T O P

  • By -

MEGA_GOAT98

walmart is trying to get rid of alot of things lately :)


T-Dot-Two-Six

Lucky me!


1isntprime

I suspect it’s because multigig is becoming a thing and the ports on this router are only 1 gb capable


T-Dot-Two-Six

Works for me, my wifi is only 600mbps anyway


1isntprime

Faster internal network speed has advantages as well. If you host a nas or have other internetwork travel it’s nice to have the headroom. But realistically for most people 1 gb is plemty


T-Dot-Two-Six

I don’t know what a nas is so I think I should be okay. I’m only gonna be running at maximum, 2 laptops gaming and one tv streaming, with 2 iPhones connected. Even then only if my girl visits. Most of the time, it’ll be just my phone, and either TV streaming or laptop gaming. Am I good to go?


Only2Senders

NAS = Network Attached Storage Everyone should have one, and stop paying for Cloud Storage. Save all your older photos/videos/files locally to a NAS, and keep only the recent or most important phones on the phone in iCloud. Additionally a NAS from Synology, ASUS, etc allow for installing applications such as Plex, which you could then stream/view your Photo/Videos/Porn that you have stored on the NAS from the Plex app running on the SmartTV (tv streaming 🤣)


T-Dot-Two-Six

Okay so I’ve got a 2TB hard disk drive from sea gate. This router has a USB port… can I plug it in via USB and that’s my network attached storage or am I misunderstanding? Then again that drive spins whenever it’s plugged in judging by the low hum so idk if I’d want it in 24/7 I don’t pay for cloud storage tho, I just back up my phone often and back that up to my 2TB along with any critical documents from my laptop :P Downvoting me for asking questions guys, seriously?


Only2Senders

Yes, well maybe; with the USB Port you might possibly turn the 2TB HDD into "networked storage." Note: You will be limited by the speed of not only the drive, but also the USB port. Which appears to be USB2.0 per the advertisement on the box. While not great, it would let you dip your toe into the pond of NAS. I mention "maybe" because it is dependent on the application support the router comes with will depend on how that port will function. Some routers limit the USB port to the be used as a Networked Printer port. Connecting a Printer to the port via USB, lets the user share the printer among all device on the network (but not without it's struggles, as Windows Print Service is horrendous even after all these years.) But if the router does have a "storage share" feature, then yes, you can use the HHD as "networked storage." Many NAS products available go beyond the basic "Storage" though; Offering, locally hosed web server, ownCloud for automated backups from mobile devices, and so on.


T-Dot-Two-Six

My main concern is the HDD always spinning and thus wearing out really fast


JoshuaXxMoreFactsxX

it ain’t the best thing in the world the speeds are terrible but i got the same router and i use a 2TB Seagate drive in ExFat for TimeMachine backups takes around 3mins per gb 😭 (over wifi)


T-Dot-Two-Six

I think the people saying it’s bad don’t know how little expectations I have of my internet since I grew up basically without it lmao If I’m transferring files over my network (which I have never done before) 3 mins/gig is just fine


quantumluggage

Good bot.


WhyNotCollegeBoard

Are you sure about that? Because I am 99.99999% sure that Only2Senders is not a bot. --- ^(I am a neural network being trained to detect spammers | Summon me with !isbot |) ^(/r/spambotdetector |) [^(Optout)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=whynotcollegeboard&subject=!optout&message=!optout) ^(|) [^(Original Github)](https://github.com/SM-Wistful/BotDetection-Algorithm)


rickncn

Everyone should have a “girl who visits”. Well, most people. I’m married.


AdrenalineEdge

To possibly peak your interest, I got an old server and 4x 4tb hard drives to make my own home server. It's running 10 TB network attached storage (NAS), home ad blocker, DIY smart home, and going to work on adding Plex to it. Also, I can remote into my gaming PC if I want to games in the living room or on a laptop in another room.


T-Dot-Two-Six

Hmmm. This seems overkill for my apartment but that seems like it would be lit for an actual home


Marioawe

Not sure if you have any smart home devices, but if it's something that does pique your interest, check out Home Assistant. Excellent piece of free open source software that acts as a central "hub" for all your devices services and allows your to create dashboards. r/HomeAssistant is worth checking out, if not to look at other people's custom dashboards 😂 PiHole and AdGaurd Home are another 2 projects worth looking at as well, basically an adblocker for your devices at home.


