TP-Link’s latest addition to the Archer family of Wi-Fi routers, the GE800 ($599.99), is a sleek tri-band gaming router that uses Wi-Fi 7 technology, 6GHz transmissions, and multiple high-speed wired network connections to bring blazing data rates to your online gaming. It comes with parental controls and network security software and offers several gamer-friendly features, including lighting effects, game optimization, and a cool-looking case with hidden antennas. The GE800 is more affordable than the $799.99 Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro, but it’s still expensive. Overall, the Editors’ Choice-winning GT-BE98 Pro is a better buy if you can afford it, offering a second 6GHz band, faster 6GHz throughput, stronger signal performance, and an extra LAN port.Design: Spaceship or Wi-Fi Router?One look at the GE800 tells you that this router is designed for gamers. As with the Netgear RAX120, it has a double-wing design reminiscent of something straight out of Star Wars, but the GE800 router offers a more chiseled look. At 11.5 by 8.1 by 8.8 inches, it leaves a fairly large footprint.
RGB LED strips on each wing and in the base augment an otherwise plain matte black finish. The lighting effects can be adjusted using both an on-board button and the Tether mobile app. The wings contain a total of eight antennas (four on each side) that are used to broadcast Wi-Fi over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz radio bands. A fan embedded in the base between the wings helps keep internal components cool.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The front of the router contains a WPS button, a Wi-Fi On/Off button, and an Acceleration button, which automatically detects and optimizes gaming streams and accelerates game applications for optimal performance. You’ll also find the button to enable and disable the RGB lighting effects on the front. If you press and hold this button, you can cycle through the various effects, which include Rainbow, Fire, Wave, Comet, Ripple, Spectrum, and Loop. The LEDs also act as status indicators and will flash red and blue during startup, blink red if there is no internet connection, blink orange when Wi-Fi is off, blink yellow when Wi-Fi is off with no internet connection, and blink blue during a firmware update.
The rear panel is where you’ll find the GE800’s I/O ports, which include a 10GbE WAN/LAN port, a 10GbE WAN/LAN SPF+ combo port for fiber connections, a 2.5GbE WAN/LAN port, and three 2.5GbE LAN ports, one of which is a dedicated gaming port. All of the WAN and LAN ports support link aggregation. Back here, you’ll also find a USB 3.0 port, a power jack, a power switch, and a reset button.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The GE800 has a 2.2GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. It’s a BE19000 router, which means that it can hit maximum theoretical speeds of up to 1,376Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, up to 5,760Mbps on the 5GHz band, and up to 11,520Mbps on the 6GHz band, for a total of approximately 19,000Mbps. It utilizes all of the latest Wi-Fi 7 technologies, including 320MHz channel bandwidth, 4K QAM, direct-to-client beamforming, MU-MIMO data streaming, Multi-Link Operation (MLO), and orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) transmissions. The GE800 is EasyMesh compatible, which means you can use it as a main router or node in a mesh network when paired with other TP-Link EasyMesh devices.You can manage the GE800 using a web-based console or with the TP-Link Tether mobile app. The app opens to a Gaming screen that displays the name and a picture of the router, its current status, and its current internet upload and download data rates. Tap the picture to view CPU and memory usage, MAC and IP address information, and the firmware version.Below the data rate readings is a Game Center panel, and below that are tiles labeled Network Status, Clients, Game Statistics, RGB Effects, Traffic Usage, and Guest Network. The Game Center is where you go to enable Game Boost, which automatically detects gaming clients and optimizes their connections to hundreds of supported games for increased performance. Here you can also enable the Game Server Acceleration feature that lowers latency between the client and game server.When you tap the Network Status tile, you’ll see the same CPU usage and statistics that you see when you tap the router picture, and when you tap the Clients tile, you can see which clients are currently connected and which band they are using. You can also view a list of offline clients and see when they were last active. The Game Statistic tile opens a screen where you can view a history of games played and the total online time, and the Traffic Usage tile presents a screen with daily and weekly network traffic charts and how much traffic each app is responsible for. The RGB Effects tile opens a screen where you can choose a lighting effect, disable lighting effects, and create custom multicolor effects.
