After using the Tenda AC1200 for 3 months in my 2-bedroom apartment, I can confidently say it's a solid performer for its price range. The setup was ridiculously easy – I had it running in under 10 minutes using their mobile app while eating breakfast.

The dual-band performance is impressive for everyday use. My Netflix 4K streams on the 5GHz band (about 15 feet from router) never buffer, and I consistently get around 85Mbps download speeds (I pay for 100Mbps). The four adjustable antennas really do make a difference – my smart devices in the far bedroom now get full bars where my old router struggled.

Parental controls through the app are a lifesaver. Being able to pause my kid's internet during homework time with one tap? Game changer. The guest network feature also works flawlessly when friends visit.

Now for the downsides: The Ethernet ports cap at 100Mbps, which feels outdated. When I tried wired gaming, I noticed slightly higher ping than premium routers. Also, while the app is user-friendly, advanced users might find settings limited compared to prosumer models.

The biggest concern? Security vulnerabilities mentioned in some reviews made me nervous. I immediately disabled IPv6 and changed default credentials as precaution. For basic home use with proper precautions though, it's been rock-solid stable with zero dropouts in daily use.

If you need gigabit wired speeds or enterprise-level security, look elsewhere. But for most households wanting reliable WiFi at a steal of a price? This little router punches way above its weight class.