAN port speeds
1 Gbps
This router offers 1 Gbps on its LAN ports, which is faster than 25.7% of routers and on par with 56.1% of routers.
N. of WAN ports
1
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 1 WAN ports, which is more than 0.8% of routers and the same as 89.4% of routers.
N. of USB ports
1
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 1 USB ports, which is more than 40.1% of routers and the same as 41.5% of routers.
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
no
This router does not support Power over Ethernet (PoE). 1.7% of routers can be powered over Ethernet.
Show more
What reviewers say
Management interface
Web UI, App
This router uses Web UI, App for management, which is more advanced than 29.7% of routers and equal to 60.9% of routers.
Firmware upgrade method
Web UI, Automatic
This router supports Web UI, Automatic firmware update methods, which are more convenient than 30.2% of routers and equal to 31.9% of routers.
Traffic monitoring
yes
This router includes traffic monitoring. 13.9% of routers include traffic monitoring.
Guest Wi-Fi network
yes
This router offers a guest Wi‑Fi network. 7.3% of routers offer a guest Wi‑Fi network.
Captive portal
no
This router does not offer captive portal features. 22.4% of routers offer captive portal features.
Show more
CPU clock speed
4x 1.5 GHz
This router runs at 4x1.5 GHz, which is faster than 73.4% of routers and on par with 7% of routers.
RAM capacity
256 MB
Market range: <0 MB – >1k MB
This router has 256 MB of RAM, which is more than 46.3% of routers and the same as 14.9% of routers.
Internal storage
0.015625 GB
Market range: <0.0039 GB – >0.5 GB
This router has 0.015625 GB of internal storage, which is less than 55.2% of routers and the same as 13% of routers.
Hardware acceleration
yes
This router offers hardware acceleration. 24.9% of routers offer hardware acceleration.
N. of external antennas
4
Market range: <0 – >10
This router has 4 external antennas, which is more than 69.9% of routers and the same as 19.4% of routers.
Show more

TP-Link Archer AX21 vs the average router

246810TotalWirelessSecurityNetworkingPortsManagementHardware
  • Supports mesh Wi-Fi
    This router supports mesh Wi-Fi, while the average router does not. 45.2% of routers support mesh Wi-Fi.
  • Stronger Wi-Fi security
    This router supports the Wi-Fi security protocols WPA3, WPA/WPA2, 802.1X, while the average router supports WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP.
    WPA3, WPA/WPA2, 802.1X vs WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP
  • Supports OFDMA
    This router supports OFDMA, while the average router does not. 41.5% of routers support OFDMA.
  • Newer Wi-Fi version
    This router supports a newer Wi-Fi version than the average router (Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)). The average router uses Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
    Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
  • Supports dynamic routing
    This router supports dynamic routing, while the average router does not. 46.1% of routers support dynamic routing.
  • Higher CPU clock speed
    This router has a higher CPU clock speed than the average router (4x1.5 GHz vs 2x1 GHz). The average router has a CPU clock speed of 2x1 GHz.
    4x1.5 GHz vs 2x1 GHz
  • 135,000 more NAT sessions
    This router has more concurrent NAT sessions than the average router (150,000 vs 15,000). The average router supports 15,000 concurrent NAT sessions.
    150,000 vs 15,000
  • More capable NAS services
    This router includes SMB, FTP, media server, time machine NAS services, while the average router includes SMB, media server.
    SMB, FTP, media server, time machine vs SMB, media server
  • 9.1% higher review score
    Reviews score
    8.4/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
    How we count it
    Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Big test sites count more, short reviews half as much as full tests. A video review counts half.
    Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
    Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.7 for now.
    Share: Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
    Score distribution
    ▼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    ▲ Better than 68% of models

    80%

    8.4

    Average grade

    20%

    8.4

    Popularity

    Grades by review (8)
    8 video reviews, each counting half as much as a written test. Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
    User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
    8.4 vs 7.7
  • 5.4% better value for money
    TP-Link Archer AX21 has better value for money than the average router (8.51 vs 8.1).
    8.51 vs 8.08
  • Supports mesh Wi-Fi
    This router supports mesh Wi-Fi, while the average router does not. 45.2% of routers support mesh Wi-Fi.
  • Supports OFDMA
    This router supports OFDMA, while the average router does not. 41.5% of routers support OFDMA.
  • Newer Wi-Fi version
    This router supports a newer Wi-Fi version than the average router (Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)). The average router uses Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
    Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
  • 24.7% wider wireless coverage
    This router has wider wireless coverage than the average router (232 m² vs 186 m²). The average router offers wireless coverage of 186 m².
    232 m² vs 186 m²
  • Supports TWT
    This router supports Target Wake Time (TWT), while the average router does not. 42.6% of routers support Target Wake Time (TWT).
  • 1 more spatial streams
    This router has more spatial streams than the average router (4 vs 3). The average router has 3 spatial streams.
    4 vs 3
  • Stronger Wi-Fi security
    This router supports the Wi-Fi security protocols WPA3, WPA/WPA2, 802.1X, while the average router supports WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP.
    WPA3, WPA/WPA2, 802.1X vs WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP
  • Supports dynamic routing
    This router supports dynamic routing, while the average router does not. 46.1% of routers support dynamic routing.
  • 135,000 more NAT sessions
    This router has more concurrent NAT sessions than the average router (150,000 vs 15,000). The average router supports 15,000 concurrent NAT sessions.
    150,000 vs 15,000
  • More capable NAS services
    This router includes SMB, FTP, media server, time machine NAS services, while the average router includes SMB, media server.
    SMB, FTP, media server, time machine vs SMB, media server
  • Higher CPU clock speed
    This router has a higher CPU clock speed than the average router (4x1.5 GHz vs 2x1 GHz). The average router has a CPU clock speed of 2x1 GHz.
    4x1.5 GHz vs 2x1 GHz
  • 2 more external antennas
    This router has more external antennas than the average router (4 vs 2). The average router has 2 external antennas.
    4 vs 2
  • 2.1 W lower power consumption
    This router uses less power than the average router (6 W vs 8.1 W). The average router uses 8.1 W power.
    6 W vs 8.1 W
  • Limited firmware updates
    This router supports the firmware update methods Web UI, Automatic, while the average router supports Web UI, App, Automatic.
    Web UI, Automatic vs Web UI, App, Automatic
  • 87.5% less internal storage
    This router has less internal storage than the average router (0 GB vs 0.1 GB). The average router offers 0.125 GB of internal storage.
    0.015625 GB vs 0.125 GB
  • 10.3% lower sentiment score
    7.0 vs 7.8
  • 68.1 mm wider width
    This router is wider than the average router (261.1 mm vs 193 mm). The average router is 193 mm wide.
    261.1 mm vs 193 mm
  • 10.3% lower sentiment score
    7.0 vs 7.8
  • Limited firmware updates
    This router supports the firmware update methods Web UI, Automatic, while the average router supports Web UI, App, Automatic.
    Web UI, Automatic vs Web UI, App, Automatic
  • 87.5% less internal storage
    This router has less internal storage than the average router (0 GB vs 0.1 GB). The average router offers 0.125 GB of internal storage.
    0.015625 GB vs 0.125 GB
  • 68.1 mm wider width
    This router is wider than the average router (261.1 mm vs 193 mm). The average router is 193 mm wide.
    261.1 mm vs 193 mm

