TP-Link Tri-Band BE9700 WiFi 7 Router Archer BE550 Pro 1 × 10G + 4 × 2.5G, USB 3.0 6 Internal Antennas VPN Clients & Server 6GHz Band, Easy-Mesh, HomeShield, MLO, Private IOT

If you are looking for a cost-effective router that will put you ahead of the technology time-line, this is it. I was a LinkSys/Cisco fan and I bought this router to replace a pretty decent LinkSys WRT 3200 ACM. The LinkSys acquired some deficiency in the past year of "half-connecting" to just one device, while perfectly connecting to every other device on its 2.4gz and 5.0gz bands. (Half-connecting allowed some, but not all URLs to load). I recently had replaced a LinkSys extender with a TPLink extender because it could not maintain a persistent connection with the LinkSys (another hint the router was going out) and was pleased with its ability to retain its connection... though it seemed I was frequently fighting over channels with my neighbors which was very annoying, having to change them every other week. After researching the market (I looked at Eero, too), I decided this was the one that was budget friendly and buying a more expensive model was not warranted as I'm not a gamer or an extreme streamer - I have 1gz service from Spectrum anyway. I did look for a router that supported USB as I have a couple of USB drives (12gb) for "cloud" storage of my files. This router comes with "Easy Mesh" which I did not pay that much attention to, since the new TpLink extender was doing a nice job (Yes, the two extra SSIDs were a little annoying when connecting devices, but I was OK with that). Setup was pretty easy, though I did want to get into the configuration to set fixed IP addresses for wired and non-wired devices in my home. All that worked perfectly fine. The only irritation I had was LinkSys uses the Gateway of 192.168.1.1 and TpLink chose 192.168.0.1. So all my fixed IP address devices had to be reconfigured (I have a WD Cloud and Canon and Samsung printers)... all of which were time-consuming to figure out how to get them reconnected to the BE9300. Then came the big surprise! I went into the setup on the TPLink "extender" and the BE9300 recognized it and "hijacked" it! The extender is no longer an extender (though it can be configured as one), but it turned out to be a mesh access point. All of a sudden, the 2.4gz and 5.0gz networks on the extender (TPLink RE550) were greyed-out! The BE9300 turned it into a mesh access point! Being a little skeptical, I cranked up m favorite WiFi phone app (WiFi Overview) and walked thru the house (3600sf). This app displays a graphical indication of signal strength in a parabola display of all SSIDs nearby. Since the extender was now a mesh access point, I only had TWO SSIDS (one for 2.4 and one for 5.0) and of course, two "sub" SSIDs. As I walked further away from the BE9300, I could see the signal strength of the mesh unit growing larger and larger. Like any mesh network, it apparently switched to the mesh access point seamlessly on my phone... as advertised without any degradation of visual download speed.. Additionally, a lot of reviews on this product indicated they were seeing increases in download speed, so I did quite a few speed tests with several different test sites. Since my Spectrum 1gz service is still copper, I knew I'd never see 1gz speed, but the top speed with the LinkSys on and off the wire was about 910gz-920gz... not quite a 10% "loss", but still respectable. With the BE9300, I am consistently seeing over 950gz, so yes, I'll agree there is a slight increase in download speed. Another plus here is the BE9300 is Wifi 7 enabled. Yes, currently, the only WiFi device is the iPhone 17 pro, but again, its nice to be ahead of the technology curve rather than be current or behind it. In summary, I have to admit, the BE9300 exceeded my expectations, as I was not really in the market for a mesh system, but almost, by accident, I have one (I glossed over the "Easy Mesh" part of the BE9300). Combined with the slight increase in speed and the WiFi 7 capability already being there, I highly recommend this guy if you want to stay in the $200 range (vs. $400 range) when looking at a new or replacement router. And I got this during Amazon's fall "sale" and it happened to have a $20 coupon from TpLink which made it a very nice deal.

