- Dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz with beamforming+
- Ease of setup
- Affordable price point
- USB 3.0 port is inconveniently located
- Antennas do not detach
First Impressions
Now that the box is open and the Tenda AC18 is out and ready to be played with, we can go over the look and feel of the device itself.
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- Tenda AC18
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- Tenda AC18
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- Tenda AC18
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- Tenda
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- Tenda AC18
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- Tenda AC18
The overall look and feel of the Tenda AC18 is like that of a stealth bomber with its fingerprint-resistant matte black finish and angular edges. The case of the Tenda AC18 may leave more to be desired, though, as it feels of less expensive plastic. The upside is the router itself is fairly light.
At the front, you can see the 8 status LEDs, as well as the concealed USB 3.0 port. I’m not entirely sure why there is a USB port at the front of the device. The 8 status LEDs (which are blue when on) are for Power, WAN activity, LAN activity, WPS, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, USB3.0 attached device and system diagnostics.
The sides of the router are vented to let air passively cool the mainboard.
The back is where the party is at. You have your 1 WAN and 4 LAN gigabit Ethernet ports, power input, power switch, WiFi On/Off, WPS and factory reset. You should note that the antennas are not removable, but they should be more than adequate for the job.