At first we would like to thank TP-LINK for offering me a sample of their AC1750 Wi-Fi Range Extender (RE450) 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:

 

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

 

Product Specifications:

 

 

 

In this review we will take a look at another interesting product from TP-LINK which is meant to help covering dead Wi-Fi spots inside the house by picking the signal as-is and distributing it further in an amplified state via Wi-Fi but also via cable. While we have reviewed similar products like this before and even from TP-LINK if you remember well, TL-WA850RE 300Mbps Universal Wireless N Range Extender, this new item does come with 802.11ac 1750Mbps compatibility which means higher upload/download speeds IF the router we are pairing with does also support this standard. The RE450 Range Extender is offered in a fully-sealed cardboard enclosure:

 

 

 

On the top layer of the enclosure we will get to see a photo of the product along with a small description:

 

 

 

The sides of the box come through with more in-depth explanations so we will know right away if the RE450 is a product for us or not:

 

 

 

 

Usually, network device manufacturers also use to give some examples on the packaging regarding how the new product should be integrated with the existing infrastructure inside our house:

 

 

 

After removing the top packaging layer, we will end up with a well-built white cardboard box, which sports an envelope with additional documentation:

 

 

 

 

The Quick Installation Guide not only tells us on how to proceed with the hardware installation, but also software configuration steps are offered so we can finish up this process right away:

 

 

 

Moving further, we will get to see the product sitting inside a custom white plastic mold, and on the top portion of the RE450 we can also spot a thin transparent plastic film which is meant to protect the equipment during transit; this is made for a good reason since the finishing is made from glossy white plastic:

 

 

 

If we do remove the product from its original packaging, we can take a closer look:

 

 

 

On the top we have a LED ring which does have two colors available (red if we are too far away from the router we need to connect it to or blue if the connection is optimal); the central button helps when we would like to connect via WPS:

 

 

 

Further down we do have the 2.4GHz network connection LED, the 5GHz network connection LED but also the usual Power LED:

 

 

 

A large portion on the back of the device features a ventilation grill and on the lower area we have the power plug along with a sticker which informs us on the model code name, the serial number but aslo the default SSIDs for both extended networks:

 

 

 

By pressing the central button upwards, we will practically extend the top antenna:

 

 

 

On each side we do have one additional antenna, for a total of three; with the lateral antennas extended, we need a bit of clearance available on the left and right sides of the adapter so please keep this in mind:

 

 

 

Besides some additional ventilation holes, the left side does also house a RJ45 port and we are dealing with a Gigabit connection, not Megabit as we have seen on many other previous devices:

 

 

 

The right side does feature a small Reset button hole, a button for disabling the LEDs but also an additional button for turning the device off:

 

 

 

Lastly, we do also get a LAN cable which helps connecting wired stations to the device:

 

 

 

If you are already familiar with the last router models from TP-LINK, we would like to mention that the graphical interface is pretty much the same and easy to configure; the first page will prompt us to log in with the default credentials:

 

 

 

We will be then introduced to the configuration wizard, which first prompts us to enter a new username and password (enhanced security purposes):

 

 

 

The next step would be to select current region:

 

 

 

The device firmware will then scan local wireless networks:

 

 

 

A list of detected networks will be shown along with the signal strength, MAC address of the routers/Aps and if they require secure logins or not; we will then be prompted to enter the 2.4GHz network credentials:

 

 

5GHz networks get the same treatment:

 

 

 

We can extend both detected 2.4GHz, 5GHz networks by using the same SSID or a separate one; for an easier identification we would always choose a different name so we would know easily where our device is connected at any moment:

 

 

A summary screen is then presented after all settings are applied:

 

 

After the connection has been completed, we can access the more advanced settings to perform additional modifications; first we have the Status menu which gives an insight on the current Wi-Fi and Wired setups:

 

 

The Region menu comes with the same setting as in the wizard:

 

 

