我们在Digital Citizen上审查了许多路由器，但我们还没有审查过 TP-LINK 路由器。到目前为止！我们很高兴收到测试相对较新的TP-LINK Archer C8 - 一款支持现代(TP-LINK Archer C8)无线网络(wireless networking)标准的中档路由器，它保证了良好的性能而不会从你的口袋里掏出太多钱。我们在家庭网络(home network)上测试了这个路由器一周，现在我们准备在这篇评论中分享我们的结论：
拆箱TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 路由器(TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 Router)
TP-LINK AC1750 无线双频千兆路由器 Archer C8(TP-LINK AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router Archer C8)的包装与最近TP-LINK设备系列中的其他路由器相同。在盒子的正面，您可以看到路由器本身及其最重要的技术规格。
在盒子的背面，有更详细的规格，并与TP-LINK的其他路由器进行了比较。在包装盒内您会找到以下物品：路由器本身、3 个可拆卸天线、电源装置(power supply unit)、资源 CD(resource CD)、2 米长（6.5 英尺）的以太网电缆(Ethernet cable)和快速安装指南(installation guide)。
硬件规格
该路由器具有运行频率为 800MHz 和 128MB RAM的(RAM)Broadcom BCM4708 双核(Broadcom BCM4708 dual-core)处理器。该设备的尺寸为 8.7 x 3.4 x 6.6 英寸（宽 x 深 x 高(Width x Depth x Height)）或 221 x 86 x 168.5 毫米，未插入 3 个可拆卸天线。
正如您对现代双频路由器(dual-band router)所期望的那样，Archer C8支持现代 802.11ac 和 802.11n无线网络(wireless networking)标准。该路由器承诺的最大传输速率为 5GHz无线网络(wireless network)为 1300Mbps，2.4GHz无线网络(wireless network)为 450Mbps 。
在Archer C8的背面，您会发现 5 个千兆以太网(Gigabit Ethernet)端口，其中一个将用于Internet 连接(Internet connection)。还有一个USB 2.0端口和WPS 按钮(WPS button)，也可用作重置开关(Reset switch)。最后但同样重要的是，您会发现路由器的On/Off button电源(power supply)插孔。
在路由器的左侧，您会发现一个额外的USB 3.0端口和一个用于打开和关闭(Off)无线网络(wireless network)的按钮。
想要官方规格列表的朋友，可以在这里找到：TP-LINK AC1750 无线双频千兆路由器规格(TP-LINK AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router Specifications)。
设置和使用TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 路由器(TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 Router)
设置TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 路由器既(TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 router)快速又简单。它问了我们几个问题，比如地区、时区(time zone)、互联网连接(Internet connection)类型和我们想要应用的基本无线设置。我们在大约一分钟内启动并运行。
用户界面(user interface)仅以一种语言提供 - 英语。与提供良好多语言支持的其他制造商的路由器相比，这是一个减号。
用户界面(user interface)分为三个选项卡：
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快速设置(Quick Setup)- 允许您设置路由器及其广播的无线网络。
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基本(Basic)- 显示最重要的控件和设置：网络地图(network map)、互联网连接(Internet connection)设置、基本无线设置、USB设置和访客网络(Guest network)的基本设置。
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高级(Advanced)- 向您显示此路由器上可用的设置和功能的完整列表。
可以想象，前两个选项卡非常易于使用，即使对于初学者和技术不高的人也是如此。高级(Advanced)选项卡组织良好，可以完全访问此路由器的所有设置。技术用户和 IT 专业人员在寻找方法时不会遇到任何麻烦，并且会欣赏他们可以配置此路由器的详细方式。
用户会喜欢的一项功能是帮助(Help)随时可用。您单击管理窗口(administration window)右上角的问号图标(question mark icon)，您可以立即访问有关您在屏幕上看到的配置选项的文档。
在进行测试时，我们将TP-LINK Archer C8升级到了可用的最新固件版本：3.16.30 Build 20150316 Rel.41221n。我们对用户界面的响应速度以及应用设置的速度感到满意。我们发现的唯一缺点是TP-LINK不建议您更改默认登录(default login)详细信息。这将提高我们网络的安全性。我们强烈建议所有用户不要使用默认登录用户名和密码，并在设置(default login username and password)家庭网络(home network)时更改它们。
我们将无线和有线设备连接到网络没有任何问题，一切(network and everything)运行顺利，但在本次审查的后面会详细介绍。
在设计方面，这是我们第一次测试无法安装在墙壁或天花板(wall or ceiling)上的路由器。由于其构造方式，TP-LINK Archer C8只能在稳定的表面上使用，例如您的办公桌。对于需要将路由器安装在房间某个偏远角落的用户来说，这可能是一个缺点。
总体而言，我们对 TP-LINK Archer C8 提供的易用性和配置感到满意。我们发现的几个缺点是 TP-LINK 不提供多语言支持，它不能安装在墙上，并且不建议用户更改用于管理员用户的默认用户名和密码。(Overall, we were pleased by the ease of use and configuration offered by TP-LINK Archer C8. The few downsides we identified are that TP-LINK doesn't offer multilingual support, it can't be mounted on walls and it doesn't recommend users to change the default username and password used for the admin user.)
