Deals! 🛒
Amazon’s 2023 end-of-year sale event runs from November’s last Friday till its last Monday, the 27. It includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
These days are when you’ll find, well, great deals on stuff you want to buy. I don’t know about other things, but you’ll find deals on Wi-Fi and storage devices you’ve been looking for in this post — those I’ve tested and would use for myself.
With that, let’s make the most out of your hard-earned money!
Dong’s note: In case you’re not aware, I may earn Amazon affiliate commissions from permanent purchases originating from links in this article or any posts within this website, for that matter, all at no additional cost to you.
Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals: Tips on how to make the most out of them
To take advantage of these Amazon Deals, you need three things:
A. Get a Prime Membership
If you’re not already a Prime user, click here to sign up.
An Amazon membership offers a lot more than just free 2-day shipping. It includes streaming (Prime Video and Amazon Music), Amazon storage with unlimited photos and 5TB of video, discounts on groceries (Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods), and much more.
You have a couple of options:
- The standard plan costs $14.99/month or $139/year with a 30-day free trial.
- The Prime Student plan costs $7.49/month or $69/year with a 6-month free trial.
- If you’re qualified for government assistance, you can get a discounted plan of $6.99/month with a 30-day free trial.
As noted, all of these options come with a free trial. You won’t be charged during this time or judged if you cancel the membership before the trial ends. In this case, all the benefits you’ve enjoyed during the trial remain yours to keep.
But since the membership has a lot to offer, you might want to keep it anyway.
B. Get loaded and be responsible
The Prime membership is only the first step. You’ll still need to pay for the stuff you need. And that’s the key. Make sure that’s what you need and not something you buy simply because it’s a “deal”. A deal is only a deal when you have a legitimate use for it.
And then get loaded — set aside some cash. Don’t spend the money you don’t have. But you already know that.
C. The safe lists of Wi-Fi and storage devices to take home during Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale event
And this is the hardest part. There are so many options.
Generally, it’s best to get them all, but that’d violate the #2 above. Plus, we all have limited space at home. The more stuff you have, the less room you’ll have for yourself and your loved ones, while the mortgage or rent remains the same — that’s definitely a bad deal.
This is where the lists below come into play. They include what I’d consider for myself if I needed something in networking and digital storage today. Need to make a quick decision? The Table of Contents will help.
1. Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on standalone Wi-Fi routers and extenders
The table below lists these devices side by side for easy comparison – you’ll need to scroll horizontally.
TP-Link Archer AX6000: 31% off at $151
TP-Link Archer AX6000's Rating
Pros
Fast and reliable Wi-Fi performance
2.5 Gbps WAN port with eight Gigabit LAN ports
160 MHz channel bandwidth support
Excellent QoS and Parental Control features
Robust web user interface, helpful mobile app
USB-C ready, wall-mountable
Cons
No multi-gig LAN port
Bulky design
Not mesh-ready
Certain functions of the interface could use some improvement
Mobile app requires a login account
TP-Link RE715X OneMesh Range Extender: 13% off at $104.99
TP-Link RE715's Rating
Pros
Versatile and easy to use; can work as an extender, an access point, or a OneMesh satellite
160MHz support, reliable performance with decent data rates and coverage
Convenient design, full web interface
Cons
No wired backhauling as a OneMesh satellite
Super-bulky, no pass-through socket
Slow performance as a standard extender with virtual MAC address issue.
