Any competition for TPLink Archer C7 in low cost space?

True, but IPQ4018 still tops out at 887Mbit, just as QCA9880 does (if you use 80MHz channels). It only brings MIMO 2x2 to the table but not even iPhone X supports 2x2 (only new iPad does).

IMHO, when it comes to WiFi I would rather have two C7's than one IPQ4018 device every day of the week. (but I do have dedicated x86 for routing. If you need OpenVPN then C7 CPU is not the fastests).

Two 802.11ac APs in different locations using different non overlapping 80 MHz channels and providing dual streams should offer better coverage and better real world wifi speed than just one AP.

Cause 867 is link rate the actual throughput is much less.

The point is that most client devices are 2x2 at most, individually they won't benefit from new ac AP. However if you have many clients and if they support MIMO then it's a different story.

What about ax? I don't know...but it's too early to buy ax AP at the moment my opinions

Just found this page, quite informative and insightful

https://www.duckware.com/tech/wifi-in-the-us.html

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Glad you're all worried about the difference between 600 and 800 mbps over wireless, especially with something like the Archer C7 which can't push more than about 400-500 mbps through its Ethernet interface without NAT, SQM, or much of anything else. I find the important questions are can a client connect at all and, if so, does it get decent throughput?

Real-world testing with my Archer C7v2 units and my IPQ4019-based EA8300 shows better wireless performance at low and moderate signal levels with the EA8300. I really don't care what they can do a couple of meters apart. Might as well plug in if that last couple hundred Mbps makes that much difference to you, or if latency matters in your application.

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MU-MIMO is optional in 802.11ac, it works only downstream from AP in 11ac and it's an optional feature.

The real world throughput of MU MIMO is not always better: https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32975-mu-mimo-retest-six-routers-compared

Also there is no OpenWrt support for 11ac MU MIMO at this time, for any OpenWrt SoC target as far as I know. So it is irrelevant for now if the hardware is MU MIMO capable. And even with proprietary firmware the results are not promising, see the link above.

11ax hardware is in bleeding edge state for now.

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I was looking for a cheaper alternative to the C7 as well and came across the C6. It's like $40 new where I live, has 2x2 5GHz and 3x3 2.4GHz radios, .11ac, a gigabit switch and MU-MIMO support. The only real compromise is the lack of USB ports which given just 8MB of flash could be a problem depending on what you plan on doing.

It really depends on your expectations but for me, it just doesn't feel right to have an Archer C7 as a router. I would more invest at least twice the money and probably invest in a good WFi-less router which you can enjoy for a long time and which takes care of your LAN and WAN with a reasonable performance and reliability, and have an access point.

Is the C7 v5 an access point, well yes it could be, although its net WiFi coverage is average and its throughput is limited as compared to devices having a more powerful CPU.

My speed tests with my C7 V5 @OpenWRT 18.06.2 are a bit disappointing (not even reaching 350 Mbit/s) but I still have to validate that I'm not making a mistake here.

So true. At least for some.

How do you intend to use the second 5GHz band of the EA8300?

While C7 does not excel as a router due to its older CPU, it makes a terrific value as AP/edge switch. I have four of them configured as 5GHz AP's (and switches) They basically provide as much throughput as 5GHz 802.11ac can practically do. We are talking real-world 20-30Mbyte/sec running iperf3 client on modern iPad/iPhone.

Sure, devices with 802.11ax and MIMO would be cool. But few devices currently support it and multiple 5GHz 802.11ac AP's (using different channels) provide superior coverage for less money.

I think the C7 is a great buy as just a managed switch/AP, and for routed for average broadband speeds (sub 100mbit) which is what 95% of people have.

If you feel tho for $ vs performance is poor do you have examples of better more powerful kit compatbile with openwt that can be purchased at the C7 pricepoint? I am curious thanks.

Buying MIPS today unless it's dirt cheap isn't good value, ipq4XXX or mvebu offers much better price/performance ratio in general and ARM is pretty much where all are headed.

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ath10k supports MU-MIMO
https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/ath10k/configuration#mu-mimo_configuration

...and ipq4018 can now be found dirt cheap. I just picked up my second used Linksys EA6350v3 on ebay for $25 shipped in US last week. The first was $20 shipped. I blame Jeff for the excellent recommendation. It's not easy to find a used Archer C7 for less, and on balance, the "AC1200" 2x2 EA6350 is far superior to the "AC1750" 3x3 Archer C7 it replaced. Much better CPU for SQM, VPN, routing throughput, etc.; more flash; more memory; much better 5GHz throughput and range; fewer dang blinking LED lights; and smaller form factor. Not all roses for the EA6350: the Archer C7 did have somewhat better 2.4GHz WiFi range/throughput/buffer bloat, but not enough to keep it out of storage. Oh yeah, the Archer C7 also has a bigger number on its box and one more antenna :roll_eyes:

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In my country there is literally no Linksys device(new/used). Very very rare to find and even if we found one, it would be overpriced (2-3x) as hell.

Same for Netgear but the options are very limited. No dd wet/openwrt device is available in the Netgear series and the midrange series are heavily taxed. Only options are tplink, tenda, huawei(limited models).

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