TP Link Archer VR400 VDSL/ADSL Modem Router

Well, this was a surprise review to appear, this comes as a unique circumstance of A broken broadband connection which was not origins fault but trigger by Vodafone. In all respect, Origin was very good and well during the delay for an engineer cabinet visit and the face I had to reset routers while naked before changing to a customer on the Friday before last aka 26th June. But by pure coincidence, I was on the way home on that Friday after work and went to Tesco and saw this archer for a £45.00 End of life clearance. So well I went for it.

a £52.50 shop in tesco. a TP link router for £45, £2.00 each for fruit creations, £1.50 for hoisin sauce, £1 for pepper sauce, £1.00 for 6 pack of twirls pic.twitter.com/FpVipBLnlW

— Mattie BLM Marker (@omracer) June 26, 2020

Now it was time to finally get this reviewed with some time to me and well this was a surprise. Note this was a basic review for my needs and not of the full potential of the router. But you can watch the video below:

The packaging: 

In true TP-link Fashion,  the box is the new style light blue which has been their branding for about the past 2 to 3 years. This shows the features of the box to really shine and make it clear about what the router is and whos it for. Since the Yellow Sticker on the right for VDSL and ADSL as well as some boxes have an Extra sticker for BT connections or BT infinity connections.  The top of the box shows a clear sticker of 3 Year warranty.

The front of the box 

The top of the box 

Then we look to the sides, which actually is more of the amount of text on there instead of real images on one of them but the other is a nice small advert of the TP-link Tether app. As well as the interface of the router or how easy it is to set up. The main thing with this brand is that most of the features are written on the packaging, 

The router and the interfaces 

The list of everything on the router 

Then we have the back and the bottom, mostly with infographics about Beamforming and the plan with how things work with the router and the important features of the router as well as the behind of the router itself. The bottom has the small print and serial number and that.

The back of the box 

The bottom of the box hiding the serial number 

We then have to open the box and the nice design of this makes it easy to take apart, like the eggshell case and the wrapped parts to make it easier. 

Included in this was the 

• The router itself x 1 
• Power cable x 1 
• CAT5 cable 1m x 1 
• RJ11 cable 1m x 1
• ADSL filter x 1 

The insides of the box 

The power adapter 

The tip of the power adapter 

the ADSL filter 

The top of the router 

The front of the router 

one of those top side angles 

The back of the router 

underneath the router 

The collection of documents and all 

The RJ11 Cable 

The front of the Quick Install Guide

The part of there manual 

The back of the manual 

The RJ45 CAT5e Cable 

Time to setup: 

Plugging in:

Well, his was actually very easy, just replace where I put the Previous TD-W9970  and using he same power cables, Ethernet Cables and the RJ11 cable into the router and then turn it on, it was as simple as that. 

Plugging in the cables 

Once that was done, time to just turn it on via the button at the back, then the lights were to appear.

The lights appearing, note the connection was not set up on the router 

Then it was time to turn a PC or mac on and login to the outer, yes this can be done on smartphones but the bigger screen and I was in a bit of a small rush on this one. But it was pretty much login to the 192.168.1.l IP.

The Router Setup: 

Now if you do want to see all of the menus you can use the TP-link emulator. Also, I would not recommend the TP-link tether app due to the fact it's just signing up for online accounts. But Well I went to the IP address of 192.168.1.1 on safari and then ran the quick setup and it lets me insert the details for the ISP and well after that it was pretty much connected to the internet and time to make the wifi setup the SSID. I mean that was easy to split the 5Ghz and the 2.4 GHz as well, which is vital for games to work. You can tell if the 2.4Ghz and the 5GHz wifi is on from the box itself too.

Before the quick-setup was done 

The Settings to fill in 

After the internet was connected 

This was then connected 

Then there were some of the settings, one which I wanted to check but was not mentioned on the box was the 3G/4G Settings and judging from the interface, I did actually see that Which if the internet goes down can tether to a whole house if needed.  

How to make a server or Tether 

So with that done, it was time to do tests to make sure this was an improvement and not a replacement. 

Speed + Distance  Test

Actually, this was a shock to have most times almost full speed from the Google speedtests on Wireless and Wired. Even from a distance, the speed was better than I expected it to be.  The connection speed was not boosted from the router so it was reasonably accurate. 

Multi connection above

Single Connection below

But then it was to test the wifi and actually well this was impressive. I mean before with the WD9970 I was just getting a signal near the end of the shed where I put my bike. So when I walked there, I saw a strong signal on the 2.4Ghz  but the 5Ghz did not leave the house or just outside the house signal dropped. But that is expected of 5Ghz...

The signal just as the end of the house by the door 

Testing wifi in the greenhouse 

But here some test using the Google Speed Test, both Indoors and the Greenhouse.

The speed test on wifi in the house 

The speed test #1 in the greenhouse 

another speed test in the greenhouse 

This told me that actually, the wifi is more powerful in the house and from what I've also noticed the buffering has been a slight reduction but due to the low speeds beforehand there has been no change in internet speed in general,  This is fine in the most cases I mean the upload speed is about the highest it can be according to BT Wholesale, sure for the download, I'm still 15mbps from good speed but that is probably outside wiring related.

