Once again, TP-Link confused the network equipment market by presenting two completely different products under the same label. In this article, the reader will get to know the TL-MR3220 router in two versions. Review and reviews of owners will help a potential buyer to make a choice.
Positioning the device in the global market
The router is presented by the manufacturer in a budget class, its cost (about 2000 rubles) is consistent with the low-cost segment. The router is designed for both home use and small offices. The main difference between the device and competitors in the budget class is the ability to work with 3G / 4G wireless networks. A full-fledged router that can work simultaneously with two providers and transmit the received signal over Wi-Fi networks will undoubtedly attract the attention of all customers for whom the presence of a permanent Internet connection is critical.
The manufacturer and signal strength paid attention. Indeed, for the operation of devices at maximum speed over wireless channels, the availability of modern technologies is not enough. The main role here is played by the transmitter power and the presence of an antenna to amplify the signal. But first things first.
Acquaintance with the first representative of the line
The standard box in green and white has the usual equipment: a router, a power supply, a patch cord, a removable antenna, driver discs and detailed operating instructions. On the packaging display, the manufacturer tried to describe all the technologies and capabilities that the product has. Due to the limited space on the box, this move led to the fact that at the time of purchase the user faces a set of all kinds of abbreviations and obscure characters that are difficult to decipher.
The TL-MR3220 router will appeal to even the most demanding owner. Firstly, all ports and interfaces have a different color, which is quite convenient when putting the device into operation. The network input for connecting to the Internet is blue, and the 4-port hub has an orange color. Confusing the power, USB and antenna connections will also fail. They have different sizes.
Impressions of an updated device
Although the second router of the TL-MR3220 line from TP-Link is fundamentally different from the first representative, its configuration, functionality and the presence of all kinds of interfaces are similar. Many buyers may have the opinion that the manufacturer simply modernized the popular router, presenting it to users in a futuristic building. At first, everything looks exactly like this, especially if you compare the declared specifications.
However, when the case of both devices is opened, it will be revealed that the changes also affected the hardware. Technologists in the updated version of the router decided to abandon electrolytic capacitors, replacing them with solid-state drives. Also, unlike the old version, the factory installed improved memory chips, a processor and wireless modules.
Declared Specifications
Both devices work in wireless networks according to the IEEE 802.11 b / g / n standard. Accordingly, they theoretically support Wi-Fi speeds of up to 150 megabits per second. A standard set of interfaces in the form of one WAN port and 4 LAN ports is present in both devices. As for the USB port, the old and new versions of the router also have it. True, the manufacturer placed the universal bus interface in the updated version a little unusual for users - on the side of the device.
Hardware buttons for powering, resetting, turning on WPS and quickly turning off Wi-Fi are also present on both TL-MR3220 routers. There is an insignificant difference only in the frequency range. Following global requirements, TP-Link has significantly reduced its range. However, this did not affect the device’s operability or user convenience.
Technical capabilities
As practice shows, for the TL-MR3220 router, firmware is an important component that can completely change the functionality of a device. On the one hand, choosing the right software and a set of necessary instructions, the user will be able to once configure the router for himself and enjoy the work. But not everything is so simple at first glance. For unknown reasons, the manufacturer has not created any firmware that has all the supported functionality. The owner will have to choose what he should refuse.
So, officially declared support for all types of connections, work with all types of encryption (although 152 bits are not present in all firmware) and other functionality aimed at securing systems inside the local network. This includes port forwarding, a demilitarized zone, address filtering, Firewall, and the like.
Some device oddities
Before setting up the TL-MR3220, the user will have to carefully study the operating instructions that come with the router. The fact is that when a connection to the Internet is detected, the router immediately turns to the official website of the manufacturer and, having discovered a new firmware, offers to install it right there. You must either make updates or disconnect the router from the Internet. There are no more options.
As users note in their reviews, the router behaves rather strangely when changing the angle of the antenna. It seems that the manufacturer deliberately made the signal directly dependent on the direction of the amplifying antenna.
Automatic configuration and its functionality
For the TL-MR3220 router, there are two ways to configure network settings . By default, the device owner is invited to use the setup wizard. After going through all the necessary characteristics of the router, the user will be asked several questions and recommendations with which you can easily configure the network device.
The assistant perfectly copes with the work of specialized firmware, which initially included data on connecting to the Internet, or 3G / 4G communication services. Providers or service providers create such software. The main task of these firmwares is to simplify the configuration of the router by the user.
When you want to create your own network
Fans of manual control will have to spend a lot of time setting up the TL-MR3220 router. The firmware installed in the router does not have a built-in Russian language. All menu items, including explanations for them, have an English-language interface. But a detailed instruction manual, on the contrary, is devoid of an English description. It turns out that in order to fine-tune the router, you need to study the instructions and not let it out of your hands in the process of setting parameters. In manual mode, the owner opens additional functionality that allows you to not only configure the Internet connection and create a wireless network, but also set parameters for the operation of all connected computer equipment.
Finally
The TP-Link TL-MR3220 router in any design is able to surprise the user not only at an affordable price, but also with the excellent functionality that all routers of a more expensive class possess. It is this fact that primarily draws attention to the router in the budget class. Appearance, work with all existing types of networks and excellent data transfer are the second criteria that are interesting to customers. There are, of course, negatives to the lack of Russification on the device control panel, but in the budget segment it is not worth to find fault with a router with such a question.