TP-LINK wireless router setup tips

System Requirements

• Broadband Internet Access Service (DSL/Cable/Ethernet)
• One DSL/Cable modem that has an RJ45 connector
• Each PC in the LAN needs a working Ethernet Adapter and an Ethernet cable
• TCP/IP protocol must be installed on each PC
• Web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox

Installation Environment Requirements

• Do not place in direct sunlight or near a heater or heating vent
• Do not cluttered or crowded. There should be at least 2 inches (5 cm) of clear space on all sides of the router
• Well ventilated (especially if it is in a closet)
• Operating temperature: 0C~40C (32F~104F)
• Operating Humidity: 10%~90%RH, Non-condensing

Wireless Installation Considerations

1. Position your wireless devices and avoid any barrier such as wall and ceiling to keep the number of barriers between the TP-LINK router and other wireless devices to a minimum, because each wall or ceiling can reduce your wireless adapter's range from 3-90 feet (1-30 meters).
2. Position wireless devices so that the signal will travel straight through a wall or ceiling along the horizontal line instead of at an angle for reducing signal attenuation.
3. Materials and objects such as glass, steel, metal, walls with insulation, water (fish tanks), mirrors, file cabinets, brick and concrete will degrade your wireless signal. But materials and objects have the different effect for wireless signal. For example a solid metal door or aluminium studs may have a negative effect on signal range, so please position wireless device to make the signal passes through dry wall or open doorway.
4. Keep your product away (at least 1-2 meters) from electrical devices or appliances that generate RF noise. And if you are using 2.4GHz cordless phone or other wireless devices such as ceiling fans, lights, video and home security systems, your wireless connection may drop completely. Make sure your 2.4GHz phone base is as far away from your wireless devices as possible. The base transmits a signal even if the phone is not in use.

Before you begin to install

• Make sure your computer can connect to the Internet through your broadband service successfully. If there is any problem, please contact your ISP.
• Please configure the router with the computer that was last connected directly to your modem.
• You can only use the Ethernet port on your modem. If you were using the USB connection before using the router, then you must turn off your modem, disconnect the USB cable and connect an Ethernet cable to the Internet port on the router, and then turn the modem back on. In some cases, you may need to call your ISP to change connection types (USB to Ethernet).
• If you have DSL broadband service and are connecting via PPPoE, make sure you disable or uninstall any PPPoE software such as WinPoet, Broadjump, or Enternet 300 from your computer, or else you will not be able to connect to the Internet. Some ISPs also provide similar PPPoE software.
• Please follow the Quick Installation Guide and User Guide to install and configure your TP-LINK Router.

REVIEW

TP-LINK today announced the TP-LINK Archer C20i - AC750 Simultaneous Dual-Band Broadband Wireless AC Router - geared for budget-minded students and consumers, seeking an attractively priced router, without sacrificing performance. At a suggested list price of $59.99 (CAD), the Archer C20i is the category leader for price-performance in the entry-level AC wireless category, and comes with a long two-year warranty.

The Archer C20i supports the 802.11ac standard, offering higher throughput and longer range than previous generation routers, and is backward compatible with 802.11n devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Premium Features, Including USB Port

The Archer C20i boasts a new contemporary design that nicely blends in with other consumer electronic devices in a room; advanced encryption (WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK) against security threats; and includes a highly coveted USB port, a rarity in the entry-level AC wireless category, for sharing printers, files, and media with different devices on a local home network, or remotely via a FTP server.

With 433Mbps wireless speeds over the crystal clear 5GHz band and 300Mbps over the 2.4GHz band, the Archer C20i offers the flexibility of two dedicated networks and ensures the highest levels of wireless performance. Additionally, high-quality connections can be maintained even when multiple devices are in use.

Simple tasks such as sending e-mails or web browsing can be handled by the 2.4GHz band while bandwidth intensive tasks such as online gaming, HD video streaming, and video chatting can be handled by the 5GHz band - all at the same time.

Set up of the Archer C20i is easy with the included resource CD: a configuration utility can help users complete the entire software installation, including wireless network settings in just a few minutes.

Stable Omnidirectional Signal and Superior Coverage
The Archer C20i features premium antenna technology: 3 internal high-quality antennas deliver not only stable signals in every direction, but also higher speeds across greater distances. This provides users with superior omnidirectional wireless range and reliability.