无线网络性能
首先，让我们看一下我们测试中使用的公寓以及它是如何设置的。可以看到路由器放在客厅(living room)。
我们的测试是使用一个快速的 1 Gigabit Internet 连接(Gigabit Internet connection)完成的，该连接能够以高达 200 Mbps的速度在(Mbps)Internet上上传。我们使用Microsoft Surface Pro 3进行所有测量和几个软件工具。为了更好地了解TP-LINK Archer C8的性能，我们将其与华硕 RT-AC56U(ASUS RT-AC56U)进行了比较。虽然华硕路由器(ASUS router)比 Archer C8 早一代，但您会在许多商店以相似的价格(price point)找到它，并且这两款设备提供的性能应该相对相似。
首先，我们使用inSSIDer测量了整个公寓的无线信号强度。您可以在下面看到使用 2.4 GHz 无线(GHz wireless)网络时信号强度(signal strength)如何随房间变化。TP-LINK Archer C8在整个公寓内都能提供良好的信号强度。(signal strength)然而，华硕 RT-AC56U(ASUS RT-AC56U)在靠近路由器的房间提供更好的信号强度，而(signal strength)TP-LINK Archer C8在远离路由器的房间提供更好的信号。
当谈到 5GHz 无线的信号强度时，TP-LINK Archer C8在所有房间中都更好。
接下来，我们使用SpeedTest测量(SpeedTest)下载速度(download speed)有多快。使用 2.4 GHz 无线(GHz wireless)网络时，两个路由器的下载速度通常都不错，除了公寓中最偏远的房间，两者的表现都非常糟糕。
在上传速度方面，TP-LINK Archer C8毫无争议地胜出。有趣的是，在大多数房间中，它设法提供了高于下载速度的平均上传速度(download speed)。
在 5GHz无线网络(wireless network)上使用SpeedTest测量下载速度(download speed)时，华硕 RT-AC56U(ASUS RT-AC56U)普遍比TP-LINK Archer C8快。
然而，当我们测量上传速度时，TP-LINK Archer C8再次成为无可争议的赢家。就像(Just)使用 2.4 GHz 无线(GHz wireless)网络时一样，上传速度出奇的好，在某些房间里，甚至比下载速度(download speed)还要好。
接下来，我们使用LAN Speed Test Lite在连接到网络的两台计算机之间传输 350 MB 文件时测量下载和上传。(MB file)我们首先在 2.4 GHz 无线(GHz wireless)网络上执行此操作。
在下图中，您可以看到华硕 RT-AC56U(ASUS RT-AC56U)在距离路由器较近的房间中速度更快，而TP-LINK Archer C8在距离路由器较远的房间中速度更快。
上传速度测试(speed test)再次证实了TP-LINK Archer C8非常擅长处理上传。同样(Again)，在某些房间中，它的上传速度比下载速度快。
我们也在 5GHz无线网络(wireless network)上进行了相同的测量。TP-LINK Archer C8提供了全面的性能，在所有房间中都比华硕 RT-AC56U更快。(ASUS RT-AC56U)
在 5GHz无线网络(wireless network)的上传速度方面，TP-LINK Archer C8再次表现出色。
TP-LINK Archer C8 提供的无线性能非常可靠。您将享受良好的信号强度、快速下载和惊人的快速上传。定期使用点对点 (P2P) 传输的人们会非常享受这一点。(The wireless performance delivered by TP-LINK Archer C8 is solid. You will enjoy good signal strength, fast downloads and surprisingly fast uploads. People that use peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers on a regular basis, will enjoy this a lot.)
