Modern routers with Wi-Fi 7 support today cost hundreds of dollars: prices for flagship models can reach $800, and some Mesh systems even sell for more than $1000. The Archer BE3600 dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router from TP-Link is the complete opposite of these expensive devices. The new product, also known as the Archer BE230, can be purchased for just $99.
Image Source: TP-Link
According to the TechPowerUp portal, in some countries the Archer BE230 is offered even cheaper, in others it is almost twice as expensive, so the price depends on the sales region. Of course, to reduce the cost, the manufacturer had to make some compromises and deprive the device of support for some of the new functions inherent in routers that support Wi-Fi 7. But, as reported, there are not so many such compromises.
The combined speed of Archer BE3600 on two Wi-Fi bands is up to 3570 Mbps. The 5 GHz channel provides speeds of up to 2882 Mbps, and the 2.4 GHz band provides speeds of up to 688 Mbps. On the 2.4 GHz channel, the new product operates in MIMO 2×2 mode, and the 5 GHz mode supports MIMO 4×4 with a channel width of up to 240 MHz. Unlike other routers and mesh systems that support Wi-Fi 7, the Archer BE3600 router does not support the 6 GHz radio channel. However, it supports the new Multi-Link Operation (MLO) technology, which is responsible for increasing speed and reducing latency. The manufacturer also claims the availability of EasyMesh technology, which will allow you to create a single Mesh network from devices from different manufacturers that support this technology. In addition, the new product supports control via Google Assistant.
The TP-Link Archer BE230 router received one WAN and LAN port with a speed of 2.5 Gbit/s, as well as three LAN ports with a speed of up to 1 Gbit/s. This configuration of network connectors can only be found in models at least twice as expensive as the Archer BE3600. The router also has a USB 3.0 connector, to which you can connect an external drive and create network storage with the ability to exchange data with connected devices.
The manufacturer does not say which processor is used in the Archer BE3600. But given the cost of the new product, it could be a chip from MediaTek or Realtek.