TP-LINK Archer C7推出一年多，是市场上少数几款享有盛誉的无线路由器之一。这就是为什么我们要在它发布后这么晚才对其进行测试的原因。最近几个月它的价格暴跌，它是 100美元价格范围内(USD price-range)最受欢迎的无线路由器之一。我们对TP-LINK Archer C7进行了两周的测试，我们进行了很多测量，现在我们想在这篇评论中分享我们对这款路由器的看法。有很多内容需要覆盖，所以让我们开始吧：
TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750无线双频千兆路由器(TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router)拆箱
TP-LINK的Archer C7采用绿色包装，正面有设备图片以及一些最重要的规格。
在封底上，您可以找到更详细的规格，您可以看到这款无线路由器(wireless router)的所有可用端口，以及与TP-Link其他路由器的比较。
打开包装盒，您会发现以下物品：TP-LINK Archer C7 无线(TP-LINK Archer C7 wireless)路由器、3根可拆卸天线、电源单元(power supply unit)、资源光盘(resource disc)、网线(Ethernet cable)、快速安装指南(installation guide)以及保修和保修卡。其他传单。
如您所见，拆箱体验并不那么壮观。最后，我们谈论的是一款价格合理的设备，价格约为 100美元(USD)或等值。
硬件规格
TP-LINK Archer C7拥有高通 Atheros QCA9558 处理器(Qualcomm Atheros QCA9558 processor)，运行频率为 720 MHz，具有 128 MB RAM 内存(RAM memory)和 16 MB存储空间(storage space)。它支持所有现代网络标准，包括 802.11ac，这意味着该路由器提供两种无线网络：一种用于 2.4 GHz 频率(GHz frequency)，另一种用于 5 GHz 频率(GHz frequency)。最大理论带宽在 2.4 GHz 频率(GHz frequency)上为 450Mbps，在 5 GHz 频率(GHz frequency)上为 1300Mbps，总共为 1.75Gbps。一个不太明显的方面是这个无线路由器(wireless router)共有6根天线。5 GHz 无线(GHz wireless)频率有 3 个外部天线，2.4 GHz 频率(GHz frequency)有 3 个内部天线。您可以在下图中看到它们的位置。
在路由器的背面，您会找到一个WPS 按钮(WPS button)、5 个以太网(Ethernet)端口（其中一个用于Internet 连接(Internet connection)）、两个USB 2.0端口、指示两个USB端口活动的LED(LEDs)、一个用于打开无线网络(wireless network)的开关开和关，一个用于打开和(Off)关闭(Off)路由器的按钮，以及电源插孔(power jack)。
如果您想查看此路由器的官方规格，请阅读此页面：TP-LINK Archer C7 HARDWARE FEATURES。
设置和使用TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 无线双频千兆路由器(TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router)
正如我们所提到的，TP-LINK Archer C7并不是一款新的无线路由器(wireless router)。因此，我们看到TP-LINK(TP-LINK)提供的用户界面有点老派，并且与我们在Archer C9上看到的不同，我们并不感到惊讶。
幸运的是，快速设置向导(setup wizard)易于使用，可以从任何网络浏览器启动。
当你启动它时，它会询问你有什么样的互联网连接(Internet connection)。在下面的屏幕截图中，您可以看到TP-LINK Archer C7可以使用的Internet 连接类型。(Internet connection)
一旦路由器连接到互联网(Internet)，您就可以设置它广播的无线网络。您可以仅启用两个可用频段中的一个或同时启用这两个频段。
配置好无线网络(wireless network)后，您必须重新启动路由器。这是我们对TP-LINK Archer C7的极少数小问题之一：每次您更改重要的系统设置时，例如您的无线网络(wireless network)的工作方式，您必须重新启动路由器才能应用更改。当您第一次设置网络并且您必须对此路由器的默认设置进行许多更改时，这尤其令人沮丧。此外，重新启动过程需要相当长的时间。
路由器重启后，您就可以开始使用您的网络了。但是，您不应在此停止初始配置。首先(First)，您应该更改管理路由器的默认用户名和密码(default username and password)。默认设置是管理员/管理员，任何人只要连接到您的网络，就可以破解您的路由器。
用户界面(user interface)仅提供英文(English)版本，分为三个区域：
- 在左侧，您有一列包含按组组织的所有设置
- 单击一组设置时，该组中的所有设置都会加载到屏幕中间
- 右侧有一列解释屏幕中间显示的设置。此列的功能类似于您在使用Windows应用程序时习惯使用的(Windows)帮助(Help)文件。