有线网络性能
为了测试有线以太网连接(Ethernet connection)的质量，我们使用了一台台式电脑，配备英特尔酷睿 i5 4460(Intel Core i5 4460)处理器，运行频率为 3.20 GHz，16GB内存(RAM)和非常快的三星 850 (Samsung 850) Pro 512GB SSD和Microsoft Surface Pro 3配备英特尔酷睿 i5-4300U(Intel Core i5-4300U)处理器，运行频率为 1.9 GHz，8 GB RAM和来自三星(Samsung)的快速 256 GB SSD 驱动器(GB SSD drive)。
首先，我们使用SpeedTest测量(SpeedTest)下载和上传速度(download and upload speeds)。从SpeedTest服务器下载数据时，TP-LINK Archer C8比华硕 RT-AC56U 路由器(ASUS RT-AC56U router)稍快。
在向这些服务器上传数据时，TP-LINK Archer C8的速度比华硕 RT-AC56U 路由器稍慢，因此在使用(ASUS RT-AC56U router)SpeedTest时两者之间并没有明显的胜者。
对于我们的最终测试，我们测量了在两台连接到网络的计算机之间传输 883 MB 文件时的(MB file)下载和上传速度(download and upload speeds)，这两台计算机都使用以太网电缆(Ethernet cable)。
这一次，TP-LINK Archer C8提供了更快的下载和上传。如您所见，该路由器提供的下载速度(download speed)非常接近承诺的 1 Gbps 以太网连接(Gbps Ethernet connection)。
测量上传速度时也是如此。
从我们的测量结果可以看出，TP-LINK Archer C8 提供了真正的 1 Gbps 有线网络连接。如果您拥有配备现代处理器和 SSD 驱动器的计算机，您将能够通过网络享受非常快速的传输。如果您的传输速度低于每秒 900 Mbps，则不是路由器的错。您只需要更快的计算机。(It is very obvious from our measurements that TP-LINK Archer C8 delivers true 1 Gbps wired network connections. If you have computers with modern processors and SSD drives, you will be able to enjoy very fast transfers over the network. If you get less than 900 Mbps per second in your transfers, it is not the router's fault. You just need faster computers.)
额外功能
在额外功能方面，TP-LINK Archer C8提供以下功能：
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访客网络- (Guest Network)TP-LINK为创建访客(Guest)网络提供的大量控件给我们留下了深刻的印象。您可以非常详细地设置它们。
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家长控制(Parental Control)- 一组基本控件，可让您控制孩子使用的设备的Internet 访问(Internet access)。与其他制造商制造的路由器相比，我们发现它相对难以配置。
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访问控制(Access Control)- 此路由器提供了创建适用于网络流量的各种高级规则的可能性。
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TP-LINK Tether - 一款Android和 iOS 应用程序，可让您从智能手机管理路由器。不幸的是，没有适用于Windows Phone的版本。
TP-LINK Archer C8 提供的额外功能列表没有其他供应商那么丰富。但是，所提供的一切都运行良好，并为用户增加了价值。(The list of extra features offered by TP-LINK Archer C8 is less generous than that of other vendors. However, everything that's offered works well and adds value to users.)
判决
这是我们第一次测试 TP-LINK 路由器，我们必须说我们对Archer C8感到满意。它无论如何都不是世界上最快的路由器，但它不想成为。TP-LINK Archer C8是一款价格合理的中档路由器(mid-range router)，可提供值得信赖的稳定性能。它提供了良好的信号强度(signal strength)、相当广泛的覆盖范围和良好的传输速度。将数据无线上传到网络或Internet(Internet)上的其他计算机时，速度特别快。它的几个缺点是设计，这使得它无法安装在墙壁或天花板上(wall or ceiling)，并且用户界面(user interface)仅提供英文版本(English). 此外，路由器不建议用户在设置时更改管理员密码。(admin password)TP-LINK Archer C8对于那些想要一个可靠的路由器、支持现代标准、价格合理的人来说是一个不错的选择。
Reviewing The TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router
We reviewed many routers here at Digital Citizen but we have not reviewed a TP-LINK router. Until now! We were happy to receive for testing the relatively new TP-LINK Archer C8 - a mid-range router, with support for modern wireless networking standards, which promises good performance without taking too much money from your pocket. We tested this router for a week, on our home network and now we are ready to share our conclusions in this review:
Unboxing The TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 Router
The packaging for the TP-LINK AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router Archer C8 is the same as for other routers from the recent line-up of TP-LINK devices. On the front of the box you can see the router itself and its most important technical specifications.
