Tenda AC8 1200 Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless Router Review
Tenda, a Shenzen based computer accessories company has launched a plethora of internet routers in the last few years. Now, the company has come up with a new router affordable dual-band Wi-Fi router called the Tenda AC8 1200.
According to the company, the Tenda AC8 1200 router can offer a better range and high-speed stable Wi-Fi connections compared to the competition as it comes with an improved antenna system that increases the range. I have been testing this latest router from the last few weeks and here is the full review.
The Tenda AC8 1200 is a pretty compact router and it can be easily placed on a coffee table without any issue. As per the build-quality, the outer case of the router is made using plastic with four antenna bands. The router somewhat resembles the batman logo, which is a good thing if you are a DC fan. The overall build quality of the router is not the best that I have seen. However, for the asking price, it does seem alright.
The router has three LAN ports and the third one supports IPv6 standard, which protects the devices from online hacking and computer viruses. There is a single gigabit-class WAN port, which needs to be connected with the internet and the remaining LAN ports can be used to access the internet on other computers and laptops. The router also supports Beamforming+ Technology that offers extended Wi-Fi range with stable internet speeds at all the time. Unlike some of the routers, the Tenda AC8 does not have a USB port, which would have made this router a complete package.
The Tenda AC8 1200 Router is powered by a 1GHz RealTek processor based on 28nm fabrication. The company claims that this CPU should offer over 40 percent improved performance. However, it forgot to mention the other router that it is being compared. In theory, the router should offer up to 1167Mbps of download speed on the 5GHz Wi-Fi band. If you have a gigabit internet connection, then one can easily stream 4K content on three to five devices simultaneously without any issue. As per the range, the router uses 4*6dBi external Dual Band External Omni-Directional Antennas, which should be good enough to cover a home or an office with up to 90 square meters. The router also supports MU-MIMO, which makes sure that the router offers a stable and seamless wireless connection.
Tenda AC8 Router uses the same SSID for both 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz Wi-Fi bands. Depending on the coverage and the device’s capability, it will automatically connect to the best possible band. Do note that, one can keep different SSDI for different bands by accessing the settings via the Smart Tenda Wi-Fi App or by entering the following IP: 192.168.0.1 The settings menu offers a wide range of customization options, including a change of Wi-Fi password, creation of a guest network, and, increasing or decreasing Wi-Fi signal.
The last feature will be useful especially for those who have a small place and don’t want to have a high-range Wi-Fi router. Users can also change network mode for both 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz Wi-Fi bands and there is also an option to enable and disable beamforming. There is also parental control mode, that allows parents to control the internet that their children are using by blocking or allowing certain websites.
I connected a couple of smartphones to the Tenda AC8 1200 router and every time the phone connected to a 5GHz network. I was able to get the following download and upload speeds on various speed testing apps.