Here is the review of the TP-Link C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (as seen on the Gadget Show September 2014). Picture below is the front of the box in vibrant green colour with the model number, this router was tested for cable internet.
Specifications
| HARDWARE FEATURES |
| Interface |
4 10/100/1000Mbps LAN Ports
1 10/100/1000Mbps WAN Port
2 USB 2.0 Ports |
| Button |
WPS/Reset Button
Wireless On/Off Switch
Power On/Off Button |
| External Power Supply |
12VDC / 2.5A |
| Dimensions (W X D X H) |
9.6×6.4×1.3 in. (243×160.6×32.5mm) |
| Antenna Type |
Three 5GHz 5dBi detachable antennas (RP-SMA)
Three 2.4GHz internal antennas |
| 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 1300Mbps
2.4GHz: Up to 450Mbps |
| EIRP |
<20dBm(EIRP) |
| Reception Sensitivity |
5GHz：
11a 6Mbps-96dBm
11a 54Mbps: -79dBm
11ac HT20: -71dBm
11ac HT40: -66dBm
11ac HT80: -63dBm
2.4GHz
11g 54M: -77dBm
11n HT20: -74dBm
11n HT40: -72dBm |
| 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 |
| WAN Type |
Dynamic IP/Static IP/PPPoE/
PPTP(Dual Access)/L2TP(Dual Access)/BigPond |
| DHCP |
Server, Client, DHCP Client List,
Address Reservation |
| Quality of Service |
WMM, Bandwidth Control |
| 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 Filter/MAC Address Filter/Domain Filter
IP and MAC Address Binding |
| Protocols |
Supports IPv4 and IPv6 |
| USB Sharing |
Support Samba(Storage)/FTP Server/Media Server/Printer Server |
| Management |
Access Control
Local Management
Remote Management |
| Guest Network |
2.4GHz guest network × 1
5GHz guest network × 1 |
| OTHERS |
| Certification |
CE, FCC, RoHS |
| Package Contents |
Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router Archer C7
3 detachable antennas
Power supply unit
Resource CD
Ethernet Cable
Quick Installation Guide |
| System Requirements |
Microsoft Windows 98SE, NT, 2000, XP, Vista™ or Windows 7, Windows 8, MAC OS, NetWare, UNIX or Linux |
| 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 |
The TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Router, which packs some impressive features such as triple antenna for maximum wireless coverage, dual USB ports for the connection of external HDDs and printers as well as the support of dual band technology.
Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router Archer C7
3 detachable antennas (5 GHZ)
1 x Power supply unit
Resource CD
1 x RJ45 Ethernet Cable
1 x Quick Installation Guide
On the rear of the router, we have the following ports:
1 x Power input
1 x On/off switch
1 x Wireless on/off switch
2 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x Internet port (RJ45) – For connection to a modem etc.
4 x LAN ports (RJ45)
1 x WPS reset button
Plenty of options here and I really do like the inclusion of the USB ports; it wouldn’t be a premium router without them! Very handy for quickly attaching a USB hard drive if you want to store files on the go or even better, sharing documents over a network.
All of the Ethernet ports are Gigabit. Both USB ports are 2.0 only, however. TP-LINK has thoughtfully included a wireless on/off switch for folks who like the extra security that comes from shutting wireless completely off when you don’t need it.
The Ac1750 has mountings to enable the end user to attach it to a surface or wall mount, 4 small rubber pads to allow air to vent underneath the router and an information sticker which has information regarding the make, model, serial and even the default information required to log into the network for the first time. The wireless password is also included by default but it is recommended to change all this information when in use.
Once the hardware is setup (plugged into the modem/antennas attached, it’s time to setup the AC1750 onto the network. There is a small CD (I downloaded the lastest version just in case on a USB) which comes included to install the software. It is fast and simple; pretty much with all software that come bundled with products these days.
Starting with connecting it to the network, first you must enter the IP of the router into your chosen browser (192.168.1.1 in this case) and you will be directed to the following page.
This page allows you to see all the relevant information regarding the wireless network, such as the 2.4GHz/5GHz settings and information regarding the IP of your network.
To make installation easy, I would recommend using quick setup, which is the next option in the list. This allows you to quickly set your network up pain free and with ease. The following screens depict the setup
Next we have the guest network screen, this allows you to edit and change the bandwidth for the router including incoming and outgoing. With the AC1750 being dual band, it has options for both 2.4GHz/5GHz for simultaneous use.
The basic one touch security options of the TP-Link AC1750 which includes firewall, VPN and ALG security so plenty of options for a multitude of users who require different methods of security on their network.
The most fundamental options when setting up a wireless network, especially if you have kids, is the parental control feature. This is included and it allows you enable or disable as well as ban certain websites/IP addresses.
Now on to the time settings, this allows you to set the router in whichever time zone you wish, so if you decide to go abroad but want to take your router with you (not sure why) but you never know, this allows you to keep the time in sync with your current location. There are also options for running diagnostics, firmware upgrades and resetting the router back to factory defaults if you need to do a quick reset of all the settings. Please note I always recommend to change the password from the default one as it is very easy to guess and you want to make sure all your data is safe, right?
Speed Performance
Using the 2.4 GHz
1 metre away from router:
Ping – 9ms
D/L Speed – 11.53Mbps
U/L Speed – 5.94Mbps
5 metre away from router:
Ping – 10ms
D/L Speed – 11.40Mbps
U/L Speed – 6.16Mbps
15 metre away from router:
Ping – 10ms
D/L Speed – 11.78Mbps
U/L Speed – 6.13Mbps
25 metre away from router:
Ping – 11ms
D/L Speed – 8.56Mbps
U/L Speed – 1.09Mbps
Speed Performance
Using the 5 GHz
1 metre away from router:
Ping – 12ms
D/L Speed – 73.87Mbps
U/L Speed – 6.14 Mbps
5 metre away from router:
Ping – 14ms
D/L Speed – 38.39Mbps
U/L Speed – 6.08Mbps
15 metre away from router:
Ping – 13ms
D/L Speed – 34.09Mbps
U/L Speed – 6.04Mbps
25 metre away from router:
Ping – 11ms
D/L Speed – 33.17Mbps
U/L Speed – 6.08Mbps
As you can see from the results, the AC1750 performs superbly and to make matters even better, the 25 metre range consists from the front of the house all the way to the back garden; 8Mbps for downloading is nothing to be sniffed at on a tablet. The ping is also relatively great and stable across all of the differences meaning the wireless signal emanating from the router is of great quality, much improved over ISP hub in which cuts out even upstairs.
Performance
I was very surprised to see the improvement over my own ISP hub, The ping, even at a maximum distance of 25m was simply amazing and kept in line with the rest of the results meaning it was a stable connection throughout. Obviously at 25m the speed was somewhat weaker and slower, but 3Mb download is still not exactly slow, especially given the distance and obstacles combined. Obviously the wired connection was dominant in speeds but given the testing was done on the 2.4GHz wireless signal, the results speak for themselves; The AC1750 performs brilliantly and there was no issues with cutting out or drop-outs that I sometimes found with my own ISP hub.
The aesthetics of the Archer C7 AC1750 were a joy to behold, a very nice finish with a great look to it. The 3 antennas which are for 5 GHz only with the 2.4 GHz are built in, in my opinion make it look like a really high end top quality product.
The 5 GHz option I tested via the TP Link T4U Ac1200 Wireless Dual Band USB adapter (click for the review).
I tested the Cable version of the TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 priced around £90.
