Disappointed in TP-Link Archer C7 Wi-Fi speeds

More than 3 years ago I bought Archer C7. I bought it as a replacement for the 8-year-old TP-Link TL-WDR4310 and it looks not bad at that time. I didn’t really care about Wi-Fi speeds because my communication cabinet was at the corner of my house, and I didn’t plan that somebody will use it persistently. And TP-Link TL-WDR4310 became my main Wi-Fi router because it was located close to the center of my house.

But then I replaced my main router with Cudy X6 router and then I replaced Cudy with Belkin RT3200. And then I started to think about which router I should put as my main Wi-Fi router.

As you know my relative was able to achieve 450 Mbps with Cudy X6 when the router is located in my room and my relative was one floor above me. But when I tried to test TP-Link Archer C7 I wasn’t able to achieve anything above 270 Mbps when my phone was right next to it. Looks like its hardware is not capable to get any faster speeds. When I run the top command, I see that the ksoftirqd process is almost at 100% and it is a sign that it is overloaded.

As a result, I put Cudy X6 as my main Wi-Fi router, and right now I’m able to get 270 Mbps. The signal is going via my monitor, wall, door, another wall, closet with some stuff in it, another wall, and then a fireplace that is surrounded by some metal sheet. And I still get about the same speed as right next to Archer C7.

I don’t want to blame Archer C7 because it is more than 3-year-old and it wasn’t a new device when I bought it. I just regularly see that somebody still recommends it as a good router. It is not a bad router. It was stable and I didn’t have any problems with it, but Wi-Fi performance is lacking by modern standards. Of course, if your internet speed is very slow, then you can buy it, but I think it is much better to buy Cudy X6 that cost exactly the same. Or if you can afford to spend $10 more, I would recommend buying Belkin RT3200. I think it is much more future-proof.

I hope it will help someone.