At first we would like to thank TP-LINK for offering me a sample of their RE580D AC1900 Wi-Fi Range Extender for testing and reviewing.

 

About TP-LINK:

"TP-LINK is a global provider of SOHO networking products and No.1 market share holder in China, with products available in over 100 countries to tens of millions customers. Committed to powerful R&D, effective production and strict quality management, TP-LINK continues to provide awards-winning networking products in Wireless, ADSL, Routers, Switches, IP Cameras, Powerline Adapters, Print Servers, Media Converters and Network Adapters for Global end-users.

Based on the confidence of tens of millions of customers, TP-LINK is now growing to become one of the most competitive providers of networking products with aspirations of becoming one of the top 3 networking brands and striving for a larger global market share, while further advancing in the world of networking to better serve our most valued customers with a product that makes their lives easier."

Product Features:

 

Simultaneous 600Mbps on 2.4GHz + 1300Mbps on 5GHz totals 1.9Gbps Wi-Fi speeds

3 dual band external antennas and 700mW high-powered amplifiers eliminate “dead zones” and greatly extend your existing wireless coverage

Beamforming technology delivers highly targeted and efficient wireless connections

5 Gigabit Ethernet ports provide gigabit speed for wired connections

Dual core 1GHz processor ensures no interruption when simultaneously processing multiple wireless or wired tasks

High Speed mode creates a lightning fast wireless connection for bandwidth-intensive tasks

Works with any Wi-Fi router or wireless access point

 

Product Specifications:

 

First time we have tested a range extender from TP-LINK it was in a form of a network powerline kit, and while it worked without interruptions, the resulted speeds two rooms distance was quite a bit low. RE580D is a much improved AC1900 version, which does look like a simplified router with three antennas and can connect to both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks in order to extend them both on wired and wireless interfaces. The product enclosure has arrived fully-sealed with a transparent plastic film:

 

 

 

The film can be easily removed in order to reveal a photo of the main product on the top area, along with a list of the main product features:

 

 

 

A short summary of technical specs is listed on both sides:

 

 

 

 

On the back though we will get to see a more in-depth explanation regarding what the product really does and depending on our needs, TP-LINK has also sorted out a chart to show differences between different models:

 

 

 

After removing the top packaging layer, we will end up seeing the extender along with its rest of the bundle, which do stay safe inside a custom cardboard mold:

 

 

 

As documentation, we have found inside a Declaration of Conformity leaflet, one Technical Support leaflet, a Product Positioning leaflet, one Quick Installation Guide but also one GNU General Public License Notice:

 

 

 

As mentioned in the documentation, the RE580D can sit both horizontally and vertically; however, the recommended position by the manufacturer is horizontal:

 

 

 

Steps for performing the installation are clearly detailed inside the manual:

 

 

 

After removing the range extender from the mold, we will get to see some more accessories on the bottom layer: the vertical dock, one LAN cable, three antennas and the power adapter:

 

 

 

The vertical dock sports the same design as the extender and can be installed in a few seconds:

 

 

 

The antennas are slightly redesigned from what we have seen with the Touch P5, are dual-band and thanks for the 700mW high-powered amplifiers inside the range extender they are meant to eliminate the dead zones inside our offices or house:

 

 

 

Regarding the power adapter, this one can deliver on the output 12V at 2500mA:

 

 

 

With each new iteration of their products, TP-LINK impresses us with the designs they employ. For example, the extender is featuring a diamond-shaped top cover, which is surrounded by a metallic-grey plastic frame:

 

 

 

The status LEDs have a triangle shape for a more interesting look; the last LED on the right does come with the “Intelligent Signal for Quick Positioning” feature which means that it would change colors if we are too far away from the router:

 

 

 

In the frontal area we will get to see the chromed TP-LINK logo, printed on the frame:

 

 

 

The sides do not have any other inscriptions on them:

 

 

 

A quick look on the back side of the product does reveal three Wi-Fi antenna ports, no less than five LAN ports, one Reset button hole, one RE button for easy WPS router connection, one LED On/Off button, the Power On/Off button but also the DC-IN port:

 

 

 

If we take a peak on the bottom area, we will get to see a triangle-shaped pattern, four triangle-shaped feet and a central sticker:

 

 

 

The sticker will reveal us the power rating of the product, the default access credentials, product serial number, MAC and default SSIDs for both interfaces:

