This is the TP-Link Archer C5400X tri-band gaming Wi-Fi router. It looks like a TIE Fighter spare part, which is pretty cool by itself, but the really exciting thing is the crazy specs designed for serious gamers that need ultra-fast connectivity and no lag, with or without cables.
According to TP-Link, all those sleek antennas are not for torturing rebel prisoners, but to increase range. It doesn’t specify what’s the coverage on its site, but it basically claims that it will reach every single place in any house, from the basement to the roof.
Powerful performance
This beast can get Wi-Fi speeds up to 5400 Mbps using three bands; one 2.4 GHz (1000 Mbps) and two 5 GHz (2167 Mbps). But it is the specs that are crazy nuts: a 1.8-GHz 64-bit quad-core CPU helped by three co-processors and 1 GB RAM.
MORE: Best Wireless Router - Routers for Strong, Long Range Wi-Fi
Why do you need so much power in a router? To prioritize traffic in the most efficient way possible across all your devices in the house. In theory, the faster your router can analyze network traffic, the faster it can allocate network bandwidth.
According to TP-Link, its architecture dynamically identifies gaming traffic, destroying lag no matter if you are connected through Wi-Fi or one of the 8 Gigabit Ethernet connectors. The router also uses MU-MIMO, a technology that balances requests from every connected device using special algorithms. Impressive, most impressive.
Obliterating VPN lag
The router also uses all that processing power to accelerate encrypted VPN connections. TP-Link claims that it’s built-in VPN and OpenVPN support can be accelerated up to five times faster. If you have ever dealt with VPN, you know the excruciating slow downs that can occur compared to a regular connection. This will help you with that, which will be handy for peer-to-peer applications like Torrent.
The Archer C5400X also has storage: 16 GB built-in extensible through USB. The storage sits behind the router’s built-in firewall for local network use or is accessible through the internet.
This technological terror doesn’t come cheap — it will set you back $400 at Amazon or your local electronics shop.
Photo credit: TP Link
