CES 2021: TP-Link Introduces Line of 6GHz Wi-Fi Routers and Mesh Systems

by

As part of CES 2021, TP-Link today introduced its latest networking offerings, including two mesh Wi-Fi 6E systems, two tri-band Wi-Fi 6E routers, and more.

tp link deco x76 plus mesh

Deco X76 Plus

Wi-Fi 6E offers the features and capabilities of Wi-Fi 6, including higher performance, lower latency, and faster data rates, extended into the 6GHz band. The additional spectrum will provide a lot more airspace beyond existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, resulting in increased bandwidth and less interference for devices that support Wi-Fi 6E.

TP-Link's new Deco X96 mesh Wi-Fi system supports 6GHz, 5GHz, and 2.4GHz tri-band Wi-Fi for whole-home coverage at advertised speeds up to 6,600 Mbps. TP-Link says the system uses artificial intelligence to learn your network environment and provide ideal Wi-Fi for your home. A two-pack provides Wi-Fi coverage across up to 6,000 square feet of space, and up to 200 devices can be connected without performance degradation.

For smart home enthusiasts, the Deco X76 Plus is another Wi-Fi 6E mesh system, but it also acts as a smart hub, bringing together various Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi smart devices in the TP-Link Deco app. The router delivers advertised speeds up to 5,400 Mbps with tri-band Wi-Fi, and it has the same artificial intelligence capabilities as the Deco X96. A two-pack provides Wi-Fi coverage across up to 5,500 square feet of space.

For those looking for a traditional router, TP-Link's new Archer AX96 supports Wi-Fi 6E for advertised speeds up to 7,800 Mbps with tri-band Wi-Fi. TP-Link says the router has so-called "Smart Antennas" that boost coverage and improve wireless connections. Other key features include a 1.7 GHz quad-core CPU that manages throughput for reduced latency, one 2.5 Gbps WAN/LAN port, one Gigabit WAN/LAN port, and four Gigabit LAN ports.

tp link archer ax96 wifi 6e router

Archer AX96

The higher-end Archer AX206 router also supports Wi-Fi 6E and is equipped with two 10 Gbps ports, enabling ultra-fast 10G networking. The tri-band router has a 2GHz quad-core CPU and supports OFDMA and UL/DL MU-MIMO technologies for low latency.

A CES 2021 Innovation Awards Honoree, the Deco Voice X20 is a mesh Wi-Fi system with an Alexa-powered smart speaker for voice control, smart home management, and music streaming. This system supports 5GHz and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only.

TP-Link says all of these new products will become available throughout 2021, but it has not disclosed pricing at this time.

Apple does not offer any devices with Wi-Fi 6E support, but iPhone 13 models could be the first.

Tags: CES 2021, TP-Link, Wi-Fi 6E

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Read Full Article • 88 comments
Apple Logo Black

Apple Just Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever After Beats

Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio. Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014. Q.ai has...
Read Full Article • 134 comments
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Read Full Article
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Read Full Article • 127 comments
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
Read Full Article • 136 comments

Top Rated Comments

sw1tcher Avatar
sw1tcher
66 months ago
A CES 2021 Innovation Awards Honoree, the Deco Voice X20 is a mesh Wi-Fi system with an Alexa-powered smart speaker for voice control, smart home management, and music streaming. This system supports 5GHz and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only.
Alexa.

That immediately disqualifies it from any consideration.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ugahairydawgs Avatar
ugahairydawgs
66 months ago
That Archer router I think needs a few more antenna.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F4C4 Avatar
F4C4
66 months ago
I really wanted Apple to revive the Airport routers.... Apple HomeHub... WiFI 6 mesh, HomeKit, 2T storage, and Apple TV all in one.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
cmaier
66 months ago
Instead of WiFi 6, 6E, 5, whatever, router makers should instead be required to provide RB-##. Where ## is the number of days you can go before you have to reboot the damned thing to get it working right again.

I’ve tried pretty much every brand in the last few years, and nothing has been as rock solid as the old discontinued apple airports. Even with the synologys I’ve settled on, every 6 months or so I need to reboot everything to get full wired throughput back, and to get the mesh points working right, etc.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
swm Avatar
swm
66 months ago

Judging by the range of 5ghz vs 2.4 I would rather have lower not higher
6GHz will be only used for backhaul, i.e. between the mesh nodes. so it doesn't eat up the available client facing spectrum/airtime. this implies a 3-radio design, which is a kind of standard among higher end mesh setups.
the other thing is, that also the client device's specs contribute a lot to the excellent/miserable performance, so high end mesh setups also have dedicated, purpose tuned antennas for backhaul, this way (i.e. using higher gain antennas) they can overcome the subpar signal-propagation. and since mesh nodes will be talking to other mesh nodes, both ends will have tuned antennas, so both backhaul data transmission and reception will benefit from this.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dwalls90 Avatar
Dwalls90
66 months ago

How is everyone getting on with their mesh networks? Are they as great as claimed?
I'm pretty happy with my setup in my apartment. Running a TP-Link Archer router and mesh network "extender" (operates as mesh network, not separate network extender). One downside to mesh networks is the bandwidth is cut in half for each extender away from the main router you are in the system, but you can have 600Mbps internet for $60 a month meaning you're still getting 300Mbps even at the furthest corners of your property (more than enough speed for any user).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments