TP-Link is ready for next-gen Wi-Fi with a glut of new networking hardware at CES 2019
From mesh extenders to gaudy, expensive gaming routers, TP-Link will have something for everyone who wants to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 in 2019.
TP-Link is expanding its wireless networking offerings with a fleet of WiFi 6/802.11ax hardware in both standard and mesh wireless varieties.
The Deco X10 mesh wireless system is similar to Netgear Orbi, Eero and Google WiFi . It launches in Q3 2019, and will retail for $350 for a kit that includes two mesh Wi-Fi nodes you can link together to blanket a large area with wireless coverage. That's a typical price for a multi-unit mesh set up you'd purchase today, but when it launches this fall, the Deco X10 will support the new Wi-Fi 6 standard, among other competitive specs. I would expect plenty of additional Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems available when the Deco X10 launches in Q3 2019, so don't preorder until we get a better sense of the field.
The RE300 is TP-Link's other mesh product. Rather than working as a standalone mesh networking device, the RE300 is an extender that will add mesh capabilities to existing TP-Link Archer C7 and Archer A7 wireless routers (pending a firmware update).
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Read more: Wi-Fi 6: Better, faster internet is coming this year -- here's everything you need to know
TP-Link says the RE300 is the first product in its new OneMesh line of Mesh accessories, so expect additional hardware down the line. The RE300 launches in April 2019, for a reasonable $50.
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On the standard wireless networking front, TP-Link has four new Wi-Fi 6 routers at different but aggressive price points that indicate a hefty premium for the new wireless standard. The Archer AX11000 is a tri-band gaming router that goes on sale this month for a staggering $450. The Archer AX6000 is a dual-band router that will sell for $350 in April, and the Archer AX1800 launches in Q3 2019 for a more down-to-earth $130. An Archer AX1500 model will follow, for an unspecified price.
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