TP-LINK's first CES 2015 announcements are two "wave 2" AC routers.
The Archer C2600 is the first 4x4 AC router we've seen announced at this CES that comes right out and says it's based on Qualcomm's new 4x4 AC chipset. So folks, 4x4 AC isn't just Quantenna's game any more.
Maximum link rates are 800 Mbps in 2.4 GHz and 1733 Mbps in 5GHz, with a generous rounding up to 2.6 Gbps total.
The new router also has Qualcomm's MU | EFX multi-user MIMO technology, gigabit Ethernet ports and two USB 3.0 ports for storage sharing. Other features include multiple SSID / guest network support, QoS, IPv6 support, parental controls, Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) and WDS wireless bridging / repeating.
The Archer C2600 won't ship until sometime Q3 this year, however, with pricing not yet announced.
TP-LINK Archer C2600 router
TP-LINK is also stepping up to the other latest router class with the Archer C3200. Like all other AC3200 routers so far, it uses Broadcom's XStream "tri-band" architecture, with three radios—two 3x3 5 GHz and one 3x3 2.4 GHz.
TP-LINK Archer C3200 router
The C3200 also has Gigabit Ethernet ports, USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports and shares the C2600's other features. It also won't ship until Q3 at a yet undetermined price.