Amped Wireless TAP-R2 Router Review

Our Verdict

It may not be the fastest router around, but the Amped Wireless TAP-R2 is ane of the smallest, and its touch screen not only shows you what'southward going on with your network, but lets you tap to make changes.

For

Compact router doesn't take up much infinite
Handy affect-screen interface
Tablet and telephone apps for remotely monitoring the router
Practiced range of configuration options

Against

Depression functioning
Only two LAN connections rather than four
Older USB 2.0 port instead of newer USB iii.0

Tom's Guide Verdict

It may not exist the fastest router around, merely the Amped Wireless TAP-R2 is i of the smallest, and its touch screen non only shows you what's going on with your network, merely lets you tap to make changes.

Pros

+
Meaty router doesn't take up much space
+
Handy touch-screen interface
+
Tablet and phone apps for remotely monitoring the router
+
Proficient range of configuration options

Cons

-
Depression performance
-
Only two LAN connections rather than 4
-
Older USB 2.0 port instead of newer USB three.0

While the $130 Amped Wireless TAP-R2 happens to exist ane of the smallest routers effectually, it has a vivid bear on screen for setup and configurations. Information technology tin also show the date and time, making it the rare router that you won't want to hide. Unfortunately, the TAP-R2's operation pales in comparison to other routers, making it a decent choice only for bones networking setups.

Design

I of the smallest routers on the market, Amped Wireless' black TAP-R2 measures v.7 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches -- nearly one-half the size of Securifi's Almond+ router (vii.3 x v.4 x 1.iii inches) and no bigger than a small paperback book. Forth with an internal antenna, the TAP-R2 has a 4.five-inch removable stub antenna that y'all can rotate and hinge. The router comes with a plastic snap-on stand up and has holes in the back if yous decide to mount information technology to a wall.

Similar the Almond+, the TAP-R2 has a 3.v-inch touch screen with a 320 ten 240 pixel resolution. Icons and text show up well on the display, but the screen is recessed by 0.1 inches, making it hard to tap it at times. As is the case with the Almond+, the Tap-R2 includes a stylus and a place to hide it.

Unlike nigh routers, the TAP-R2 has no flashing LEDs to distract y'all. Each screen holds a 2-past-ii grid of icons, half every bit many as the Almond+; you tap on an arrow to motility between screens. You use the screen to arrange the settings, admission the Setup Wizard or change the device's name.

More than: All-time Routers

Inside the TAP-R2, Amped Wireless' signature amplifiers boost the router'south transmission ability and reception sensitivity. This router has ii 2.4GHz and one 5GHz amps for a total output of 800 milliwatts.

Unlike the Almond+, the TAP-R2 lacks domicile automation features that let yous remotely control lamps, garage doors or thermostats. On the other hand, Amped has set the router up so that its screen shows the current time and appointment when it is idle, something the Almond+ doesn't offer. As a consequence, the TAP-R2 looks expert enough to exit out in the open up, something y'all can't say most many routers. Y'all can easily plough off the screen.

While the Almond+ can exist used as a router, admission point or wireless bridge, the TAP-R2 needs to be manually configured equally an admission point. If you want a wireless extender, yous'll need to buy the TAP-EX or TAP-EX2 instead. Rather than the expected quartet of LAN ports, the side panel of the TAP-R2 gets by with just two, which should be fine for light-duty work.

Similar the Almond +, the TAP-R2 has a USB 2.0 port that can connect with a hard drive, but not an online printer. There's no on-off switch, simply the router has a recessed reset button.

Setup

The TAP-R2 is one of the easiest routers to ready. Yous have the pick of configuring the router via its display or a connected customer. After tapping the Setup Sorcerer, the screen walks you through a logical routine where you lot have the choice of changing the network names and passcodes. Information technology's a skillful idea considering the router comes with an insecure setup. You can also apply a calculator to make these changes 1 at a time past pointing a client at "setup.ampedwireless.com," which opens the TAP-R2's Dashboard software. Figure on about v minutes to gear up the device using either method. The system comes with an Air-conditioning adapter, an Ethernet cablevision, a stand and a CD that contains the transmission and Amped software.

While the TAP-R2 can't operate as a Samba or DLNA server, you can use it as an FTP server. The router has expert security with WEP, WPA, WPA2 and WPA2 mixed-way encryption as well as a Stateful Packet Inspection and a Network Accost Translation firewall. On the downside, the TAP-R2 tin't use a Radius server to authenticate clients.

