You sure you’re not confusing TP-Link with D-Link? The latter has been the common attack surface I’m familiar with, and the former has been a staple for enthusiasts and as a tool for pentesters.

There’s quite a few TP-Link Models that can be flashed with open source firmware. The ones I helped friends and family with seemed to get software updates consistently after being discontinued.

This isn’t an all out endorsement, but I’ve certainly seen worse.