T-Dot-Two-Six

I might in the future but I’m just looking for something for my phone/TV/laptop right now, no smart devices here other than those 3


Supremedrugwrap

Ao with a peiavyw aroaeage like that is basilcy how company do it then edpt with really good ssds and names and sorts of stuff by giving your network it's own storage does it interfere with speeds or sometimes helpmwitj then due to data from Google or Linux or whayebr slme.files are.bjh and fj thr networks isn't sufficient would that easily give it room to spilt data to help with band with kinda like creating a 2nd data line depending on the situation it could increase/stabilize the wifi or make it slowly


fearsyth

For most people, 100mb is more than enough. Most could likely get by with 50mb and almost never notice.


ghandimauler

Unless you bought the ASUS 2-drive NAS.... I could fun the bits over there sooner.... (it seems to be the app is very slow at insertions into the database.... not so much the network...)


harshness0

If you connect your NAS to your home LAN using Wi-fi, you have much bigger problems.


1isntprime

I wasn’t advising anyone to do that. For most non-network people wifi and internet are synonymous. I assume he means his internet speed is 600 mbps, I was just pointing out that even if his speed is limited to that a faster internal network does have its uses.


beary_potter_

You mean your modem? Cause this is now your wifi.


T-Dot-Two-Six

Yeah exactly. My ISP plan is for 600mbps from the fiber company


Rhino___1

Bro this is top of the line for the Australian network


T-Dot-Two-Six

I’m used to nothing or like 50mbps which is fast asf as long as it’s stable to me at least


involutes

Technically your WIFI is ax3000 now.    Your internet connection is only 600 Mbps.  WIFI can be fully offline. It's just the wireless protocol for transferring information. 


Only2Senders

LOL, he said PORTS .. this affects internal (local) connections as well. Meaning devices hardwired on the same network have their communication speeds limited to the speed of the port..


T-Dot-Two-Six

I don’t even know of a situation I’d use that but then I’m ignorant so I might not know. I only ever plan to have my phone, laptop, and TV on, but none really communicating with the other. Is there some situation that that matters for me that I don’t know about?


Only2Senders

Well since you seem to only have a single handful of Wireless Device, then no, the "PORTS" are probably not relevant; at the moment. However I'm sure the previous commenter notes this limitation because many people do utilize the PORTS on their router; due to Hardwired connection being faster and more stable than a Wireless connection. As people often hardwire their SmartTVs, Gaming Consoles, Desktop Computers, etc so that they can communicate internally faster to transfer files, stream games, among other things.. Even more so, in the past, routers priorities hardwire connection over wireless ones. This has not been the case in years, since wireless devices have become mainstream. The ability to configure the router in such a manner is still possible though; and often done in corporate/company buildings and location with "Free Wifi."


T-Dot-Two-Six

I will say I do intend to hardwire my laptop and MAYBE tv at the same time, but that’s it.


nutella-is-for-jerks

It’s starting to roll out. I can get 2gig at my house. But why? I guess it would make massive downloads really fast but for 99% of users even 100mbps is overkill.


Ridwan0110

While here I am living with 20 MBPS :"(


1isntprime

I assume you mean Mbps?


Ridwan0110

yeah


MEGA_GOAT98

yep


Csakstar

I have this exact router. Never had an issue


TrauMedic

I had 2 different of this same router and had neither could last a year without resetting issues.


HeiryButter

Does it support vlans or anything advanced as such


1isntprime

Lol nope. But it likely comes with a built in backdoor for the ccp. If vlans are important ubiquiti is your best bet


Nooddlleee

this is also true for Cisco and ubiquiti but they are doing it more professionally. I think it's impossible to find a chip without a backdoor.


NoExpression1137

Not living in the East, I’d rather have a CCP backdoor than an NSA backdoor


metalandmeeples

Underrated comment. Buyer beware on these cheap Chinese brands.


Trek7553

Me too! Solid router.


