Linksys E5600 or TP Link Archer A7

Hi there,

I have shortlisted these two routers and confused about which one to get between Linksys E5600 and TP-Link Archer A7.

Primary Requirements -
1. To use as my daily driver Router (and converting my old one to a wireless AP)
2. Budget - 3k, at max 3.5k
3. Openwrt/Tomato support

Some differences-
1. Linksys E5600 used MediaTek MT7621DAT (880MHz dual-core) whereas A7 uses Qualcomm Atheros QCA9563 (750 MHz) with a higher price tag but probably because of Mediatek vs. Qualcomm. - Thoughts on reliability, support, quality?
2. A7 has a USB port whereas E5600 does not. - For the price difference I can ignore the USB
3. One is Chinese and the other is non-Chinese - choice varies from person to person
4. E5600 has 4 internal antennas, A7 has 3 external ones - Which would be better in terms of signal strength and coverage? E5600 certainly wins in the looks department for me
5. A7 is Wireless class AC1750 whereas E5600 is AC1200 - How much of a difference does it really make IRL? I certainly don't have a 1200Mbps Internet connection at present.

Please share your views and anyone using any one of the two can also feel free to share their experience which might help me in making a purchase decision.

Thanks a lot! Appreciate your inputs.

babhishek said:

e5600 doesn't have 3rd party support last i checked!!

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That's right. It's a fairly recent device launched in the last quarter of 2020. So it might take time for it to get some support but considering that it uses the same chipset as Archer A6 I'm hopeful it will get ported in some time.

babhishek said:

99%, will never be ported.

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Any specific reason for it?