Specification and Test Methodology
TP-Link Archer VR900 Specification |
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|---|---|
| Hardware Features | |
| Interfaces | 1 10/100/1000Mbps RJ45 WAN/LAN Port 3 10/100/1000Mbps RJ45 LAN Ports 1 RJ11 Port 1 USB 3.0 Port 1 USB 2.0 Port |
| Buttons | WPS Button, LED Button, Wireless On/Off Button, Power On/Off Button |
| External Power Supply | 12V/3.3A |
| IEEE Standards | IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u, 802.3ab |
| VDSL2 Standards | ITU G.993.2, Up to 30a pro le (POTS) ITU-T G.993.5 (G.vector) |
| ADSL Standards | Full-rate ANSI T1.413 Issue 2, ITU-T G.992.1(G.DMT), ITU-T G.992.2(G.Lite), ITU-T G.994.1 (G.hs), ITU-T G.995.1 |
| ADSL2 Standards | ITU-T G.992.3 (G.DMT.bis), ITU-T G.992.4 (G.lite.bis) |
| ADSL2+ Standards | ITU-T G.992.5 |
| Dimensions ( W x D x H ) | 9.6 x 7.1 x 3.5 in. (245 x 181 x 90 mm) |
| Antenna Type | 3 external detachable dual band antennas (RP-SMA) |
| Antenna Gain | 3 x 2dBi for 2.4GHz and 3 x 3dBi for 5GHz |
| Wireless Features | |
| Wireless Standards | IEEE 802.11a/n/ac 5GHz, IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz |
| Wireless Speeds | 1300Mbps at 5GHz, 600Mbps at 2.4GHz |
| Frequency | 2.4GHz and 5GHz |
| Transmit Power | <20dBm(EIRP) |
| Wireless Functions | Enable/Disable Wireless Radio, WDS Bridge, WMM, Wireless Statistics Support 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wireless Schedule |
| Wireless Security | 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA-PSK2 encryptions, Wireless MAC Filtering |
| Software Features | |
| Quality of Service | ATM QoS, Traffi c Control(IP QoS) |
| Security | NAT Firewall, Access Control, MAC / IP / URL Filtering, Denial of Service (DoS), SYN Flooding, Ping of Death, IP and MAC Address Binding |
| Operating Modes | VDSL/ADSL Modem Router, Wireless Router, 3G/4G Router |
| Management | Web Based Configuration (HTTP), Remote management, command Line Interface, SSL for TR-069, SNMP v1/2c, Web Based Firmware Upgrade, Diagnostic Tools |
| DHCP | Server, Client, DHCP Client List, Address Reservation, DHCP Relay |
| Port Forwarding | Virtual Server, Port Triggering, DMZ, ALG, UPnP |
| Dynamic DNS | DynDns, NO-IP |
| VPN Pass-Through | PPTP, L2TP, IPSec Passthrough |
| Protocols | Supports IPv4 and IPv6 |
| ATM/PPP Protocols | ATM Forum UNI3.1/4.0, PPP over ATM (RFC 2364), PPP over Ethernet (RFC2516), IPoA (RFC1577/2225), MER\IPoE (RFC 1483 Routed), Bridge (RFC1483 Bridge), PVC – Up to 8 PVCs |
| Advanced Functions | Parental Control, Network Address Translation(NAT), Port Mapping(Grouping), Static Routing, RIP v1/v2(optional), DNS Relay, DDNS, IGMP V1/V2/V3 |
| USB Sharing | Support Samba(Storage)/FTP Server/Media Server/Printer Server, 3G/4G Modem |
| Guest Network | 2.4GHz guest network x 1, 5GHz guest network x 1 |
| IPSec VPN | Supports up to 10 IPSec VPN tunnels |
| Other | |
| Certification | CE, RCM, RoHS |
| Package Contents | AC1900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit VDSL/ADSL Modem Router Archer VR900 External Splitter RJ11 DSL Cable RJ45 Ethernet Cable Power Adapter Quick Installation Guide |
| System Requirements | Microsoft Windows 98SE, NT, 2000, XP, Vista™ or Windows 7, 8, 8.1, MAC OS, NetWare, UNIX or Linux Internet Explorer 11, Firefox 12.0, Chrome 20.0, Safari 4.0, or other Java-enabled browser Cable or DSL Modem Subscription with an Internet Service Provider (for Internet access) |
| Environment | Operating Temperature: 0℃~40℃ (32℉ ~104℉) Storage Temperature: -40℃~70℃ (-40℉ ~158℉) Operating Humidity: 10%~90% non-condensing Storage Humidity: 5%~90% non-condensing |
Comparison Routers |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Firmware | HEXUS Review | Retail Price | Product Page |
| BT Home Hub 5 | 4.7.5.1.83.8.204.1.11 | - | £129 | BT.com |
| TP-Link Archer VR900 | 0.9.1 1.2 v004c.0 Build 150909 Rel.39821n | October 2015 | £140 | TP-Link.com |
Test Methodology
Evaluating the wireless performance of a router can be something of a minefield. The sheer amount of surrounding wireless broadcasts is such that the test environment is always subject to change, and performance will fluctuate as a result. With this in mind, please be aware that your results may not mirror our own and the following benchmark numbers should be viewed as theoretical.
To provide examples of real-world performance, the Archer VR900 has been installed on the ground floor of a three-storey house built in 2006. Wireless performance is then tested from a 2012 ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop outfitted with a TP-Link Archer T4U dual-band wireless adapter at multiple locations.
Location A is defined as a first-floor room directly above the router, representing a distance of roughly 15ft and one separating floor. Location B is on the ground floor at a horizontal distance of roughly 45ft from the router, with multiple separating walls. Finally, Location C is on the top floor at a vertical distance of roughly 40ft, with two-floor separation.
In each location, we test wireless performance by copying a 2GB file to and fro a Synology NAS wired to the network via a TP-Link TL-SG1024 Gigabit switch. For comparison's sake, we also run the same file transfer using a wired connection to the laptop, and we also test transfer speed to a router-attached storage device - in our case an SK hynix Canvas SC300 SSD installed in a basic USB 3.0 caddy.
With all that out of the way, let's start with the simplest but arguably most important comparison: is a premium router such as the Archer VR900 a worthwhile upgrade over the BT Home Hub present in so many properties across the country? Read on for all the answers.