On the back of the box, there are more detailed specifications and also a comparison with other routers from TP-LINK. Inside the box you will find the following items: the router itself, 3 detachable antennas, the power supply unit, a resource CD, an Ethernet cable that's 2 meters long (6.5 feet) and a quick installation guide.
Hardware Specifications
The router has a Broadcom BCM4708 dual-core processor running at 800MHz and 128MB of RAM. The size of this device is 8.7 x 3.4 x 6.6 inches (Width x Depth x Height) or 221 x 86 x 168.5mm, without the 3 detachable antennas plugged in.
As you would expect from a modern dual-band router, Archer C8 offers support for the modern 802.11ac and 802.11n wireless networking standards. The maximum transfer rates that are promised by this router are of 1300Mbps for the 5GHz wireless network and 450Mbps for the 2.4GHz wireless network.
On the back of the Archer C8, you will find 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, one of which will be used for the Internet connection. There's also a USB 2.0 port and the WPS button that also acts as a Reset switch. Last but not least, you will find an On/Off button for the router and the jack for the power supply.
On the left side of the router you will find an additional USB 3.0 port and a button for turning the wireless network On and Off.
Those of you who want the official list of specifications, you can find them here: TP-LINK AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router Specifications.
Setting Up & Using The TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 Router
Setting up the TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 router was fast and easy. It asked us a couple of questions like the region, the time zone, the Internet connection type and the basic wireless settings that we want applied. We were up and running in about a minute.
The user interface is offered in only one language - English. This is a minus when compared to the routers from other manufacturers, which offer good multilingual support.
The user interface is split into three tabs:
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Quick Setup - allows you to set up the router and the wireless networks that it broadcasts.
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Basic - shows the most important controls and settings: the network map, Internet connection settings, basic wireless settings, USB settings and the basic settings for the Guest network.
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Advanced - shows you the complete list of settings and features that are available on this router.
As you can imagine, the first two tabs are very easy to use, even for beginners and people that are not exactly technical. The Advanced tab is well organized and offers complete access to all the settings of this router. Technical users and IT professionals won't have any troubles finding their way through it and will appreciate the detailed manner in which they can configure this router.
One feature that will be appreciated by users is the fact that Help is readily available. You click the question mark icon on the top-right side of the administration window, and you immediately get access to documentation about the configuration options that you see on the screen.
When doing our testing, we upgraded the TP-LINK Archer C8 to the latest firmware version that was available: 3.16.30 Build 20150316 Rel.41221n. We were happy with the responsiveness of the user interface and how fast our settings were applied. The only downside that we identified is the fact that TP-LINK doesn't recommend that you change the default login details. This would have improved the security of our network. We highly recommend that all users not use the default login username and password and change them when they set up their home network.
We did not have any trouble connecting wireless and wired devices to the network and everything worked smoothly, but more on that later in this review.
In terms of design, it was the first time that we tested a router that's impossible to mount on a wall or ceiling. Because of the way it is built, TP-LINK Archer C8 can only be used on stable surfaces like your desk. This may be a downside to users who need to mount the router in some remote corner of a room.
Overall, we were pleased by the ease of use and configuration offered by TP-LINK Archer C8. The few downsides we identified are that TP-LINK doesn't offer multilingual support, it can't be mounted on walls and it doesn't recommend users to change the default username and password used for the admin user.
Wireless Network Performance
First, let's take a look at the apartment that was used in our testing and how it is set up. You can see that the router is placed in the living room.
Our testing was done using a fast 1 Gigabit Internet connection that's capable of uploads on the Internet of up to 200 Mbps. We used a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 for all our measurements and several software tools. To get a better perspective of the performance offered by TP-LINK Archer C8, we compared it to ASUS RT-AC56U. While the ASUS router is one generation older than Archer C8, you will find it in many shops at a similar price point and the performance offered by these two devices should be relatively similar.
For starters, we measured the strength of the wireless signal across the apartment, using inSSIDer. Below you can see how the signal strength evolves from room to room when using the 2.4 GHz wireless network. TP-LINK Archer C8 delivers generally good signal strength across the whole apartment. However, the ASUS RT-AC56U is delivers better signal strength in the rooms closer to the router, while TP-LINK Archer C8 delivers better signal in those further away from it.
When it comes to the signal strength for the 5GHz wireless, TP-LINK Archer C8 is better across all rooms.
