Over the past few years, many decent devices at a very low price have appeared on the computer market. Most of them are positioned as honest, high-quality Chinese brands with markets around the world. About one of these devices - this article. Wireless router TP-Link TL-WR841N with great functionality and high performance. The description of the device is accompanied by an overview, instructions for quick setup and includes reviews of owners and system administrators.
Meet by clothes
A very attractive box of bright green color will easily attract the attention of the buyer. The image of the device in the assembly and a brief description of the technical characteristics will quickly help to make the right choice. Package Contents TP-Link TL has everything you need to fully configure and operate the device. In addition to the access point, there is a power supply, a patch cord, two amplifying antennas, a documentation disk and instructions.
The first acquaintance with the access point to any owner will bring only a pleasant experience. Available for TP-Link TL-WR841N router, the price of about 1000 rubles provides the buyer with a powerful Wi-Fi device made of very high-quality plastic, which has a great design and a well-thought-out cooling system. As it turned out, the entire building is dotted with ventilation windows on all sides. Apparently, the Chinese took into account the experience of their old devices, freezing in the process due to overheating.
The performance characteristics
TP-Link TL-WR841N wireless router operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz in networks of class 802.11b / g / n. The control system operates on the Atheros AP81 core with a clock frequency of 400 MHz and has a built-in memory of 32 MB. The device has a built-in switch for four ports, working in 100-megabit networks, and one WAN port for connecting an incoming Internet channel. In addition, the wireless router understands WPS technology, which allows connecting devices via Wi-Fi without preliminary settings and authorization. And if we consider wireless capabilities, then the manufacturer said the maximum speed according to the 802.11n standard is 300 megabits per second with support for two spatial streams (MIMO 2x2). Types of connection to the provider are present in full for all technologies in the post-Soviet space: static and dynamic IP, PPPoE and PPTP / L2TP with support for Dual Access, manual entry of the MAC address, including cloning. IPTV is also gaining momentum in Russia.
Router presets
The instructions supplied with the TP-Link TL-WR841N describe in great detail how to configure and connect a Wi-Fi access point. But still, many owners, judging by their reviews, assure that before activating the device, it is necessary to perform a forced reset to the factory settings. To do this, you need to press and hold the RESET button located on the rear panel of the router for ten seconds with a sharp object like an awl. Naturally, at the time of reset, the access point must be connected to the power supply and at least one indicator should light on it. The result of an effective reset will be a change in the light indication on the control panel of the device.
Preset computer or laptop
Configuring the TP-Link router is possible only when the computer is ready to automatically receive the IP address that the wireless device provides. Therefore, if in Windows the network adapter is configured using DHCP, then this item should be skipped. The rest will have to make small adjustments. To do this, find âNetwork Managementâ and select âChange adapter settingsâ. Alternatively click on the active adapter and select âPropertiesâ. In the window that appears, find the line âTCT / IPv4â, put the cursor on it and select âPropertiesâ. If the lines of the window that opens contain numbers, you need to rewrite them all in order on a piece of paper, including the names of the lines. Then select the option opposite the fields "... automatically." Save and exit settings.
Communication of two devices
According to the instructions supplied with the TP-Link TL-WR841N router, the configuration is carried out in steps:
- The router must be turned on, and the computer must be in working condition.
- The provider's cable must be connected to the âInternetâ jack located on the back of the device. If the provider does not require additional settings, the second indicator on the right will light up on the control panel, signaling the availability of the Internet.
- The patch cord is inserted at one end into the network adapter of the computer, and the other into any LAN port of the router. A green indicator will appear on the deviceâs control panel to indicate a connection, and a message about connecting to the network will appear on the computer. If the provider does not restrict Internet access to settings, then it will immediately become available on the user's computer.
