Do you have Wi-Fi Dead spots, in your house of building fact of life with current Wi-Fi technology. If you remember when the first 11b wireless networks first entered the market it wasn’t unusual to have several routers or WAPs (wireless access points) spread around to allow users to get a signal to those dead spots around the house.
Wireless range extenders allow you to extend the range of your wireless network and increase bandwidth to low signal areas. They do this by receiving the wireless signal of your network, and then rebroadcasting it.
The TP-Link WA854RE is just such a 2.4GHz wireless 11n range extender, also known as the TP-Link 300Mbps Universal Wireless N Range Extender.
Whats in the box, you get a Quick installation guide, warranties etc and the resource CD.
The first thing you notice about it is the styling. It comes in a fetching and minimalist white box which contains an even more attractive product.
The design of the lights is also elegant, avoiding the usual flashing row of indicators for a compact circular arrangement. The plug is built directly into the back of the device which makes it very neat although you will need a power extension cable if you have a low-down skirting board site proves inappropriate.
| HARDWARE FEATURES | |
|---|---|
| Plug Type | EU, UK, US |
| Button | RE (Range Extender) Button, Reset Button |
| Wireless Standards | IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b |
| Antenna | 2 * internal |
| Dimensions ( W x D x H ) | 4.3x 2.6 x 3.0in. (110.0 x 65.8 x 75.2mm) |
| Power Consumption | About 3W |
| WIRELESS FEATURES | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 2.4~2.4835GHz |
| Signal Rate | 11n: Up to 300Mbps (dynamic) 11g: Up to 54Mbps (dynamic) 11b: Up to 11Mbps (dynamic) |
| EIRP | < 20 dBm (EIRP) |
| Reception Sensitivity | 270M: -68dBm@10% PER 130M: -68dBm@10% PER 108M: -68dBm@10% PER 54M: -68dBm@10% PER 11M: -85dBm@8% PER 6M: -88dBm@10% PER 1M: -90dBm@8% PER |
| Wireless Modes | Range Extender |
| Wireless Functions | WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) Wireless MAC Address Filtering Wireless Statistic Domain Login Function |
| Wireless Security | 64/128/152-bit WEP WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK |
| OTHERS | |
|---|---|
| Certification | CE, RoHS |
| Package Contents | 300Mbps Universal WiFi Range Extender TL-WA854RE Resource CD Quick Installation Guide |
| System Requirements | Microsoft® Windows® 98SE, NT, 2000, XP, Vista or Windows 7, 8, Mac® OS, NetWare®, UNIX® or Linux. |
| Environment | Operating Temperature: 0°C~40°C (32°F~104°F) Storage Temperature: -40°C~70°C (-40°F~158°F) Operating Humidity: 10%~90% non-condensing Storage Humidity: 5%~90% non-condensing |
The set up of the device is initially straightforward. You plug in the device, connect to its network SSID – handily called ‘TP-Link’ – and then follow the wizard.
The wizard simply requires you to select your existing network name, enter your password and click Finish.
Like most wireless range extenders, once set up you can unplug and move the TP-Link around the house or office and it will retain its settings. This means you could extend the network to different dead spots depending on where you are in the house, just by unplugging and moving the device.
Once connected the device includes a fairly comprehensive set of tools such as MAC Address filtering, DHCP and throughput data-rate which can be accessed via a web browser.
TP-Link TL-WA854RE: Performance
We tested the TL-WA854RE by placing the range extender on the stairs of my house, approximately 5 metres from the router. This was as far as was possible while maintaining a 4-out-of-5 step signal due to the occluding walls and concrete.
As a baseline we placed a laptop on the ground floor to get a baseline speed with the range extender off, we got about 75mbps from a 100mbps cabled internet connection. Then I went as far as I could go without losing the connection, the maximum I got was about 5 mbps before I lost the connection.
When I turned the TP Link TL-WA854RE Wi-Fi Extender on I could got 100 feet to the top of my garden and still have connection to the internet to stream Google music and more.
With a RRP of £24.99 you can’t go wrong with the TL-WA854RE., it’s so easy to install.
