So, I performed some testing and found that there is something seriously wrong with the 2.4g WFIF band on these devices. I think it is something tp-link needs to admit to and resolve this issue.
I went through the form posting for any Archer A7 router and it seams there are a lot of complaints about the 2.4g band. Either it being slow, stops working, drops connections.
I compiled a list of suggested fixes and tested each one individually and in pairs after a reboot of the router each time and have determined none resolve or even improved the issue.
Each test was performed with a iPhone 10, Dell laptop, and tp-links own Smart WI-FI Plug Mini. All of these device work flawlessly on my previous router connecting to the 2.4g band. The iPhone i have never been able to connect to the Archer A7. The Dell laptop will connect somethings and as explained in my post, when it does connect i have no internet access, ping times are 2000ms+ to the gateway IP and/or major packet loss. Sadly I have never been able to get the tp-link smart plug to connect and it only supports 2.4g and is made by the same company. All this while I have no other WIFI sources around me on and these devices are sitting within two feet of the router. I even downgraded the firmware on the router and hard reset it, still same issue.
Oh, and the 5g works great. Getting 150+MB speed two rooms over and not one issue with the hard wired devices.
There appears to be a lot of unhappy customers who purchased these devices, i know I am. I know some moderator on the site will say contact support. These devices should be plug and play out of the box, if something doesn't work as advertised then it's a manufactures defect. If I buy a new TV and plug it in and it doesn't power up, it's defective.
I don't know if some new firmware will fix this or if it's just a bad design or some hardware failure. All I know is it doesn't work.
Anyways, I already ordered a different route from another manufacturer. Guess I'll install OpenWrt on this and see if it works with that firmware. Probably not.
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