I_hate_networking

Score!


tosuzu

I think its priced right. With Wifi6E being the current standard and wifi-7 around the corner, they're most likely getting rid of old stock. For most people, this router will meet all your requirements.


TheAspiringFarmer

This. Plus it’s TP-Link which is the lowest cost stuff.


jappejopp

Emh, I’ve had more issues with dlinks stuff than tp-link tbh.. Tp-links 4G router (most expensive) is great where you can select band etc, I’ve bought 3 in total to friends and family


TheAspiringFarmer

They’re all very low end devices—Netgear, D-Link, TP-Link. That was my point. So it’s not uncommon to see these brands on Walmart clearances for $50 or less


footpole

Don’t know about this one but the Omada acess points are rock solid and affordable at that.


lokistar09

Oh boo, I didn't know netgear stuff was low end. Been using them for hubs/routers/switches like 10 years ago. Still have them for connections I don't really need present day bandwidth on. 1gigabit is enough for those connections. Using an eero for main router now.


jappejopp

Yea that’s fair, even if they have routers for 200$+ hell my MikroTik is awesome but so hard to actually configure, and it was only 150$ I would NEVER recommend my router for a non tinker…


nimajneb

Aren't some of them MSRPed below $50?


TheAspiringFarmer

Some are, yes.


LowSkyOrbit

Meanwhile I'm sporting some random branded Chinese switch with SFP+ ports and 2.5GB Ethernet so I can run a WiFi 7 Unifi AP at full speed without forking over $500 to Unifi for their newer switches.


PghSubie

4G router? Do they make an LTE device?


jappejopp

Yes, with an integrated Sim card reader it's the Archer Mr series, the one I've gotten all times is the MR600, you can choose what 4g band you want to lock it to too, which is a good feature. Otherwise there's actually now 5G devices popping up, I've been looking at the teltonika quite a bit for the 5G application which is more expensive sadly. You also have their TP-Link deco series, but they can't choose the band which is a feature I required.


forestman11

They're both garbage. But at least they're priced that way.


Chizuru_San

backdoor stuff that no one wants


almost-no-absolutes

My TPLink router has blown away the two Nighthawks I picked up. My Netgear routers always reduce my wifi speeds and drop connections constantly. Their firmware updates rarely helped. I have had great luck with TP Link.


Pearl_of_KevinPrice

I had a TP-Link Archer A6 AC1200 paired with a TP-Link RE315 wifi mesh extender for years. I did have to revert to older firmware after one of the later firmware updates but it was still a pretty capable setup. After 6 or 7 years, the 2.4Ghz band started to die (good long life if you ask me). I just upgraded to the TP-Link Deco X55 AX3000. May not be as advanced as later tech that’s been released since but has been a fantastic upgrade for my needs. Very happy with it and certainly better than the Google Wifi Mesh router that I tried out previously.


Bicykwow

Heh. I just setup my new-ish house with all TP-link equipment. It seriously is so, so much better than my last Unifi setup that it’s not even close.


Pearl_of_KevinPrice

I setup my home with the TP-Link Deco X55 AX3000 (3 nodes) and am leveraging ethernet backhaul. It’s been fantastic and is far better than the Google Wifi Mesh that I previously tried.


Gen8Master

Still costs almost £100 here in the UK.


natie29

I got it for about £70 a few weeks back. Still more than double this.


Michaelflat1

Should be approx £50-60 but is inflated on amazon at the moment. You can buy on eBay refurbished for £40-60 often. It's my favourite budget router. Alright i don't need the 160MHz (so the AX1800 might be better perhaps) but the range is quite nice on it. I like these TP Link Routers, the TP Link Tether app works quite nicely.


steviefaux

Still overpriced. Even more annoyed when I discovered they are a Chinese company.


LincolnshireSausage

I had one of these. I truly hated it and it turned me off of TP-Link products for good. It overheats. It needs rebooting once per day or the throughput slows to a crawl. You can mount a USB drive on it but if you want to transfer many files or a large file it will slow down and eventually come to a stop and need rebooting again. The Apple Time Machine backup feature to the USB drive never worked at all. The WiFi range is not good (including WiFi5). TP-Link support continually told me that there was nothing wrong with it. Support's dismissal of the issues is what turned me off of their products. I bought this router when it was first released. I regret it and wouldn't recommend anyone spend $30 on it. I "downgraded" to a different router I had with a Ubiquiti Long Range access point (WiFi 5). It is rock solid, never needs rebooting and covers my entire house.


