The TP-Link Archer BE400, also known as the TP-Link BE6500, is a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router that supports the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. It has five Ethernet ports, two of which are rated for 2.5Gbps speeds. It also sports a USB 3.0 port for connecting a storage device. Like most routers in TP-Link's Archer lineup, it supports EasyMesh, a feature that allows you to create a mesh network with any other EasyMesh-compatible router or access point. You can configure and manage this router with its web interface or with the TP-Link Tether smartphone app.
Note: We've removed the Wi-Fi coverage tests, as we're exploring better ways to convey the results that'll be more helpful to users.
Our Verdict
The TP-Link BE6500 is a great router for apartments and small homes. At short to medium distances, it delivers impressive speeds that are suitable for high-bandwidth uses like downloading large files quickly and multiple users streaming 4k video simultaneously. It has a 2.5Gbps WAN port and four LAN ports, one of which is rated for 2.5Gbps for a multi-gigabit wired connection. It also supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), a feature that can improve your connection in noisy wireless environments, like apartment buildings. Unfortunately, even though it's a Wi-Fi 7 router, it doesn't have a 6GHz band, so any of your devices that support 6GHz can't take advantage of the higher speeds it enables.
Impressive top speeds.
2.5Gbps Ethernet ports.
Good range.
No 6GHz band.
The TP-Link Archer BE400 is a very good router for multi-level homes. It delivers great speeds at short to medium distances and has good overall range, making it suitable for high-bandwidth uses like 4k streaming and fast downloads throughout a larger home. It has great wired connectivity with five Ethernet ports, two of which support 2.5Gbps speeds, so you can leverage a multi-gigabit wired connection. Despite being a Wi-Fi 7 router, it lacks a 6GHz band, so if you have devices supporting that frequency, they can't take advantage of it.
Impressive top speeds.
2.5Gbps Ethernet ports.
Good range.
No 6GHz band.
The TP-Link Archer BE6500 delivers impressive wireless speeds that can take advantage of a ~1.5Gbps internet connection. However, its maximum speeds are held back by its lack of a 6GHz band, a common feature on Wi-Fi 7 routers.
Impressive top speeds.
No 6GHz band.
The TP-Link Archer BE6500 has good range. While the speeds drop at longer distances, it supports EasyMesh, so you can improve coverage by setting up a mesh network with additional EasyMesh-compatible access points.
Good range.
Changelog
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Updated Mar 09, 2026:
We've added a link to the newly reviewed TP-Link Archer BE9500 in the Network Ports section of the review.
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Updated Jan 20, 2026:
We've added a link to the ASUS RT-BE92U in the Wi-Fi Specifications section of the review.
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Updated Jan 12, 2026:
We've added text in the MLO implementation section of the review to give additional context to the test results.
- Updated Dec 16, 2025: We've added an MLO Implementation test for Test Bench 0.8.2! Read the changelog for more details.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The TP-Link Archer BE400 doesn't have any variants, but it's also marketed as the TP-Link Archer BE6500. If you come across any other variants, let us know in the comments.
Here's a photo of our unit's label.
Popular Router Comparisons
The TP-Link Archer BE400 is yet another model in TP-Link's sprawling Archer lineup of standalone routers. It's a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router with a 2.4GHz band and a 5GHz band. It's a lower mid-range model that sits above the budget TP-Link Archer BE230 but below the more expensive, tri-band TP-Link Archer BE550, and it delivers competent performance in its price bracket. That said, since it doesn't support the 6GHz band, any Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 devices that support it won't be able to take advantage of the higher potential speeds it offers, so you'd be better served by a tri-band router that supports the 6GHz band.
For more recommendations, see our lists for the best Wi-Fi routers, the best Wi-Fi routers for streaming, and the best long-range Wi-Fi routers. If you want to learn more about the differences between Wi-Fi protocols, check out our articles comparing Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6, or Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 7.
The TP-Link Archer BE400 and the TP-Link Archer BE230 are dual-band Wi-Fi 7 routers. The former sports the same physical design but has six external antennas instead of four on the latter. It also delivers faster speeds and has a longer range.
The TP-Link Archer BE400 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router with 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and the TP-Link Archer AXE75 is a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router with 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. Despite sporting a 6GHz band which can typically deliver faster speeds than lower frequency bands, the AXE75 isn't as fast and has worse range than the BE400. The BE400 also has better wired networking with two of its Ethernet ports supporting 2.5Gbps speeds, while the AXE75 only has gigabit Ethernet ports.
The TP-Link Archer BE400 and the ASUS RT-BE92U are both Wi-Fi 7 routers, but the ASUS is tri-band, while the TP-Link is only dual-band, lacking a 6GHz band. As such, the ASUS delivers much higher top speeds and better speeds at close to medium distances than the TP-Link. The ASUS also has faster wired networking with a 10Gbps WAN port and four 2.5Gbps LAN ports, while the TP-Link has two 2.5Gbps ports and three gigabit ports.
The TP-Link Archer BE400 and the eero 7 are dual-band Wi-Fi 7 routers. The TP-Link is a standalone router that can be expanded into a mesh network with compatible EasyMesh routers and access points, while the eero is a dedicated mesh router that's sold in multi-packs. The TP-Link is faster and delivers better range than the eero, despite testing the latter in a mesh configuration. The TP-Link also has more wired networking ports than the eero.
Test Results
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