TP-Link shakes up UK market
6th January 2011.
The New Year is but a few days old and already there is a change in the air. The established router manufacturers will need to return from their Christmas holidays filled with new ideas and innovations as they have new competition. TP-Link has entered the UK market. And what an entrance!
Now, you may not be familiar with TP-Link (I certainly wasn't), however after some hasty research I can now inform you that they're a Chinese Router manufacturer who has been producing wireless kit for the Chinese market since 1996, and they're now selling in more than 100 countries. They only started selling internationally in 2005, and with 41% of their annual revenue ($466m USD) now coming from international sales, it is clear they are expanding rapidly.
They apparently invest 8% of their annual sales revenue in Research and Development. Nice. So we're expecting good things.
But why the big splash?! Well, it is clear that TP-Link are looking to shake things up - their routers are significantly cheaper (sometimes half the price) of the equivalent routers from established manufacturers. Crikey!
The TP-Link wireless N range seems to shape up roughly like this:
• TL-WA801ND - is a wireless access point (with power over ethernet capability) - £27
• TL-WR841N / ND - a basic wireless router with 10/100 LAN for small offices/business - £30
• TD-W8960N - a basic wireless modem router with 10/100 LAN (ADSL2+) - £36
• TD-W8961ND - wireless modem router with 10/100 LAN (ADSL2+) and bridging capability - £43
All of the routers above this point are dual antennae equipped, those below are equipped with three antennae.
• TL-WR940N - basic wireless router with 10/100 LAN - Á33
• TL-WR941ND - basic wireless router aimed at businesses with 10/100 LAN - Á36
• TL-WR1043ND - ultimate wireless router with Gigabit LAN, USB Storage, wireless bridge - Á56
Prices above are from Amazon at the time of writing.
We haven't yet gotten our hands on any of these to test them, but if you really can get an ultimate router for fifty-six pounds then this is a big shift in the pricing landscape. Over to you Netgear, D-Link and Cisco.
Still confused by the names/types of router, then use our handy TP-Link dictionary below to decipher them:
TL - broadband router
TD - modem router
WA - wireless access point
WR - wirless router
N - Wireless N
ND - Wireless N with detachable antennae
