Before you even get tired of hearing about Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, TP-Link is announcing a slew of new “world’s first” Wi-Fi 7 routers based on the upcoming IEEE specification. The company is revamping its entire product line, including the main Archer router line, home mesh Deco products, and even its business products.
Wi-Fi 7, technically known as 802.11BE, is the forthcoming successor to Wi-Fi 6 and 6E with marked improvements such as faster speeds and reduced latency, and it can enable a device to connect to two spectrums simultaneously (5 Ghz and 6 Ghz simultaneously) using Multi-Link Operation (MLO). Like previous generations, it supports backward compatibility for Wi-Fi 6, 5, and older devices, but you’ll need to purchase new devices to take advantage of Wi-Fi 7’s higher-capacity 320MHz channels (Wi-Fi 6E supports channels as wide as 160 MHz).
The first of the new TP-Link routers is the $699.99 flagship quad-band Archer BE900, which resembles a Western Digital hard drive with LED lights and a touchscreen. The front can be swiped to display a clock, weather and wireless stats, and there’s a grid of LEDs that can display things like a winking emoji. Other features include OpenVPN support and a private IoT network for smart devices.
The BE900 supports wireless speeds of up to 24 Gbps, which is less than the theoretical 40 Gbps plus speeds of Wi-Fi 7, but is still more than double the speed of the company’s previous Archer Wi-Fi 6E router. There aren’t many devices that can take advantage of Wi-Fi 7 yet, but the BE900 will still support your new 6GHz-capable phone or laptop you may have bought this year.
Older devices can also take advantage of the Archer’s dual 5GHz bands that can both support 6Gbps speeds, and if your ISP offers it, the Archer can also handle 10Gbps Internet service. The BE900 offers a combined 10Gb SFP+Fiber WAN option plus an additional 10Gb WAN port, and they can also be used as a LAN. You also get four 2.5G Ethernet ports to build a fast wired network yourself. The BE900 is available for pre-order from December 31 and will ship in the first quarter of 2023.
TP-Link also releases less versatile versions with the new Archer design. The first is the tri-band BE800 with 19Gbps wireless speeds. It still supports 10Gb internet service and has LED lighting, but lacks touchscreen features. Then there’s the BE550, which drops maximum wireless speeds to 9.3 Gbps and only has 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports. Each of these models is EasyMesh ready and ready to create a larger home network.
Gamer-oriented folks might be more interested in the new tri-band Archer GE800 Gaming router, which has an app-powered Game Panel that can help prioritize gaming traffic over everything else on the network. It supports up to 19 Gbps Wi-Fi 7 speeds and has two 10 Gb Ethernet ports, along with two 2.5 Gb and four more gigabit ports. All this in a very Nexus-like antenna design with two towers and multicolored LED lighting. No price has been given yet and it is expected to come out in Q1 or Q2 2023.
Earlier this year, TP-Link made Wi-Fi 6E really affordable with the Deco XE75 – but now, with its new Wi-Fi 7 version, the company is increasing the cost of entry by $700 for a two-pack. The new Deco BE85 tri-band mesh router system has 22 Gbps Wi-Fi 7 speeds and has two 10G ports and starts at $999.99 for a two-pack. There will also be a Deco BE65 with 11Gbps speeds planned for later in Q1 or Q2 2023, but no price has been revealed yet.
A higher-end quad-band version (BE95) will be available for $1,199.99 that can deliver up to 33 Gbps across four frequencies, though the company states that the speed is based on “physical speeds derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 specifications” and no guarantee offers for the speeds – but that doesn’t stop the company from claiming it has “the fastest mesh system in the industry” as mentioned in a live stream today. Like the new Archer, the Deco BE95 and BE85 will be available for pre-order from December 31 and will ship in the first quarter of 2023.
TP-Link is betting big on Wi-Fi 7 with this all-new lineup, even putting the technology to be finalized in its new enterprise-focused Omada access points and a new 5G mobile router. As these devices arrive before the final Wi-Fi 7 specification is released, it’s unclear if they might need to be updated once things wrap up. We’ve reached out to TP-link for comment, but haven’t heard back before publication. But if you’re an intrepid early adopter, you’ll just have to wait until early 2023 to sample TP-Link’s new set.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.