TP-Link Archer AXE300: 26% off at $444.80
TP-Link Archer AXE300's Rating
Pros
Top-tier hardware with excellent performance; three flexible Multi-Gig ports and LAN Link Aggregation support
Robust web user interface; lots of network and Wi-Fi settings and a handful of valuable features for home users
Comparatively cheaper than competitors
Wall-mountable; useful optional mobile app; OneMesh-ready
Cons
No option for Gigabit WAN, Dual-WAN, or fast mesh with wired backhauling
HomeShield Pro requires a subscription, mobile app, and login account
Bulky design, the USB port's performance could be better
ASUS RT-AX88U Pro: 23% off at $229.99
Asus RT-AX88U Pro's Rating
Pros
Excellent Wi-Fi, wired, and network storage performance
Tons of useful features, including AiMesh 2.0 and Pro-only Guest Network Pro and VLAN
Two 2.5GbE Multi-Gig ports with Dual-WAN and Link Aggregation support
Universal setting backup and restoration
Merlin firmware support
Cons
Pro-enabled features are still in the Beta
Only 6 network ports (instead of 9 in the previous variant)
No Wi-Fi 6E, not wall-mount-ready
TP-Link Archer AX73: 20% off at $159.97
TP-Link Archer AX73's Rating
Pros
Fast Wi-Fi with an excellent range
160MHz Channel width support
Comparatively affordable
Standard web interface with lots of useful settings
Wall-mountable
Cons
Fluctuating Wi-Fi speeds
Mobile app and login account required for advanced features
Mobile app not reliable
Write performance for network storage when hosting a portable drive could be better
ARRIS Surfboard W6B: 32% off at $209.30
ARRIS W6B Surfboard Thruster Wi-Fi 6E Kit's Rating
Pros
Reliable and relatively fast 6GHz performance
Quickly connect a wired device to a network when wiring is not possible
2.5Gbps Multi-Gig port, compact design; completely pug-and-play
Cons
No support for Wi-Fi clients, zero customization
Expensive
No 5Gbps or faster port; performance could be better
TP-Link Archer BE550: 10% off at $269.99
TP-Link Archer BE550/Archer BE9300's Rating
Pros
Wi-Fi 7 and Multi-Gig support; competitively priced
Robust web user interface; lots of network and Wi-Fi settings
Useful (optional) mobile app; EasyMesh-ready; compact and practical design
Cons
No 10Gbps ports or Dual-WAN; Ethernet discrepancy in Archer BE9300 model; limited EasyMesh hardware
Online protection and advanced parental controls require a HomeShield Pro subscription
Wi-Fi performance for legacy devices and overall range could be better; internal fan
Unnecessary variants with incorrect product descriptions
Linksys Hydra Pro MR7500: 29% off at $199.99
Linksys MR7500 AXE6600 Hydra Pro's Rating
Pros
Wi-Fi 6E-ready
Simple design with 5Gbps WAN port
Robust web interface, helpful (optional) mobile app
Wall-mountable
Cons
Hugely overpriced
6GHz band requires Gig+ or faster Internet to be useful
Slow 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands
Limited Wi-Fi settings, mobile app coercion
No Multi-Gig LAN port, Dual-WAN or Link Aggregation
Buggy and slow NAS performance when hosting a storage device
TP-Link Archer AX11000: 31% off at $239.99
TP-Link Archer AX11000's Rating
Pros
Fast and reliable Wi-Fi performance
2.5 Gbps WAN port with eight Gigabit LAN ports
160 MHz channel bandwidth support
Excellent, Antivirus, QoS, and Parental Control features
Robust full web user interface, helpful mobile app
Eye-catching and convenient hardware design
USB-C ready, wall-mountable
Cons
Misleading gaming veneer, no actual gaming-specific features
No multi-gig LAN port, bulky design
Not mesh-ready (at launch)
Artificial" "Game" items make the interface unnecessarily confusing
Mobile app requires a login account
Netgear RAX120 Wi-Fi 6 Router: 56% off at $199.99
Netgear Nighthawk RAX120's Rating
Pros
Powerful hardware, fast performance
Beautiful design
Multi-Gig network port (5Gbps)
Well-organized web user interface
Ultra-fast network storage performance
Cons
Expensive
No online protection, gaming, or mesh features
A bit bulky
Synology RT2600ac: 30% off at $119.99
Synology RT2600ac's Rating
Pros
Advanced firmware with a vast amount of network settings and features
Fast and reliable Wi-Fi performance
Ability to host a robust mesh system
Can turn one of its LAN ports into a second WAN port
Powerful online protection features
Cons
Can't work as a mesh satellite
Slow network storage speed when hosting an external drive
No link aggregation
2. Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Wi-Fi mesh systems
ARRIS Surfboard mAX 6E W161: 30% off at $349.99