TP-Link使用的语言是技术方面的，所以普通用户在理解所有内容时会遇到一些问题。幸运的是，帮助(Help)文档通常做得很好，并解释了您需要了解的大部分内容。此外，普通用户很难设置和理解更高级的功能。除了可用的文档之外，您还需要一些网络知识(networking knowledge)。
用户会欣赏的一个方面是用户界面(user interface)的速度和响应速度。所有设置几乎立即加载，浏览所有部分只需很少的时间。唯一的缺点是路由器必须重新启动才能应用您的更改。
当我们测试这款路由器时，我们使用了当时可用的最新固件版本：3.14.3 Build 150427 Rel.36706n。我们在测试期间没有性能问题。(test s.)但是，我们确实遇到了一些稳定性问题，尤其是 5 GHz 无线(GHz wireless)网络。每周一到两次，5 GHz 无线(GHz wireless)网络就会掉线，如果不重新启动路由器就无法恢复。
除此之外，我们对网络的速度以及网络共享和流媒体(network sharing and streaming)等功能的运行情况感到满意。但有关此路由器性能的更多信息，将在本评论的后面部分介绍。
使用TP-LINK Archer C7(TP-LINK Archer C7)更实用的方面之一是该路由器专为壁挂(wall mounting)式设计。有两个带插槽的安装孔，您可以使用适合安装在孔中的螺钉，然后将设备向下滑动。此功能在更昂贵的TP-LINK Archer C8 和 Archer C9 型号(TP-LINK Archer C8 and Archer C9 models)上不可用。
如下图所示，TP-LINK Archer C7拥有光滑光滑的外壳。不幸的是，这是一块灰尘和指纹磁铁(dust and fingerprint magnet)，您需要定期清洁它。
可能会惹恼某些用户的一个小方面是此路由器上的状态LED(LEDs)一直闪烁并且无法关闭。根据您放置此路由器的位置，这可能会让您感到烦恼，尤其是在夜间。
总体而言，(Overall, the) TP-LINK Archer C7提供了积极的用户体验(user experience)，尤其是考虑到其实惠的价格。虽然它有一些缺点，但它的积极因素通常会克服消极因素。
Reviewing the TP-LINK Archer C7 - Here's what a 100 USD wireless router can do!
TP-LINK Archer C7 has beеn launched for more than a yeаr and it's one of the few wіreless roυters with a strong reputation on the market. This is the reason why we wanted to test it, so late after its launch. Its рrice has plunged in recent months and it's one of the most popular wireless routers in the 100 USD price-range. We tested the TP-LINK Archer C7 for two weeks, we made lots of measurements and now we want tо share our opinіon about this router, in this review. There's a lot of ground to cover, so let's get started:
Unboxing the TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router
TP-LINK's Archer C7 comes in a green package which features a picture of the device on the front, as well as some of its most important specifications.
On the back cover, you can find more detailed specifications, you can see all the ports that are available on this wireless router, as well as a comparison with other routers made by TP-Link.
When you open the box, you will find the following items: the TP-LINK Archer C7 wireless router, 3 detachable antennas, the power supply unit, a resource disc, an Ethernet cable, the quick installation guide, as well as the warranty and other leaflets.
As you can see, the unboxing experience is not that spectacular. In the end, we are talking about an affordable device which costs around 100 USD or the equivalent.
