TP Link Archer C2600 Reviewed

[microchip]

Don't trust reviews on Amazon that much. This site is for small/home networks, not business stuff but we do have people that use business grade equipment. If you read the review on this site for the C2600, you'd see that it's currently randked #1 for both 2.4 and 5 GHz throughput in its class. Wired performance is also very good. I don't personally own the C2600 so I can't tell you how it goes in real world usage

I'm using TP-Link stuff for years now and can tell you that they have never let me down, both performance-wise and stability-wise. Since you bought the C2600 from Amazon, you can always return it if you're not happy with it. And no, the C2600 is not a downgrade compared to the R7000. It's rather an upgrade from it. I own the R7000 myself and the only thing that kept me from replacing it with something else was the availability of the XVortex ASUS firmware. Its stock one had numerous issues here which I couldn't work out. Loaded the Xvortex on it and everything runs as expected

 

[JerseyBiker]

Thanks again. I appreciate it very much. I found that XVortex website. I'm going to flash it and see if it resolves my issue. The R7000 was working great until about 2 months ago and if I can get it working correctly again that will save me a couple hundred bucks.

 

[JerseyBiker]

I flashed the XVortex firmware. So far so good. Going to see how this works out before I open the box of the c2600.

 

[RogerSC]

I flashed the XVortex firmware. So far so good. Going to see how this works out before I open the box of the c2600.

Another third-party firmware that I've enjoyed using on the R7000 is tomato ARM. Right now, I'm using Shibby v132, which is working really well for me. XVortex was also a good performer, but I have to admit that I'm a little tired of the "black knight" firmware look *smile*. Although I do use it exclusively on my Asus RT-AC68P, seems to be the best choice for me there.

Here's where you can find out more about tomato ARM firmware by Shibby:

http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/tomato-for-arm-routers.69719/
http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/tomato-shibbys-releases.33858/

And here's where the firmware images are:

http://tomato.groov.pl/download/K26ARM/

 

[JerseyBiker]

I used Tomato years ago on Linksys routers. My last 2 routers have been Netgears and until now I never flashed a third party firmware so I'm out of the loop. Anyway the XVortex firmware seems to have resolved my problems for the most part. Before flashing it most of my devices including my one wired desktop would randomly disconnect but not all at once. After flashing everything was staying connected except for my 3 year old Samsung laptop. The laptop would disconnect and reconnect every few minutes. I searched for a solution and found a suggestion to change 802.11n mode in Device Manager from enabled to disabled. That seems to have done the trick because my laptop has not disconnected since. I did have one other glitch, Monday morning everything was disconnected. I rebooted the router and everything has been working fine since. I still have the TP-Link package unopened. If the Netgear holds out for a few days without issues I'm sending the C2600 back. Thank again for your advice.

 

[RogerSC]

I used Tomato years ago on Linksys routers. My last 2 routers have been Netgears and until now I never flashed a third party firmware so I'm out of the loop. Anyway the XVortex firmware seems to have resolved my problems for the most part. Before flashing it most of my devices including my one wired desktop would randomly disconnect but not all at once. After flashing everything was staying connected except for my 3 year old Samsung laptop. The laptop would disconnect and reconnect every few minutes. I searched for a solution and found a suggestion to change 802.11n mode in Device Manager from enabled to disabled. That seems to have done the trick because my laptop has not disconnected since. I did have one other glitch, Monday morning everything was disconnected. I rebooted the router and everything has been working fine since. I still have the TP-Link package unopened. If the Netgear holds out for a few days without issues I'm sending the C2600 back. Thank again for your advice.

Glad that XVortex is working for you, great to find firmware that solves your problems. I've found that all 3 of the most popular third-party firmware releases (dd-wrt, tomato ARM, and XVortex) work for me, all my clients work well with them without disconnects on the R7000. So it's more a matter of taste, and finding the best release of each one. Again, glad that you're happy with XVortex.

 

[JerseyBiker]

It's been about 2 weeks since I flashed XVortex and all is running great. I sent the C2600 back to Amazon unopened yesterday. You guys saved me a couple of hundred bucks and I want to thank you again. I still do not understand why my R7000 started acting up the last couple of months on the stock firmware after over a year working fine. Oh well I'm good now.

 

[Rocket]

Do you guys still have the C2600 from the review?
The sold version has an unpopulated Serial Port and the IC from U25 is missing. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxqpRLknnYHvb1B6RWpUenNDUVE/view)
We are trying to find out how to connect the Serial Port. So it would be really great if you could try it with your version to tell us if it works and which one is TX and RX.
A high resolution picture of the missing IC could also help to figure out what it is, or which pins need to be shorted...
It seems the pin 3 (from left) is ground, Pin 4 is VCC (3.3V).