I'm a 37 year old computer scientist that has breathed computers, internet, and all its assorted devices his whole life. TP-Link is a standout router company right now, probably due to relative under-performance in the medium term. But their current Wifi 7 routers are unmatched; it's not even a debate. This is the best router you can get for the money right now, and with Wifi 7 bringing the MLO network, your wifi will have never been better (once you have devices that also support it, with the most important one being your smartphone (Samsung's newest as of writing already has Wifi 7 support, with iPhone 16 pro rumored to be getting it. If you have both of these, you need to turn on the MLO network setting in your router. It is absolutely worth paying for to have it done if you don't have the slightest clue how). The app is also very easy and very pleasant to use, with a modern UX that today's consumer demands. It can also help you set up your router, including said MLO network. Don't forget to enable EasyMesh, too, if applicable. And speaking of EasyMesh - do you need a new router? If that's the question you have for yourself, I'd say that if it's not Wifi 7 (and it almost definitely isn't, or you wouldn't be here) at the very least, then you do. But there's another metric with a lower bar: go into your router settings and update its firmware right now. If it doesn't support EasyMesh after that firmware update, yeah, you should upgrade. EasyMesh is the Wifi Alliance's new standard Mesh system that will support a mesh network not just between different models of routers, but different companies. That's huge. This, along with the MLO network, means that these modern routers are a very large step-change in technology, quite possibly the largest since 5Ghz and the advent of WPA2 encryption, and these were ages ago. Bonus MLO network section: Why is the MLO network a big deal for your smartphone? At a glance, it seems to just combine all the bands (2.4, 5, and 6Ghz) into one. So that just means higher throughput, right? Isn't 5Ghz enough even for HDR 4k video on Netflix? Yes, it is. But while greater throughput is nice, think about it for a second. Right now, any Wifi network you connect to (meaning a singular named SSID) only supports one band. So if you're connected to 5Ghz, and then you go outside into your backyard, you have to depend on your phone to be smart enough to switch to the 2.4Ghz to maintain a connection (since higher Ghz don't travel as far). This often fails. What's worse, even if it does switch, the phone often never sees the use in switching BACK to 5Ghz when you go back in the house, so you will be connected to the slower band potentially indefinitely, unless you go change the Wifi you're connected to manually. And you'd have to do this every. single. time. Why even have all these nice bands with specific purposes if it's so annoying to use? Well, here comes the MLO network to save the day. If all the bands can simply always be active on just one Wifi network, there's never a choice to make in the first place: not for you, NOR your phone. You're just always using all them. That means when you go into your backyard, your phone will simply be unable to use 5Ghz only because it's too far away, but the MLO will still be sending packets on 2.4Ghz. And when you go back inside, there doesn't need to be any intelligent decision by you nor the phone, since it's still on the same network, and once you're back in physical range, the 5Ghz will just start sending again right away. No user input needed, and no stupid algorithms making bad choices. And, it works with 6ghz too, of course. All 3 bands at the same time, on the same SSID. Do you see what I'm getting at now? It's a huge step forward for both performance AND ease of use. Wifi 7's MLO network, along with the Wifi Alliance's EasyMesh standard will usher in a new era of Home Wifi performance, reliability and user experience, with the long-term goal of single band Wifi SSID's disappearing completely and MLO network SSID's being the norm. But don't get too excited - devices have to support Wifi 7 to see the MLO network. So for now, your phone will be one of the only devices to use it. But honestly, that's good enough for now - the tech is that transformative. But one day, your toaster, fridge and Hue lighting system will simply connect to the one MLO network that exists, and no other single-band Wifi's will even be on, because they will no longer have a use outside of legacy devices that some people just can't live without.