The Connect to Network sub-section allows us to connect to both 2.4GHz and 5GHz but also to only one of them, given that we have the correct credentials handy:

 

 

 

Same goes for the Wi-Fi extension on both frequencies: we can choose both or only one of them or even none if we decide to go the wired route:

 

 

 

Besides the router, we can assign Access Control options from the Range Extender itself:

 

 

 

The Network menu allows us to edit the IP address of the device or allow automatic assignment, enable the DHCP server if needed, see the associated DHCP Client List, and one of the most important setting is the fact that we can choose which network should be chosen as host for the Ethernet port:

 

 

 

 

Time Settings option is pretty self-explanatory:

 

 

 

LEDs can be configured to be turned off automatically on a specified schedule:

 

 

 

We can also perform firmware upgrades from the next menu:

 

 

 

Next we do have Backup & Restore, from where we can save the current settings to a file for later retrieval but we can also reset the device to factory defaults:

 

 

 

Admin Account menu allows us to change the current login user along with its password:

 

 

 

The System Log menu gives us an insight regarding what happens “under the hood”:

 

 

 

In order to test out the RE450 Range Extender, we have connected our first desktop machine via UTP wire to the TP-LINK AC2600 Router we have just tested a bit of time ago; here are the technical specs of the machine:

 

-BIOSTAR Z170X GAMING Motherboard

-Intel Skylake 6700K CPU @ 4.6GHz 1.285V inside UEFI

-Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB DDR4 2666MHz C16 Memory

-NZXT Kraken X60 All-in-One Water Cooler for the CPU

-HIS Radeon R9 390X

-Creative Sound Blaster ZxR + daughter-board

-AMD Radeon R7 240GB SSD

-SAMSUNG HD204UI 2TB drive

-Toshiba MG04ACA400A 4TB drive

-NEXUS 1.1KW Gold PSU

-InWin 909 Case

 

Two rooms away, in the same apartment we have installed the RE450 with almost direct view to the router and to it, in the same room with the RE450 we have connected in wired mode but also wirelessly a second desktop machine with the following tech specs. The second desktop machine was not in direct view with the router and as a matter of fact the signal needed to pass between three walls:

 

CPU: Intel I5 4690K Retail @ 4.6GHz

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX

Motherboard: BIOSTAR Z97X Gaming

RAM: GeIL Black Dragon 4x4GB DDR2133 (@1600)

Video: HIS R7 250 LP

Power Supply: Cooler Master 850W

SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 240GB + OCZ Vertex 460

Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840

TP-LINK Archer T9E Wi-Fi AC Card

 

On this second machine we have had a shared folder set up, which was accessible from the first machine and have performed upload/download tests with the LAN Speed Test utility.

 

Lastly, we have made connections directly to the router, with the RE450 turned off for comparison purposes. (marked in the chart as NoExt)

 

If placed in the right position, RE450 Range Extender from TP-LINK can help you cover dead Wi-Fi spots inside your office or apartment by retransmitting the received signal via wired connection but can also create additional networks so the laptop/desktop/smartphone or other devices you are using will get full signal. The product is easy to relocate because it also includes the power adapter so we only have to plug it in and adjust the antennas in a position of our choice. RE450 also supports the latest 1300Mbps AC standard on the 5GHz band so we have obtained much better results in the tests compared to the previous generations.

 

By incorporating an easy to use interface and also by using the wizard, we will be able to perform the new setup procedure in just a few minutes and if we decide to move the product to another wall socket, the setup procedure will not be needed to be repeated since all settings remain saved to the device. This type of Wi-Fi network extension does have an added bonus versus the Powerline solutions because it does not matter how many circuit breakers are behind it -> it will also perform the same and it only matters that we place it in a convenient place regarding the router or Access Point so the received signal would be decent.

 

The TP-LINK RE450 can be purchased online for about 59 Euros and considering the benefits, we think that it is not a product which breaks the bank.

 

TP-LINK AC1750 Wi-Fi Range Extender (RE450) is Recommended For:

 

 

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