What’s the difference between the TP-Link AX20 and AX21?

TP-Link recently released AX21 AX1800 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router. So, does this new model compare to the AX20?

You can find out in this versus guide between the two wireless routers.

Quick Summary

When compared to the TP-Link Archer AX20, the newer TP-Link Archer AX21 comes with improved ventilation, which should lead to better performance under heavy load.

The AX21 also comes with additional encryption options and certifications.

Otherwise, the two AX20 AX1800 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Routers have identical speeds and features.

AX20 vs. AX21 Comparison Chart

You can find Seeking Tech’s comparison table between the AX20 and AX21 below.

What’s in the Box

In addition to the main router units, both products come with a power adapter, Ethernet cable and quick installation guide.

You can take a look at the full breakdown of what’s included in each box below:

TP-Link Archer AX20:

• Archer AX20 Wi-Fi Router
• Power Adapter
• RJ45 Ethernet Cable
• Quick Install Guide

TP-Link Archer AX21:

• Archer AX21 Wi-Fi Router
• Power Adapter
• RJ45 Ethernet Cable
• Quick Install Guide

Dimensions

The AX20 and AX21 are the same size with measurements of 10.2″ × 5.3″ × 1.5″ (or 260.2 mm × 135.0 mm × 38.6 mm).

Vent Design

TP-Link improved the vent design for the Archer AX21 AX1800 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router, which will provide better ventilation and will lead to better performance.

Wi-Fi Standards

Both routers have the same wi-Fi standards, which you can find below:

• 2.4 GHz: IEEE 802.11ax/n/b/g
• 5 GHz: IEEE 802.11ax/ac/n/a

Wi-Fi Speeds

The TP-Link Archer AX20 AX1800 Dual-Band WiFi 6 Router and TP-Link Archer AX21 AX1800 Dual-Band WiFi 6 Router are both capable of up to 1.8 Gbps in total, 574 Mbps at 2.4 GHz 802.11ax and 1201 Mbps at 5 GHz 802.11ax.

Wi-Fi Range Features

Both routers in this comparison guide features four fixed high-performance antennas, beamforming in addition to high-powered FEM.

Wi-Fi Capacity Features

The AX20 and AX21 is capable of four simultaneous streams in addition to supporting airtime fairness, dual-band and OFDMA.

Working Modes

Both Wi Fi 6 routers have an Access Point Mode as well as a Router Mode.

Ethernet Ports

Each of the device are equipped with one Gigabit WAN Port along with four Gigabit LAN Ports.

USB Port

The Archer AX20 AX1800 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router and Archer AX21 AX1800 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router also include one USB 2.0 port.

Supported Partition Formats Over USB

The AX20 and AX21 supported the following partition formats over USB: exFAT, FAT32, HFS+ and NTFS.

Supported USB Functions

Both devices also support the following USB functions: Apple Time Machine, FTP server and media server.

Buttons

The two AX1800 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Routers include the following buttons: LED Button, Power Button, Reset Button and Wi-Fi/WPS Button.

Power

Both products in this versus guide have the same power usage rating of 12 V ⎓ 1.5 A.

Wi-Fi Encryption

The AX21 has more Wi-Fi encryption options when compared to the AX20.

You can check out the security options for both below:

TP-Link Archer AX20 AX1800:

• WPA
• WPA2
• WPA3

TP-Link Archer AX21 AX1800:

• WPA
• WPA2
• WPA3
• WPA/WPA2-Enterprise (802.1x)

Network Security

The two wireless routers offer the following network security features: access control, application layer gateway, IP and MAC binding in addition to SPI Firewall.

Guest Network

Both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands support the guest network feature.

VPN Server

You can use either OpenVPN or PPTP VPN for both products.

Protocols

The TP-Link Archer routers support the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols.

Parental Controls

The AX20 and AX21 both offer time controls and URL filtering.

WAN Types

In terms of WAN, the two WiFi 6 routers support Dynamic IP, L2TP, PPPoE, PPTP and Static IP.

Quality of Service

The TP-Link devices offer quality of service by device.

Cloud Service Features

The cloud service features are identical as you will get automatic firmware upgrade, DDNS, OTA firmware upgrade and TP-Link ID.

NAT Forwarding Features

The NAT forwarding feature are also the same as you will get DMZ, port forwarding, port triggering and UPnP.

IPTV Features

The TP-Link Archer AX20 and TP-Link Archer AX21 support the following IPTV features: bridge, IGMP proxy, IGMP snooping and Tag VLAN.

DHCP Features

The DHCP features are also the same with address reservation, DHCP client list and server.

DDNS Features

The DDNS features are identical with DynDNS, NO-IP and TP-Link.

Management

For management, you can either use the Tether App or via the webpage.

System Requirements

Both routers have the same operating system requirements as you will need Chrome 20.0+, Firefox 12.0+, Internet Explorer 11+, Safari 4.0+ or other JavaScript enabled browsers.

You will also need an ISP subscription and, if necessary, Cable/DSL modem.

Operating Temperature

The operating temperature for both Wi-Fi 6 routers are identical with a range of 0℃ to 40℃ (or 32℉ to 104℉).

Storage Temperature

The storage temperatures are also the same with a range of -40℃ to 70℃ (or -40℉ to 158℉).

Operating Humidity

Furthermore, the recommended operating humidity ranges are identical at 10% to 90% non-condensing.

Storage Humidity

The operating humidity ranges are also the same at 5% to 90% non-condensing.

Certifications

The AX21 got some additional certifications when compared to the AX20.

You can find the certs below:

Archer AX20:

• FCC

Archer AX21:

• CE
• FCC
• RoHS

WiFi Transmission Power Tests

You can also take a look at the Wi-Fi transmission power tests below:

• FCC: <30dBm (2.4 GHz & 5.15 GHz~5.825 GHz)

CE:

• <20dBm (2.4 GHz)
• <23dBm (5.15 GHz~5.25 GHz)
• FCC: <30dBm (2.4 GHz & 5.15 GHz~5.825 GHz)

Resources:

• https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-ax20
• https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-ax21