TP-LINK TL-WA854RE V1.2 300Mbps Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender, Repeater, Wall Plug design, One-button Setup, Smart Signal Indicator

Pros: I have this device (WA853RE) and a WA850RE. Both of these units are pretty much identical. in terms of performance and appearance. This unit has slightly better signal strength than the WA850RE (about 8-9dBm) which would be reflected in slight better coverage and speed. The included instructions are well written. The unit is very easy to setup if using WPS. If you intend on doing a manual setup keep in mine the username and password are admin, admin. and the default IP address of this unit is 192.168.0.254. This unit's performance as I said earlier is almost identical to the WA850RE, it gives me coverage in dead / almost dead zones in my house, keep in mind placing this unit inside of a dead zone will not help give you a better signal, is has to be in a spot with coverage. In places where I would get download speeds between 0-150kB/s, I now get my full speed of 2000kB/s. its a HUGE difference. Prior to the range extender I would connect to the router at 5.5-11Mbits/s, 24Mbits/s if I was lucky. and Now I get 150Mbits/s +.

Cons: This unit does not come with a built in Ethernet port. This means you cannot, connect a printer or computer directly to the unit as you can in the WA850RE, so it has slightly less flexibility. The included CD is a small CD, you will not be to put it into a slot loading CD/DVD drive as I will get stuck.

Overall Review: I have not experienced any of the issues some other reviewers have been having like issues with entering the wireless password, or the device locking up when configuring static IP vs DHCP, or any other settings. I am not using this device for high bandwidth applications (large local fire transfers) It is only being used for internet access on a 20Mb connection, where I do not see any decrease in speeds comparing it to my primary router. There is some slight overhead in terms of latency but it is negligible. As in real estate what is more important with these devices is location, location, location. If you place a range extender where your get poor coverage do not expect any improvements for your connected devices. Place this device where you get decent coverage / signal strength (not right next to the wireless router though). This may take several attempts. Mine are located a little close getting about 80% signal strength, however because this range extender is on a different floor then the router I end up getting better range as there are less objects that it needs to penetrate in order to reach the locations when I need signal, resulting in faster connects and better overall experience when browsing the web.

Pros: Attractive shiny white plastic with blue LED's Toll Free Support - Guy that answered spoke and understood English Connection to the TL-WA85RE V1.2 is via established router password.

Cons: Does not stay connected for more then 1 minute to my TP Link AC 1200 router ( a great router BTW) The address given in the QIG (Quick Install Guide)for setup using web browser could redirect to a spam site...very dangerous. I tried the address in Chrome, IE (in Win 7) and Firefox in Linux Mint. Every time I was redirected. What is important to know is the adding www to the address is a no no. ALSO....IF I AM NOT CONNECTED VIA THE TL-WA85RE V1.2 and the correct URL is typed in I get redirected to SPAM site as well. THAT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.

Overall Review: I cannot recommend the TL-WA85RE V1.2 I have used and setup with complete success 4 range extenders before I was asked to evaluate the TL-WA85RE V1.2 which means to me there is something wrong with this model or just my particular unit. Since I was having no success with connection on my own following the QIG (Quick Install Guide) I called TP Links toll free support line and quickly got through to a tech guy that spoke and understood English. I explained what I had done and how the process had failed. He had me reset the device (which I had done on several occasions) then in my browser type 192.XXX.X.XXX which brought me to the web browser TL-WA85RE V1.2 configuration page. The QIG should supply this number rather then the URL for safety sake. I had been on this page previously during my solo attempts at setting up the TL-WA85RE V1.2. I followed the prompts and reached the endpoint successfully. Tech support had me move the TL-WA85RE V1.2 to where I wanted it permanently placed. I had set it up next to my AC 1200. I did this and it was only seconds before connectivity was lost indicated by the setup URL going blank and the flashing blue LED's on the TL-WA85RE V1.2. On or before connection to TP-LINK_XXX, which is how it appears on the list of available wireless connections TP-LINK_XXX disappears from the list. I advised tech support of this and was told that's OK. I asked how do I know I am connected to the TL-WA85RE V1.2 and not directly to the router? Tech replied that I could tell by signal strength. I said no that isn't correct at which point tech did not want to discuss it further. He told me I have a bad unit and should return it. I mentioned I was reviewing the item for Newegg Eggxpert and he indicated that was nice. The conversation ended before I had a chance to tell him the QIG instructs that I can keep the TL-WA85RE V1.2 named as the default TP-LINK_XXX or "be customized to a new one (TP-LINK_XXX_EXT). Oh Well. What good tech would have done is tell me to return the unit to them at their expense and they would ship me a new unit. This tech did not. One last item needs mentioning. The direction PDF reads ( not the QIG) that if the problem I seem to be having persists then reset the router...ho ho ha ha...I ain't gonna do that cause it takes time and effort (physical and mental) to then reset everything up like I want it. I could use a config file to restore router config but there would be no assurance that would not break the connection At this point, though I can't recommend the TL-WA85RE V1.2 I cannot write "it is a piece of doo doo." I think I have a faulty unit. As written I have setup several range extenders and found them to be valuable products. I have also been happy with almost every TP Link product prior to this.