(Credit: TP-Link)
Tap the Security button at the bottom of the screen to scan the network for potential malware and to isolate client devices that may be infected using the free HomeShield software. If you want to add Web Protection to block access to malicious sites, Intrusion Prevention to defend against outside attacks, and IoT Protection to shield your connected smart home devices from hackers, you’ll have to subscribe to a $4.99 monthly ($35.99 yearly) HomeShield Security+ plan. The $5.99 monthly ($69.99 yearly) Total Security package adds antivirus protection, a VPN service, password management, and PC cleaning tools.The free version of HomeShield offers strong parental controls with age-based website filters, content filtering, and bedtime scheduling, all of which you can configure by tapping the Family button at the bottom of the screen. For added features, including SafeSearch content filtering and Time Limits that let you set a daily limit of online time, you’ll have to pay another $2.99 per month or $17.99 per year.To access advanced settings, enable an IoT network for smart devices, create a mesh network, and run network diagnostics, tap the More button at the bottom of the screen. Here, you can also access RGB effects, configure the router to serve as an access point, view system information, and create a list of blocked devices.Testing the Archer GE800: Blistering 2.4GHz and 5GHz SpeedsI used the Tether app to install the router and tapped Add Device on the Welcome screen. I selected Gaming Router from the list, tapped Archer GE800, and followed the instructions to power down my modem, connect the router to the modem, and power everything back up. I confirmed that the LEDs were blinking red, used my phone’s Wi-Fi settings to connect to the router, and entered the password found on the bottom of the router. I returned to the app, then tapped I’m Connected; the router was immediately recognized. I tapped the router icon and created a new local account when prompted. I told the app which WAN port to use, selected a connection type (DHCP), and selected Do Not Change MAC Address. Next, I disabled Smart Connect, created SSIDs and passwords for all three bands, and applied the new settings. I was prompted to join the network with my phone, and after a few seconds, the installation was complete.The GE800 performed well on our throughput tests. Its score of 195Mbps on the 2.4GHz close proximity test took top honors, beating the Asus RT-BE96U (150Mbps), the Asus GT-BE98 Pro (148Mbps), and the TP-Link Archer BE800 (175Mbps). Its score of 86Mbps on the 2.4GHz 30-foot test was faster than the RT-BE96U (83Mbps) and the GT-BE98 Pro (74Mbps) but not the Archer BE800 (88Mbps).
On the 5GHz close proximity test, the GE800 led with a score of 1,989Mbps. The RT-BE96U scored 1,548Mbps, the GT-BE98 Pro scored 1,828Mbps, and the Archer BE800 scored 1,880Mbps. On the 5GHz 30-foot test, the GE800 couldn’t keep pace with the rest of the pack. It managed 736Mbps, while the RT-BE96U scored 906Mbps, and the GT-BE98 Pro garnered 911Mbps. The Archer BE800 beat them all with 978Mbps.The GE800 delivered 2,337Mbps (at close proximity) and 338Mbps (at 30 feet) on the 6GHz throughput tests, while the RT-BE96U scored 2,451Mbps and 311Mbps, respectively. Meanwhile, the GT-BE98 Pro provided the fastest scores we’ve seen on this test, delivering 3,075Mbps at close proximity and 442Mbps at 30 feet.We use Ekahau’s Sidekick 2 Wi-Fi diagnostic device and Survey mobile app to generate heat maps that show the router’s 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz signal strength throughout our test home (Note: Ekahau is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com’s parent company. For more, read about our ethics policy in the Editorial Mission Statement.) The white circle on the map represents the location of the router, and the colors represent signal strength, with darker greens representing the strongest signal, yellows representing a weaker signal, and grays indicating a very weak or nonexistent signal.As shown on the maps below, the GE800 Pro delivered relatively strong 2.4GHz signals throughout the house, but 5GHz signals showed significant degradation in the three farthest corners of the house. As we’ve seen with every other 6GHz-capable router, the 6GHz signal had a short range due to power limitations.
2.4GHz Ekahau Wi-Fi coverage map for the TP-Link Archer GE800 BE19000 (Credit: Ekahau)
5GHz Ekahau Wi-Fi coverage map for the TP-Link Archer GE800 BE19000 (Credit: Ekahau)
6GHz Ekahau Wi-Fi coverage map for the TP-Link Archer GE800 BE19000 (Credit: Ekahau)
On our file transfer tests, in which we measure read and write speeds by moving a 1.5GB folder containing photos, video, music, and office document files back and forth between a USB 3.0 drive and our desktop PC, the GE800 scored 87MBps on the write test and 84MBps on the read test. The RT-BE96U scored 82MBps on the write test and 83MBps on the read test, and the GT-BE98 Pro scored 89MBps on both tests. The Archer BE800 beat them all with scores of 102MBps on the write test and 109MBps on the read test.
Verdict: Wi-Fi 7 Gaming for LessIf your current router cannot provide the network performance you need for fast-paced online gaming, consider upgrading to the TP-Link Archer GE800 BE19000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Gaming Router. It offers lots of game-enhancing features and settings, it has a look that many gamers crave, and our tests show it delivers exceptionally speedy throughput on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. While it’s true that you’ll get much faster 6GHz throughput and better 5GHz signal performance with our Editors’ Choice winner, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro, it’ll cost you an extra $200.
TP-Link Archer GE800 BE19000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Gaming Router
Pros
Excellent 2.4GHz and 5GHz performance
Wi-Fi 7 technology with 6GHz transmissions
Multiple high-speed networking ports
Lots of gamer-centric features
Sleek design
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The Bottom Line
The TP-Link GE800 BE19000 is a tri-band router designed for gamers, with Wi-Fi 7 tech to deliver speedy throughput and a generous assortment of gamer-friendly features. Only its relatively weak signal strength holds it back from excellence.
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About John R. Delaney
Contributing Editor
I’ve been working with computers for ages, starting with a multi-year stint in purchasing for a major IBM reseller in New York City before eventually landing at PCMag (back when it was still in print as PC Magazine). I spent more than 14 years on staff, most recently as the director of operations for PC Labs, before hitting the freelance circuit as a contributing editor.
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