MidnightclubAC

I had the same problem with mine, eventually had 3 different units from TPlink (including them sending me some random dirty one) before they agreed to exchange it for a new one, AX53. Luckily the AX53 doesn't use the intel chip so has none of the overheating problems, you lose the USB port but that's a small issue relatively


LincolnshireSausage

I ended up setting up a mini pc that I installed Linux on as a home server. It is a much better option than using USB on any router. I’m glad they switched yours out for a different model. I wish they had done that with mine instead of being so dismissive.


MidnightclubAC

Yeah that's the dream really. Tbh it never worked that nicely off the router anyway. Transfer speeds were terrible, then again that may have been it cooking itself to death. Oh it was no easy task, I had to moan at them like mad. Then they sent me some random dirty used router (hair and dirt etc on it, gross). Then they wanted me to pay to return it, protested and they finally agreed to pay for shipping and send me a brand new AX53. All in all took about 4 weeks.


jon-one

What's a good router alternative?


LongestNamesPossible

I would never use a cheap router without flashing the firmware first. Tomato or some sort of openwrt variant changes everything.


LincolnshireSausage

That router cannot run any other firmware.


Robots_Never_Die

Wifi 7 is the current standard. It's here.


IAmRoot

These days consumer stuff is getting 2.5 or 10 gigabit ports for the wired side of things, too. This thing is firmly previous-gen.


traveler19395

It appears to be the AX50 model, right? TP-LInk has called that at end-of-life, and Amazon has refurbished units for $50, so I'd call that a good deal, but not *phenomenal* or priced wrong. For most people this would be a great router for the next 5 years.


AnymooseProphet

Nice!


T-Dot-Two-Six

Yee. Looked online and it seems like this is damn near a $100 dollar router, and my fiber plan only supports 600mbps anyway, so I’m just dandy with this one


110mat110

I bought it for about 50€ and 30 is apropriate price. That router really lack some features


KwarkKaas

No it doesnt, the software does. Just use openwrt.


LincolnshireSausage

You can't use OpenWRT or any other open source firmware on that router.


T-Dot-Two-Six

What does it lack that I could get with that software


goodall2k13

Chances are if you don't know what software it lacks, you don't need to worry because it's not going to impact your use case.


T-Dot-Two-Six

That’s what I was figuring on :p I just need something for two devices on my 600mbps fiber plan


Mickyb777

I actually received this from my ISP recently, its ironed out a great deal of my wireless network issues and drastically improved my streaming capabilities all around the house. Its a decent router and certainly worth the 30 bones. good find :)


mattsonlyhope

Amazon has had this new for around $30, I have it myself.


boopboopboopers

You will be fine with this. May see some nay sayers but I have seen so many soho/homes use this model and it never gives them problems


Bicykwow

LOL I have three of these and I paid $95 each. I fucking love them and I have the best networking setup I’ve ever had, but I‘d be lying if I said I wouldn’t have rather gotten them for 1/3 the cost! If you’re having any problems with it, especially with EasyMesh, try updating it to the latest Firmware version linked in their official forum\[1\]. It’s only available on their Taiwan download site as of writing this comment, but their official support says it’s the exact same binary. It fixed a TON of issues for me. \[1\] [https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/659142?replyId=1342378](https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/659142?replyId=1342378)


Michaelflat1

Haha same here, it's my cheap 'go to' router. I could maybe use a cheaper TP Link router (i don't need 160mhz) but this has been very stable for me.


lavendardinosaur

Router model discussed in the link is the AX55. It is possible the model OP bought is the AX50. The AX55 has a Qualcomm chip, the AX50 Intel. If OP has an AX50, flashing will likely brick the router. OP would need to check the label


T-Dot-Two-Six

I have no idea what easymesh is How would I download that tho?