Pros: *Affordable *Easy setup *Effective

Cons: *Range *Speed

Overall Review: As with most of these devices the range is going be the deciding factor on weather you purchase it or not. I was pretty skeptical of the effectiveness of the device due to the low price compared to the competition. Turns out those were unfounded! The directions in the quick start guide are clear and had the device set up in two minutes with the push of two buttons; no connection to a computer was necessary since my router had WPS. Our router is on the first floor in an office (far east side of the house). I took the extender to the west side basement to test it out. [Test was quickly done using a LG G2 on AT&t, used the wireless network settings menu to view signal strength and link speed Basement without the repeater: Signal strength: Good (one bar), Link Speed: 20 Mbps Basement with repeater: Signal strength: Very Strong (full bars), Link speed 72 Mbps Outside of the building without the repeater: Signal strength: Poor (no bars indicated, only WiFi icon was lit), Link Speed: 1 to 5 Mbps Outside of the building with repeater: Signal strength: Very Good (only missing one bar from full), Link Speed: 58 Mbps Additionally, the Quick Start guide says that the signal shown on the device should show 3 lights for best performance. The outbuilding only gets 1 light (very minimum), but still able to reliably boost the WiFi transfer rate at least 10 fold which is impressive. Another plus; the repeater uses the same network name, so you don't need to add an additional saved network to your phone/laptop/etc. and then worry about switching between the two if you are moving around. One thing to also keep in mind with these devices is you will never get the advertised speed even if you are standing right next to it. I am not sure why manufacturers are still slapping a "300Mbps" logo on the box when its nowhere near that hence why I took one egg. That being said its still a solid device that does what its intended to do. I would recommend.

Pros: This is a dead simple extender, especially for those with WPS buttons on their routers. Plug it in, let it boot up and press the buttons. A couple minutes and its up and running. This is an actual extender, by default sharing the channel and SSID of your main router. When it works, you don't need to even think about it. This is precisely the gadget for a non-technical person who doesn't want to fiddle and has a WPS button. Nice looking, even. Once installed, I updated the firmware to the latest, no problems. For the technical, you can configure with its own SSID and password, control access by MAC, and make some other configs.

Cons: Range is mediocre. If you don't want to use WPS (which is considered a security weakness), the manual set up is finicky. Tried from IOS device, no joy. Had to reset and start from scratch using a laptop. Connect to its default wifi, go to the right web page, configure, reboot. Doesn't have 5Ghz, no ethernet port (to ease setup, or use as an AP), couldn't get it to work with tplink's tether app.

Overall Review: Device is End of Life, and there are newer models. This one is past it. There are better options. Pass this one by, even if its in the bargain bin.

Pros: Easy to setup and configure, looks nice and the WPS will make it easy if you have it enabled on your router. Can set it up to use your current SSID or a separate one if you wish. Menu is pretty easy to use.

Cons: 1. This has not seemed to really boost the signal enough to notice much of a difference. Placement can make a big factor as well. If you put it up high, it could help but most don't have outlets to do that (other than running an extension cord). Need to place close enough to the router for it to get the signal to begin with so you have to basically find a midway point. 2. The WPS button is my son's "Wow I can push this button" sort of attention grabber if you have little kids. He thinks it's fun and it screws up my wifi connectivity every time while it tries to connect.

Overall Review: I can't account for the WPS button since I do not have it enabled. I did use the interface to configure the settings to use the same SSID as my router. However note if you are going to change the default password (recommended) make sure you do it before you do the other configurations or you will have fun trying to access the option again. Overall it's ok, but I'm not sure it will add enough value in my opinion.

Pros: Setup and initial connection was very simple and easy I like how it looks - inconspicuous, clean design Worked OK as far as actually extending my wireless network. I moved my router to one corner of the first floor of my house, and put the extender on the second floor about two rooms distant horizontally. The result was a stronger overall signal at every point upstairs than with my router alone, which was particularly helpful for our phones, which at some points in the house with that setup would have problems dropping signal due to only having 1-2 bars of Wifi strength. It's cheap

Cons: Didn't really experience any faster internet on the extender compared to just the router, despite the signal strength increase. It was useful, because it prevented any dropped signals or other weird connection problems, but I was hoping it would speed things up and it did not.

Overall Review: For a cheap extender, this seems OK. I'd probably recommend spending the cash on something nicer, though, if you really need a repeater.

Pros: Setup was easy with WPS mode enabled. No driver installation was needed as with all wireless range extenders. LED's are useful and are easy to read. Simply press the WPS on the device and the router and it is functional with no change to SSID. The price is reasonably cheap by itself and compared to other wireless range extenders. TP-Link has good support website with everything easy to find.

Cons: When plugged in the basement two floors below, I was unable to establish a connection due to the error message of unable to obtain IP address. The LED's however indicate low to medium signal strength, which is not true. This means it was unable to handle the WPA2 encryption or the signal lack integrity. The signal strength on my phone was max when this happened. It's also max wherever this is plugged in. All these cons is due to the lack of antennas or poor physical design. This shouldn't happen for a simple wireless N device like this. The designer should know better not to defeat the purpose of a wireless "range" extender.

Overall Review: I would much rather recommend PowerLine networking over this. PowerLine do work even in multistory building with surge protectors. I use the Belkin surge protector with coaxial, phone and Ethernet wire connectors. For small devices like this, wireless AC provide minimal improvement with regards to signal strength at long range. Proper implementation of wireless AC require better physical design (antenna layout) and features like Wave 2.0. Wireless AC is more useful for 5G than 2.4G.

Pros: Nice packaging and form factor. The blue LED's are a nice touch. If you live in a small apartment this might work for you or a dead spot in your home.

Cons: No 5ghz band and poor performance over the 2.4ghz band. Can't move the unit out of sight since there is no cord.

Overall Review: Might be useful for a dead spot in your home or backyard.