Highlights

·    Supports 802.11ac standard: the next generation of Wi-Fi

·    Simultaneous 2.4GHz 300Mbps and 5GHz 433Mbps connections for 733Mbps of total available bandwidth

·    Stable omnidirectional signal and superior wireless coverage

·    USB port: share a printer locally and files & media with networked devices or remotely via FTP server

·    Guest Network Access provides secure Wi-Fi access for guests sharing a network

·    Parental Controls allow parents to establish restricted access policies for children

·    IP-based Bandwidth Control makes it easier to manage the bandwidth of devices connected to the router

·    SPI and NAT firewall protects end-user devices from potential Internet attacks

·    WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryption provides user networks with active defense against security threats

·    IPv6 supported, meeting the demands for the next generation of the Internet

"Students and consumers will appreciate the great value and performance of the new Archer C20i,'' says Mark Macaulay, director of sales for TP-LINK Canada. "The new contemporary look of the Archer C20i is exciting and reflects the added emphasis in design that TP-LINK is now taking."

Macaulay adds, "The Archer C20i supports the 802.11ac standard for better wireless coverage and reliability than previous generation routers. Backward compatibility ensures all older 802.11n devices are fully supported."

How to improve my wireless speed or range?

Overview

To improve the wireless speed or range, it is highly recommend to work on the following common solutions:

• Choosing the best locations
• Optimising configuration of the device
• Upgrade the equipment

Symptom

Weak wireless signal showed, low wireless speed or range.

Cause

The factors most frequently affecting the wireless signal:

1. Intrinsic factors

Transmission Distance: Regarding on the wireless device particularly working on 5GHz band, it will be more sensitive to the obstacle. Though there will be more clear channels than those of 2.4GHz bands, the wireless signal will be reduced significantly and transmit in shorter range due to higher frequency.
Antenna: Omni-directional antennas and directional antennas. Omni-directional antennas are resembled in our home products like wireless router or wireless ADSL2+ Modem Routers, they radiate horizontally all around, but are weaker upward or downward as the picture shows.

While a directional antennas radiate strongly in a particular direction which are usually used for high power outdoor products. The gain of a directional antenna increases, also with the coverage distance, but the effective coverage angle decreases. Generally, the higher gain value of an antenna, the better directional ability will be.

For directional antennas, the lobes are pushed in a certain direction and little energy is there on the back side of the antenna. Please refer the picture below.

This phenomenon will be more significant once you deploy the High-Gain antenna, so we recommend that to confirm precise on horizon direction otherwise there be unexpected dramatic signal loss.

Wireless Communication Performance: The higher performance transmission rates, the better ability.

2. Extrinsic factors

• Physical Barriers, such as wall or clapboard and so on;
• Other similar devices and other sources such as microwave ovens, cordless phones or other technologies that use the same band as Bluetooth or security devices.
• There are more than one AP or wireless routers working in the same Channel.
• The location where an AP or wireless router is placed. Do your better to place the device at a higher location to reduce the barrier's countercheck.

Solution

Here are some solutions to improve the weak wireless signal as the reference, some problems caused by the inherent property of wireless connection.

Choosing the best locations

1. Antennas should be positioned for best location and direction

• Deploy the antenna in good location and correct angle, and also make sure your wireless client devices are in the coverage;
• For multi-story buildings wireless coverage, we recommend to placing antennas at 45 degrees (diagonally) or 0 degrees (straight out parallel to the floor) which will be more effective. Since antennas always transmit weakly at the base, do not place your wireless client device at the bottom of TP-LINK wireless router or access point.

Please check the following picture as reference and you can find easily that A point is recommend while B or C is in not good location.

2. Try best to avoid the extrinsic interference

• >Avoiding the physical interference in the wireless coverage, each wall or ceiling will have a negative effect on wireless radio particularly the ones built by solid metal material;
• Keep your device away from various electromagnetic noise sources that generate RF noise, like microwaves, Monitors, electric motors, copying and fax machines, etc.

Optimise configuration of the device

For TP-LINK wireless products, we recommend to do corresponding settings to avoid the interference from other networking and radio frequency equipment.
First, please log into the product and you can refer to this link as guidance. Here we take TL-WR1043ND user interface as an example and then please go to Wireless->Wireless settings and change the channel settings, the default value is Auto and here we recommend select 1, 6 or 11 if you suffer high wireless interference.

For 802.11b and g, there are 14 channels designated in the 2.4 GHz range and three non-overlapping channels recommended: 1, 6 and 11 (1, 7 and 13 in part European region, please obey your local regulations or laws).