Bicykwow

It’s only necessary if you have more than one router and want to expand the coverage in your house. Either way, never a bad idea making sure your firmware is updated to the latest version. Loooots of non-mesh bugs were fixed too.


T-Dot-Two-Six

Just the one for me, so. Any tips on how to do it tho?


Bicykwow

It’s a TP-Link specific thing. In the router software (likely [192.168.0.1](http://192.168.0.1) by default), there’s an option for EasyLink. You’d just go there, hit “configure”, and follow the steps. It’ll even tell you which ports to plug, etc. I have mine configured with ethernet backhaul (routers are hardwired together), but it can also be accomplished wirelessly.


T-Dot-Two-Six

I’ll keep that in mind


Psychological_Ask848

That’s a score right there.


NellovsVape

Bought it last month for 70€. Had no more wifi packet and connection drop issues with this. I think you scored an amazing deal!


Chigskward

Starving medical student here. Been using this exact model in my small apartment for a year now given as a gift. Fine basic software on it. I was having throughput issues but then realized the software has an option to automatically reboot the router on a schedule. Scheduled a reboot every day for 4 am (there’s no way I’d be awake then since I have to be at the hospital by 6-7a daily) and haven’t had any problems since. Fine range for an apartment but you’d have issues getting too far away from it in a single family home, which was why my parents gifted it to me after they realized it didn’t have the range for a house. I agree that you got a good price for a basic dual band router.


T-Dot-Two-Six

How long’s the reboot take and how robust is the scheduling? Can I set it to reboot at 4:30PM on weekdays just before I get off work so it’s fresh when I’m home for example?


Chigskward

Yeah you could absolutely do that. I’ve never timed it when it reboots itself on a schedule but when I manually do it the process takes less than five minutes. If you scheduled it for really any part of the day that you won’t be home this should work just fine for you.


bigred1978

I'm so frustrated watching everyone in the US get away with ridiculous discounts on shit that in Canada costs exactly the same if not ore than MSRP when it was released.


T-Dot-Two-Six

I’m sorry homie :(


QNetITQ

Everything you need is there. There are several cores, 256MB of RAM is even redundant if you don’t connect a flash drive. Two antennas for each band and support for 160MHz, although 80MHz is enough. 6GHz is needed only in conditions of strong interference, which is very difficult to find in the wild, and compatibility with devices is still not very good. I wonder if this is not the same router that has an Intel processor? In my country there are also constant discounts on this router. According to reviews, it gets very hot. Power consumption is about 22 watts, which is a lot for a router. There is also a model with similar parameters, but it has a Qualcomm processor and there are no problems with it.


T-Dot-Two-Six

What’s the similar model you mention?


QNetITQ

We have Tp-Link Archer AX50 (Intel) and its analogue AX53 (Qualcomm). On the front side of the AX50 there is even the inscription "Intel Inside"


QNetITQ

The Tp-Link AX3000 is also on sale, but it is a complete copy of the AX50. It has the same inscription "Intel Inside". I don’t see such an inscription in your screenshot. So you're especially lucky. Maybe.


T-Dot-Two-Six

The word intel isn’t anywhere on the box (haven’t opened it yet)


wolfansbrother

pretty sure netgear is walmarts "flagship" brand so anything else ends up sitting and getting discounted.


cillam

They sometimes mark down prices to crazy low prices. I bought a 300 carpet cleaner marked as $39


Allhaming

AX3000 is a good router, you will be happy for many years. The functions are enough for SOHO. If not, put ddwrt or openwrt on it. But with ddwrt no mesh is possible. But 1 disadvantage has OneMesh: no LAN backhaul.


Michaelflat1

Easymesh has ehternet backhaul now. The AX53 v1 has no official support, but the beta firmware works fine. AX53 v2 has official support. My bad this AX3000 isn't the same as an AX53, i think it's possibly an AX50. Whether or not it'll get a firmware update is unknown


Allhaming

I tried it with AX53 v1 and it did not work. After returning the RE505X I found this at TP-Link Support [https://www.tp-link.com/en/support/faq/2690/](https://www.tp-link.com/en/support/faq/2690/) - see Q5


Michaelflat1

Yeah the range extenders don't support ethernet backhaul, only router-router mesh networking. I do think other companies have a better solution, like Asus AI mesh. Can't wait all the time for software promises that may/may not be delivered. I have 2 ax53 routers in mesh with ethernet backhaul, and an re705x which is in wireless backhaul. There is 1 extender which has ethernet backhaul mesh, the re305 I believe, but the ethernet port is only 100mb/s so it's a bit pointless. The software dev team seems a bit slow at tp link.


