TP-Link AC1200 WiFi Extender (RE300), Covers Up to 1500 Sq.ft and 25 Devices, Up to 1200Mbps, Supports OneMesh, Dual Band Internet Repeater, Range Booster

I've become a fan of TP-Link in recent months. I install internet for a living right now and I've been looking for a simpler solution to recommend folks. You can go blow huge money on mediocre mesh systems like the Orbi which will set you back $500 for a 3-pack these days, or you can buy a TP-Link router and buy a couple of these extenders and create a smooth mesh system that's low-profile and can get you up to 3,000-4,000 sq ft of coverage without breaking a sweat or spending all afternoon getting it squared away. If you download the Tether App from TP-Link, it's easy to get these extenders setup. Right now I'm not connected to a TP-Link router but eventually I'll probably replace my modem/router combo from my ISP with a TP-Link A7 or whatever their AX/WIFI-6 setup is because I like the idea of a mesh network but I don't like the restrictive nature of some of the ones out there. All that being said, this extender seems to get the job done. I still get hiccups and packet loss but I'm starting to think it has everything to do with my ISP's modem/router unit or my ISP specifically and less-so the equipment in my home. I have a 3 level home (2 main floors and a bonus room/attic at the top) and want quality wireless connections on every floor. I sat this extender on the 2nd floor and game and use my PC on the 3rd floor. I initially used the 5G band for the better speed but as I sorted through the settings on TP-Link's Tether app, I found that there's a "high speed mode" available. What I quickly found is that you can choose 1 of 2 things here: use the 2.4 GHz WIFI band from your internet source broadcast as a dedicated communication channel or a 5 GHz WIFI band dedicated to communicating with your internet source broadcast and then use the other band to connect your devices to. What that does (I happen to be familiar with this process - there's no real instructions) is create a finite connection over one band and throttle-up the other band for your devices to connect to. I used the 5 GHz band to create the modem/router > extender pairing for maximum performance between those two devices (they aren't that far away from each other so the 5 GHz band is fairly strong where the extender is) then I use the 2.4 GHz band to connect my Xbox One X and my PC. The results are fantastic for the price I paid for the extender. I ran a speed test on my Xbox One X and got 105 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up, 100% wireless connection strength, 0% packet loss, and 24 ms ping. That's solid performance given that my maximum download speed is 150 Mbps if the network is completely free of other users.You may or may not need to use the "high speed" setting and dedicate bands like I did, but I wanted my connection to be as solid as I could make it so I used the faster band to connect my extender to the internet and the "slower" band (2.4 GHz is slower most of the time) to establish high quality connections with my devices so I can move around more. I'm very pleased so-far. If anything changes I'll report back but I spent a couple hours testing out online gaming with my Xbox and it seems to work pretty well. A couple hiccups at first but the experience smoothed out quite a bit as time went on.

You definitely have to be a little tech savvy with some patience to set this up. It occasionally disconnects, but I just reset it. Other than that, it works like magic!It doesn’t make your main internet slow, and the scheduled on & off is a big bonus because you don’t waste energy.I did recently have an issue connecting my 2G network, which is the main one, but just switched it off and just using the 5G now. I think the biggest problem is my old router. Definitely have to update those often. I even think using only the 5G made the connection stronger. If I can ever connect to the 2G again, I’ll update here with connection strength tests.I would definitely recommend for dead zones that are a little far (60 feet and a story from our router for us). If I had a bigger need for a stronger connection, I would definitely upgrade to the get a larger range. It cuts off pretty much at those 60 feet, but any longer would just be a luxury for us. Maybe one day, but for the reason I got it, like I said, it works like magic. I Zoom, stream, browse, social media on my phone all at once without an issue. I have found AT&T WiFi calling to be mostly troubling on this connection. Luckily I have just enough cell service so I turn off my WiFi when making calls. I keep it on because all other WiFi calling connections have worked perfectly and the city I live in has terrible cell service.Really can’t beat the price and service for a simpler extender. Before I bought this, I bought the older model that had a smaller range and it did absolutely nothing. I would definitely start with this as a base and upgrade higher if your extender needs are greater. And make sure your router doesn’t need a model upgrade from your provider.

So, in my building we have a router in the front of garage and we want to extend wi-fi into the backyard. A cinderblock wall separates the backyard from the router. You can get the router signal at the doorway, but not through the wall. I have a Netgear extender that works pretty well in extending the wi-fi to the backyard when plugged in to an outlet located in the back of the garage. Some days are better than others.Lightning deal on this TP-Link version. Great reviews. I am familiar with many of their products. Let's give it a try.Setup: Download app. App connects you to the extender's temporary wi-fi network. You tell the app which wi-fi networks you want to connect to...a 2.4Ghz and a 5Ghz network. I picked my two networks to connect to. For some reason, it kept failing. I was sure of the passwords. The device sees the networks. Just keeps telling me the host networks have not connectivity. So, I decided to just connect the 2.4Ghz network. IT WORKS! Then I tried the 5Ghz. IT WORKS! Maybe their stupid app doesn't multi-task very well.Range: Pretty damn good. Better range and strong more reliable signal than my Netgear one.Feedback: The setup was iffy. The range seems good. Let's see how it is after a couple of weeks. One thing I really liked about the Netgear that I wish the TP-Link would allow...allow you to change the password on the extended networks. They let you change the name of the extended networks...but not the passwords. A lot of people don't care, but it would be a nice option to have.