Tenda AC21 Review – Gigabit Router with Support for Modern Technologies

The Tenda AC21 router, which we will review on this page, is ideal for home use. With its help you can organize a fast and stable Wi-Fi network in a large apartment or house. In addition to powerful antennas, gigabit ports and very fast Wi-Fi connection, this router boasts a powerful and productive hardware (which is very important when connecting a large number of devices) and a nice design.

Tenda AC21 belongs to the category of routers that are the optimal solution for creating a home Wi-Fi network. It is in terms of price/functionality ratio and performance. This is not the cheapest, budget router, with which there are a huge number of different problems: unstable wi-fi, constant interruptions, poor speed, etc. Well, and at the same time it is a router at an affordable price. You do not need to overpay for functionality, which in most cases is not even used and not needed.

Features and capabilities

The router is AC2100 standard. What does it mean? It is the sum total of wireless speeds in both bands. The Tenda AC21 supports speeds up to 300 Mbps in the 2.4GHz band (802.11n standard), and up to 1733 Mbps in the 5GHz band (802.11ac standard). There is support for 802.11ac wave 2 (the second revision of the AC standard, which received a number of improvements). It is thanks to 802.11ac wave 2 router AC21 supports 4X4 MU-MIMO technology (in the 5 GHz band). It significantly increases the throughput of the wireless network due to the fact that the router can exchange data simultaneously with four devices (in 4 streams). On average, this router can hold about 30 simultaneously connected devices without any problems.

Wi-Fi network coverage is no less important indicator. In this regard, the Tenda AC21 is excellent! 6 antennas with a capacity of 6dBi. Two antennas are responsible for transmitting the signal of Wi-Fi network in the range of 2.4 GHz and 4 antennas create network coverage in the range of 5 GHz. At the same time, the router has a built-in separate signal booster. There is support for Beamforming+ technology, which detects the location of the clients and directs the signal beam towards them. This extends the range and increases the connection speed.

As for the hardware part, first of all we should note the presence of gigabit ports. The WAN port and 3 LAN ports support speeds of up to 1 Gbps. This means that Tenda AC21 is ideal for organizing an Internet connection at speeds up to 1000 Mbps. The router is powered by a 1 GHz 28nm processor and an additional 500 MHz co-processor. 64MB of RAM and 8MB of permanent memory.

Features and functions:

• IPTV support.
• IPv6 support.
• Guest Wi-Fi network.
• Tenda AC21 can work as a Wi-Fi signal booster, or access point.
• There is a function that allows you to set the Wi-Fi network on a schedule.
• The ability to automatically transfer settings from the old router.
• Simple and clear web-interface with the ability to choose the language.
• Access to settings through an application from a cell phone.
• Parental control.
• Function to turn off LED indicators.

Tenda AC21 has everything you need in terms of functionality, and powerful and productive enough hardware to make all these features and technologies really work, and not just be in the list of features.

Packaging, bundling and appearance

The Tenda AC21 comes in a large box. On the box itself you can find a lot of useful information about the router: technical specifications, features and comparison with other models from Tenda.

The package is standard, as with all routers: the router itself, power adapter, network cable and instructions.

The body of the router Tenda AC21 is made in the style of other models of this manufacturer. Black matte housing of unusual shape with a large insert with a glossy coating on the front panel.

This glossy insert with a very interesting texture in the form of small rhombuses of gray and black color perfectly dilutes and refreshes the design of the router. It looks very stylish. Also on the front panel there is a company logo and five LED indicators.

The indicators are lit in blue color. If they will interfere in the dark, they can be disabled in the router settings.

There are ventilation grids on the sides, and all the ports and buttons are located at the back. There is a single WPS/RST button (to activate WPS and reset settings), 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports and a power connector.

Almost the whole bottom part of the router is filled with small holes for cooling the powerful stuffing. There are also two holes that can be useful if you decide to hang the router on the wall. And a sticker with the factory information, without it there is no way.

The case is assembled qualitatively. It is pleasant to hold in your hands. I liked the appearance of Tenda AC21 very much. It looks beautiful and leaves the impression of a quality device.

Web-interface

The software part of the router, in particular the web-interface (page with settings) is a very important point. Especially if you plan to customize your router yourself.

Tenda routers always have a good web interface with a clear layout of all the settings. The web interface is available in different languages (you can change the language in the settings). The main page looks like this:

On the left side are the main sections. For example, the section with wi-fi settings looks like this:

There is a section “Advanced settings”, where you can find bandwidth settings, IPTV, firewall, etc.

Well, and a separate section with system settings of the router.

Let me remind you that Tenda AC21 can also be controlled from your phone via the Tenda wi-fi application.

Conclusions

Router Tenda AC21 can be safely recommended for purchase in homes and apartments where you need to create a fast and stable Wi-Fi network. It is important that this network will be stable under load when you connect all your devices to the router and start using the connection to watch videos in high resolutions, online games, etc.

I look forward to your feedback about the Tenda AC21 in the comments! All the best!

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Ramón

Tenda