This is very close to scam model features advertisement. Reason i bought these routers is that my older mesh setup from same vendor (3x Deco M9 and 2x Deco M5 nodes) stopped working two months ago after firmware update - they broke DHCP for Guest network where i keep 50 IOT devices isolated from main network. Which was already a firm suggestion to not use this brand any more. Why I decided to give them a try again, I don’t know.. OK I received two BE550 today and spent entire morning to bind them in mesh (kinda glitchy process, had to reset them multiple times and login to local web UI, of course I updated FW to latest). Neither web UI nor Tether iphone app show backend eth links speed, but at least 1G eth should work for my test (i think it’s less than 100ft of Cat5e cable and worked well earlier) as my Comcast uplink is only 600Mbits, far from extreme requirements right? So again, my setup is wired backend between wifi nodes, and I need full speed of all 3 bands combined with dynamic allocation - wherever I go in my house, I want the top speed from these best customer level WiFi 7 devices! And here we start to struggle with TP-Link: 1) main wifi network can only combine 2.4 + 5Ghz, 6Ghz is separate band. Its basically old 802.1ac where your devices switch between old slow 2.4 and faster but not stable 5 bands. 2) MLO (multi link operation) - which is essential for tri-band - can only be enabled as separate wifi network (SSID) and(!) only combine 5 + 6 GHz, meaning that you always have to be pretty close to routers. 3) MLO (surprise!) appears to be working only off main node, and latest firmware does not support it for mesh satellite nodes. This is official and clear statement from their support line today!! Moreover they told me BE63 model (specialised mesh model) also has this problem! To make it clear for you - new 6GHz band alone makes zero sense if you stick to it, unless you live in studio apartment and router is in the middle. And only way to use third band in BE550 is dedicated 6GHz SSID. Meaning that either you need 8 nodes across the house, or you will have poor reception all the time going from couch to kitchen. I’m going to return these and try Asus tri-band Wifi 7. TP links are just too basic for the price, and I don’t want to rely on it any more.

Review Update August 31, 2025: In recent months Apple has updated the iPhone 16 to use MLO [Multi-Link Operation] efficiently. This way, all three bands will be used as needed. When the iPhone 16 first came out in September 2024, there was only the 2.4GHz or 5GHz or 6GHz bands in use on the iPhone. Now, i couldn't be happier that I'm getting full functionality from the BE9300! Original Review August 29, 2024: I wanted to believe the hype for WiFi 7, because I was already in the TP-Link family with WiFi 6 TP-Link AX1800 Router. Installation was simple for me, like the majority of guys on here. However, there is probably a good explanation for why a large number of people have struggled with the BE9300. I cannot speak to that, but I’m sure the reasons are valid. I used the Tether mobile APP, and set the BE9300 up as a new device, using the SSID and password that came with the BE9300. However, I kept all my Tether mobile APP passwords, only updating the Local Network SSID and its password from the new BE9300. You won’t want to reuse Local SSID names and passwords for different routers 🤣. Tether Mobile APP is a powerful tool, use it first if you can. The overall improvement in my home network has affected everything that has a WiFi radio or Ethernet port. For example: I now have very stable connections, greater HDR color depth in streaming video, and deeper bass and more crystalline highs in streaming audio. In a sense, it’s like I have a new audio/video system. Also, my Withings Body+ Smart Scale linked to Apple Health APP, using TP-Link AX1800 router or Spectrum AX6E router, could NEVER display my Apple Health APP daily steps for more than 24-hours at a time, before they would disappear. And resetting the Body+ would be the only way to get the steps back, but only for another resetting cycle. Oddly, daily weather predictions were stable, as were the Body Composition metrics. Just the daily steps were constantly AWOL. Since installing BE9300 in my network, those Apple Health APP daily steps consistently display as intended into the smart scale. All this improvement, and I only have one WiFi 7 device 😂🤣🥲. I have the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which has a WiFi 7 radio. All iPhone 16s utilizes a Broadcom Wi-Fi 7 chip, supporting the full Wi-Fi 7 standard across all 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, including Multi-Link Operation (MLO) functionality. Thus, iPhone 16 can enable the full performance of Wi-Fi 7 globally and optimize the potential of both the increasingly accessible 6GHz spectrum and regions with only 5GHz availability, leaving the 2.4GHz spectrum for legacy Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and IoT. All WiFi 7 devices will have this functionality in the BE9300. My main takeaway is that the BE9300, has increased bandwidth to my home network such that all my connected devices get the full signal requested without any throttling at all. Thus, everything is faster, fuller, brighter, clearer and more stable. I have noticed that iPhone 16 Pro Max alternates between 5Ghz and 6Ghz in the BE9300. It makes that decision based on moment-by-moment conditions in my home. Apple will probably tweak future iPhones to use 6Ghz more in the future. My main home theater is a Marantz SR6015 7.2.4 AVR with a 65” LG OLED TV. This system loves BE9300. I feel future-proofed for the foreseeable future, and the $300 cost is an excellent investment.

