Everyone dreads paying an extra monthly rental fee for a modem from their ISP. The cost of a rental modem will add up over time and may even exceed the cost of buying one from a retailer. Manufacturers, including TP-Link, are aware of this. Today, TP-Link announced it's shipping two new modem products: the TC-7610 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem and the Archer CR700 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem Router.
TP-Link is targeting the affordable 300 Mbps market segment with the competitively priced TC-7610. It has a maximum data rate of 343 Mbps downstream with eight channels and 143 upstream with four channels. This DOCSIS 3.0 modem is also backwards compatible with DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0 standards. It supports IPv4/IPv6 dual stack, PPT, L2TP and IPsec VPN pass-through, and support for IGMP v1/v2/v3 multicast.
The front of the TC7610 has four LED indicators for power and network statuses. The back contains a reset switch and ports for a coaxial cable, power jack and gigabit Ethernet. Included with the TC-7610 are an Ethernet cable, power adapter and quick installation guide.
Unlike the budget-conscious TC-7610, TP-Link's Archer CR700 is targeted at the enthusiast crowd. The Archer CR700 is a modem and router combo, combining the functionality of a DOCSIS 3.0 modem with a wireless AC class standard router. The Archer CR700 rates at a maximum upstream of 680 Mbps and wireless speeds of up to 450 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 1300 Mbps on 5 GHz. It is also backwards compatible with older DOCSIS standards. The Archer CR700 uses IPv4 or IPv6, and can utilize IEEE 802.11ac/n/a for 5 GHz and IEEE 802.11n/g/b for 2.4 GHz standards. Other specs listed include WDS bridging, WMM and accessible wireless statistics.
The built-in software has an NAT firewall and access control security features, web-based configuration, PPTP, L2TP and IPsec VPN pass-through; parental controls, MAC, IP and URL filtering; and DDNS and IGMP V1, V2 and V3 for IP multicast functionality.
Hardware-wise, the Archer CR700 contains a dual-core processor, 16 MB of flash, 256 MB of RAM, six internal antennas and high-powered radio amplifiers. The front profile has 7 LED indicators, while the back has ports for a coaxial cable, power jack, four LAN ports and two USB ports, and four buttons for power, WPS, Wi-Fi on/off and reset. Included with the Archer CR700 is an Ethernet cable, power adapter and quick installation guide.
With the launch of the TP-Link TC-7610 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem and Archer CR700 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem Router, TP-Link caters to both the price-conscious and enthusiast modem markets. Both products are approved for Comcast XFINITY, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision, while the Archer CR700 is also approved for Bright House Networks. The TC-7610 retails for $69.99, and the Archer CR700 retails for $189.99.
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