Comparison TP-LINK Archer C5400X vs TP-LINK Archer C5400

In this case, LAN means standard network connectors (known as RJ-45) designed for wired connection of LAN devices — PCs, servers, additional access points, etc. The number of ports corresponds to the number of devices that can be directly connected to wired equipment. way.

In terms of speed, 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet) and 1 Gbps (Gigabit Ethernet) are the most popular options today. At the same time, thanks to the development of technology, more and more gigabit devices are being produced, although in fact this speed is critical only when transferring large amounts of information. At the same time, some models, in addition to the standard speed of the main LAN ports, may have a 2.5 Gbps, 5 Gbps and even 10 Gbps LAN port with increased bandwidth.

The number of USB 2.0 ports provided in the design of the device.

USB in this case plays the role of a universal interface for connecting peripheral devices to the router. The specific USB devices supported and how they are used may vary. Examples include working with a flash drive that plays the role of a drive for working in FTP or file server mode (see "Functions / Capabilities"), connecting to a printer in print server mode(see ibid), connecting a 3G modem (See "Data input (WAN-port)"), etc.

Specifically, USB 2.0 allows you to transfer data at speeds up to 480 Mbps. This is noticeably less than that of more advanced standards (starting with USB 3.2 gen1 described below), and the power supply of such connectors is low. However, even such characteristics are often quite enough, taking into account the specifics of the use of Wi-Fi devices. In addition, peripherals for newer versions can also be connected to the USB 2.0 port — the main thing is that the power supply is enough. Therefore, although this standard is considered obsolete, it is still widely used in modern wireless equipment. There are even models that provide 2 or even more USB 2.0 ports; this allows you to simultaneously use several external devices at once — for example, a 3G modem and a USB flash drive.

The number of USB 3.2 gen1 ports provided in the design of the device.

USB in this case plays the role of a universal interface for connecting peripheral devices to the router. The specific USB devices supported and how they are used may vary. Examples include working with a flash drive that plays the role of a drive for working in FTP or file server mode (see "Functions / Capabilities"), connecting to a printer in print server mode (see ibid), connecting a 3G modem (See "Data input (WAN-port)"), etc.

Specifically, the version of USB 3.2 gen1 (formerly known as USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 gen1) is the direct successor to USB 2.0, which, in particular, has increased by 10 times (up to 4.8 Gbps) the maximum data transfer rate and increased power supply. However despite the general popularity, this standard is still relatively rare in Wi-Fi devices — USB 2.0 is enough for many tasks. However, the situation is gradually changing; and among advanced hardware such as gaming routers, you can find solutions with 2 or more USB 3.2 gen1 ports.

The presence of a removable antenna(or several antennas) in the design of the device.

Only external antennas can be made removable (see "Type of antennas"). This design is especially convenient for storage and transportation: it allows you to remove external equipment, making the device less bulky. In addition, many devices with this feature allow replacement of standard antennas with others (for example, more powerful ones or with a more optimal radiation pattern). Some of these models are even initially sold without antennas — in the expectation that the user will choose them himself, at his discretion; such equipment is not needed for domestic use, but it can be very convenient when selecting high-quality professional equipment. On the other hand, the detachable design reduces the reliability of the antenna mounting, increases the possibility of failures at the connection point, and increases the cost of the device. Therefore, most modern Wi-Fi equipment is still equipped with fixed antennas.

Gain provided by each device antenna; if the design provides for antennas with different characteristics (a typical example is both external and internal antennas), then the information, usually, is indicated by the highest value.

Amplification of the signal in this case is provided by narrowing the radiation pattern — just as in flashlights with adjustable beam width, reducing this width increases the illumination range. The simplest omnidirectional antennas narrow the signal mainly in the vertical plane, "flattening" the coverage area so that it looks like a horizontal disk. In turn, directional antennas (mainly in specialized access points, see "Device type") create a narrow beam that covers a very small area, but provides a very solid gain.

Specifically, the gain describes how powerful the signal is in the main direction of the antenna compared to an perfect antenna that spreads the signal evenly in all directions. Together with the power of the transmitter (see below), this determines the total power of the equipment and, accordingly, the efficiency and range of communication. Actually, to determine the total power, it is enough to add the gain in dBi to the transmitter power in dBm; dBi and dBm in this case can be considered as the same units (decibels).

In general, such data is rarely required by the average user, but it can be useful in some specific situations that specialists have to deal with. Detailed calculation methods for suc...h situations can be found in special sources; here we emphasize that it does not always make sense to pursue a high antenna gain. First, as discussed above, this comes at the cost of narrowing the scope, which can be inconvenient; secondly, too strong a signal is also often undesirable, for more details see "Transmitter power".

The total number of antennas in the router that are responsible for communication in the 2.4 GHz band. For details about the number of antennas, see "Total antennas", about the range — "Frequency range".

The total number of antennas in the router that are responsible for communication in the 5 GHz band. For details about the number of antennas, see "Total antennas", about the range — "Frequency range".

The number of cores in the processor installed in the device. The core in this case refers to the part of the processor that executes one thread of instructions. Accordingly, the presence of multiple cores (there are 2-core models, 3 and on 4 cores) allows you to work with multiple threads simultaneously, which has a positive effect on performance.

The number of cycles per second that the processor produces in its normal operating mode. A clock is a single electrical impulse used to process data and synchronize the processor with the rest of the computer system. Different operations may require fractions of a clock or several clocks, but anyway, the clock frequency is one of the main parameters characterizing the performance and speed of the processor — all other things being equal, a processor with a higher clock frequency will work faster and better cope with significant loads.