TP-Link Archer GX90 is a large and aggressive tri-band Wi-Fi 6 router that competes in the busy market of premium routers for people with generous budgets, fast internet connections, and high expectations. The list of features is extensive, and it also includes compatibility with 2.5 Gbps internet connections that are slowly becoming available up worldwide. But is this router a great match for such connections? And how well does it work for gamers? To find out, read this review:
The packaging used for TP-Link Archer GX90 AX6600
You find further information about this router, its technical characteristics, and software features on the back and the sides. Inside the box, you find another black box that protects the router and its accessories. When you open it, you’re welcomed by this message: “Let the Games Begin,” alongside a step-by-step tutorial on how to set up your new TP-Link Archer GX90 router. A nice touch! 🙂
A playful step-by-step tutorial for setting up the router
When you take everything out of the box, you find the following elements: the router itself, its eight detachable external antennas, its power adapter, a short CAT 5e Ethernet cable, the quick installation guide, the warranty, and other leaflets.
Everything you find inside the box
Overall, the unboxing experience of the TP-Link Archer GX90 AX6000 tri-band Wi-Fi 6 gaming router is quite impressive, with lots of details that its target audience will enjoy.
TP-Link Archer GX90 is massive and aggressive
On the top side, you see the ventilation grids and the TP-Link logo, which lits up as the only LED on the Archer GX90. Inside the router, there’s powerful hardware: a quad-core Broadcom BCM6755 chipset, running at 1.5 GHz, 256 MB RAM, and 128 MB flash storage for the firmware. One minor complaint I have is regarding the RAM: since this router can work with 2.5 Gbps internet connections and has many gaming-oriented features, I think it would have been ideal to equip it with 512 MB of RAM instead of 256 MB.
On the back of the TP-Link Archer GX90, you find one 2.5 Gbps port that can be used for the internet connection or a device connected to your local network. There are also four Ethernet ports working at 1 Gbps, one of which can be used for the WAN connection. You also have the Reset jack, the Power back, and the On/Off button.
The ports on the back of the TP-Link Archer GX90
On the right side of the router, you have a USB 3.0 port and one USB 2.0 port. Considering that we’re dealing with a premium gaming router, I would have preferred two USB 3.0 ports or one USB 3.2 Gen 1.
TP-Link Archer GX90 has two USB ports
On the front side, you find buttons for WPS, Wi-Fi, and the LED on the top of the router.
The buttons on the TP-Link Archer GX90
On the left side, there are no ports or buttons. When you turn the router upside down, you see more ventilation grids, four rubber feet for holding it into place without slipping, and two holes for mourning the router on walls. There’s also a sticker with information about the router you bought and how to connect to it to set it up.
TP-Link Archer GX90 can be mounted on walls
TP-Link Archer GX90 is a tri-band wireless router and its theoretical maximum bandwidth is split as follows: 547 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz wireless band, 1201 Mbps on the first 5 GHz band (when using Wi-Fi 6), and 4804 Mbps on the second 5 GHz band (when using Wi-Fi 6 and the 160 MHz channel width). I would have preferred the Archer GX90 to offer the 160 MHz channel width on the first 5 GHz band, too, not just the second.
The second 5 GHz band is the fastest
Also, TP-Link Archer GX90 offers 2x2 MU-MIMO wireless transfers on the 2.4 GHz band and the first 5 GHz band, and 4x4 MU-MIMO transfers on the second 5 GHz band. For a premium gaming router, it would have been better to get 4x4 MU-MIMO transfers on both 5 GHz bands. We also get WPA3 encryption support, which is great for enhancing the security of your Wi-Fi network.
If you want more technical information about this product, I recommend visiting its official page: TP-Link Archer GX90 - AX6600 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 Gaming Router.
Setting up the TP-Link Archer GX90 is easy
One aspect I enjoyed is that as soon as the Archer GX90 connects to the internet, it also checks for firmware updates and recommends you to install them if it finds any. You should follow this suggestion if you want to get the latest bug fixes and new features that didn’t exist in the initial firmware version, like the VPN Client feature.
Installing the latest firmware is a must
The admin interface of the TP-Link Archer GX90 uses black and red as its primary colors, similar to many other gaming routers on the market. Using it is not difficult at all. All the settings are split into logical sections, and at first, you see the more basic options.
The user interface is made for gamers
If you want to go into detail, the Advanced section is the place to be. Here you can configure everything this router has to offer. Your settings are split into well-organized sections, with plenty of information on the screen that can help you understand what to do if you want to change something.
