TP-LInk Archer BE800 | BE19000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Router Review

Wi-Fi 7 features and wireless performance

The Archer BE800 supports tri-band Wi-Fi 7 across 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz. TP-Link rates the 6GHz band at up to 11,520Mbps, the 5GHz band at up to 5,760Mbps and the 2.4GHz band at up to 1,376Mbps. The router uses eight antennas, beamforming and 4x4 MU-MIMO to help communicate with multiple compatible devices and direct wireless signal towards connected clients.

Wi-Fi 7 adds several features that are not available in the same way on earlier wireless generations. Multi-Link Operation allows compatible devices to send and receive data over multiple bands and channels at the same time. The 6GHz band can also use 320MHz channels, while 4K QAM increases transmission efficiency at higher rates. These features are most relevant to compatible Wi-Fi 7 devices, large file transfers, high-resolution video and demanding applications such as virtual or augmented reality.

Coverage and testing

In testing across a four-bedroom home, the BE800 provided signal throughout the house. There was some loss in the backyard, which was attributed to the distance and multiple brick walls between the router and that area.

Wired port testing delivered speeds close to the advertised performance. Wireless results varied significantly with distance. At approximately 15 metres, speeds were reported to fall from nearly 1,880Mbps close to the router to around 600Mbps further away. The review also noted that the 6GHz network could take some time to appear when the router was first configured at a reasonable distance, although this was not an ongoing issue after the initial connection.

For current Australian NBN connections, these wireless capabilities are unlikely to be fully saturated. They can nevertheless be useful for transferring large files between computers and network-attached storage without using cables.

Ports and networking features

The rear of the BE800 provides a 10Gbps WAN/LAN port, a 10Gbps SFP+ and RJ45 combo port, four 2.5Gbps LAN ports and a USB 3.0 port. The high-speed ports provide a potential backbone for multi-port switches, wired access points and future multi-gigabit internet services.

The USB port supports NTFS, exFAT, HFS+ and FAT32 formats. It can be used for functions including an FTP server, media server and Samba server. The router also supports OpenVPN, PPTP VPN, L2TP and WireGuard, with server and client functionality.

Design, app and mesh support

The BE800 has a large, distinctive tower design rather than a conventional flat router shape. Its front includes a low-resolution, single-colour LED display that can show weather, time, text, emojis and custom graphics. The display is controlled through the TP-Link app. During the review, editing custom text caused the app to crash, and the weather widget had to be restored by restarting the router.

The TP-Link app provides access to connected-device information, notifications, Wi-Fi passwords, VPN settings and other configuration options. The router is also compatible with TP-Link Archer EasyMesh. This allows it to be combined with compatible TP-Link routers, including some existing hardware, or paired with another BE800 to create a multi-gigabit mesh system. Wired backhaul through the 10Gbps ports provides one potential use for a two-router setup.

Price and value in Australia

At the time of the review, the Archer BE800 was on sale for $749 in Australia. That is a substantial price for a single router, particularly when typical Australian NBN speeds cannot use all of its capacity. The hardware is more relevant to households with Wi-Fi 7 devices, high-speed local networking, fibre plans offering multi-gigabit speeds or a need for several high-speed wired connections.

Existing Wi-Fi 6E owners are unlikely to gain enough from upgrading to justify the expense unless they have a specific need for the BE800's ports, mesh options or higher wireless performance. Users moving from Wi-Fi 5 or an ISP-supplied router have a stronger reason to consider it, provided they can make use of its capabilities.