ARRIS SURFboard mAX 6E AX6600's Rating
Pros
Support Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5Gbps WAN; decent performance and Wi-Fi coverage
Compact, fan-less, practical design
Cons
The SURFboard Central app is a disaster; no web user interface
Fluctuating performance; limited settings and features; no wired backhauling
Only two network ports per unit; single Multi-Gig port
TP-Link Deco X55 Pro: 20% off at $239.99
TP-Link Deco X55 Pro's Rating
Pros
Reliable Wi-Fi coverage; top mid-tier performer via wired backhauling; dual 2.5GBASE-T ports
Ease to use; helpful mobile app with a standard set of network settings and feature
Simple, practical design
Cons
Middling Wi-Fi specs with modest performance via wireless backhauling
Requires an account with TP-Link to work; limited Wi-Fi and network customization
No USB; not wall-mountable
Linksys MX12600: 12% off at $379.99
Linksys Velop MX12600's Rating
Pros
Reliable Wi-Fi with excellent coverage
Helpful mobile app, full web interface
Fast NAS speeds when hosting external drives
Comparatively affordable
Cons
No support for 160MHz channel bandwidth
Mobile app (and login account) required for initial mesh setup
Spartan Wi-Fi settings, modest feature set
No multi-gig network ports, Dual-WAN, or Link Aggregation
No setting backup/restore
ASUS ZenWiFi Pro ET12: 13% off at $699.99 (2-pack) or 16% off at $359.99 (single unit)
Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12's Rating
Pros
Wi-Fi 6E-ready, extensive Wi-Fi coverage with top performance in specific setups with possible fas Wi-Fi performance in certain setups
Dual Multi-Gig ports with multi-Gigabit wired backhauling, flexible port configurations
Excellent performance and coverage as a standalone router
Tons of useful features and settings, flexible Wi-Fi customization
Helpful mobile app, no login account required
Cool design
Cons
Bulky, no USB, only four network ports
Fluctuating performance as a fully wireless mesh due to the lack of a dedicated backhaul band
Short 6GHz range
Expensive, not wall-mountable
Asus Rog Rapture GT6: 10% off at $429.99 (2-pack) or 12% off at $219.99 (single unit)
Asus ROG Rapture GT6's Rating
Pros
Excellent Wi-Fi performance and coverage, UNII-4 support
Tons of useful features and settings, including built-in gaming features
AiMesh 2.0 full support, helpful mobile app, no login account required
Compact and good looking, USB port
Cons
Single 2.5Gbps WAN-only port
Buggy (initial release) firmware
Slow network storage performance when hosting a USB portable drive; not wall-mountable
TP-Link Deco XE200: 38% off at $499.99
TP-Link Deco XE200's Rating
Pros
10Gbps port, 6GHz support, top-tier Wi-Fi, reliable Wi-Fi performance with extensive coverage
Easy to use; comparatively affordable
Good-looking
Cons
Single Multi-Gig port, spartan Wi-Fi, and network customization
Fluctuating Wi-Fi speeds, Mobile app, and login account required; HomeShield Pro costs money
No USB port, impractical design
ASUS ZenWiFi AX XP4 Hybrid: 22% off at $179.99 (2-pack) or 17% off at $99.99 (single unit)
Asus ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4's Rating
Pros
Reliable performance via wireless and wired backhaul
Excellent set of features, including full AiMesh 2.0, built-in Powerline support, pre-synced hardware
Relatively affordable
Cons
Temperamental and slow Powerline connection, no 160MHz channel width support
No Multi-Gig port or Link Aggregation
Only three network ports per router, not wall-mountable, a bit bulky
TP-Link Deco AXE5400 (a.k.a Deco XE75): 29% off at $319.99
TP-Link Deco XE75's Rating
Pros
Wi-Fi 6E-ready with reliable and extensive coverage
Affordable
Easy to use
Cons
No Multi-Gig port, Link Aggregation, or Dual-WAN
TP-Link login account and mobile app required
No real, local web-based management
Only three network ports on each unit
Netgear CBK752: 38% off at $399.99
Netgear Orbi RBK750 Series' Rating
Pros
Reliable Wi-Fi with extensive coverage
Relatively affordable
Practical, well-designed mobile app
Support WAN 2Gbps Link Aggregation
Full web interface with all standard settings and features
Cons
No 160MHz channel support, limited Wi-Fi customization
Incompatible with Wi-Fi 5 Orbi hardware
Few LAN ports; No Multi-Gig, Dual-WAN, LAN Link Aggregation, or USB port
The fast 5GHz band only works as backhaul, even in a wired setup
3. Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on solid-state drives
The table below lists these devices side by side for easy comparison – you’ll need to scroll horizontally.
