Cheapest ever WiFi 7 router is an extraordinarily good deal — $99 TP-Link Archer router has five Gigabit Ethernet ports and even comes with a VPN server

You don’t need to pay a fortune for a decent entry-level WiFi 7 router, as TP-Link’s newly announced Archer BE3600 is now priced at a bargain $99, making it a promising and affordable option for consumers and SMBs alike.

The Archer BE3600 operates on dual-band frequencies, providing speeds of up to 2,882Mbps on the 5GHz band and 688Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. It is equipped with four external antennas featuring Beamforming technology, which boosts signal strength and coverage. It offers Multi-RUs, 4K-QAM and Multi-Link Operation (MLO) for simultaneous data reception on different frequencies and channels.

Archer BE3600 supports both VPN clients and servers, and can run both VPN and ordinary internet connections at the same time. It also supports EasyMesh, allowing users to expand their network seamlessly with other EasyMesh routers and range extenders.

6GHz band not supported

The router boasts two multi-gig ports, each capable of 2.5Gbps, in addition to three 1Gbps LAN ports and a USB 3.0 port that supports a range of file systems, including NTFS, exFAT, HFS+, and FAT32. These ports provide decent data transfer capabilities within the network, even if the broad internet speed does not match ultra-high-speed broadband requirements.

Archer BE3600 supports multiple encryption standards such as WPA, WPA2, WPA3, and WPA/WPA2-Enterprise. Additionally, TP-Link's HomeShield security suite offers a number of protective features like malicious site blocking, intrusion prevention, and real-time IoT protection. The router can be easily set up and managed via the TP-Link Tether smartphone app.

Given the price, it will come as no surprise that TP Link’s offering lacks features found in higher-end models like the Asus RT-BE88U. Notably, it lacks support for the 6GHz band - a feature that is becoming more common in higher-tier routers but is limited by regional regulatory differences.

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