You get plenty of Advanced settings
A plus is that the user interface is available in twenty languages, and you get links to Support options, which are helpful when encountering problems.
You can also use the Tether app on your smartphone to manage your router. The app is free and easy to use. As you notice in the screenshot below, it uses a special skin for the TP-Link Archer GX90, and it offers access to its gaming and family-oriented features too, which is a plus.
The Tether app has a custom skin for TP-Link Archer GX90
The Tether app doesn’t offer as many settings as the web interface, but it should be more than sufficient for most users, especially when they are not at home and need to manage their home network remotely.
In my ten days of testing the TP-Link Archer GX90, I noticed a couple of interesting things:
The apartment in which I tested TP-Link Archer GX90
I evaluate the quality of the wireless network managed by TP-Link Archer GX90 through measurements made in three different places:
Signal strength on Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz band)
I then switched to the Wi-Fi 6 standard on the 2.4 GHz band and made the same analysis one more time. Again, the signal strength delivered by this router was excellent in all rooms.
Signal strength on Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz band)
Next, I used the SpeedTest app to measure the maximum speed you get when transferring data to and from the internet on the 2.4 GHz band, using Wi-Fi 4. TP-Link Archer GX90 offered superb download speeds in all the rooms of my apartment, easily beating the routers I’ve compared it to.
SpeedTest - The download speed on Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz)
Upload speeds were excellent, too, in all rooms. I was impressed with this initial batch of results.
SpeedTest - The upload speed on Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz)
I then switched to Wi-Fi 6 on the 2.4 GHz band and repeated the same measurements. This time, TP-Link Archer GX90 was no longer the speed champion, and the downloads were slower on Wi-Fi 6 than when using Wi-Fi 4, which is a shame.
SpeedTest - The download speed on Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz)
Uploads were slower on Wi-Fi 6 compared to Wi-Fi 4. However, TP-Link Archer GX90 managed to be the fastest router in this comparison.
SpeedTest - The upload speed on Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz)
For the next set of measurements, I used the PassMark Performance test to transfer data between two computers connected to the network. I was on the 2.4 GHz band using the Wi-Fi 4 standard. Downloads were speedy everywhere in my apartment.
Network Wi-Fi downloads on Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz)
Uploads were a bit slower than the downloads, but TP-Link Archer GX90 was the winner of my comparison.
Network Wi-Fi uploads on Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz)
I repeated the same measurements on the 2.4 GHz band, using the Wi-Fi 6 standard. I was disappointed that TP-Link Archer GX90 delivered slower downloads than when using the Wi-Fi 4 standard. Also, it was easily beaten by Synology RT6600ax.
Network Wi-Fi downloads on Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz)
Uploads were fast in all rooms but at lower speeds than when using the Wi-Fi 4 standard.
Network Wi-Fi uploads on Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz)
TP-Link Archer GX90 offers a large coverage area on the 2.4 GHz band and performs beautifully when using the Wi-Fi 4 standard. However, switching to Wi-Fi 6 on this band doesn’t deliver any improvements in speed, which is disappointing.
Signal strength on Wi-Fi 5 (5 GHz band)
The numbers looked even better when using the Wi-Fi 6 standard on the 5 GHz band.
Signal strength on Wi-Fi 6 (5 GHz band)
Moving on, I used the SpeedTest app to see how fast the internet connection is when using the Wi-Fi 5 standard. The download speed offered by TP-Link Archer GX90 was fast in all rooms, but it wasn’t as fast as the routers I’ve compared it to.
SpeedTest - The download speed on Wi-Fi 5 (5 GHz)
The same happened with the uploads, too: TP-Link Archer GX90 delivered good performance, but it wasn’t the speed champion.
SpeedTest - The upload speed on Wi-Fi 5 (5 GHz)
When switching to the Wi-Fi 6 standard on the 5 GHz band, the downloads got faster than when using Wi-Fi 5. However, TP-Link Archer GX90 tended to be outperformed by the other routers.
SpeedTest - The download speed on Wi-Fi 6 (5 GHz)
Uploads were faster too on Wi-Fi 6 than on Wi-Fi 5.
SpeedTest - The upload speed on Wi-Fi 6 (5 GHz)
I switched to the PassMark Performance test and transferred data between two computers connected to the network. This benchmark tells me the average speed you get when transferring data only inside the network and not on the internet. When using Wi-Fi 5, the download speeds offered by TP-Link Archer GX90 were much slower than those of its competitors.
