TP-LINK 300Mbps Wireless N Range Extender: TL-WA850RE

TP-LINK Wireless N Range Extender TL-WA850RE
TP-LINK Wireless N Range Extender TL-WA850RE

Finally a Wireless Range Extender which is as nice as cheap and easy to configure!

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My wifi router is on the first floor and wifi connections from both the ground floor and the second floor are really poor due to the large concrete slab between each floor.

I didn’t want to pay (a lot) for a new wifi routers which would offer much more features than actually required, have useless Ethernet ports (switch), be large and ugly/inappropriate in the landscape, …

So, I decided to give a try to the nice and discrete TL-WA850RE sold for 38€.

The connection with my Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH was straightforward and went seamlessly.

  1. Plug the TL-WA850RE in a electrical outlet close to the wifi router to be extended
  2. On a laptop, open the pane to select a Wifi Network and pick the “TP-LINK_Extender_xxxxxx network”
  3. Start a browser and navigate to “http://tplinkextender.net”. It’s the url of the embedded administration website.
  4. Log in using the username ‘admin’ and password ‘admin’
  5. Follow the wizard to configure the TP-LINK Range Extender as described in the Quick Installation Guide. PAY ATTENTION: you have to disable your popup blocker or allow that website. Otherwise, the final status windows will be blocked and the process won’t complete.
  6. Once the wizard completed, go to the router configuration website and look for the IP assigned to the TP-Link device (on the WOL page of my Buffalo, I found it’s IP for the hostname = *). The best would be to assign a fix IP to the TP-Link’s Mac Address!
  7. Restart a Browser and navigate to the TP-Link’s IP address.
  8. Back to the TP-Link administration website, change the default username/password via System Tools > Password.
  9. Now, the device can be unplugged and moved into a electrical outlet of a room where the wifi signal is currently poor.

There is a DHCP server embedded in the device as well as some other basic wireless features (relate to security, statistics…) that I won’t use as far as everything is managed by/on my Buffalo.

So far, the TP-Link works really well to extend the range of my Buffalo 🙂

The only “issue” is the blue leds shining too much in the dark which prevent me to sleep in my room if I use the repeater there 🙁

TP-Link: http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-WA850RE

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4 responses to “TP-LINK 300Mbps Wireless N Range Extender: TL-WA850RE”

  1. Ayodeji godfatha5 Avatar
    Ayodeji godfatha5

    I need help please. Can I configure a tp-link 300mbps with an ipad?

    1. Valery Letroye Avatar

      Try to connect on http://192.168.0.254 instead of http://tplinkextender.net”. And if it does not reach the embedded administration page, have a look on your router to check the IP address assigned to your TP-LINK.

      For other tips, have a look on http://www.free-for-kids.com/tp-link-extender-problems.shtml.

  2. sjarief.w Avatar
    sjarief.w

    Setting up TL-WA850RE via website: http:// tplinkextender.net and the site won’t work
    Region : UnitedStates

    Model : TL-WA850RE

    Hardware Version : V1

    Firmware Version :

    ISP : AT&T/Uverse

    Just received my brand new range extender and since my router does not have the WPS button, I took the other setup option which is through their website but the site does not work and may have been hacked. Goes to another page saying it’s for sale. I’ve entered the address a dozen times and it will not work so can someone please tell me what is up with these folks? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    1. Valery Letroye Avatar

      The url “tplinkextender.net” is not to access the website of TP-Link (on internet), but for a page on the device itself! It’s to access its configuration page.

      When you look on the list of WiFi networks available for your PC/Mobile/Tablet, don’t you see one named like TP-LINK_Extender_….. ? You have to be connected on that one otherwise, you won’t be able to access and configure the device! Once connected on that WiFi network, you should be able to access the url “tplinkextender.net”

      The actual web site of TP-Link is here : http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?categoryid=1247&model=TL-WA850RE

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