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Bought to replace the horrendous NOW TV Broadband router. This can also replace the Sky Broadband router. It is able to because it allows for a less common login method called MER or Option 61.
I'm going to write this review in two parts - first, how to configure to replace Sky/Now broadband router - second, my thoughts on the router itself after a couple of weeks in place.
FIRST.
I'm writing this on the day of purchase. It took me about an hour to set up the router to substitute the god-awful NOW TV broadband router. It should have taken 10 minutes max. It took that long because I tried to use the mobile 'Tether' app supplied by TP Link. You can't do all the steps on it and therefore it was a waste of time.
To save you the pain here are the steps...
Quickest method - Plug in the new router to the microfilter that Sky/Now provided, plug an ethernet lead from LAN1 into your PC or laptop (you can use powerlines in between the two if the PC is too far from the router - I did) and navigate to 192.168.1.1 Use the login details from the sticker on the router to access.
Under Internet Connection menu, select Sky(MER)_VDSL, vlan enabled, vlan id 101. Select Dynamic IP.
(Here's the bit the phone app cannot do) Enter username 123456789012@skydsl - password 1234567890abcdef (they're irrelevant but you need to put something in there with @skydsl at the end)
And hit save - that's it, you are now Internet accessible in the replacement router.
You can then change other settings around the router admin as you please.
Now there is a step that I preferred to do that I believe might stop future issues but it will add time. I used the Broadband MAC address from the NOW router as the start of the address - so 1a:2b:3c:4d:5e:6f became 1a2b3c4d5e6f@skydsl - as I read something on a forum suggesting it may be better for users who don't reboot their router regularly (for the geeky, the lease time on the connection being longer means it may fail a validation checks should one be run). I went this route but feel free to go the generic address route - just bear it in mind if you get unexplained disconnections.
I hope all that helps.
As for the router itself, it was easy enough to setup. It seems to be much better at doing IP address ports than the NOW router and I've been able to use uPnP instead of a dozen port forwards, at this time anyway.
Also the speed is better. My speedtest.net results went from (18Mbps/2. 5 to 19.5/3.5). WiFi is stronger than the NOW router on both 2.4 and 5 likely thanks to the two directional antennas.
UPDATE 10/2.
Very stable and it has replaced the Now TV Broadband router completely. The WiFi strength is better and having more ethernet ports is a bonus.
I'd like the ability to determine bandwidth control on a per-device basis. The firmware allows for QoS and prioritisation of device groups. However in these days of COVID homeworking I would like to be able give the important pc number one status. And my plex/kodi server the lowest. Smartphones doing their updates doesn't need high priority at the expense of a zoom call for instance.
I'm very happy overall and would happily recommend to anyone looking to replace the awful Sky/Now routers.
| Brand | TP-Link |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 21.6 x 16.4 x 3.7 cm; 1.12 Kilograms |
| Item model number | Archer VR2100 |
| Manufacturer | TP-Link |
| Connectivity Type | Wi-Fi |
| Wireless Type | 5 GHz Radio Frequency, 2.4 GHz Radio Frequency |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Item Weight | 1.12 kg |