Video reviews

Hands-on testing, unboxing, and real-world video evaluations

8.0
BroadbandNow
≈ estimated
23/09/2025
Hands-on review · setup, speed and app tests
Verdict
TP-Link Archer AX21 has a frustrating setup and mid-range speeds, but it balances price, performance and a handy app well.
9.0
Matt's Real Reviews
≈ estimated
23/01/2024
Hands-on review · setup, app and speed tests
Verdict
TP-Link Archer AX21 is much faster than the previous router, a good option for faster internet plans.
9.0
Lamar MK
≈ estimated
29/03/2021
Hands-on review · speed and range tests · app setup
Verdict
TP-Link Archer AX21 is a great budget Wi-Fi 6 router, with fast speeds and good range for the price.
8.0
Budget Nerd
≈ estimated
30/12/2020
Hands-on review · speed, coverage and setup tests
Verdict
TP-Link Archer AX21 is a solid budget Wi-Fi 6 router, best if you already own Wi-Fi 6 devices.
9.0
Amazon Best Sellers
≈ estimated
26/08/2024
Product overview · first weeks of use · quoted user reviews
Verdict
TP-Link Archer AX21 is a strong choice for affordable Wi-Fi 6 upgrades, with good value for the money.
8.0
The Inspect Aspect
✓ explicit
11/06/2024
Feature overview · pros and cons
Verdict
TP-Link Archer AX21 is a great router for most households, though advanced features are limited.
9.0
BC Reviews
≈ estimated
08/11/2023
Short owner impression · a year of everyday use
Verdict
TP-Link Archer AX21 has been trouble-free for over a year, with good signal and easy setup.
8.0
ITAcute
≈ estimated
30/08/2023
Short review · design, features and pros and cons
Verdict
TP-Link Archer AX21 is a good-value budget Wi-Fi 6 router, though it lacks advanced features like VPN and mesh.
Overview video
Hands-on video, no verdict
Hands-on video, no verdict

Expert reviews

In-depth analysis and verdict from leading tech publications

cnet.com
07/01/2025
Not graded yet
pcmag.com
02/12/2022
Not graded yet
rtings.com
22/07/2024
Not graded yet
androidcentral.com
03/06/2021
Not graded yet
broadbandnow.com
11/03/2026
Not graded yet
mbreviews.com
03/08/2021
Not graded yet
ricmedia.com
28/09/2022
Not graded yet
highspeedinternet.com
04/08/2025
Not graded yet
123net.co.za
16/04/2024
Not graded yet

Third-party reviews

What customers like about TP-Link Archer AX21

  • Excellent value for a budget-friendly Wi-Fi 6 router
  • Simple and quick setup process using the TP-Link Tether app
  • Stable performance and reliable speeds for standard home use like 4K streaming and gaming
  • Supports EasyMesh and OneMesh for expanding network coverage with compatible devices
  • Includes a built-in VPN server and physical power on/off button

What customers don't like about TP-Link Archer AX21

  • Lacks a USB port for file sharing and local media streaming (removed from previous AX20 model)
  • Cannot fully utilize gigabit internet plans, often maxing out around 700-830 Mbps
  • Advanced security and parental control features require a paid HomeShield subscription
  • Does not support 160MHz channels or the faster 6GHz band found in Wi-Fi 6E/7
  • Reports of intermittent signal drops or connection stability issues for some users

Verdict

The TP-Link Archer AX21 is a budget-friendly AX1800 dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, delivering theoretical speeds of up to 1,201Mbps on the 5GHz band and 574Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. Key characteristics include four high-gain external antennas with Beamforming, support for OFDMA and MU-MIMO for handling 40+ devices, WPA3 security, and compatibility with TP-Link OneMesh for easy network expansion. Its main pros are excellent value for under $100, a user-friendly setup via the Tether app, and stable wireless performance for 4K streaming and gaming in small to medium homes. However, notable cons include the lack of 160MHz channel support, the absence of advanced HomeShield security features, and a USB 2.0 port that offers relatively slow file transfer speeds.

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