The first step in setting up
Having opened any browser on the computer, it is necessary to register the IP router without quotes â192.168.0.1â in the address bar. If the browser gives an error, you need to register another address without the quotation marks â192.168.1.1â. Confusion in the addresses is present due to different firmware. Setting up the TP-Link router begins with the authorization menu, in which you need to enter a password and login. Oddly enough, they are identical - "admin". Correct data entry will result in the opening of the wireless access point control menu. Not only system administrators, but also many users recommend going to the "Utilities / System Tools" - "Password / Password" menu located on the left pane of the control window and changing the authorization data. Entering âadminâ in the first two lines, indicate the new login in the third, and the new password in the fourth and fifth. It is recommended to use English letters for input. Digital input is not prohibited.
Prescribing provider settings
If the Internet appeared on the computer when the router was connected, then this item can be skipped, otherwise the provider provides services using its own protocol, which means that you need to fine-tune the TP-Link router. To do this, go to the "Quick Setup / Quick Setup" section, and, following the data requests, enter the information recorded earlier on the leaf. In addition to this data, you must specify the type of connection that only the administrator of the company that provides Internet services will tell you. Very often, when drawing up a contract with a provider, the document is supplied with information on connecting to the service. Also, all users should visit the official website of their provider and see the "Hardware Setup" section. Many vendors offer ready-made firmware with prescribed settings for different routers for download. The provider may have firmware for TP-Link TL-WR841N. In any case, if there are any difficulties with the setup, it is better to contact a specialist. Nobody forbids playing with the settings yourself, because you can always reset the router to factory settings.
Alternate Router Management
Many users will like the ability to control a wireless access point using the special Easy Setup Assistant shell, which can be downloaded from the manufacturerâs official website. It will be necessary to configure the TP-Link TL-WR841N driver for Windows, which is also offered for download. It does not hurt to get acquainted with the presence of fresh firmware for the device that can be installed. And for the firmware you need a step-by-step instruction, which is also present on the official website.
Reading customer reviews about TP-Link TL-WR841N, you can find a big negative for the developer on alternative router management using an assistant. Compared to the web-based interface, which allows quick access to any setting, the shell has limited capabilities in the form of an assistant and prevents the user from entering their own data. And the assistant works only under Windows, which limits its abilities.
Wi-Fi setup
Itâs a pleasure to configure a wireless network in TP-Link TL-WR841N router. The menu is so convenient and informative that the user should not have problems:
- The SSID field prompts you to enter the network name in Latin letters, which will be detected when searching for Wi-Fi.
- In the âChannelâ field, leave âautoâ, the mode â11 bgn mixedâ, and the maximum transfer rate can be set to the maximum.
- It is better to set the authorization method to universal - âWPA-PSK / WPA2-PSKâ, and set the encryption to âAESâ. This choice allows you to set a password consisting of numbers and letters of non-fixed length (from 8 to 64 characters).
Interesting functionality
In addition to the standard settings for the wireless network and LAN ports, the TP-Link TL-WR841N router boasts a host of useful functions that will be interesting for advanced users.
- The DMZ demilitarized zone allows not only to prohibit access from the Internet to servers located in the user's local network, but also to limit the childâs computer, which many parents use constantly.
- A very simple IPTV setup allows you to create a connection in a few minutes and enjoy watching high-quality movies transmitted through the provider's network.
- There is a menu for setting WPS. You can set a simple password, not the same as on Wi-Fi, and give it to friends who want to use the Internet service while visiting. Naturally, to connect, you need to click the "WPS" button.
- When setting up Wi-Fi, you can determine the priority of transmitting streaming video âWMMâ, which will allow you to give channel resources to watch a movie if it is busy with a torrent, for example.
Finally
Mostly about TP-Link TL-WR841N customer reviews are positive. They note a large set of functions, which very often remains unused. Users did not disregard the robust and well-ventilated design, the presence of a signal amplifier in the form of antennas, ease of control and ease of setup. The disadvantages include dips in the data transfer rate when downloading a torrent. The communication channel disappears for a few seconds, and then gradually rises. Many users recommend setting the software download speed limit to half, and the problem will be resolved forever. In general, from the TP-Link router TL-WR841N for 1000 rubles, it is simply impossible to desire more.