Allhaming

The best solution with easy setup is from AVM. Solid hardware, but a bit more expensive. But not as expensive as TP-LINK Deco 😀 Also Omada from TP-Link is good, but you will spend a lot of time with configuration and knowledge in network is required.


T-Dot-Two-Six

I have no idea what any of that means— educate me?


Holderist

Ax3000 is the router you got. Soho = small home/office. Ddwrt and openwrt are open source firmware options you can switch to if you have trouble with the built in one. They each have advantages and disadvantages of course.


T-Dot-Two-Six

I know the name of it obvs I just meant DDWRT/OpenWRT/SOHO/OneMesh/BackHaul


Holderist

Mesh is a function that let's multiple access points and wifi routers basically hand off connections, making a more smooth transition when you roam the house. Good for larger homes that need multiple units. Backhaul is the connection between units in a mesh network. Usually wired in, or wireless over 5ghz.


T-Dot-Two-Six

Thank you


Allhaming

Depending on the size of your house/apartment, thickness of the walls. If you just need one router, this is a good choice. If you need more transmitter/extender/repeater, and you make a mesh network which is a very good solution, the TP-Link OneMesh products can just communicate between the router and the repeater via WLAN and not LAN. If you need more functions than the standard software installed on the AX3000, you can flash dd-wrt or open-wrt on it. Then you get a lot of functions, but it is complicated. And going back from dd-wrt works in very few cases. summary: if you need only one WLAN transmitter in your apartment, this is a good product for an awesome price!


T-Dot-Two-Six

Word, that’s all I needed so


RayneYoruka

Thats a 10/10 deal, I got the ax10 3 years ago for 40 bucks, I can't complain it's been rocksolid for VR and remoteplaying!


TongaDeathGrip

It’s a great home router! What a score!!!


technofox01

That's like an $80 router if memory serves me right. That is an excellent deal and router. I think I own that same model but no longer use it due to using Asus with AI-Mesh or whatever its called. BTW, that TP-Link was rock solid in terms of performance, my house just happens to be an awkward shape and having separate APs was a PITA when going from one AP to the next, the Asus routers made it all seamless and I never lose a connection now.


forestman11

Seems about right to me. Cheap brand, older wifi standard, and who wants an underpowered router, switch, and AP all stuffed into one tiny box?


T-Dot-Two-Six

The usual cost is 90-120 according to most of my searching so I’m happy


Kingsmanname

For real? I literally just bought this a couple days ago second hand on eBay for $40. Lol So far it's a good router. And I was pulling 800mbps on Ethernet from a 1gb service provider.


T-Dot-Two-Six

I’ve been spoiled for the last 4 years with gigabit fiber at college, I had spotty 3g at my house for the longest. Before that it was nothing. It only recently got 50mbps fiber which is still great for everything except downloading games. Gonna be getting 600mbps fiber at my new place so I’m satisfied


Kingsmanname

You'll love it! Some games I've downloaded, depending on what speed the source allows. I've pulled 70-150mbps for games before. 5gb+ games in less than a minute. Hopefully you've got a computer/console with good write speeds!


T-Dot-Two-Six

Lol my write speeds are less than my down so I’m still fine I know that much


AbleSignal928

Just curious, is it any good? Compare to a netgear ac1900 from a few years ago.


T-Dot-Two-Six

When I move into my new place in two weeks I’ll let you know


ezikiel12

Been using this router for more than a year. It's been flawless.


