TP-Link Archer AX55  Router Review

Reviewed Jul 22, 2024 at 10:27am
Test bench update Apr 30, 2025 at 04:25pm
Tested using Methodology v0.8.1 
TP-Link Archer AX55
7.7
Apartment/Condo 
7.8
Multi-Level House 
7.9
Speed 
7.9
Range 
 5

The TP-Link Archer AX55 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. It supports the 160MHz channel bandwidth on the 5GHz band. It also features a USB 3.0 port, four 1 Gbps LAN ports, and a 1 Gbps WAN port. It supports TP-Link's OneMesh and EasyMesh, so you can add additional access points to create a mesh network.

Our Verdict

7.7
Apartment/Condo 

The TP-Link Archer AX55 is good if you live in an apartment, condo, or single-story home. It delivers speeds suitable for downloading large files quickly or having multiple users streaming 4k content across a single floor. It also supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), so it can use less congested DFS-only channels to give you better speeds in noisy wireless environments. It's an average-sized router and has screw head slots on the bottom so you can mount it to a wall or the ceiling.

Pros
  • Very fast top speeds.
Cons
  • Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.
7.8
Multi-Level House 

The TP-Link Archer AX55 is very good if you live in a multi-level house. It has good coverage and delivers fast speeds suitable for high-bandwidth use, like downloading and uploading large files quickly throughout a home with multiple stories. Since it's a standalone router, its speed drops linearly the farther you are from it. Still, since it's compatible with TP-Link's OneMesh and EasyMesh, you can add compatible routers or range extenders to create a mesh network.

Pros
  • Very good range suitable for single- or multi-level homes.
  • Very fast top speeds.
  • Compatible with EasyMesh and OneMesh devices to create a mesh network with better range.
Cons
  • Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.
  • Standalone router that may have deadzones if you have a very large home.
7.9
Speed 

The TP-Link AX55 delivers very good speeds suitable for an internet connection of up to ~750 Mbps. It also supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), so it can use less congested DFS-only channels to give you better speeds in noisy wireless environments. That said, it's only Wi-Fi 6, so it doesn't have a faster 6GHz band for your Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices to take advantage of.

Pros
  • Very fast top speeds.
Cons
  • Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.
7.9
Range 

The TP-Link AX55 has a very good range for a standalone router. You can also add a compatible EasyMesh or OneMesh router or range extender to create a mesh network for better range.

Pros
  • Very good range suitable for single- or multi-level homes.
  • Compatible with EasyMesh and OneMesh devices to create a mesh network with better range.
Cons
  • Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.
  • Standalone router that may have deadzones if you have a very large home.
  • 7.7
    Apartment/Condo
  • 7.8
    Multi-Level House

  • Performance Usages

  • 7.9
    Speed
  • 7.9
    Range
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated May 01, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.8.1. This includes a new test result for our Test Configuration box.
    2.  Updated Jul 22, 2024: Review published.

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    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    There's a variant of the TP-Link Archer AX55 called the TP-Link Archer AX55 Pro, which has a 2.5 Gbps WAN/LAN port.

    Here's a photo of our unit's label.

    Popular Router Comparisons

    The TP-Link Archer AX55 is a mid-range dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router. It notably supports the 160MHz channel bandwidth on the 5GHz band. Like most current TP-Link Archer routers, it's compatible with TP-Link's OneMesh technology and EasyMesh, so you can easily add more access points.

    This router has very good top speeds and range, especially for a standalone router in the lower mid-range price category. It's notably faster than the ASUS RT-AX55 and the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX30. It's a great choice if you want a solid-performing router and haven't yet upgraded many devices to a newer Wi-Fi standard like Wi-Fi 6E or 7.

    GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000)

    The TP-Link Archer AX55 and the GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) are dual-band Wi-Fi 6 routers. The GL.iNet is designed as a travel router, and as such, is considerably smaller. It also runs OpenWRT, an open-source firmware that's more configurable than TP-Link's. The TP-Link, on the other hand, delivers slightly faster top speeds and better range than the GL.iNet. Also, while the latter has a faster, 2.5Gbps WAN port and a 1Gbps LAN port, the former has four 1Gbps LAN ports, so you can connect more devices without buying an external switch.

    UniFi Dream Router

    The TP-Link Archer AX55 and the UniFi Dream Router are dual band Wi-Fi 6 routers. The TP-Link delivers better raw speed and range performance overall, but the UniFi has a much more robust set of features and deep integration with UniFi's ecosystem of networking products.

    Test Results

    perceptual testing image
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    Category:
    All
    Design
    7.2
    Dimensions
    Height
    6.18" (15.7 cm)
    Width
    10.24" (26.0 cm)
    Depth
    5.91" (15.0 cm)
    Depth With Cables
    7.28" (18.5 cm)
    7.1
    Network Ports
    WAN Port Speed
    1.0 Gbps
    LAN Port Count
    4
    10 Gbps Ports
    0
    2.5 Gbps Ports
    0
    1 Gbps Ports
    5
    10 Gbps Ports (SFP+)
    0
    USB Ports
    USB-A 3.0 Ports
    1
    USB-A 2.0 Ports
    0
    USB-C Ports
    0
    USB-C Speed
    N/A
    In The Box

    • Ethernet cable
    • Power adapter
    • User documentation
    8.0
    Wall/Ceiling Mount
    Mount Type
    Screw Head Slot

    This router has a pair of screw head slots on the bottom, so you can easily mount it to your wall or ceiling.

    Wi-Fi
    7.9
    Interior Long Range
    See details on graph tool
    Lowest Speed
    312 Mbps
    Average 5GHz Speed
    454 Mbps
    Average 6GHz Speed
    N/A
    Test Configuration
    Standalone

    This is a standalone router, so the mesh satellite position line on this graph isn't applicable.

    7.9
    Interior Short Range
    See details on graph tool
    Highest Speed
    746 Mbps
    Average 5GHz Speed
    651 Mbps
    Average 6GHz Speed
    N/A
    Test Configuration
    Standalone

    This is a standalone router, so the mesh satellite position line on this graph isn't applicable.

    7.5
    Wi-Fi Specifications
    Wi-Fi Version
    Wi-Fi 6 (ax)
    6GHz Band
    No
    Multi Band
    Dual Band (2.4 / 5)
    DFS Channels
    Yes
    Wi-Fi Coverage
    Indoor Coverage - Same Story
    Indoor Coverage - 1 Story Above
    Broad Coverage