The need for reliable Wi-Fi coverage has become crucial and zero signal zones in your home can adversely affect your work. Therefore, demand for reputed and reliable Wi-Fi rage extenders has increased as they can boost wireless signal and keep your devices connected in every room.
The TP-Link N300 Wi-Fi range extender is an extremely popular device among users who want to broaden their network coverage. In this review, we will do an in-depth study of the features, user experience and performance of this Wi-Fi range extender so that you can properly evaluate the value it offers for its price.
TP-Link N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender Review
TL-WA850RE from TP-Link is a Wi-Fi extender that claims to deliver fast, reliable and expanded coverage of your wireless signal. This dual-band extender is reasonably priced when compared to its competition and supports Ethernet port for wired connections. However, the real question is whether it’s powerful enough to strengthen a weak signal?
Main Features
The most prominent feature of this device is its wall-socket-mounted design and miniature size. Both these features make it easily deployable, even in confined spaces. The front view of this extender is attractive with a circular LED that looks very cool. This LED display informs you about the strength of the signal and confirms whether this device is extending the network or not.
Using its Ethernet port you can connect wired devices and this extender can function as a wireless adapter. Since this port is only Fast Ethernet you will not be able to take the benefits of wired Gigabit speed. The Tether App bundled with this gadget allows you to easily manage this device using your smartphone.
User Experience
The TP-Link N300 offers a really good user experience. Setting-up this extender is simple and pairing it with a router is really easy. You get a RJ-45 cable with this device along with a CD containing its installation guide and user manual. The LED control of this extender has Night Mode function, which ensures peaceful sleep during the night.
You can connect this extender to your router by pushing the WPS button on your router and within 2 minutes pressing the Range Extender button on this TP-Link extender. That’s it, once your extender is connected to your router, you can put this extender at the place of your choice where you think you will get the best signal quality and coverage for your home.
Performance
TL-WA850RE is a low-priced product among Wi-Fi extenders, so you can’t expect the performance of high-end extenders from this device. Although, it’s not among the farthest reaching Wi-Fi extenders, it can deliver a good quality signal for up to 75 feet from the router. By good quality signal we mean, four signal strength bars were visible in Windows at about 75 feet away from the router.
The Smart Signal Indicator light on this extender can help you in determining the right spot for its placement. The strength of a signal can be checked by looking at these five signal lights. The best location is where you can see at least three signal lights in blue. Following this tip will help you in getting the best performance from the device.
This device not only extends Wi-Fi coverage, but it also reduces signal interference, thus increasing reliability of the network coverage. With a signal rate of 300 Mbps, this Wi-Fi range extender is designed to deliver truly impressive performance in a home or apartment. Also, rolling back the settings to its factory settings is very easy on this device.
Pros
- Wall-mounting, small-sized design makes it easy to be placed in a variety of locations.
- Setting up this extender is as fast and easy as it can be done within 2 minutes.
- The quality and strength of the signal was impressive at up to 75 feet from the router.
- Rolling back the factory settings is really simple.
- The low cost of this device makes it easily affordable for wide-range of users.
Cons
- If you are searching for a Wi-Fi extender which has a range of above 75 feet from the router, then this device is not for you.
- Its Ethernet port doesn’t support Gigabit speed.
Conclusion
In an ideal world, your standalone Wi-Fi router should be able to do all the work, but that’s not the reality. Therefore, when your Wi-Fi signal regularly drops in certain parts of your home as you are trying to access it from your laptop or smartphone, then a good Wi-Fi range extender is the fastest and the most affordable solution. We believe that this TP-Link N300 Wi-Fi range extender (TL-WA850RE) review will help you in making the right decision while purchasing a Wi-Fi range extender. Although the device may have difficulty extending the signal beyond 75 feet, but its ease of use and feature-rich performance make it a great choice for homes and apartments.
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