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.

Works great! Helped connect my TV in the other room where the signal was weak. Setup was quick, just used the WPS button and it was done in a minute. The connection is stable and the speed is good enough for streaming. Definitely worth it for the price.

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 have had two deliveries of this particular item type, to two different addresses. One of these was a mistake, perhaps on my part. I already wrote a review of the item which I re-ordered, which was supplied to the address I wanted. I gave it one (1) star as it did not work, and was a pain to install, and I wasted a few hours trying. I sent it back for a refund, which is now in progress.I don't know if that unit was faulty or not, but it was certainly incompatible with the router used and the network.I thought I might also have to send the current unit under consideration back, mainly as it wasn't at the location I originally intended. However, there are some weak spots in the wireless network in that location, so I thought it might be worth trying it out, to see if it would work, and if so, would it cover the weak spots. At this location there is a BT router, and the WPS method which I was previously unable to use worked within a couple of minutes. I then moved the extender unit to another location and it appeared that the network performance was improved slightly. Then I moved it to a location closer to the weak spots and it did appear to improve the performance, though I noted a couple of walls and windows between the target weak area and the unit, and also between the unit and the router. Finally I moved the repeater closer to the router, but perhaps with an easier "line of sight" to the weak area through a couple of windows. The signal lights on the repeater show full strength, which I never achieved with the previous unit in the other environment. The blue lights glow very strongly, which for some people may be an issue - depending on where the unit is. If it is placed in a bedroom that could be a real problem - I suppose it would be possible to put tape over the LEDs, or run the unit on a timer which would switch off at night. However, knowing that the device is reporting a good signal is a help.With this level of performance I might even be tempted to buy another one to extend the coverage area in another direction. It has been noted that the unit may operate in half duplex mode. Assuming this is the case, then technically that could reduce the data rate possible - but only compared with optimal operation over a good wireless link. The reduction in data rate for half duplex operation need not be much, if most traffic is one way. Data link protocols can reduce any slowing down of data transfers to a very low level. As the data rate on a wireless link tends to drop off with distance from the access point and indeed communications may become impossible, it is better to have a reasonable fraction of the maximum data rate over a link which works, rather than the full data rate over a non-functioning link - to put it in a somewhat convoluted way.As these plug straight into the mains, unless extension cables are used the repeaters may not always be sited in some of the best locations. They may be sited low down, which is probably not optimal.. Extension cables run up walls would be ugly, though better coverage might be obtained by siting these units higher up - particularly if extending coverage in upstairs rooms is a a requirement.I've not (yet) tested this to the maximum extent. For example, I don't know if I can stream HD video into areas where this would previously have been impossible. I may check that out in the future. For "regular" web browsing, sending email etc. this does appear to work quite well.Possibly I may end up combining my reviews for these units. If the units work with WPS, and with a router of your choice, then you may find that they are rather good and as such satisfactory. If the units don't work with WPS, and you can't get them to work with your router, then send them back for a refund as soon as possible, and don't waste much time on them. 2-3 hours is the maximum time to spend trying to get units to work if they steadfastly refuse to perform. I sent the other unit back, and the refund is on its way.Hence these are a bit like Marmite - like or dislike.There may be many factors which influence whether they work or not, and router compatibililty is one significant factor.The blue lights on the front are another objective factor. If the extenders are to be used where these lights might be a problem, such as a bedroom, these might be considered far too obtrusive. Of course the units could be turned off at night, and on again in the morning, but having to remember to do that each night might be an annoyance. On the other hand, if the units are placed in hallways or corridors, they could function usefully as night lights over night. I don't really mind blue lights, but nowadays we are being told that blue lights are bad for our sleep patterns. It's another factor which might sway some potential purchasers.If they work I'd rate them at 4 or 5 and possibly buy more than one to extend coverage.If they don't work after 2-3 hours trying, I'd rate them at 1, and send them back for a refund.That explains my latest evaluation of this product as 3 stars. If it works it's quite good - if it doesn't it's really not worth the money.At the current price (a tad under £15) if these work they could be considered a bargain.