The choice of a router is currently vast and endless: there are all types and for all budgets, with various manufacturers trying to offer increasingly advanced and interesting features. Routers are not all the same and even in the home or in a small office, you should carefully consider the choice of the model that best suits your needs.
TP-Link is one of the most active companies among router manufacturers, and one of the most interesting solutions currently offered is Archer MR600 , capable of offering speeds up to 300Mbps on 4G + network and which, among other things, boasts One Mesh technology from the same manufacturer.
The peculiarity of this product is that, in addition to the traditional gigabit port designed for fast wired connections and applications that require bandwidth, such as game consoles and set-top-boxes, it is also possible to take advantage of a data SIM. The option in question is convenient in various situations, useful for example for indoor commercial activities: commercial establishments without a fixed line will be able to manage the new procedures related to the electronic receipt and related telematic transmission in a simple way, relying – if necessary – on widespread coverage of the 3G / 4G network.
The user can equip himself with a data SIM with a tariff plan that includes a more or less generous amount of Giga for surfing the Internet and use the router in question to create a reliable connection to which all the devices present, such as the recorder, can be connected. telematic cash desk, but also desktop computers, printers, smartphones and tablets (it is equipped with Ethernet ports and can provide both wireless and wired Internet access). The following features and various details of the product.
The box in which the router arrives 
Other rear view 
Rear view 
Detail of the slot for the SIM
Packaging and product description
The Archer MR600 arrives in a box inside which we find: the actual router, the 12V power supply, an RJ45 network cable, the adapter for nano SIM, two removable antennas, a short manual with instructions for link. The router is black and looks good in classic or modern environments; the dimensions are 229 × 160 × 37 mm; it can be easily placed on a desk and on the back we also find the predisposition for those who prefer wall mounting).
On the back we find: the connectors for the two 4G LTE antennas, the input for the power supply, the on / off button, three 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN ports, 1 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN / WAN port , the WPS button) to establish a connection between the router and other WiFi devices to be paired), the reset hole, a button to turn the WiFi on / off and the slot for the Micro SIM.
Configuration
For installation, simply place the antennas vertically, insert the SIM Card into the slot and turn on the router. When the internet LED stays on (the status LEDs are at the top), the router is connected to the internet. It is obviously possible to connect the device to a router (wired or wireless) and configure the device using the default SSID and password indicated on the label under the router. We have performed the configuration from the Mac with a browser but it is also possible to do it from the iPad or iPhone and any other device via a browser or from the dedicated “TP-Link Tether“ app, available both on the Play Store and on the App Store.
In the list of network connections two SSDs appear by default: “TP-Link_9EC3” and “TP-Link_9EC3_5G” (the names can be changed later); select one of the two connections and type the WPA2 password (the default one is shown under the router), and open the router address from the browser (default 192.168.1.1), type the username and password using “admin” as default and from here you can start the QuickSetup or the usual advanced procedures for more experienced users.
If we already have a different router connected, obviously just connect a cable from the ethernet from the existing router to the WAN socket of the new one to immediately surf the internet. In the latter case the Archer MR600 will appear in the list of network devices like any other device.
Technical characteristics and operation
From a technical point of view, the TP-Link Archer MR600 supports a maximum speed of 300 Mbps in download and 50 Mbps in upload in 4G + Cat6, able to take full advantage of the speed offered by the main telephony operators. As for WiFi, this type of connection simultaneously supports 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, offering respectively a maximum of 300 Mbps and 867 Mbps, excellent numbers by virtue of the context for which this router is designed: home, small shops or not very large offices.
Peculiarity of the product is the support for the OneMesh network: combined with products of the same type it is possible to create a flexible and convenient Mesh network, expanding the signal with more routers or mesh extenders: mobile devices can automatically switch to the closest device, with greater stability of the network. Like other routers of the same manufacturer, it is possible to create networks for guests, activate Parental Control functions (the application of filters and limitations), NAT forwarding, dynamic QoS (priority to packets based on the type and their final use) and other settings concerning firewalls, IPTV and VPN. The manufacturer claims that it is possible to connect up to 64 wireless devices at the same time, such as tablets, laptops and smartphones (management is entrusted to a Qualcomm processor).
From the administration interface it is possible to show the wireless / wired clients and Mesh devices connected to the network, start speedtest to check the speed and get details on the various types of connections and on the IP and MAC addresses of the various clients.
Performance and conclusions
The performances we obtained were excellent both with the modem connection (connecting the router in cascade to an external modem), and with the connection via SIM (using mobile networks).
The speed obviously depends on various factors. In our area, with a connection created using a Vodafone SIM, the performance proved to be adequate for a basic work activity (26.8 Mbs in download and 21.1 Mbps in upload). Obviously, the data shown here does not make sense, since a lot depends on the area you are in, on the operator used and on other factors.
Taking into account that, typically, this type of connection is designed for those who cannot / do not want to use a fixed network, the data obtained is more than sufficient. With the connection in cascade to the traditional modem, the results were identical and in some cases higher than those obtained with the modem offered by the operator; obviously the connection with the traditional modem can guarantee a data transfer speed typically higher than that which can be obtained from a mobile network.
Pro
Versus
Retail price
The TP-Link Archer MR600 AC1200 router costs € 149.90 in the list but at the time of writing on Amazon it is possible to buy it for € 124.99, a price in line with competing products that offer dual band and 4G LTE connections.