Conclusion: 

All in all, this actually does improve signal that little bit more and gives a good speed from the router over wireless close to the original speeds from the Phone socket to the Router itself. Well, only not under load. Especially if you use to have loads of devices connected to the 2.4ghz wifi in most cases.  The good is that the same wifi SSID and password made switching an easier ride and not having to re-connect everything to it as well 

As far as I can tell : 

omracer's Rating: 7/10 

The Good Points: 

• For this clearance cost - incredible value. If the normal price, maybe reasonable value. 
• Nice sleek design 
• Powerful wifi distance
• Easy to setup 
• Speeds are nearly the same as the router in a short distance away 
• 3g/4g Tethering from the Phone/wifi is supported  - September 2022 - Even better when tethering from a router like the MR6500V which is a LTE based one since of Dynamic IP 

The Bad Points: 

• Can be hard to find at a good price like that
• Can be quite big if you have a smaller shelf
• The TP-link tether app is not worth to have or sign up for   
• Not all ports are Gigabit, just the one

Thanks for waiting for this one to be released, work has been busy and eventually, it will have to come out as well with delays happening as things take over. But for now, see you for more videos and reviews soon. I have at least 3 more to get done for the summer., 

omracer

TP Link TD-W9970

Ah yes, the time to change my life, Adding Fibre and with me finally ordering it from a supplier that actually uses a firm I would never expect it to happen to use which my old self will kick me in the face for but he lost his love and I still miss her, anyways, this is the TP Link which to be 100% honest with you, looks like the same one I bought in 2014, the W8968. The Features however, are somewhat the same but extra ones are around. Some of which are related to the VDSL functions and some are pretty expert end which most users don't even need to touch, let alone me.

When I ordered origin, I decided to save issues in the long term by buying my own router. So I went for the W9970 for £30 off amazon before the price goes up. This review is on the setting up and speed tests, For the menus for all the features, its easier to go to TP Links Site for that .

The Packaging. 

This is exactly like 2014, with the same logo, same blue design and apart from more logos to show off features with some slight differentiation, there is not much difference in the 9970. Except the back has much less text and small print than before along with the router back on the left side rather than the right and the comparison table is at the bottom rather than on the right. 

The front of the box

The features on the right

The setup on the left

The back with the differences

The top of the box with the stickers for warranty and also for VDSL Setup

The bottom of the box for the small print and barcodes

Inside the Box. 

Lets be honest here. This is actually the same layout as the W8968 which the same cables so i'm not really seeing a difference. The router is the same, minus a bright colour for the Ethernet ports. But the continuity is pretty spot on from them really to make the ease of setup useful for many customers. The quick start guide has been shaped more as a fold out which is like other products, there is documents on the GPL and warranty as well which might bore most people but they need to cover themselves for some or even many reason because some people will try to get money from legal cases.  But the insides are as follows: 

• 1 Ethernet Cable 
• 1 RJ11 DSL Cable
• 1 ADSL Filter
• 1 12V Power Cable
• 1 Warranty Card
• 1 Warranty booklet
• 1 GPL Booklet
• 1 quickstart guide
• 1 Router

A look at the contents

The cables underneath the router

The Filter and Power Cable

The router itself is the same design, except with more of a stronger orange vibe in the yellow compared to what the 8968 was. But it makes it feel easy to setup and the curves are lovely as per usual. 

Inside the Packet

The back of the router

The same lights as per usual. 

Setting up. 

This was, for me very easy. Plug in the cables needed and turn it on. With that it was going to the IP address (192.168.1.1) and following the quickstart guide on screen when using admin twice to get in. 

Once that was in, the only tricky part was for the VDSL settings to use, which for me was using the VDSL_BT ones, then applying wifi settings and a reboot and I was online. 

Connecting all the cables (The USB was for charging phones, like a charging station, saves issues)

The usual admin page

Enter the quick setup

Put in the timezone

Now you can use this as Auto but if you set it manual, it makes it quicker for you

The VSDL_BT is what most providers for fibre would use, but if your in the list, then click it

Enter the details the ISP gives you, Origin i had to chat online to get mine

Enter wifi settings like the name and password (SSID and the WPA/WPA2 Shared Key)

It sets it for you

Boom your connected

The reboot screen after changing the default IP. 

The Testing.

Okay, I know the wifi test results were done not as proper as others but this is a quick review, As well as internet tests in general. 

Ethernet:

This felt really fast, pages loaded fine and uploading images was super quick, the stream rate on twtich was over 9000+ and games like a 5GB copy of Epic mickey 2 was just under half an hour. Ookla did mention vodafone but the speeds were really good at 9mbps up and 37 mbps down. 

The ookla results

A download from steam was up to 4.6 but 3mbs is still fast.

That twitch results were lovely 

Wireless. 

Now this is a 2.4GHz only router since most devices i have only are 2.4GHz and I tried this outside of my house, in a garden late at night. The signal was only 2 bars which means its not really strong, then again the router is next to a wall which will block signal so its not ideal location but thats not a major issue. Oookla didn't want to work on my paris but another app did and got 1mbps down and another got 3mbps down.  I'm impressed. 

 

In a garden but with only a solar light and phone with me

A showing of the networks and which is strongest

The speed test outside in the garden

The Conclusion

This is pretty much a VDSL version of a simple router which for me has worked brilliantly, the wifi is more reliable from the extra vdsl speed if you in a close distance and the setup is also accommodating the ADSL for people that are unsure if they want to upgrade. I can't excuse the connection for streaming now with the playthrough of KH 2.8 and other games later on. With all this in mind.

omracer's Rating: 8/10

The Good Points: 

• Nice design as before
• Very good value for a VDSL Router
• Speeds are genuinely decent with the right package
• ADSL for people that can't get VDSL yet. 
• Simple setup once you are connected up with Ethernet, 
• USB Features like before. 

The Bad Points: 

• The wifi is slightly weaker than other routers you can buy for £60  but thats what you pay for
• It doesn't support the TP Link Tether app.
• Lights can't be turned off if you don't like lights at night

And now the struggle is over, I can now get content up quicker and easier than before, more videos and reviews soon I hope. 

omracer