A good compact little router. I bought it before checking if there was any open source software available for it like DD-WRT or OPEN-WRT but so far I haven’t found any.
Anybody know of any good linux-based open-source software for it ???
Very nice review, thank you. Just ordered it (the router, not the review). I will probably only use it in Access Point mode. Hopefully it will perform equally well, both wired/wireless.
I’m confused about whether it’s best to use the same SSID and/or password for the 2.4 / 5GHz networks or not, but that’s another story.
After the C1200 lost the ADSL connection at least once a day , I found that it can not hold both modem and wifi at the same time for along time ( overheated ?) . I’m using it now only as an ADSL modem , with linksys 1900 router .
I bought this router a few months ago because the wifi signal wasn’t reaching my ring doorbell well. It was easy to set up, I got better speed and the range was all the way down the street. Unfortunately, a few weeks after I installed it, my internet data use increased dramatically from 5 gigs/day may to 50, which even occurred on days I was away and had nothing running but my doorbell and thermostat. After changing the router password, my data use went back to normal for a few weeks, but then suddenly increased again. This is an issue since I have a data cap on my internet. I have been checking the app to see if any unfamiliar devices are attached to the router, but I recognize all of them. I don’t know if someone has been only going on when I’m asleep. Yesterday I was able to use the app to whitelist all my devices, and I see that only a few gigs of data were used for the day. I don’t ant to keep changing my password every few days or deal with the hassle of tying to figure out how to add new devices if I get them. Is there anything I can do to keep out the hacker or better yet, identify him or her and report this? I called Cox, my provider, and they tried to talk me into buying one of their internet modems so I can monitor how much data each device is using, but I can do that with my PC, phone and Fire stick anyway, and it still won’t stop the hacker.
Yes. I haven’t read about any security issues with the Archer C1200. I changed the network name and the password twice, but somebody still got in. I have now whitelisted my devices and I haven’t seen unusual data use in the few days since. I hope this will do the trick although it’s a pain if I want to add more devices.
Do not turn off 5 GHz on the router. It is a bad idea. This router is dual-band, meaning that it offers wireless connections on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Just give different names to the two bands, and then connect your 2.4 GHz devices to the 2.4 GHz frequency.
Both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz networks are shown in the list when you are selecting a wifi network at setup. I just chose the 2.4 GHz network and it’s worked fine.
Which is better Archer AC1200 or AC1900 for office use with more than 15 Computers. we are using Fiber connection with 2MBPS direct line (Business account)
Thanks
Very good router for home use, it has everything that normal user needs, guest wifi network, usb port for sharing usb connected disk, wifi signal is also good. The new web settings portal is a lot better than in past… For that amount of money very good device.
Hi, which one would you recommend out of TP-Link Archer AC1200 and RT-AC1200G+? They seemed very closely matched in your comparisons and I can’t decide. Thank you!
See our review for ASUS RT-AC58U. The hardware for ASUS RT-AC58U is slightly better. However, when we reviewed this model, the firmware had several stability issues and we couldn’t give this router the maximum score. If they were fixed in new firmware updates, it might just be slightly better than TP-Link Archer C1200. Otherwise, TP-Link Archer C1200 is both cheap and stable, as you can see in our review. We had 0 issues with it.
18 Responses to “Reviewing the TP-Link Archer C1200: The new king of affordable routers?”
A good compact little router. I bought it before checking if there was any open source software available for it like DD-WRT or OPEN-WRT but so far I haven’t found any.
Anybody know of any good linux-based open-source software for it ???
Very nice review, thank you. Just ordered it (the router, not the review). I will probably only use it in Access Point mode. Hopefully it will perform equally well, both wired/wireless.
I’m confused about whether it’s best to use the same SSID and/or password for the 2.4 / 5GHz networks or not, but that’s another story.
After the C1200 lost the ADSL connection at least once a day , I found that it can not hold both modem and wifi at the same time for along time ( overheated ?) . I’m using it now only as an ADSL modem , with linksys 1900 router .
You have tested those routers in 2 different frequency, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. At home, which frequency do I get using the same TP-Link Archer C1200?
I bought this router a few months ago because the wifi signal wasn’t reaching my ring doorbell well. It was easy to set up, I got better speed and the range was all the way down the street. Unfortunately, a few weeks after I installed it, my internet data use increased dramatically from 5 gigs/day may to 50, which even occurred on days I was away and had nothing running but my doorbell and thermostat. After changing the router password, my data use went back to normal for a few weeks, but then suddenly increased again. This is an issue since I have a data cap on my internet. I have been checking the app to see if any unfamiliar devices are attached to the router, but I recognize all of them. I don’t know if someone has been only going on when I’m asleep. Yesterday I was able to use the app to whitelist all my devices, and I see that only a few gigs of data were used for the day. I don’t ant to keep changing my password every few days or deal with the hassle of tying to figure out how to add new devices if I get them. Is there anything I can do to keep out the hacker or better yet, identify him or her and report this? I called Cox, my provider, and they tried to talk me into buying one of their internet modems so I can monitor how much data each device is using, but I can do that with my PC, phone and Fire stick anyway, and it still won’t stop the hacker.
What kind of security did you choose for your network. Is it WPA2?
Yes. I haven’t read about any security issues with the Archer C1200. I changed the network name and the password twice, but somebody still got in. I have now whitelisted my devices and I haven’t seen unusual data use in the few days since. I hope this will do the trick although it’s a pain if I want to add more devices.
I tried to connect a yi camera and was not able to connect as i received message it was not compatible to the 5 G router.
Also, we bought the Ring Pro doorbell camera and the literature states it will only work with 2.4 GHz.
Is there a way to turn off the 5 Ghz on the router?
Do not turn off 5 GHz on the router. It is a bad idea. This router is dual-band, meaning that it offers wireless connections on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Just give different names to the two bands, and then connect your 2.4 GHz devices to the 2.4 GHz frequency.
Both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz networks are shown in the list when you are selecting a wifi network at setup. I just chose the 2.4 GHz network and it’s worked fine.
Which is better Archer AC1200 or AC1900 for office use with more than 15 Computers. we are using Fiber connection with 2MBPS direct line (Business account)
Thanks
I would go for TP-Link AC1900 (Archer C9). It is a better, more powerful model.
Very good router for home use, it has everything that normal user needs, guest wifi network, usb port for sharing usb connected disk, wifi signal is also good. The new web settings portal is a lot better than in past… For that amount of money very good device.
Hi, which one would you recommend out of TP-Link Archer AC1200 and RT-AC1200G+? They seemed very closely matched in your comparisons and I can’t decide. Thank you!
Great review! I read this review and ordered one right away!
I hope that you will enjoy this product as much as we did testing it. 😉
Should I get the tp link archer c1200 or the Asus ac58u, both being the same cost, which would give me better range/speed
See our review for ASUS RT-AC58U. The hardware for ASUS RT-AC58U is slightly better. However, when we reviewed this model, the firmware had several stability issues and we couldn’t give this router the maximum score. If they were fixed in new firmware updates, it might just be slightly better than TP-Link Archer C1200. Otherwise, TP-Link Archer C1200 is both cheap and stable, as you can see in our review. We had 0 issues with it.