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TP-Link has debuted the Archer BE3600<\/a>, a $99 Wi-Fi 7 router that is the cheapest one we\u2019ve seen released in the US so far since the first routers supporting the new standard started arriving last year. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n It doesn\u2019t have the new 6GHz band like its pricier cousins or even many of the Wi-Fi 6E routers<\/a> already on the market, though. As a result, for many people, TP-Link\u2019s new router probably won\u2019t get you your downloads a lot faster \u2014 if at all \u2014 than would a much older router. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The new tricks can mean a little throughput boost or a more stable connection than routers built to older specs in congested areas, though, thanks to the way Wi-Fi 7 handles its data streams. But without the one-two 6GHz punch of wider data channels and much more unoccupied space, you simply won\u2019t see many of the multi-gigabit benefits hyped in Wi-Fi 7 marketing, and if you have a multi-gig internet connection<\/a>, you should probably connect it to something a little more upmarket.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There are things to like here, though. Two of its five ethernet ports offer 2.5Gbps connections, which is rare at this price. It also supports Multi-Link Operation, which won\u2019t be so much a throughput benefit (again: no 6GHz band) but could mean a more stable connection for a Wi-Fi 7-capable phone or VR headset \u2014 if one band fails or is too busy, your future device can fall back onto the other one. <\/strong>And it supports the Wi-Fi Alliance\u2019s EasyMesh standard, meaning it can make mesh netwok with routers from other brands that also support the standard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The most significant thing about this router seems to be that it offers Wi-Fi 7 for less than $100. That\u2019s a first, and by a fair amount \u2014 the low end right now is otherwise generally around $300 (see TP-Link\u2019s Deco BE63<\/a> or Archer BE550<\/a>). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n