TP-LINK C20i

A warm welcome to all. Today we will review tp-link archer c20i.

Looks Tall Wall design with glossy finish but finger print magnet. Feature wise it is same as its sibling Archer C20 with only 3 difference 1) Design, 2) Tri 5 dB inbuilt antennae, 3) Ethernet ports at back and USB on right with power, wps & Wi-Fi buttons. Design wise it easily blends with your stuff in your room giving giving a first time looker a WoW look. It has 3 5dB antennae for stable omnidirectional signal and super coverage  as in the pic below :-

(c) tp-link.in

With 3 antennas combined with higher quality antenna technology, you can experience excellent wireless performance with stable signal in every direction .

The TP-LINK Archer C20i AC750 Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-AC Broadband Router comes with the next generation Wi-Fi standard – 802.11ac, backward compatible with 802.11n and 3 times faster than wireless N speeds. With higher power efficiency and robust security, 802.11ac is the perfect way to accelerate a home multimedia network and solve congestion that multiple devices may cause. The TP-LINK Archer C20i also features a USB port to share a printer locally, files and media with networked devices or remotely via FTP server.

 (c) tp-link.in

733Mbps Dual Band Connections for Lag-Free Work and Entertainment

With 433Mbps wireless speeds over the crystal clear 5GHz band and 300Mbps over the 2.4GHz band, Archer C20i offers you the flexibility of two dedicated networks and ensures amazing wireless performance. Simple tasks such as sending e-mails or web browsing can be handled by the 2.4GHz band while bandwidth intensive tasks like online gaming or HD video streaming can be processed by the 5GHz band – all at the same time.

 (c) tp-link.in

802.11ac - The Next Generation of Wi-Fi

Key Features

• Wireless and Wired Performance
• Supports 802.11ac - the next generation of Wi-Fi, compatible with 802.11n
• Simultaneous 2.4GHz 300Mbps and 5GHz 433Mbps connections for 733Mbps of total available bandwidth
• Stable omnidirectional signal and superior wireless coverage
• USB port - share a printer locally and files & media with networked devices or remotely via FTP server
• Control and Security
• Guest Network Access provides secure Wi-Fi access for guests sharing your home or office network
• Parental Controls allow parents or administrators to establish restricted access policies for children or staff
• IP-based Bandwidth Control makes it easier for you to manage the bandwidth of devices connected to the router
• SPI and NAT firewall protects end-user devices from potential attacks from the Internet
• WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryptions provide user networks with active defence against security threats
• Ease of Use
• Easy one-touch WPA wireless security encryption with the WPS button
• Wi-Fi On/Off Button allows users to turn their wireless radio on or off
• Easy Setup Assistant with multi-language support provides a quick & hassle free installation process
• Others
• IPv6 supported, meeting the demands for the next generation of the Internet.

Tech Specs As per tp-link.in and the product box :

HARDWARE FEATURES
Interface	4 10/100 LAN ports 1 10/100 WAN port 1 USB 2.0 port
Button	WPS/Reset Button Wireless On/Off Button Power On/Off Button
Antenna	3 internal antennas
External Power Supply	12VDC /1A
Dimensions ( W x D x H )	4.44 x 2.36 x 6.73 in. (113 x 60 x 171mm)

WIRELESS FEATURES
Wireless Standards	IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5GHz IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz
Frequency	2.4GHz and 5GHz
Signal Rate	5GHz: Up to 433Mbps 2.4GHz: Up to 300Mbps
Reception Sensitivity	5GHz 11a 6Mbps: -91dBm, 11a 54Mbps: -74dBm 11ac HT20: -66dBm, 11ac HT40: -64dBm, 11ac HT80: -61dBm, 11n HT20: -71dBm, 11n HT40: -69dBm 2.4GHz 11g 54M: -74dBm 11n HT20: -72dBm, 11n HT40: -69dBm
Transmit Power	CE: <20dBm(2.4GHz) <23dBm(5GHz) FCC: <30dBm
Wireless Functions	Enable/Disable Wireless Radio, WDS Bridge, WMM, Wireless Statistics
Wireless Security	64/128-bit WEP,WPA / WPA2,WPA-PSK/ WPA2-PSK encryption

