TP-Link TL-WA850RE N300Mbps WiFi Extender Booster, Ethernet Port, Internet Booster, Access Point,WiFi Repeater, WiFi Extender,App Control, WiFi Booster Range Extender, Plug & Play,UK Plug

I now have 2 of these extenders but the review section only allows me to review one even though I have 2 different model numbers.So - how did I come to need an extender?After changing from a broadband router to a SIM card router due to poor broadband connections (the to distance from the exchange to our house is far so service is poor and speeds were terrible) we found improved speeds to the majority of our house - However - the items in certain areas seemed to be experiencing issues such as steaming quality & constant disconnects as what the new router made up for in speed it seems to be lack in signal range/strength. Fine if your items are sitting on top of it, not so good if there are walls involved.Our CCTV requires an Ethernet connection to be viewable on our phones, so now I was in a dilemma as the new router was set up in a different location to the old one so I couldn’t view the CCTV remotely without running 100 foot of Ethernet cable around the house - not happening.TP-Link TL-WA850RE N300 Universal Range ExtenderI purchased the N300 WiFi extender mainly to sort the CCTV issue (being as it has an Ethernet port on it) but also noticed it’s helped improve the TV in the same room which started experiencing streaming quality issues and dropping out constantly when trying to watch Netflix or Amazon since the change in the router. There’s been a noticeable improvement in our viewing experience which is now playing 4K without issue, buffering, lag or quality deterioration.It is simple to set up - plug it in and the light displays red, press the WPS button on the router and then also on the booster and it connects.My partner did this himself and he is a self-proclaimed technophobe. He was proud he didn’t need me to sort it for him & he set it up whilst I was away. Using an extension lead he set it up in the room where the router is and then once connected he moved it to the neighbouring room where the CCTV & other TV live.When plugged in he said the lights show the signal strength so you can gauge if it’s going to work. He found it was a 3 in his chosen spot and it’s working perfectly.I'm under the impression that you can set it up without the WPS button but being as we have one then I didn’t have to worry about working that out. It was pretty much plug and play in setup respects.I have bought another one for down the garden to keep all our smart plugs in the workshops connected as the signal down there is intermittent (review below)The light on it is quite bright so depending on its location you might consider a bit of tape over the light but be careful not to press anything as the centre is a button.Very happy - would recommend to anyone needing to boost the signal around their router.Just FYI - in response to some of the questions I’ve seen asked about boosters and extenders - you need a router with a live connection/service/subscription. This in itself is not a router so without the main router, this will not work. Think of it as an extension lead.It’s signal based and doesn’t use the power lines so you don’t need to plug it into the same ring main as the router. As long as it’s paired correctly, then move it where you want it and plug it into any power socket or extension lead you want. Assuming the signal strength light on it shows it's getting a signal from your router then it’ll work.UPDATE - I have just found there is an app which I can use & this has the option to switch the super bright LED off during a set time. So now at 9 pm the lights go off & at 9 am they come back on. Great for bedtime as this extender is located in the bedroom. No more luminous blue walls keeping me awake at night.TP-LINK RE220 AC750 Universal Dual Band Range ExtenderThis was purchased to cover an additional wifi dead zone but since my laptop etc runs on the 5G channel (not 2.4) I went for the Dual Band version this time.Really simple to set up. I had the Tether App already installed from my router & other extender, so simply plugged the extender in near to the router (So it picked up a good signal), opened the app & followed the instructions to add a new one. It scanned, found it & added it.I moved it around until I found the prime spot I wanted to position it, so it had a strong signal from the router but also provided a good signal to the office. It has lights on it that are red for poor signal & green for good. The first place I positioned it gave a green for 5G but red for 2.4, so I moved it a bit closer to the router & now it's all green. Nice & easy.Once that was done, I set about adding all my extra devices to it, such. as my Echo Dot. I scanned for the extender and added it as if it was any other wifi device.It uses the exact same login info, so no need to try & remember additional codes etc.Now I can work from my office as easy as if I'm sitting in the living room where the router is located, as the signal is now boosted to the garden, office & workshops whereas before things used to keep dropping off due to poor wifi signal.The whole set up took less than 5 minutes - very simple & no need to be an IT expert.5 Stars - would recommend these extenders.

This product is now installed and fully working, however, it took some time to set up. More info below if you want to read that, but, the good stuff is:After getting the extender to work, it is now sat happily in my porch, between my router in the lounge and my garden and garage. The lights on the extender are all showing bright blue to indicate the level of wifi I have and when I go into the garden and/or garage, the wifi is at full on with no drops. I should point out that I live in a cottage built in the 1880's so the walls are extremely thick and wifi (good signal everywhere in the house) never penetrated these walls before today. Always lost wifi the second I was outside the front door. Now, I can use all wifi enabled devices in the garden and even in the garage - another very thick walled building - so it's brilliant and even more so at a reduced price. Perfect.Not so good:-Set-up was frustrating, as the RE button would not go from blinking to solid and I eventually had to download the app, which kept telling me it couldn't find the extender and then kept adding a TP wifi to my phone and my phone would switched automatically to that and not my actual wifi so it refused to connect. Eventually, I removed mobile data from my phone and then pressed the WPS button on my router and the power button on the extender until I thought I would pass out. (Sheer frustration). Finally, the app found the new extender, allowed me to input my regular wifi password and that was it - it finally connected to my router and worked!

I bought this because I needed to temporarily move my 'main' Linux desktop computer, which is ethernet only, to an upstairs location. Initially I bought a wifi USB dongle for the computer but despite the dongle being advertised as Linux compatible it soon became clear that it was going be non-trivial to get it working. So I returned it and bought this.It was really easy to set up using the WPS method - just pressed the WPS button on my router, then the button on the TP-Link extender and it established a wireless link with the router within 30 seconds. The extender was immediately visible to other wireless devices in my LAN.I then connected the desktop network card to the extender via an ethernet cable and it just worked. Wireless connectivity in other upstairs rooms, which had sometimes been a bit flaky (stone walls!) was also much improved.Nothing negative about the device so far - does what I wanted without spending too much.