You are here: Home / Reviews / TP-Link Archer AX21 Review

Richie’s Verdict
The TP-Link Archer AX21 is a great choice to upgrade your home network to Wi-Fi 6 and enjoy faster Wi-Fi speeds and extra security with the built-in VPN client and server. It’s also easy to set up with the TP-Link Tether app for Android and iOS. It’s a nice-looking unit with a good feature set and a bargain at less than $100.

Pros	Cons
✅ Easy setup	❌ No advanced features
✅ Built-in VPN client/server	❌ Won’t max-out Gigabit connection
✅ Strong signal range	❌ Capped input speed

Contents

• Overview
  • Setup
  • Speed and Range
  • VPN
• Suitability
• TP-Link Archer AX21 Specifications
• Images/Video
• Conclusion
• See Also
• Manufacturer Links

Overview

The TP-Link Archer AX21 hits the mark with a hassle-free setup experience and superior range compared to the previous model Archer AX20. The newer Archer AX21 outperforms its price-bracket competitors with faster Wi-Fi 6 speeds and an extensive feature set for under $100.

The Archer AX21 is best suited to small and medium-sized homes and apartments and users who use streaming services, social media, WFH, and other general use.

Buy on Amazon via my affiliate link: TP-Link Archer AX21

Setup

The Archer AX21 is easy to set up with TP-Link’s free app Tether for Android and iOS devices, rather than messing around with IP addresses. You can have the Archer setup in under 10 minutes, even if you’re a novice. The Tether app also allows you to remotely connect and manage your router from anywhere in the world. You can monitor each device connected to your router and remove unauthorized users.

The AX21 is Amazon Certified for Humans, meaning you can integrate your Smart Home devices using Alexa. It also uses the latest WPA3, 192-bit encryption technology for device connections.

Speed and Range

The Archer AX21 offers dual-band Wi-Fi 6 on 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums and transfer speeds of up to 1.8Gbps, which for a budget router is quite good. It features four high-gain antennas with Beamforming to extend coverage inside your home and OFDMA technology to connect more devices to the network. Beamforming focuses on signal strength/range at the cost of speed, which is a compromise worth taking.

In testing, I found the Archer AX21 range was considerably higher than routers in this price bracket and the previous Archer AX20 model. Stability and signal strength are also exceptional compared to the AX21’s peers. Ethernet ports on the AX21 are all Gigabit, including the blue WAN uplink port.

VPN

The Archer AX21 has a built-in VPN client and server that uses OpenVPN, PPTP, or L2TP/IPsec protocols. When acting as a VPN client, you can set up a connection to a VPN service provider like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or IPVanish VPN and secure your connected devices.

As a VPN server, the Archer AX21 can negotiate external WAN connections from remote devices to access your home network resources. For example, if you’re in New York and your home network is in Chicago, you can connect directly to the Archers VPN server to access your home network.

Suitability

The Archer AX21 is best suited for:

• Small to medium homes and apartments
• Home offices
• WFH (Work from home)

TP-Link Archer AX21 Specifications

WIRELESS
Standards	Wi-Fi 6 IEEE 802.11ax/ac/n/a 5 GHz IEEE 802.11ax/n/b/g 2.4 GHz
Wi-Fi Speeds	AX1800 5 GHz: 1201 Mbps (802.11ax) 2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi Range	4 Fixed High-Performance Antennas Multiple antennas form a signal-boosting array to cover more directions and large areas Beamforming concentrates wireless signal strength towards clients to expand WiFi range High-Power FEM improves transmission power to strengthen signal coverage
Wi-Fi Capacity	Dual-Band – Allocate devices to different bands for optimal performance OFDMA – Simultaneously communicates with multiple Wi-Fi 6 clients Airtime Fairness – Improves network efficiency by limiting excessive occupation 4 Streams – Connect your devices to more bandwidth
Working Modes	Router Mode Access Point Mode
SECURITY
Wi-Fi Encryption	WPA WPA2 WPA3 WPA/WPA2-Enterprise (802.1x)
Network Security	SPI Firewall Access Control IP & MAC Binding Application Layer Gateway
Guest Network	1× 5 GHz Guest Network 1× 2.4 GHz Guest Network
VPN Server	OpenVPN PPTP L2TP/IPsec
SOFTWARE
Protocols	IPv4 IPv6
OneMesh	OneMesh™ Supported
Parental Controls	URL Filtering Time Controls
WAN Types	Dynamic IP Static IP PPPoE PPTP L2TP
Quality of Service	QoS by Device
Cloud Service	Auto Firmware Upgrade OTA Firmware Upgrade TP-Link ID DDNS
NAT	Port Forwarding Port Triggering DMZ UPnP
IPTV	IGMP Proxy IGMP Snooping Bridge Tag VLAN
DHCP	Address Reservation DHCP Client List Server
DDNS	TP-Link NO-IP DynDNS
Management	Tether App Web browser
HARDWARE
Processor	1 GHz Dual-Core CPU
Ethernet Ports	1× Gigabit WAN Port 4× Gigabit LAN Ports
USB Support	1× USB 2.0 Port Supported Partition Formats: NTFS, exFAT, HFS+, FAT32 Supported Functions: Apple Time Machine FTP Server Media Server Samba Server
Buttons	WPS/Wi-Fi Button Power On/Off Button LED On/Off Button Reset Button
Power	12 V ⎓ 1.5 A
PHYSICAL
Dimensions (WxDxH)	10.2 × 5.3 ×1.5 in 260.2 × 135.0 × 38.6 mm
Contents	Wi-Fi Router Archer AX21 Power Adapter RJ45 Ethernet Cable Quick Installation Guide

Images/Video

Conclusion

For a budget router, the Archer AX21 is the best of its class and a good choice for small to medium homes or apartments. It has good speed, excellent range, and extra security with the built-in VPN feature. The Archer AX21, in my view, is the best budget Wi-Fi 6 router on the market.

Buy on Amazon via my affiliate link: TP-Link Archer AX21

Newsletter Signup

First Name

Last Name

Email



Privacy Policy

See Also

• Auto-Connect & Login with OpenVPN
• Set up OpenVPN on macOS
• Set up OpenVPN on Windows 11 with ExpressVPN
• Connect VPN using PPTP on Windows 11

Manufacturer Links

• TP-Link AX21 AX1800 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router
• Wi-Fi Protected Access – WPA3
• How to Establish a VPN Connection on TP-Link Wi-Fi Router
• OpenVPN Community