As we embrace connected home products, having a reliable router like the TP-Link TL-WR940N that can handle continuous traffic over multiple devices is more important than ever. For some, a router that costs upwards of $200 is the most ideal, but not all of us need that kind of networking power. Maybe the budget doesn’t accommodate, or we just need to get connected, nothing else.
With the TP-Link N450 Wireless Wi-Fi Router (TL-WR940N), you get single-band Wi-Fi, fairly good throughput and a set of management settings, including access control and remote management. If you need a small, affordable business/home router, you should seriously start here. It’s the budget version of our favorite TP-Link AC1900 (Archer C9) that suffices for medium-size offices and homes that need strong, all round performance.
Design
The TL-WR940N is small than most midrange routers, including the NetGear N300 (WNR2020v2) and the TP-Link AC1750 (Archer C7). Its black-glassy enclosure measures 1.1 by 7.87 by 5.51 (HWD) and has three external antennas. The antennas aren’t user removable, meaning, you can’t replace them if one breaks, or you want to add a more powerful antennae.
On the arched front, there are eight LED status indicators for Power, Internet activity, Wi-Fi signal activity, WPS activity, and wired-port activity (one for each of the ports). Around the back are four Gigabit LAN ports, a WAN (Internet) port, a Wireless On/Off button, WPS/Reset button and Power On/Off button. Under the hood is a 2.4GHz radio that offers theoretical throughput speeds of up to 450Mbps.
You can use change the N450’s settings via the Web-based management console or the included Cd. The management console gives you an array of basic and advanced settings, which are easy to navigate. Basic wireless settings allow you enable or disable each band, name your SSID’s, and modify the passwords. Advanced wireless settings include Security mode settings (WEP and WPA-Personal), Wi-Fi Channel Width and transmission Power settings.
Setup and Performance
Installing the TL-WR940N is very simple. All you do is, connect it to a PC and an Internet source, the router will automatically launch the Web-based settings, through which you can configure your network, adjust the Wi-Fi settings and set a router password. Once configured, I was ready to go, took less than 5 minutes. Unless you need a badass gaming router, most daily use routers are easily configured and work out-of-the-box.
For a budget router, 74Mbps on our 2.4GHz close-proximity (same room) test is much faster than you get from most budget routers. It is in the same ballpack with the NetGear AC1200 (R6220) that yields 73.2Mbps on the same test. Testing over a radius of 30 feet, it yielded 42.5Mbps, slightly ahead of the Amped Wireless R10000G (37.9Mbps), though a smidge behind the Netgear R6220 (47.2Mbps). This level of performance makes is a perfect choice for HD video streaming, online gaming and VoIP, though it lacks a dedicated telephone port.
Update: Newer Options to Consider
The TP-Link N450 (TL-WR940N) remains a simple and affordable router for basic home or small-office networking. Its 2.4GHz wireless connection delivered respectable throughput in our original testing, while four Gigabit Ethernet ports and straightforward setup make it practical for basic browsing, streaming and everyday connectivity. However, it is now an older single-band Wi-Fi 4 router, so it lacks the speed, capacity and efficiency of newer Wi-Fi standards.
If you’re buying a router today, newer models such as the TP-Link Archer AX23 are worth considering. It upgrades to dual-band Wi-Fi 6, with speeds of up to 1,201Mbps on 5GHz and 574Mbps on 2.4GHz, plus OFDMA, MU-MIMO, WPA3 and EasyMesh support. The TP-Link Archer AX55 is another stronger option, offering AX3000 Wi-Fi 6, up to 2,402Mbps on 5GHz, 574Mbps on 2.4GHz, OFDMA, MU-MIMO, WPA3 and a USB 3.0 port.
The TL-WR940N still makes sense if you need an inexpensive router for a modest connection and a small number of devices, especially if you find it at a very low price. For a new purchase, though, the Archer AX23 and TP-Link Archer A7 (AC1750) are considerably better choices, offering dual-band Wi-Fi 6, higher capacity and better support for modern devices. The WR940N’s strong value and easy setup remain positives, but its single-band Wi-Fi 4 technology is now the main reason to look at newer alternatives.
The Bottom Line
The TP-Link N450 Wireless Wi-Fi Router (TL-WR940N) may not be very expensive, but that doesn’t deter it from strong performance and a good feature set. Its 2.4GHz throughput scores well better than similarly priced models, including the NETGEAR N300 router. Granted, you’re looking for a budget wireless router, which works for a small business, home or office, this is an excellent choice. For the low price and strong connectivity throghput across most protocols, the TP-Link TL-WR940N easily earns our Editors’ Choice for budget routers.
Price Comparison
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