SOFTWARE FEATURES
Quality of Service	WMM, Bandwidth Control
WAN Type	Dynamic IP/Static IP/PPPoE/ PPTP(Dual Access)/L2TP(Dual Access)/BigPond
Management	Access Control Local Management Remote Management
DHCP	Server, Client, DHCP Client List, Address Reservation
Port Forwarding	Virtual Server, Port Triggering, UPnP, DMZ
Dynamic DNS	DynDns, Comexe, NO-IP
VPN Pass-Through	PPTP, L2TP, IPSec
Access Control	Parental Control, Local Management Control, Host List, Access Schedule, Rule Management
Firewall Security	DoS, SPI Firewall IP Address Filtering/MAC Address Filtering/Domain Filtering IP and MAC Address Binding
Protocols	Supports IPv4 and IPv6
USB Sharing	Support Samba(Storage)/ FTP Server/Media Server/Printer Server
Guest Network	2.4GHz guest network × 1 5GHz guest network × 1

OTHERS
Certification	CE, FCC, RoHS
Package Contents	AC750 Wireless Dual Band Router Archer C20i Power Supply Unit Resource CD Ethernet Cable Quick Installation Guide
System Requirements	Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, Mac OS or Linux-based operating system
Environment	Operating Temperature: 0℃~40 ℃ (32 ℉~104℉) Storage Temperature: -40℃~70 ℃ (-40 ℉~158℉) Operating Humidity: 10%~90% non-condensing Storage Humidity: 5%~90% non-condensing

These are my test done by my 2 phones  for both bands in my 2 bhk wit area of 950 sq-feet:

INTEX aqua fish 2.4 Ghz

drawing room -59 dBi

bedroom 1 -55 dBi
bedroom 2 -70 dBi
kitchen -66 dBi
toilet -69 dBi
bathroom -73 dBi using  signal strenth

drawing room -59 dBi
bedroom 1 -65dBi
bedroom 2 -67 dBi
kitchen -68 dBi
toilet -66dBi
bathroom -61 dBi using wifi analyser 

samsung note 4 5Ghz running wifi analytics from netgear

drawing room -47 dBi
bedroom 1 -66 dBi
bedroom 2 -62dBi
kitchen -64 dBi
toilet -80 dBi

bathroom-75 dBi

Speed Test using speedtest.net on my Lenovo g50-80

One could also use html 5  based speed tester like speedof.me for 100% accuracy

My Conclusions :

rugged router as compaired to others in same category in design and companion app with 3 5db antenne. An ideal for a house of 950 sq feet area. A big drawback are its lights in front as they don't blink so difficult to make out connectivity and only 1 lan port light so u cant see what is connected on which port number.

UI :

Good user interface divided in 3 parts with menu on left , functions in middle and help on makes it more intuitive ui  as not seen on some famous brands like Netgear DGN3200V4 used by me previously an N300 router. In my view best ui with help I have ever come across ever. only drawback not having GUI as P5 or ASUSWART interface. But is a great for day to day configs of network and is easy to use even by a newbe. How ever the best part about TP-LINK is router firmware simulation on there tp-link.in website.

PRICE:

Best in the class of budget routers offering usb support for print and media along with DLNA and FTP server. falling between 2150 k to 2500 k in the local market. and ideal replacement for your old routers.

TIPS:

1) check your laptop and mobile adapters before buying your modem.
    eg: Intel dual band wireless-AC3160 : A 1x1 802.11AC Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth adapter that delivers upto 433 Mbps and Intel dual band wireless-AC7620 : A 2x2 802.11AC Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth adapter that delivers upto 867 Mbps.
do check www.intel.com/wireless for more on adapters as buying a P5 for that matter wont make any impact as receving end is a pipe and delivering end is a tunnel like 1300Mbps on Intel dual band wireless-AC3160 where speed is 433 Mbps only .

2) Be budget wise : don't by routers based on its speed as price also increases . like an n300 router will give you max speed of 150 (funda of 10/100 Mbps) so also buying GIGABIT Port router wont help if you have adapters like Intel dual band wireless-AC3160 on your laptop or desktop.

3) Buy only trusted brands don't experiment with new ones.