Link to the openwrt forum:
https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=54973

Your help would be really appreciated, we got first working roms. But Serial would be great to work on the device....

 

[red_pope]

A quick comparison between the R8500 and the C2600 using the results from Mr.Higgins

I was reading the bench mark test conducted on this router , and it happens that I decided to compare to the NETGEAR R8500 Nighthawk X8 Smart WiFi Router.

The bench test mark results of Mr Higgins in the areas of 2.4 and 5,00 GHz are on favor of the C2600 both superseded the netgear r8500 .

If I was going to upgrade my WIFI the TP-LINK WILL BE MY CHOICE!

 

[Tucu]

I bought the Archer C2600 for £103 (around $147 including 20% VAT) in a Lighting Deal. Seemed a better deal than a Netgear R7000 for £130.
It will replace my Asus RT-N56U. I will report in a few days on performance and coverage. My flat has brick walls so there are several blackspots that I mapped with Netspot. I also bought a Linksys RE6700 range extender for £30 to fill any gaps.

 

[Tucu]

The C2600 arrived yesterday. I ran a few big file transfers to benchmark the router. I transferred files to/from a PC connected to the router through gigabit ethernet and a Spectre X360 that has a 867Mbps AC7265. Results are quite good:
1) same room:
55-60 MB/s upload
65-70 MB/s download

2) 5 meters aways through brick wall:
42-47 MB/s upload
45-50 MB/s download

3) 8 meters away through 3 brick walls and a water tank blocking the signal
5-10 MB/s upload
3-5 MB/s download

Coverage of the 5Ghz signal is a better than with the RT-N56U, but there is still a blackspot in the corner of one of the rooms. I can get 2-3MB/s in that place when connecting to the 2.4Ghz network, so it is enough for internet use. I will check if the range extender helps in that room or get some powerline adapters if it doesn't.

The TP-Link firmware is a bit basic, so people wanting to use OpenVPN, Time Machine or even a local domain will have to wait for OpenWRT or DD-WRT firmwares.

 

[westpatrick]

How Does The TP-Link AC2600 Compare To The TP-Link AC3200 In Wireless Performance As The Price Difference On Amazon Is Like $20

Im Am Looking To Upgrade From My Linksys EA4500 Router (Streaming Media Locally To Wireless Devices Is Slow & Stutters)

Since I Cant Use Wired Connections On Phones & Tablets Which Router Would Give A Better Wireless Range And Strength

 

[Tucu]

The C2600 is a dual band 800Mbps + 1733Mbps router with MU-MIMO support. The AC3200 is a triband router (600+1300+1300). They use very different aproaches to improving throughput. But neither will help much in places where the 5ghz can't reach.
By the way you describe your problem it seems that you will be better of by buying an AC1900 router and keeping your EA4500 as an access point to cover the areas with poor signal (unless you can get an AC2600 or AC3200 router in offer)

 

[westpatrick]

3x Amazon Fire Sticks
Playstation 3
Playstation 4
3x Windows Desktops
6x Smart Phones

The Signal Of The Router Reaches All My Devices Quite Well, The 5GHz Signal Is Kinda Weak But Can Reach Every Device. The Real Problem Is That The Router Cant Process All Devices Connected Fast Enough Which Causes Stuttering When Streaming HD Media And The Router Is 3 Years Old And The WiFi Is Starting To Drop & Resets Randomly Which People Are Telling Me Its Signs That Its Starting To Die. I Just Wanna Know Which One Will Be Better For Streaming HD Media Wirelessly & Can Handle Alot Of Devices Connected Simultaneously Without A Problem.

Researching Around The Routers I Kept Hearing About Were:

Linksys WRT1900ACS
Netgear AC1900 Nighthawk
TP-Link AC2600
TP-Link AC3200

Performance Over Price. Which Is The Best Router To Get ?

 

[Cosminnn]

Looks like the new global firmware version Archer C2600(UN)_V1_160902 has:
New Features/Enhancement：
1. Added PPTP and OpenVPN server function.
Good news.

 

[pcpete]

Wow. What a great, insightful review. I'm very pleased to have stumbled upon this website.

Great stuff. Thanks.

pj

 

[Easy Rhino]

Old review but does anyone have one of these? They can be had for quite a bargain now if you want a refurb.

Especially wondering if any third party firmware can be used on it. It seems like maybe LEDE/OpenWRT can, but I haven't used that at all and don't know how easy it is to set up.