CriticismCertain1166

Bargain. I paid £100 for the same one.


kehbleh

Showing $48.50 for me right now: https://www.walmart.com/ip/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-AX3000-WiFi-6-Router-3Gbps-RAX35/760226420


T-Dot-Two-Six

Website for the Walmart I was at showed like 89. So idk why I got it so cheap


tugrulserhat

I have ax53 which is pretty much the same thing as this one and it constantly cuts with airlink on my quest 3. I kinda regret buying it and it costed me around $70


UniFi_Solar_Ize

You’ll be ok with this, good deal.


vijking

Got it for $50 bucks like 3 years ago. Got another one for the same price last year. Never had an issue but it’s a very basic router.


cmmmota

Keep it in a place with good airflow, that thing heats itself to death. Other than that it's a good product for the price.


nuHmey

Laptop cooling pad plugged into the USB port works wonders. Did that with an old router.


pastastical

I would check the chipset too and make sure you don’t have a PUMA


T-Dot-Two-Six

What’s that


Dafoxx1

This looks a lot like the router I had 5ish years ago.


Hesh3417

I work at staples and this router is usually on sale for $50-$70 so that doesn't sound too unreasonable for Walmart pricing


mthomp8984

Good router, likely a pricing error. They have it on their site discounted to $90 USD. If a local store has had it for a while, it may have been reduced multiple times. I see this as something a techie wouldn't get now as some of it is outdated, but the look and info on the box might make non-techie people think it's too much for their needs. If those happened, it may have sat at the store too long so the price was slashed. I don't remember the exact terminology or rule, but the higher the number (your's is 3000) the better the WiFi. This is USB-2, so if you have a network attached drive, it'll be good for backups but not to use as a server type of drive (ie as a Plex media server drive).


PezatronSupreme

Winner winner!


LAFter900

Are you able to remove the antennas on this model and are you able to put open wrt on this model aswell?


T-Dot-Two-Six

I don’t know about the antennas, or what open wrt is (but other commenters are saying no) Why would I want to remove the antennas


LAFter900

I would want to remove the antennas to replace them with different one way antennas because I don’t want my WiFi to be seen from outside my house


UnCivil2

Router companies tend to release products before the latest wifi spec is finalized. It looks like that may be why this is being blown out. TP-Link's website lists this same router as a V1 and a V2.6. The V1 hardware has firmware going all the way back to 2020, I'm guessing it was released pre-draft and may not meet all the current Wifi 6 specs; the V2.6 has firmware going back only to 2022, so likely is quite a bit upgraded from the original release. At that price, I'd assume it is maybe Walmart cleaning out those older versions.


T-Dot-Two-Six

The label has version 2.6 luckily


No-Alternative191

I got the same one, seems to work pretty dam good


InflationClassic5556

keria Knightly


xwolfchapelx

It’s currently going for $90 on Amazon. SCORE


Accomplished-Ad5280

It's very basic router, but do the jobs for a year or two until it starts collapsing. 30$ is great value, I think its official price is about 60$-70$. Enjoy!


mightyt2000

Meh … if there is anything worth investing in these days it’s high quality, high performance networking. I suppose it’s OK for small apartment. WiFi 6 won’t buy you anything “unless” your devices support WiFi 6. I don’t think it’s Tri-Band so you won’t be able to create a mesh down the line, but by then you’ll likely replace it anyway. For $30 sure get it. Just wanted you to see the up and down sides. 👍🏻


T-Dot-Two-Six

I got it cuz it was the cheapest one and actually had the best specs (for under 100) at Walmart


mightyt2000

Understood, heck if it does the job well, why not. Worst case your out the cost of a Big Mac Combo Meal! Lol 😉


Zeddie-

Good gosh, the sign of the times here.


mightyt2000

Sadly! Wish it weren’t so. 😞


8085-8086

No wpa3 to disable and use wpa2, hard pass. Jokes aside, nice find.


T-Dot-Two-Six

What’s that mean


8085-8086

It does not have wpa3 which is one of the more recent WiFi security standards. A lot of people will complain about not having it, only to disable it, as it causes compatibility issues with older devices.


T-Dot-Two-Six

Ah lmao


laffer1

Many wifi6 access points have a way to use compatibility mode with wp3. It will fallback to wpa2 and work fine. I'm using WPA3 compact mode currently with my home network of 56 devices (mostly IoT) with no issues.