Network Wi-Fi downloads on Wi-Fi 5 (5 GHz)
The same happened when measuring the average upload speed in each room.
Network Wi-Fi uploads on Wi-Fi 5 (5 GHz)
Switching to the Wi-Fi 6 standard, downloads got faster everywhere. However, TP-Link Archer GX90 never exceeded the 1 Gbps mark, not even in the room where it was placed, while Synology RT6600ax clearly showed its ability to be a good router even for 2.5 Gbps internet connections.
Network Wi-Fi downloads on Wi-Fi 6 (5 GHz)
Uploads were slower in all rooms but faster than when using the Wi-Fi 5 standard on the same band.
Network Wi-Fi uploads on Wi-Fi 6 (5 GHz)
On the 5 GHz band, the TP-Link Archer GX90 is a fast router with excellent signal strength and coverage, but it is not as fast as its competitors. Other Wi-Fi 6 routers can easily outmatch it in terms of speed.
SpeedTest on wired connections
I then plugged in a fast SSD drive into the USB 3.0 port of the TP-Link Archer GX90 and made some data transfers on it. Unfortunately, the writing (upload) speed was very slow, similar to that of USB 2.0 ports, not USB 3.0. Luckily, the reading (download) speed was a lot faster.
The speed of the USB 3.0 port
TP-Link Archer GX90 works well with 1 Gbps connections, and it can use 2.5 Gbps internet connections too. Unfortunately, its USB 3.0 port is surprisingly slow, and other routers can deliver much faster data transfers through USB.
TP-Link Archer GX90 has many tools for gamers
You also get these useful features:
TP-Link Archer GX90: Who is it good for?
This wireless router is a suitable choice for:- People who are into online gaming
- Families who desire efficient security, and parental controls
- People who need Wi-Fi coverage for larger areas
- Users who have 2.5 Gbps internet connections
Pros and cons
Here are the things I like about TP-Link Archer GX90:
- Superb performance on the 2.4 GHz band
- Large Wi-Fi coverage area
- Powerful hardware
- Easy to use and configure
- Useful mobile app for remote control
- Efficient security tools and parental controls
- Useful gaming-oriented features
- WPA3 encryption support
- It can work with 2.5 Gbps internet connections
- The USB 3.0 port is surprisingly slow
- 160 MHz channel width only on the second 5 GHz band
- The Wi-Fi doesn’t work at speeds higher than 1 Gbps
Verdict
TP-Link Archer GX90 sells itself as a powerful Wi-Fi 6 gaming router with excellent security tools and performance, capable of using 2.5 Gbps internet connections. Unfortunately, while its gaming tools are useful and the security tools are fantastic, the other aspects of this router are not as they seem on paper. For example, the Wi-Fi coverage is one of the best I’ve seen, but the Wi-Fi speed is not necessarily great, at least not on Wi-Fi 6. Similar routers from the competition can be faster than the Archer GX90 when using the Wi-Fi 6 standard. While it can use 2.5 Gbps internet connections, the speed offered by this router on Wi-Fi is no match for such fast connectivity. Therefore, if you do have 2.5 Gbps internet, you should look for another router that’s better equipped to take advantage of it. I’m not saying that this is a bad router. It’s just that there are some important contrasts to consider about this model. Overall, TP-Link Archer GX90 is a solid all-rounder that works well for people who are into online gaming and use internet connections that aren’t faster than 1 Gbps.Unboxing the TP-Link Archer GX90 Wi-Fi 6 router
The packaging used for the TP-Link Archer GX90 AX6600 tri-band Wi-Fi 6 router is very aggressive, aimed at gamers who want the fastest Wi-Fi for their home network. On the top side, you see a large picture of the router and a list of its main characteristics.Hardware specifications and design
TP-Link Archer GX90 weighs 2 lbs or 920 grams, and it has a massive size of 12.2 × 8.1 × 6.8 inches or 311 × 207 × 174 mm in width x depth x height (without the antennas). The external antennas are impressive both in terms of size and coloring. However, they're a bit overkill for my taste, and people interested in more discrete designs won’t like them either.Setting up and using the TP-Link Archer GX90
Setting up the TP-Link Archer GX90 can be done both using a web browser on a computer that’s connected to the network managed by the router and by using the Tether app for Android and iOS. The app is free and easy to use, but the web-based setup wizard offers you more control, so I chose to use it for my initial configuration. The steps involved are the usual: you set the administrator password, the timezone for your region, the internet connection type and connection details, and then the name and password for the Wi-Fi. In the end, you are shown a summary of your settings, and you can connect to your TP-Link Cloud ID if you wish to remote control this router from anywhere on the internet. However, this step is not mandatory.- The Wi-Fi coverage is excellent. This router doesn’t have any trouble with large apartments or one-floor houses.