 

 

 

Here is a view of the LEDs when in correct operation:

 

 

 

The RE580D extender graphical user interface looks very similar to the one we have seen when reviewing the Touch P5 router; initially, we will have to enter up the credentials:

 

 

 

A Quick Setup is made available right away which is practically a wizard for getting everything in order regarding the configuration:

 

 

 

We do also have a detailed Settings section available, for configuring everything manually; the Status screen will display the current connection setup and also if we do have Internet access inside the network, along with the number of connected clients to the extender:

 

 

 

Region settings can be then defined in order to establish the wireless channels:

 

 

 

The Wireless menu comes with multiple sub-sections; the Connect to Network one is allowing us to enter up the credentials of already-existing own wireless networks, on both frequencies, so the extender can connect to them and do its job:

 

 

 

If needed, we can also extend the network further wirelessly; for that we can use the same SSID or a different one for an easier identification; the passwords will be left the same as the host network:

 

 

 

Access Control feature is also implemented inside the RE580D:

 

 

 

From the Network menu, we can choose if the extender should get an automatic IP address or a specific one, we can work with the DHCP server settings or choose the host network for the Ethernet port:

 

 

 

System Tools is another menu with sub-sections; Time Settings menu is pretty self-explanatory:

 

 

 

 

LEDs can be turned off on a specific schedule:

 

 

 

We can also perform manual firmware upgrades by downloading the correct file from the TP-LINK website:

 

 

 

Backup % Restore menu not only takes care of these two activities, but also allows us to bring the device to factory defaults:

 

 

 

We can work with the administrator account credentials from the next section:

 

 

 

System Log menu will inform us of the system errors:

 

 

 

 

Wired Station

 

CPU: Intel I5 3570K Retail

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14

Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional

RAM: GeIL Black Dragon 2x4GB DDR2133 (@1600)

Video: Sparkle X560 Calibre

Power Supply: Cooler Master 850W

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200.10

Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840

 

For testing the range extender capabilities, we have first created a link between our Touch P5 router and the RE580D on 2.4GHz Wireless N and ran the speed test while at the RE580D we had connected another desktop station composed of i5 6600K CPU,ECS Z170 Claymore motherboard, 8GB RAM DDR4 2133MHz, OCZ Vector SSD storage. Afterwards, we have repeated the same test by employing the same hardware configuration while being connected on 5GHz AC. The extender is also able to create new wireless networks in the area, on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz so we have disconnected the LAN wire from the second system and used the Archer T9E AC1900 PCI-E adapter in order to connect to the RE580D; this way we have repeated the test, with links on both frequencies.

For the wired client tests, both stations were linked to the range extender via UTP wire.

 

Wired Test

 

 

 

2.4GHz Wireless N Link Touch P5 <-> RE580D Wired Test

 

5GHz Wireless AC Link Touch P5 <-> RE580D Wired Test

 

2.4GHz Wireless N Link Touch P5 <-> RE580D Wireless Test

 

5GHz Wireless AC Link Touch P5 <-> RE580D Wireless Test

 

 

 

The new range extender from TP-LINK is very easy to set up and you have quite a bit of configuration options available, depending on how many networks you would like to extend or create. The device has a completely redesigned chassis and is now able to operate both horizontally and vertically. By placing the RE580D in a room of our home or office where we had initially slow connection speeds, the extender can solve this by picking up the signal (even better than a Wi-Fi card) and re-transmitting it at full power on wireless and wired interfaces.

 

We are really pleased with the product performance considering that at the same spot where we have placed the extender and got over 200Mbps transfer speeds, with the standalone Archer T9E PCI-E adapter on our test system connected directly to the router we were getting under 100Mbps, so the speed has practically doubled thanks to the RE580D. Other devices which do not feature Wi-Fi can be also connected easily to the extender via LAN cables (up to 5) and when transferring data between them, the product will act as a local Gigabit switch.

 

The TP-LINK RE580D product can be bought online for about 122 Euros; while this could not be affordable for some people, we have the option of using an access point which would require a LAN cable between it and the router so extra hassle and possibly lots of drilled holes through the walls. The RE580D makes all the setup much easier, no cables are needed and we can set it up in no time.

 

TP-LINK RE580D AC1900 Wi-Fi Range Extender is Recommended For:

 

 

We would like to thank again to TP-LINK for making this review possible!