Hardware specifications
TP-LINK Archer C7 has a Qualcomm Atheros QCA9558 processor, running at 720 MHz, with 128 MB of RAM memory and 16 MB of storage space. It offers support for all the modern networking standards, including 802.11ac, which means that this router offers two wireless networks: one for the 2.4 GHz frequency and one for the 5 GHz frequency. The maximum theoretical bandwidth is of 450Mbps on the 2.4 GHz frequency and 1300Mbps on the 5 GHz frequency, leading to a total of 1.75Gbps. One aspect that is not exactly obvious is that this wireless router has a total of 6 antennas. There are three external antennas for the 5 GHz wireless frequency and 3 internal antennas for the 2.4 GHz frequency. You can see their positioning in the diagram below.
On the back side of the router you will find a WPS button, 5 Ethernet ports (one of which is for the Internet connection), two USB 2.0 ports, LEDs indicating the activity of the two USB ports, a switch for turning the wireless network On and Off, a button for turning the router On and Off, and the power jack.
If you want to see the official specifications of this router, read this page: TP-LINK Archer C7 HARDWARE FEATURES.
Setting up & using the TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router
As we mentioned , TP-LINK Archer C7 is not a new wireless router. Therefore, we were not surprised to see that the user interface offered by TP-LINK is a bit old-school and different from what we've seen on the Archer C9, for example .
Luckily, the quick setup wizard is easy to use and it can be started from any web browser.
When you start it, it asks what kind of Internet connection you have. In the screenshot below you can see the types of Internet connections the TP-LINK Archer C7 can work with.
Once the router connects to the Internet, you get to set the wireless networks that it broadcasts. You can enable only one of the two bands that are available or both of them.
Once the wireless networks are configured, you have to reboot your router. And this is one of the very few quibbles we have with TP-LINK Archer C7: each time you change an important system setting, like how your wireless network works, you have to reboot the router in order for the change to be applied. This is especially frustrating when you setup your network for the first time and you have to make many changes to the default settings of this router. Also, the restart procedure takes quite a bit of time.
After the router has rebooted, you can start using your network. However, you should not stop here with your initial configuration. First of all, you should change the default username and password for managing your router. The defaults are admin/admin and anyone can hack your router once they connected to your network.
The user interface is available only in English and it's split into three areas:
- On the left you have a column with all the settings organized by groups
- When you click a group of settings, all the settings in that group are loaded in the middle of the screen
- On the right there is a column which explains the settings that are shown in the middle of the screen. This column functions like the Help files you're accustomed with when using Windows applications.
The language used by TP-Link is on the technical side of things, so casual users will have some issues understanding everything. Luckily, the Help documentation is generally well done and explains most things that you need to know. Also, the more advanced features are difficult for casual users to set up and understand. You will need some networking knowledge, on top of the available documentation.
One aspect that users will appreciate is how fast and responsive the user interface is. All settings load almost instantly and browsing through all the sections takes very little time. The only downside is that the router has to reboot in order to apply your changes.
When we tested this router, we used the latest firmware version available at the time: 3.14.3 Build 150427 Rel.36706n. We had no performance issues during our test s. However, we did encounter a few stability issues, especially with the 5 GHz wireless network. Once or twice a week, the 5 GHz wireless network would just drop and it wouldn't recover without a reboot of the router.
Other than that, we were satisfied with the speed of the network and how well things like network sharing and streaming worked. But more about the performance of this router, later in this review.
One of the more practical aspects of using the TP-LINK Archer C7 is that this router is designed for wall mounting. There are two mounting holes with slots that allow you to use screws that will fit in the holes and then slide the unit down. This feature is not available on the more expensive TP-LINK Archer C8 and Archer C9 models.
As you can see in the picture below, TP-LINK Archer C7 has a glossy smooth casing. Unfortunately this is a dust and fingerprint magnet and you will need to clean it regularly.
One minor aspect that may annoy some users is that the status LEDs on this router blink all the time and they can't be turned off. Depending on where you place this router, this may be annoying to you, especially during the night.
Overall, the TP-LINK Archer C7 offers a positive user experience, especially when you consider its affordable price. While it has some downsides, its positives generally overcome the negatives.
