Tenda AC8 AC1200 Dual-Band WiFi 5 Router | Gigabit Ports

The Tenda AC8 is an entry-level AC1200 dual-band WiFi 5 router with one Gigabit WAN port, two Gigabit LAN ports, and four fixed 6 dBi antennas. Tenda rates it at up to 867 Mbps on 5 GHz and 300 Mbps on 2.4 GHz, with MU-MIMO and beamforming on the 5 GHz band. It is built for apartments and small homes on internet plans from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps, and it works behind any cable, fiber, or DSL modem that hands off an Ethernet connection. It is a router only, so it does not replace your modem.

Who the AC8 is for

• Apartments and small homes. Tenda rates coverage at about 90 square meters (roughly 970 square feet), which it describes as a three-bedroom layout
• Households on 100 Mbps to 500 Mbps plans that want a low-cost replacement for the WiFi built into an ISP gateway
• Homes with up to 30 connected devices, which is Tenda's stated device limit for this model
• Anyone who needs a spare router in AP mode to add WiFi to a wired-only router or a basement office

Key features

• AC1200 dual-band WiFi 5: 802.11ac on 5 GHz (up to 867 Mbps) and 802.11n on 2.4 GHz (up to 300 Mbps)
• Four 6 dBi external antennas with beamforming, which aims the 5 GHz signal toward the device that is using it
• MU-MIMO so the router can serve more than one 5 GHz device in the same time slot instead of taking turns
• Three Gigabit Ethernet ports: 1 x WAN and 2 x LAN at 10/100/1000 Mbps
• Four operating modes: Router, Access Point (AP), Universal Repeater (Client+AP), and WISP
• Guest network that keeps visitors off your main network
• Parental controls with client filter, URL filter, and time limits per device
• IPv6 support plus a dedicated IPTV interface for a cable or fiber set-top box

Specifications

What AC1200 means in practice

AC1200 is the sum of the two radios' top link rates (867 Mbps plus 300 Mbps), not the speed any single device will see. A phone or laptop on 5 GHz connects at up to 867 Mbps and typically moves data at roughly half of that after WiFi overhead, which is still more than a 300 Mbps or 500 Mbps plan delivers. The Gigabit WAN port keeps the wired side from being the bottleneck on plans up to 1 Gbps, but on those plans the WiFi radios will be. If you are on a gigabit plan, start with our gigabit-ready routers instead.

WPA2 only: what that means for your network

Tenda lists WPA2-PSK as the wireless security standard for the AC8, with no WPA3 option. WPA2 with a long, unique passphrase is still what most home devices use today. The steps that matter more than the WPA version are changing the admin password from the default, turning off remote web management unless you need it, and keeping the firmware current. The AC8 supports all three. If WPA3 is a requirement, the WiFi 6 Tenda RX12 Pro below adds it.

Provider compatibility

The AC8 is a standalone router and works with any cable, fiber, DSL, or Starlink modem or ONT that provides an Ethernet handoff. It supports PPPoE, dynamic IP, and static IP WAN connections, which covers nearly every residential ISP. If your ISP gave you a combined modem-router gateway, set that gateway to bridge mode so the AC8 handles routing and WiFi.

Common questions

Is the Tenda AC8 a modem or a router?

It is a router only. You still need a cable modem, fiber ONT, or DSL modem from your ISP or one you own, connected to the AC8's WAN port with an Ethernet cable.

Does the Tenda AC8 work with Xfinity, Spectrum, or Cox?

Yes, as long as you have a modem for that service. The AC8 plugs into the Ethernet port on any cable modem, including the ones on our cable modem pages, and handles WiFi and routing from there.

How many devices can the Tenda AC8 handle?

Tenda rates the AC8 for up to 30 connected devices. For a home with dozens of smart plugs, cameras, and streaming boxes, a WiFi 6 router with OFDMA will hold up better.

Does the Tenda AC8 have WPA3?

No. Tenda lists WPA2-PSK as the supported wireless security. Use a passphrase of at least 16 characters and change the default admin login during setup.

Can I use the Tenda AC8 as an access point or repeater?

Yes. It has four modes: Router, AP, Universal Repeater (Client+AP), and WISP. AP mode is the right choice when you want to add WiFi to an existing router without creating a second network.