Sometimes the "well-known" channels will be also crowded and we recommend to select the appropriate one adjusted to your local environment.

Upgrade the equipment

• If you want to have a big improvement immediately and boost the wireless throughput, you can also choose to upgrade a combination of antennas or other wireless equipment to enhance the wireless transmission;
• If you are in a congestion wireless environment, the wired connection can be taken into consideration and the TP-LINK Powerline equipment is a good alternative.

TP-LINK C20i

A warm welcome to all. Today we will review tp-link archer c20i.

Looks Tall Wall design with glossy finish but finger print magnet. Feature wise it is same as its sibling Archer C20 with only 3 difference 1) Design, 2) Tri 5 dB inbuilt antennae, 3) Ethernet ports at back and USB on right with power, wps & Wi-Fi buttons. Design wise it easily blends with your stuff in your room giving giving a first time looker a WoW look. It has 3 5dB antennae for stable omnidirectional signal and super coverage  as in the pic below :-

(c) tp-link.in

With 3 antennas combined with higher quality antenna technology, you can experience excellent wireless performance with stable signal in every direction .

The TP-LINK Archer C20i AC750 Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-AC Broadband Router comes with the next generation Wi-Fi standard – 802.11ac, backward compatible with 802.11n and 3 times faster than wireless N speeds. With higher power efficiency and robust security, 802.11ac is the perfect way to accelerate a home multimedia network and solve congestion that multiple devices may cause. The TP-LINK Archer C20i also features a USB port to share a printer locally, files and media with networked devices or remotely via FTP server.

 (c) tp-link.in

733Mbps Dual Band Connections for Lag-Free Work and Entertainment

With 433Mbps wireless speeds over the crystal clear 5GHz band and 300Mbps over the 2.4GHz band, Archer C20i offers you the flexibility of two dedicated networks and ensures amazing wireless performance. Simple tasks such as sending e-mails or web browsing can be handled by the 2.4GHz band while bandwidth intensive tasks like online gaming or HD video streaming can be processed by the 5GHz band – all at the same time.

 (c) tp-link.in

802.11ac - The Next Generation of Wi-Fi

Key Features

• Wireless and Wired Performance
• Supports 802.11ac - the next generation of Wi-Fi, compatible with 802.11n
• Simultaneous 2.4GHz 300Mbps and 5GHz 433Mbps connections for 733Mbps of total available bandwidth
• Stable omnidirectional signal and superior wireless coverage
• USB port - share a printer locally and files & media with networked devices or remotely via FTP server
• Control and Security
• Guest Network Access provides secure Wi-Fi access for guests sharing your home or office network
• Parental Controls allow parents or administrators to establish restricted access policies for children or staff
• IP-based Bandwidth Control makes it easier for you to manage the bandwidth of devices connected to the router
• SPI and NAT firewall protects end-user devices from potential attacks from the Internet
• WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryptions provide user networks with active defence against security threats
• Ease of Use
• Easy one-touch WPA wireless security encryption with the WPS button
• Wi-Fi On/Off Button allows users to turn their wireless radio on or off
• Easy Setup Assistant with multi-language support provides a quick & hassle free installation process
• Others
• IPv6 supported, meeting the demands for the next generation of the Internet.

Tech Specs As per tp-link.in and the product box :

HARDWARE FEATURES
Interface	4 10/100 LAN ports 1 10/100 WAN port 1 USB 2.0 port
Button	WPS/Reset Button Wireless On/Off Button Power On/Off Button
Antenna	3 internal antennas
External Power Supply	12VDC /1A
Dimensions ( W x D x H )	4.44 x 2.36 x 6.73 in. (113 x 60 x 171mm)

WIRELESS FEATURES
Wireless Standards	IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5GHz IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz
Frequency	2.4GHz and 5GHz
Signal Rate	5GHz: Up to 433Mbps 2.4GHz: Up to 300Mbps
Reception Sensitivity	5GHz 11a 6Mbps: -91dBm, 11a 54Mbps: -74dBm 11ac HT20: -66dBm, 11ac HT40: -64dBm, 11ac HT80: -61dBm, 11n HT20: -71dBm, 11n HT40: -69dBm 2.4GHz 11g 54M: -74dBm 11n HT20: -72dBm, 11n HT40: -69dBm
Transmit Power	CE: <20dBm(2.4GHz) <23dBm(5GHz) FCC: <30dBm
Wireless Functions	Enable/Disable Wireless Radio, WDS Bridge, WMM, Wireless Statistics
Wireless Security	64/128-bit WEP,WPA / WPA2,WPA-PSK/ WPA2-PSK encryption