- When using the Wi-Fi 4 standard, its performance is outstanding. However, switching to the Wi-Fi 6 standard on the 2.4 GHz band means lower performance, which is disappointing.
- The USB 3.0 port is surprisingly slow at writing data on an SSD connected to it, making it less useful to people who want to turn their router into a NAS (Network Attached Storage).
- Even though the TP-Link Archer GX90 can work with 2.5 Gbps internet connections, I’ve never seen it go beyond 1 Gbps on Wi-Fi, which means that it can’t fully take advantage of such speedy connections.
Wireless network performance
My test apartment is set up similarly to the diagram below. As you can see, I’ve placed the TP-Link Archer GX90 in a central position to provide good coverage in all the rooms where I spend most of my time.- I record the maximum speeds when no walls absorb the wireless signal in the room where the router is placed.
- Room 1 - is separated by one wall from the router. The wireless signal and the Wi-Fi speed I get should be lower here.
- Room 2 - is separated from the router by two walls absorbing the wireless signal. Also, the wall between Room 1 and Room 2 is twice as thick as the one between the router’s room and Room 1. Room 2 can be a difficult challenge for many routers.
How the TP-Link Archer GX90 performs on the 2.4 GHz band
I first measured the signal strength using NetSpot. When using the Wi-Fi 4 standard, TP-Link Archer GX90 delivered excellent signal strength in all the rooms of my apartment.How the TP-Link Archer GX90 performs on the 5 GHz band
I moved on to the 5 GHz band and repeated the same measurements as on the previous band. I started by using the Wi-Fi 5 standard and fired up NetSpot to analyze the signal strength. TP-Link Archer GX90 delivered solid signal strength in my apartment's rooms.Wired network performance & USB port
It was time to evaluate the performance of Ethernet network connections. My internet connection offers a maximum of 1 Gbps for the download speed and 800 Mbps for the upload. When using SpeedTest, TP-Link Archer GX90 offered download speeds slightly slower than the routers I’ve compared it to.Extra features
The firmware on the TP-Link Archer GX90 has many advanced features, many of which are aimed at gamers and people who are interested in security:- Game Center - the place where you access, activate, and configure all the gaming-oriented features of this router:
- Game Accelerator - reduces the latency for online gaming and boosts game speed.
- Game Protector - includes a cloud-based antivirus created in tandem with Trend Micro, that offers a malicious content filter, an intrusion prevention system, and infected device quarantine. You also get parental controls that are easy to configure. You can filter inappropriate online content, set time limits for using the internet, and set the bed time for school nights and weekends.
- VPN Client - you can connect your entire network to a VPN service of your choosing, using the following protocols: OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP/IPSec. You can also set which devices get connected to which VPN service.
- VPN Server - you can set your router as a VPN server that can be accessed from anywhere, using the same three protocols mentioned earlier.
- Port Forwarding - allows you to set port forwarding rules for online games, and other types of services.
- Game Diagnostics - you can troubleshoot network connectivity problems.
- QoS - an easy-to-use Quality of Service feature that can be activated to prioritize different kinds of network traffic: gaming, streaming, web browsing, and so on.
- Guest network - users can activate and configure up to three guest networks, each with its name, password, and access rules.
- IPv6 - you can use IPv6 internet connections, set IPv6 DNS servers for your connection, and use IPv6 addresses inside your network.
- USB - you can add two storage devices to your router and configure them for network sharing. You can also set them up as backup locations for the Time Machine feature on your Mac.
- Dynamic DNS - use a NO-IP, TP-Link, and DynDNS account on your router to connect to it from the internet, even if your internet provider gives you a dynamic public IP address.
- Smart Life Assistant - use services like Alexa and IFTTT (If This Then That) to remote control the router through voice commands, and set your automation system.
- OneMesh - you can create your own mesh Wi-Fi system using other TP-Link networking equipment with support for this feature. For more details on how it works, check out this tutorial: How to set up TP-Link OneMesh Wi-Fi 6 routers and range extenders.
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