Next, we measured how fast the download speed was, using SpeedTest. When using the 2.4 GHz wireless network, the downloads speed was generally good on both routers, except for the most remote room in the apartment, where both fared quite badly.
In terms of upload speed, TP-LINK Archer C8 was the uncontested winner. It's interesting that, in most rooms, it managed to deliver an average upload speed that was higher than the download speed.
When measuring the download speed with SpeedTest on the 5GHz wireless network, ASUS RT-AC56U was generally faster than TP-LINK Archer C8.
However, when we measured the upload speed, TP-LINK Archer C8 was again the uncontested winner. Just like when using the 2.4 GHz wireless network, the upload speed was surprisingly good and, in some rooms, it was better than the download speed.
Next, we used LAN Speed Test Lite to measure downloads and uploads when transferring a 350 MB file between two computers connected to the network. We did this first on the 2.4 GHz wireless networks.
In the graph below you can see that ASUS RT-AC56U was faster in the rooms that are closer to the router while TP-LINK Archer C8 was faster in those which are farther away from it.
The upload speed test confirmed once again that TP-LINK Archer C8 is very good at handling uploads. Again, in some rooms it delivered faster uploads than downloads.
We did the same measurements also on the 5GHz wireless network. TP-LINK Archer C8 delivered solid performance across the board and it was faster than ASUS RT-AC56U in all rooms.
In terms of upload speed over the 5GHz wireless network, TP-LINK Archer C8 was again a very strong performer.
The wireless performance delivered by TP-LINK Archer C8 is solid. You will enjoy good signal strength, fast downloads and surprisingly fast uploads. People that use peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers on a regular basis, will enjoy this a lot.
Wired Network Performance
In order to test the quality of the wired Ethernet connection, we used a desktop PC, equipped with an Intel Core i5 4460 processor, running at 3.20GHz, 16GB of RAM and a very fast Samsung 850 Pro 512GB SSD and a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with an Intel Core i5-4300U processor, running at 1.9 GHz, 8 GB of RAM and a fast 256 GB SSD drive from Samsung.
First, we measured the download and upload speeds using SpeedTest. When downloading data from the SpeedTest servers, TP-LINK Archer C8 was slightly faster than the ASUS RT-AC56U router.
When uploading data to those servers, TP-LINK Archer C8 was slightly slower than the ASUS RT-AC56U router, so there's no clear winner between the two when using SpeedTest.
For our final test, we measured the download and upload speeds when transferring a 883 MB file to and from the two computers connected to the network, both of which were using an Ethernet cable.
This time, TP-LINK Archer C8 delivered both faster downloads and uploads. As you can see, the download speed offered by this router is very close to the promised 1 Gbps Ethernet connection.
The same was true when measuring the upload speed.
It is very obvious from our measurements that TP-LINK Archer C8 delivers true 1 Gbps wired network connections. If you have computers with modern processors and SSD drives, you will be able to enjoy very fast transfers over the network. If you get less than 900 Mbps per second in your transfers, it is not the router's fault. You just need faster computers.
Extra Features
In terms of extra features, TP-LINK Archer C8, offers the following:
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Guest Network - we were impressed by the amount of controls that TP-LINK offers for creating Guest networks. You can set them in a very detailed manner.
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Parental Control - a basic set of controls which allow you to control the Internet access for the devices that are used by your children. We found it relatively hard to configure when compared to routers made by other manufacturers.
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Access Control - this router offers the possibility to create all kinds of advanced rules that apply to the traffic on your network.
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TP-LINK Tether - an Android and iOS app that allows you to manage the router from your smartphone. Unfortunately there is no version for Windows Phone.
The list of extra features offered by TP-LINK Archer C8 is less generous than that of other vendors. However, everything that's offered works well and adds value to users.
Verdict
It was the first time we tested a TP-LINK router and we must say that we are pleased by Archer C8. It is not the world's' fastest router by any means but it doesn't want to be. TP-LINK Archer C8 is a reasonably priced mid-range router that delivers solid performance you can count on. It offers good signal strength, a reasonably wide coverage and good transfer speeds. It's especially fast when wirelessly uploading data to other computers on the network or the Internet. Its few downsides are the design, which makes it impossible to mount on a wall or ceiling and the fact that the user interface is only available in English. Also, the router doesn't recommend that users change their admin password when setting it up. TP-LINK Archer C8 is a solid choice for those who want a reliable router, with support for modern standards, at a reasonable price.