SOFTWARE FEATURES
Quality of Service	WMM, Bandwidth Control
WAN Type	Dynamic IP/Static IP/PPPoE/ PPTP(Dual Access)/L2TP(Dual Access)/BigPond
Management	Access Control Local Management Remote Management
DHCP	Server, Client, DHCP Client List, Address Reservation
Port Forwarding	Virtual Server, Port Triggering, UPnP, DMZ
Dynamic DNS	DynDns, Comexe, NO-IP
VPN Pass-Through	PPTP, L2TP, IPSec
Access Control	Parental Control, Local Management Control, Host List, Access Schedule, Rule Management
Firewall Security	DoS, SPI Firewall IP Address Filtering/MAC Address Filtering/Domain Filtering IP and MAC Address Binding
Protocols	Supports IPv4 and IPv6
USB Sharing	Support Samba(Storage)/ FTP Server/Media Server/Printer Server
Guest Network	2.4GHz guest network × 1 5GHz guest network × 1

OTHERS
Certification	CE, FCC, RoHS
Package Contents	AC750 Wireless Dual Band Router Archer C20i Power Supply Unit Resource CD Ethernet Cable Quick Installation Guide
System Requirements	Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, Mac OS or Linux-based operating system
Environment	Operating Temperature: 0℃~40 ℃ (32 ℉~104℉) Storage Temperature: -40℃~70 ℃ (-40 ℉~158℉) Operating Humidity: 10%~90% non-condensing Storage Humidity: 5%~90% non-condensing

These are my test done by my 2 phones  for both bands in my 2 bhk wit area of 950 sq-feet:

INTEX aqua fish 2.4 Ghz

drawing room -59 dBi

bedroom 1 -55 dBi
bedroom 2 -70 dBi
kitchen -66 dBi
toilet -69 dBi
bathroom -73 dBi using  signal strenth

drawing room -59 dBi
bedroom 1 -65dBi
bedroom 2 -67 dBi
kitchen -68 dBi
toilet -66dBi
bathroom -61 dBi using wifi analyser 

samsung note 4 5Ghz running wifi analytics from netgear

drawing room -47 dBi
bedroom 1 -66 dBi
bedroom 2 -62dBi
kitchen -64 dBi
toilet -80 dBi

bathroom-75 dBi

Speed Test using speedtest.net on my Lenovo g50-80

One could also use html 5  based speed tester like speedof.me for 100% accuracy

My Conclusions :

rugged router as compaired to others in same category in design and companion app with 3 5db antenne. An ideal for a house of 950 sq feet area. A big drawback are its lights in front as they don't blink so difficult to make out connectivity and only 1 lan port light so u cant see what is connected on which port number.

UI :

Good user interface divided in 3 parts with menu on left , functions in middle and help on makes it more intuitive ui  as not seen on some famous brands like Netgear DGN3200V4 used by me previously an N300 router. In my view best ui with help I have ever come across ever. only drawback not having GUI as P5 or ASUSWART interface. But is a great for day to day configs of network and is easy to use even by a newbe. How ever the best part about TP-LINK is router firmware simulation on there tp-link.in website.

PRICE:

Best in the class of budget routers offering usb support for print and media along with DLNA and FTP server. falling between 2150 k to 2500 k in the local market. and ideal replacement for your old routers.

TIPS:

1) check your laptop and mobile adapters before buying your modem.
    eg: Intel dual band wireless-AC3160 : A 1x1 802.11AC Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth adapter that delivers upto 433 Mbps and Intel dual band wireless-AC7620 : A 2x2 802.11AC Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth adapter that delivers upto 867 Mbps.
do check www.intel.com/wireless for more on adapters as buying a P5 for that matter wont make any impact as receving end is a pipe and delivering end is a tunnel like 1300Mbps on Intel dual band wireless-AC3160 where speed is 433 Mbps only .

2) Be budget wise : don't by routers based on its speed as price also increases . like an n300 router will give you max speed of 150 (funda of 10/100 Mbps) so also buying GIGABIT Port router wont help if you have adapters like Intel dual band wireless-AC3160 on your laptop or desktop.

3) Buy only trusted brands don't experiment with new ones.