TP-Link Archer Air R5 Router and E5 Extender Review

No matter how important they are in our daily lives, we have to admit that WiFi modems and routers are an eyesore. That’s why most of us put them in concealed areas of the house — far from sight. However, you risk not getting its best potential by doing so.

What if I tell you there are WiFi access points that are meant to provide fast and reliable coverage, while also looking sleek and minimalistic, so it doesn’t ruin your home’s interior design?

That’s what the new TP-Link Archer Air R5 Router and TP-Link Archer Air E5 Extender are for. These WiFi access points aim to provide fast, reliable, and secure internet connectivity, and eliminate dead spots — all while looking so clean and neat that you might actually want to show it off to your guests instead of hiding it out of sight.

Today, we’ll be reviewing these two new TP-Link Archer Air devices, to see how they look, their performance, and if they are worth your money. Let’s begin.

What’s in the box?

The Archer Air R5 Router comes with a quick installation guide, the USB-C cable attached to the wall adapter, 3M tapes and other tools for wall-mounting, and what looks like a SIM ejector tool for the reset button. Oh, and TP-Link also threw in a cute little blue bubble leveler to make sure it’s level when mounted to the wall. Clearly, the company prioritized how it will look and match your home interior.

Meanwhile, everything that’s inside the Archer Air E5 Extender package is the same as the R5.

Design and Build Quality

Both the Archer Air R5 and Air E5 have really clean and simple designs. They have a rectangular shape with a single button in the middle, and the TP-Link logo inside that also acts as the LED indicator.

They are only 8mm thick, just like your average smartphone. They are meant to stick to your wall via the pre-installed double-sided tapes on the back or via the wall mount included in the box.

Speaking of the back, the rear has a fabric material in the middle, which should help with cooling.

The ports are at the bottom. The Archer Air R5 router has a LAN port, WAN, USB-C for power and a reset button. Both the WAN and LAN ports have a flap, so the surface stays flat if nothing’s plugged in. Meanwhile, the Archer Air E5 Extender only has the USB-C port and reset button.

They are definitely some of the most minimalistic routers and extenders we’ve seen. The plain white color means that it would match whatever color scheme your home interior might have, while the rectangular shape makes it look like a home decor when mounted to the wall.

However, there’s still the issue of cables hanging down from the bottom, unless you can find a way to hide them behind an insulator, a picture frame, or any other furniture.

Plus, the cables they come with are relatively short. We measured it next to a standard USB-C cable/charger meant for a smartphone, and they are exactly the same size at about 1 meter.

Make sure you have a nearby outlet, or it beats the purpose of staying clean. You can also get a longer USB-C cable, but make sure you purchase a wall adapter too, since the bundled one is attached to the cable itself.

Or, since it uses a USB-C port, you can try plugging it into a high-capacity power bank, as we did one time. It’s great if you don’t have an outlet nearby, or if you want to carry the extender with you to the veranda or the garden if you have guests over.

Interface

Upon first boot, we had issues pairing the Air R5 and E5 to the TP-Link Tether app. Fortunately, a web-based setup pops up when your phone detects them for the first time. After completing the setup process there, we were finally able to use the said mobile app to adjust the settings and do more with the router and extender.

Once all is set up, you can go open to the app — available for both Android and iOS — to easily change the WiFi name and password. The settings for the Extender also let you change the source router/modem.

It also allows you to check your device’s connection status to the router and the router’s connection to the internet. If you’re having internet issues, there are diagnostic features built-in on the app.

The TP-Link app also lets you check the devices connected to the WiFi, see their usage, and apply parental controls and speed limits.

You can also run security checks, update the router itself, control the OneMesh feature, the LED light on the device, and more.

Coverage and Performance

As stated on the specs list above, these TP-Link devices use the AX3000 WiFi 6 standard that is capable of up to 2402Mbps of speeds under 5GHz and 573Mbps for 2.4GHz.

We tested the TP-Link Archer Air R5 Router by comparing its signal strength and download/upload speeds to the bundled modem/router from our PLDT Fiber internet. We ran the tests outdoors and upstairs, areas where the WiFi signal usually starts to become challenging.

That said, the TP-Link Archer Air R5 Router is a step up from the generic modem/router we got from our ISP. We stepped outside of the house and saw that the Air R5 — compared to the PLDT modem/router — has 85% better WiFi signal strength and double the actual download speeds using fast.com.

WiFi Signal Strength (Outdoors)

Speed Test (Outdoors)

We also went upstairs to see the difference in speeds between the two access points, which were both downstairs. There was about 35% difference in signal strength, but we noticed a dramatic improvement of 107% in download speeds.

WiFi Signal Strength (Upstairs)

Speed Test (Upstairs)

Now, we tested the power of the TP-Link Archer Air E5 as a WiFi Extender to a PLDT Fiber modem to see how it improves the signal in rooms with poor connection or considered as “dead spots.”

We placed the extender near the stairs, where it is as close as possible to the main router/modem. The results below are when the testing device was connected directly to the modem/router versus the WiFi Extender.

Due to the distance with the main router, we’re seeing better performance in 2.4GHz WiFi bands than 5GHz, no surprises there. Overall, the signal performance improvement brought by the Air E5 Extender is quite impressive. It is 43.2% better in 2.4GHz and 72% in 5GHz compared to the ISP-provided modem/router.

Signal Strength (2.4GHz)

Speed Test (2.4GHz)

Signal Strength (5GHz)

Speed Test (5GHz)

We also used both the Archer Air R5 router and E5 router in a OneMesh configuration and it worked well. There’s a delay of a minute or two before it switches to the nearest access point when we’re moving around the house, but that’s negligible.

Verdict

So, are the Archer Air R5 and E5 worth getting? Definitely yes. The Air R5 is a major step-up to the generic router/modem that most ISPs bundle with your plan and the E5 Extender can surely eliminate dead spots around the house or a small office.

They perform well on their own, so you can get them individually. But if you have a spacious home, office prone to dead spots, or you just want a smarter network setup, it’s best to get them both as the OneMesh feature works seamlessly.

More than their performance, the clean and understated design should be enough to convince you.

TP-Link Archer Air R5 and E5 price and availability in the Philippines

The TP-Link Archer Air R5 has a price of Php6,590 in the Philippines while the TP-Link Archer Air E5 retails for Php5,990. You can get it at the brand’s official stores in Lazada and Shopee, and physical stores nationwide.

Pros

Clean, understated, thin design
Easy wall-mounting
Reliable speed
Feature-rich mobile app

Cons

Cables can still be an issue
Short power cable, fixed to the adapter