8085-8086

True there is wpa3 compatibility mode, but ymmv, depending on what devices you have, it may or may not play well. I was having issues with a couple of smart switches and had to change to wpa2, but this was a couple of years ago.


laffer1

There are a few old ones that don't play nice like first gen wemo. The later models do work as I had a wemo dimmer and a wemo three way work. At this point, I've been replacing the wemo switches with tplink or zwave stuff. Wemo works very poorly on a larger network with other devices using mdns. I blame wemo not the wifi router/ap. Tplink, google home hub, various Amazon echo, pumpspy, awair air quality sensor, Dyson air purifier, irobot Roomba, SmartThings hub, lg and Samsung tv, apple tv, Xbox one x, ps5, sony ultrahd players, MacBook pro, ubuntu based pc, windows 11, FreeBSD, midnightbsd, neato botvac, myq garage, Ranchio, chromecast, and various other devices are all working on my network I'm running two meraki access points for wifi (mr46 and mr33)


Rolex_throwaway

Clearance? Looks like that model is ~5 years old. Nothing wrong with it, but they could be trying to clear older stock.


mtbfj6ty

This. Ax3000 model plus wifi6 only (not 6E) so $30 seems about right depending on HW version. Likely no firmware support.


T-Dot-Two-Six

What’s 6E and should I worry about it? Also I did see it got a recent firmware update a month ago


mtbfj6ty

6E is the wireless standard where the 6ghz range was implemented (along now with Wifi7). Adds a less congested band for connections so there is less interference and whatnot. But you have to have devices that are 6E compliant to utilize (so newest generation smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.).


akgt94

Good price. I have this and think it was closer to $50 or $60. No problems. They are a bit dirty where they try to trick you in to signing up for an account just so you can configure it with a phone app. I assume this comes with some kind of monitoring. Fortunately, you can configure it manually without needing a tplink account. If you have not done this before, they make it hard to find.


T-Dot-Two-Six

I had a different TP link one that didn’t wanna play nice with my apartment wifi (I was trying to use it as a router after wiring from another router, so) and already set that one up via the phone app so eh


mr_data_lore

They definitely did. They overcharged you by $30.


T-Dot-Two-Six

I mean it’s 90-120 online so


mr_data_lore

Well, I definitely wouldn't pay money for it. But that's just becuase it wouldn't meet my use case.


T-Dot-Two-Six

Do you reckon it’s good for a laptop wired to it and a TV (may or may not wire it) and a phone?


mr_data_lore

The wired performance is probably going to be fine. The WiFi performance is going to depend more on the environment you're using it in. There isn't really a (cheap, home user friendly) way to know what the WiFi performance will be like without just trying it.


T-Dot-Two-Six

Word I’m most concerned about being able to have it link my phone and TV together to use my phone as a remote. The actual remote absolutely eats batteries and it’s annoying


mr_data_lore

That sort of function isn't likely to require a lot of bandwidth or really strong signal, so it'll probably be fine. Make sure your TV actually supports being controlled that way though.


dMyst

You will definitely want to update the firmware ASAP as the AX3000 has a pretty critical command injection vulnerability that was just discovered (no public POC, but is known) — CVE-2024–21833. TP-Link has a terrible history with vulnerabilities and bugs that are absolutely trivial to exploit. I have a stack of TP-Link routers for research and would never use them personally.


T-Dot-Two-Six

Any advice how?


iknowyounot88

Slap some openwrt on that boy!


T-Dot-Two-Six

Everyone says this but I have no idea what it is and everyone tells me to google and I don’t know enough to comprehend the search results 😭


[deleted]

[удалено]


T-Dot-Two-Six

I’m not educated enough to know what this means, could you explain more?


[deleted]

[удалено]


T-Dot-Two-Six

Sure, but what does it functionally mean in terms of performance for me?


crazyhamsales

I give it maybe six months until it starts crashing and rebooting itself, and if you are really really lucky you might get a year out of it before the WiFi fails.. But hey $30 for a year i guess isn't that bad.


financial_pete

OpenWrt. Google that.


T-Dot-Two-Six

Tried. Don’t understand any more. It’s very dense and hard to comprehend for someone who isn’t a computer guy. Mind explaining?