If you need to extend the Wi-Fi in your home, TP-Link may have the answer – here is our review of their RE450 AC1750 Wi-Fi Range Extender.
The TP-LINK AC1750 Wi-Fi Range Extender connects to your router wirelessly, strengthening and expanding its signal into areas it can’t reach on its own. The device also reduces signal interference to ensure reliable Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home or office.
TP-LINK’s RE450 comes with next generation 802.11AC Wi-Fi technology, it’s 3 times faster than the standard 802.11n speeds. The RE450 delivers fast speeds of dual band Wi-Fi up to 1750 Mbps, providing reliable connections for bandwidth-intensive tasks like HD/4K streaming, lag free gaming, large file downloads.
A gigabit Ethernet port turns the extender into a wireless bridge, letting you connect a wired device like a Blu-ray player, gaming console, DVR, or smart TV to your Wi-Fi network.
Features
- Expand Wi-Fi Network for Ultimate Performance
- Expanded 450Mbps on 2.4GHz + 1300Mbps on 5GHz totals 1750Mbps Wi-Fi speeds
- Three adjustable external antennas provide optimal Wi-Fi coverage and reliable connections
- Gigabit Ethernet port acts as a wireless adapter to connect a wired device to your network at gigabit speed
- Intelligent signal light helps to fi nd the best location for optimal Wi-Fi coverage by showing the signal strength
- Works with any Wi-Fi router or wireless access point
What’s in the box?
The box contains the RE450, a manual and an Ethernet cable.
A Closer Look
Using the RE450
The RE450 is setup and configured using the web front end. Here are a few screenshots showing it:
Final Thoughts
The RE450 is quite large, but it is also rather light weight. One slight drawback to the size is that it can partially block the on/off switch on your power point (take a look at the picture at the very start of the review to see just what we mean). To use it you just slide the antenna out, plug it into a power point, and switch the power point on. That’s it for the device it, the rest is done via the web front end.
When you first configure it you are walked through a series of steps, including connecting to your existing 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz network, whether you want to use the same name, and a few other options. Then you can go ahead and use it, it really is that simple and that quick to set up.
The web front end has a few other options, but for most people that will be all they need to do.
You can then place the RE450 somewhere around the middle between where you router is and where the area that you lose wifi signal. The RE450 will then boost and extend the signal. You can also connect an Ethernet cable into the RE450 and connect that to another device if that device can’t get wifi or you need a wired connection.
I found the RE450 worked exceptionally well and I had incredibly fast speeds throughout the house, even faster than areas where I had previously used either an extender or I had used powerline devices.
You can easily tell if you have a good signal with the RE450 because the circle on the front of the device will either be blue for a good signal or red for a poor one. This saves a little bit of time so you don’t need to connect another device to it and see what the connection is like.
Another feature that some people might find useful is that you can also turn off the LEDs once you have it all set up so that they don’t become annoying.
I also liked that the antenna were locked into place rather than each one having to be positioned.
If you need to extended your existing wifi around your house, we highly recommend the TP-Link RE450 extender.
The RE450 is available now for under £50, but as usual look around for the best deal.
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