Netgear vs TP-Link Router Comparison

Netgear and TP-Link both are two heavyweight brands when it comes to wireless routers. From the cream-of-the-crop, right down to bargain basement...

Both companies offer a variety of excellent products from budget buys to some of the most advanced consumer routers on the market.Here is a look at some of the best wireless routers available from each brand.

Netgear vs TP-Link: Best Wi-Fi Routers

Netgear: Nighthawk X10

TP-Link vs Netgear Comparison - R7000

>>> Click here to read X10 customer reviews & learn more at Amazon <<<

The Netgear Nighthawk X10 is the latest from Netgear’s flagship Nighthawk range of wireless routers.

It comes with all the latest router features. Most impressive perhaps, and something that really makes it stand out from most other routers, is that it uses Wireless AD technology (it does of course still facilitate Wireless AC and N).

AD is the fastest wireless standard on the market. It uses 60GHz channel and offers up to 7Gbps of throughput which Netgear claim can deliver smooth 4K streaming, VR gaming, and instant downloads on the network. AD is primarily used between two network devices (or routers), mostly for bridging. Clients don't use AD (at this time). It is still a rather emergent technology

Other top of the range features include a Quad Core processor to ensure that the router can handle all those features, along with multiple connected devices, and Tri Band capability to allow these devices to work without suffering too much network congestion.

If you have a lot of devices to connect to a network and want the fastest speeds possible, then this router is definitely worth a look. However, its high price means that unless you need the absolute best technology available, it may be worth a look elsewhere: perhaps the "other recommended routers" below?

> Full X10 Review

TP-Link: Talon AD7200

>>> Click here to read customer reviews & learn more at Amazon <<<

Another high end router, on first glance the Talon AD7200 with its 8 external antennas could be mistaken for a UFO. Luckily, the router has the futuristic features to go with its futuristic design.

Like the Nighthawk above, the Talon AD7200 has Wireless AD for super fast network wifi speeds. In fact, it was the first consumer router to offer this feature. It is also (like the Nighthawk) Tri Band, and comes with MU-MIMO.

One place where it doesn't perform quite as well as the Netgear product is its processor which is a Dual Core 1.4GHz processor instead of the Quad Core 1.7GHz processor found on the Nighthawk.

However, as TP-Link routers are generally easier on your wallet, and if you want AD and Tri Band wifi, but aren’t willing to splash out on the Nighthawk, this could well be the router for you.

> Full Talon AD7200 Review

Other Recommended Netgear and TP-Link Routers

Netgear: Nighthawk R7000

>>> Click here to read R7000 customer reviews & learn more at Amazon <<<

The Nighthawk R7000 is a step down from the routers above but nonetheless offers a lot of quality features that will make it more than good enough for many users.

Instead of Wireless AD it uses the still very fast Wireless AC which has top theoretical speeds of 1900Mbps. It is also Dual Band, and offers a 1GHz Dual Core processor. These features make it more than enough for playing games, streaming HD video, and making network file transfers.

The router also has some impressive software features such as Quality of Service, which allows you to prioritize certain types of traffic on your networ??k, a VPN app to allow you to connect to your network remotely, the Netgear Genie network management app, and cloud services.

The router itself looks great and could be suitable for those that don't have an unlimited budget.

> Full Nighthawk R7000 Review

TP-Link: Archer C9

>>> Click here to read C9 customer reviews & learn more at Amazon <<<

The Archer C9 is another router that uses the Wireless AC standard to provide speeds of up to 1900Mbps.

In terms of what it can do, it has very similar specifications to the Nighthawk R7000. As well as AC1900 these include a 1GHz Dual Core processor, Dual Band radios, USB 3.0 for quicker, centralized file transfers, and some powerful network management software.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two routers is the design. While all the other routers we have looked at so far on our list are black, the Archer C9 has a unique white design. A small point, but colors mean a lot to some!

> Full Archer C9 Review

Top Budget Netgear And TP-Link Wireless Routers

Netgear WNDR3400

>>> Click here to read customer reviews & learn more at Amazon <<<

The Netgear WNDR3400 may not have as cool a name as the ‘Nighthawk’ but it does still come with some decent features for a good price.

The wireless standard is another step down, with this router using Wireless N. However, the 600Mbps of theoretical throughput that this offers is still going to be enough for a smaller number of devices to use the internet for streaming.

This is also helped by the fact that the router is Dual Band, which is not a given with all Wireless N routers.

It uses the Netgear Genie home network manager to allow you to easily manage its network features such as Quality of Service.

All in all, while this router can’t compete with the routers we have looked at so far in a technical sense, it could still be useful for a smaller household who don’t want to splash too much money on a more expensive router.

TP-Link: N450 TL-WR940N

> Netgear Wireless N Routers Compared

>>> Click here to read customer reviews & learn more at Amazon <<<

The final router on our list is a great looking budget buy. It uses Wireless N, although as it is not Dual Band it only offers theoretical throughput of 450Mbps, which is the least amount out of the routers on this list.

It has some basic features such as IP based Quality of Service to allow you to prioritize certain devices based on their IP address and also some parental controls to keep your children safe while they use the internet.

It should be mentioned that while not the fastest, this router is still fast enough to allow users to stream video. It is not the best router, but for the price it comes at that may not matter.


Own any of the above? Why not tell us about it below...

2 Comments - Write a Comment

  1. I need to know which routers are best suited for different applications.
    (Because I am a salesman at BestBuy). Like which router is best suited for the
    “internet of things”, (IOT), which ones are better for home security, wifi, etc.

    Reply
    1. · Edit

      Hi Christopher,

      Thanks for dropping by…

      Check out our “Multiple Devices” article that we published that might help you: https://bestwirelessroutersnow.com/best-router-for-multiple-devices/

      With regards security, it depends how far you want to go. Most standard wifi routers with WPA2 is sufficient for most users, but not unhackable (as anything in life)

      If you’re very security conscious, you could buy a dedicated firewall, but that might be a little overkill for you: https://bestwirelessroutersnow.com/firewall-home/

      A great all-rounder for speed, security and multiple devices is the Nighthawk R7000: https://bestwirelessroutersnow.com/netgear-nighthawk-ac1900-r7000-review/

      Happy searching 🙂

      Reply

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