Over the course of a calendar week, I used the TAP-R2 to connect a variety of clients, ranging from notebooks and tablets to printers and Network Fastened Storage systems. If you take lots of people staying over, the router can create upward to 8 guest networks.

Software

Y'all arrange the TAP-R2's settings either past borer the router's screen or via a connected client. The latter approach offers more options. Using the screen, yous can alter network proper name, security settings and which channel you lot want to use, while a connected client can also do things like accommodate the fragmentation threshold or beacon interval and enable beamforming. As is the example with the RTA1750 from Amped Wireless, you tin can adjust the router'due south power output to suit your surround.

The TAP-R2 can block objectionable sites and has an access schedule then that kids can get some homework done. At any time you can see how hard the router is working past looking at its traffic statistics, but the data is tabular as opposed to shown in graphs.

The Tap-R2 has Quality of Service software that tin can exist based on a Mac or an IP accost and set up to deliver a minimum amount of bandwidth and then that you can apportion specific amounts to bandwidth-hungry activities similar gaming and streaming video.

Amped's Wi-Fi Analytics Tool app is an excellent adjunct to the TAP-R2's software. Information technology'due south bachelor for free for Android systems and PCs, but not iOS devices. Not only can the software give a good overview of the network, including interfering LANs, it besides shows which channels are being used.

Operation

The TAP-R2 runs on a 660MHz processor with 64MB of RAM and 8MB of flash storage infinite for its firmware and another 16MB for the bear upon screen. Both of the router'due south antennas can shape the transmitted beam to best suit the receiving system, merely it does and so without the latest MU-MIMO electronics, which shares bandwidth more than efficiently to connected devices.

Capable of dual-band operations, the TAP-R2 tin can connect up to theoretical limits of 300 and 433Mbps over 2.4GHz and 5GHz connections for a total of 733Mbps, less than half the peak output of the Almond+. Based on real-globe testing in our lab with IxChariot software, the TAP-R2 was able to move barely one-eighth that with a peak combined throughput of simply 93.8Mbps at five anxiety. That's about ane-quarter the average throughput for 802.11ac equipment of 368.38Mbps and the Almond+'s bandwidth of 363.5Mbps.

In 2.4GHz manner, information technology moved a mere 37.9Mbps at v feet, which is less than half the average of 73.7Mbps and well below the top gun in this expanse: The Netgear R8000's 97.8Mbps. While the TAP-R2 blew away the similarly priced Belkin F9K1118, it was off the pace set by its larger and more powerful cousin, the RTA1750. The 140-human foot range of the TAP-R2 in 2.4GHz mode puts information technology at the bottom with the Trendnet TEW-812DRU.

Using its 5GHz mode, the TAP-R2 actually fell behind the competition with the ability to button 55.9Mbps, about one-fifth of the boilerplate (296.5Mbps). It was left in the grit by the form-leading Asus RTAC68U's ability to evangelize 361.3Mbps.

That said, if all you want to do is distribute an Internet connection throughout a abode, the TAP-R2 should be fine. I used it for a calendar week to practise everything from watching online Television receiver and movies to playing games and doing some work. It passed the saturation test, where I listen to an Net radio station, work with online software on an iPad, watch a Goggle box show on an Android device and view a movie on Netflix with a Windows tablet. It handled all this while moving data into and out of a LAN-based hard drive. I experienced no freezing, stuttering or drop-outs.

Warranty

The TAP-R2 includes a one-yr warranty that is adequate at best. By contrast, the TrendNet TEW-812DRU router is covered for three years.

Bottom Line

If the typical router intimidates you, Amped Wireless' TAP-R2 can make quick work of setting upwardly an online network with less head-scratching than you might think. While the $130 router won't boom your home, it should be enough for the typical Internet connection. Its touch screen means that not only is it piece of cake to modify settings, but that the TAP-R2 can serve as a clock as well.

Specs

Size: 1.five 10 5.7 x v.4 inches
Number of Wi-Fi Antennas: 2 / removable external antenna
Wi-Fi Spec: Dual-ring 802.11ac / 733 Mbps
Ports: 2 Gbps LAN, USB 2.0
Superlative 802.11ac Operation: 93.8 Mbps
Range in 2.4-GHz Mode: 150 ft.

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Brian Nadel is a freelance author and editor who specializes in technology reporting and reviewing. He works out of the suburban New York City area and has covered topics from nuclear ability plants and Wi-Fi routers to cars and tablets. The former editor-in-principal of Mobile Computing and Communications, Nadel is the recipient of the TransPacific Writing Award.