TP-Link Archer A7 vs Linksys EA9500 (AC5400)

The TP-Link Archer A7 makes for an outstanding Wi-Fi Router at $49. The Linksys EA9500 (AC5400), however, while overall a good product for its asking price, doesn't quite manage to stand out from its competition - there are better Wi-Fi Routers that can be found for around $400 available here.

The TP-Link Archer A7 has done great in quite a few roundups from some of the most highly trusted sources available, such as Laptop Mag, Tom's Guide, and Wirecutter (NYTimes), which perform high-quality in-depth testing. It got awarded the "Best budget Wi-Fi router" title by Laptop Mag, "Our favorite low-priced wireless router" by Tom's Guide, and "Budget pick" by Wirecutter (NYTimes) in their respective roundups. Earning that much praise from such respected sources is undoubtedly an impressive accomplishment.

As for the Linksys EA9500 (AC5400) analysis - it impressed reviewers at MakeUseOf, a source that's known for its objective testing and well-thought-out methodology - it performed great in its "US Deals" roundup and earned the "Ranked 1 out of 5" title.

We conducted an analysis of all of the review data that we could find on these two products. First, we focused on sources that tested and rated both of them, like PCmag, and learned that they all showed a preference for the Linksys EA9500 (AC5400).

Then we took a look at the highest review scores that these two Wi-Fi Routers received. We found that the TP-Link Archer A7 managed to earn a rating of 8 from TechGearLab, whereas the Linksys EA9500 (AC5400) got its highest, 9.4, score from reviewers at Technically Well.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Wi-Fi Routers on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Wi-Fi Routers being 7.4 out of 10, whereas the TP-Link Archer A7 and Linksys EA9500 (AC5400) managed averages of 7.6 and 8.7 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct TP-Link Archer A7 vs. Linksys EA9500 (AC5400) comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.