TP-Link Archer VR400 - AC1200 Wireless VDSL/ADSL Modem Router

Bought this because my ISP-provided router turned out to be useless, causing major DNS-related problems while denying me the ability to edit the settings I needed to in order to fix the situation.The TP-Link router has been a big improvement; far more customizable and with very few errors. The only reason the score isn't 5 is that there were been two episodes (in the last month or so) in which both wifi and ethernet access has suffered repeated drop-outs while trying to stream music and video across the network, at the end of which I had to turn the router off for a bit to recover. I actually suspect these were to do with the router overheating when placed on a flat surface, as it was extremely hot to the touch. Its main ventilation holes are on its underside and ... MoreBought this because my ISP-provided router turned out to be useless, causing major DNS-related problems while denying me the ability to edit the settings I needed to in order to fix the situation.The TP-Link router has been a big improvement; far more customizable and with very few errors. The only reason the score isn't 5 is that there were been two episodes (in the last month or so) in which both wifi and ethernet access has suffered repeated drop-outs while trying to stream music and video across the network, at the end of which I had to turn the router off for a bit to recover. I actually suspect these were to do with the router overheating when placed on a flat surface, as it was extremely hot to the touch. Its main ventilation holes are on its underside and there isn't very much clearance for air to circulate, with some very small feet raising the base only slightly off the surface it's on. I have now propped it up on a couple of old bits of tile under said feet to give a lot more room for circulation and it's much cooler to the touch now; there have been no protracted episodes of flaky network access since then. So you might want to try that if you have this issue. Not a hard fix to apply, but you'd think it should be able to cool itself adequately when placed on a flat shelf. Anyway apart from that it seems a good DSL router and definitely a massive improvement over the ISP-provided one - wifi access now stretches pretty much throughout the house. Certainly good value, and easy to set up.

Cheap (not in a good way). Unusable rubbish.

-Constantly drops connection on the WAN port at random, for no reason, and doesn't automatically reconnect without a power cycle or physical removal & reinsertion of the ethernet cable**-Comes with insecure (WPA) encryption... WPA2 has been released and available in all routers since 2004-Bad, buggy web interface**My actual modem and internet connection are not dropping; this is purely this router that is screwing up. Because whenever it does, the modem that is actually providing the internet to it is just fine and is still connected.I've worked in IT for years configuring networks of all sizes and this product is the worst I've used. It's rare that I return a JB HiFi product but this product is just terrible. Don't even consider it as a budget option - it ... More-Constantly drops connection on the WAN port at random, for no reason, and doesn't automatically reconnect without a power cycle or physical removal & reinsertion of the ethernet cable**-Comes with insecure (WPA) encryption... WPA2 has been released and available in all routers since 2004-Bad, buggy web interface**My actual modem and internet connection are not dropping; this is purely this router that is screwing up. Because whenever it does, the modem that is actually providing the internet to it is just fine and is still connected.I've worked in IT for years configuring networks of all sizes and this product is the worst I've used. It's rare that I return a JB HiFi product but this product is just terrible. Don't even consider it as a budget option - it doesn't even meet a baseline expectation of reliability.

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT

DO NOT BUY THISBefore I start I have been working in IT for over 12 year and have setup many a modem / router beforeMy wife brought this for me for a Christmas present and when initially setup I had some teething issues with it not connecting back to my ISP correctly and after about 3 hours of testing called my ISP, and they were going to get Telstra/NBN out - after about 6 hours it magically started workingLast Saturday 13/01/2024 it just randomly dropped and after testing, called IPS again, they couldn't see anything wrong. I did some more testing and found if it was reset to default it would work but once I changed the SSID it would work and then stop when restarted. I then called TP-Link and after an hour they weren't sure, I then returned the product and ... MoreDO NOT BUY THISBefore I start I have been working in IT for over 12 year and have setup many a modem / router beforeMy wife brought this for me for a Christmas present and when initially setup I had some teething issues with it not connecting back to my ISP correctly and after about 3 hours of testing called my ISP, and they were going to get Telstra/NBN out - after about 6 hours it magically started workingLast Saturday 13/01/2024 it just randomly dropped and after testing, called IPS again, they couldn't see anything wrong. I did some more testing and found if it was reset to default it would work but once I changed the SSID it would work and then stop when restarted. I then called TP-Link and after an hour they weren't sure, I then returned the product and then brought a new one the next day from a different store and had the same problem and then returned it as well

Easy to setup

I bought this to replace my modem router that died in a storm.bought at 7am home at 7:30am, browsing Buy 7:35amI have fttn through Aussie Broadband.Seen mixed reviews about this modem router and people having connection issues.I just went through the wizard, selected my country, left isp as other, vlan id off and changed to dynamic isp and had no problems connecting.Internet UI was pretty easy to navigate with Qos which i was after.WIFI is okay nothing spectacular which is why it is only getting 4 starshope this review helps others in making a decision.

Good price but not a great wireless modem...

Setup was easy and it's not an overly large unit which means it'll be easy to hide.PROS:- decent price- easy to setup- works with FTTN (VDSL2 modem)- seamless switching between 2.4 and 5GHz wirelessCONS:- can't create a mesh network with TP Link deco units unless you plug directly into one of the ethernet ports- internet connection seems a bit unstable and it often seems to stall (or maybe that's the network frequency auto switching)- WiFi coverage isn't great

Good value for money. No performance issues

I don’t have any issues regarding the NBN connection and Wi-Fi coverage. All seems sufficient for a small apartment. Connected TV (wired) and laptops/phones (Wireless) for 2 people. (I personally use TPG as my provider).The initial setup was not as easy at it could be. The wizard sent me down the ADSL (old tech) path rather than NBN (VDSL2).I had to go and set it up manually which would not be easy for a novice who isn’t familiar with modem firmware & basic WAN networking principles. May take a novice some time working through forum instructions or in the support line with your Internet Service Provider.I am happy with this product.

Good value from Screwfix

Only just purchased, but it's looking ok. Relatively easy to set up and get going, although you may well need help from your ISP for some of the settings.Disappointed that whist it has got a USB port, this cannot be used for a NAS device or USB stick. Wouldn't have bought this model if had known that.

Got a dud

It didn't work at all and had to return it. When I spoke with my internet provider and the tech help was going with me through the set-up, we ran several tests. In the end, the tech specialist said it's a dud and unfortunately they have had that experience quite a lot with this model. So I had to return it and buy a different model modem/router. It does not even deserve one star.

Not ideal

This modem doesn’t sync to the TP Link app as it’s not listed in there as an option in order to update or refresh the modem. Then tried doing the online method and that didn’t work either. Tried to call for support and that was dead end also. Call ISP and they said it the router that’s slow. Hard to know but the features are outdated on this product.

Worked pretty well for me.

I have Aussie Broadband Fibre to the Node.I recently bought one of these to replace my modem that was having lots of dropouts. I had it setup in 15 minutes, just using the wizard, with no other fiddling required.It did say tat it failed a couple of times, but that seems to have been it just took a while for it's initial connection to workI don't know wht there's mixed reviews - for me it was easy to setup and has been rock solid since.I'm not using it's internal WI-FI, I also bought a cheaper TP-LINK S7 3 unit mesh system for that - the inbuit WI-FI in most modems is usually inadequate for a whole house.