This review is for a TP-Link BE9300 WiFi 7 router. I purchased this because my existing router, a TP-Link Archer GX90, was not giving me maximum throughput from my cable modem to my devices, both wired and wireless. My internet connection was a 1.2Gbps connection, but my Archer was only capable of Gigabit speeds in the wired connection. My wireless speeds were even slower, despite the claim of 2+ Gbps on the WiFi 6 channel. Even right next to the router, my WiFi speeds rarely exceeded 900Mbps. The BE9300 didn't disappoint with wired speeds. I saw my 1.2Gbps connection maxed on my PC using Ethernet with the BE9300's 2.5Gbps ports, both WAN and all 4 LAN ports. Wireless I saw the same on my WiFi 7 channels... in the same room. As soon as I left the room my router was in, I saw a significant drop in speed, ESPECIALLY on the WiFi 7 channels. In my bedroom (which is upstairs, which definitely blocks signal on all channels), WiFi 7 usually doesn't even show up on my WiFi list, and when it did the speeds were abysmal. For any of you shopping for a new router, keep in mind that each channel's signal degrades at different rates. 2.4Ghz goes the furthest, but offers slowest speeds. 5Ghz offers more speed, but the further you are away, the faster it degrades. 6Ghz is even worse. If you're looking to upgrade to a WiFi 7 router and have a larger or two-story home, you will likely need mesh-net WiFi or access points that tie into your router. If you're in a smaller, single story home, this unit would likely work for you. I ended up using my BE9300 as my router, with my GX90 as an access point in my living room. I only use the WiFi for my BE9300 for my wireless doorbell, as my GX90 does most of the WiFi heavy lifting. It's more centrally located and gives me reliable speeds pretty much anywhere in the house. With both of these TP-Link units, I suggest turning the feature that combines all your WiFi into a single signal that "chooses the best one", as it never did for me. Both my GX90 and my BE9300 performed poorly with this option turned on. Keeping all the bands separate allows me to stay on the fastest band for my devices and keeps my speeds consistently high. For a small, single story home with the router centrally located, this unit alone would be fantastic paired with Gig+ internet providers. I downgraded it to 4 stars for two reasons. 1st, a feature that doesn't work as intended, which I mentioned earlier that chooses the band but gives your WiFi a single name. Secondly, my router inexplicably died on me out of the blue. I came home one day to no internet... the router was completely dead. TP-Link got me a new one very quickly and gave me a discount on the shipping, and I was able to get a faster option for $10 shipping (would have been more, but I can't recall how much). They sent me a replacement router in 2 days with a return label so I could send the defective unit back. Their customer service keeps this from getting dropped to 3-stars. Kudos TP-Link!

I bought this TP-Link Archer BE550 Pro to use in Access Point mode, fed by a 2.5 Gbps ethernet cable from my AT&T fiber router. Replaces a decade-old Wi-Fi 5 dual-band Netgear Nighthawk extender/AP to get Wi-Fi 7 Tri-Band. The first big question I had, that nearly prevented me from ordering this one, is that 10Gbps WAN port in back. Is it multi-gig, or is it fixed at 10Gbps? Nowhere on the box or on the webpage says. Even more confusing since other similar TP-Link models have a separate 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN port marked along with three 2.5Gbps LAN ports. Well turns out the answer from TP_Link customer support is yes, the 10 Gbps IS a multi-gig port that specifically will work fine with 2.5 Gbps (and I'm assuming 5Gbps and 1Gbps but I didn't ask) and linked up just fine with my 8 port 2.5Gbps TP-Link ethernet switch. All of this means this Archer BE550 Pro router is future-proof, since I eventually expect to upgrade to 10Gbps throughout the house in a couple of years when the prices come down. This BE550 Pro router comes with a short funky flat ethernet cable with shielded RJ45 connectors that I'm sure must be rated for 10Gbps (but works great at 2.5Gbps, of course). All you need for 2.5 Gbps though is Cat5e or Cat6 (what I'm using in the house) cable. Another hiccup is how to access this router's web setup page, or more specifically, how to find out what IP address it landed at on your network to do that. The Tether app does a great job with initial setup and some of the basic settings, including the ability to switch from router mode to access point mode. But then...anyone who has spent years with routers will say "where are the rest of the settings" and assume the the router will probably come up with a settings web page with more at its IP address. But where? The AT&T router is at 192.168.3.1 (I use a .3 subnet on the publicly un-routable 192.168.x.x for home network) but remember this is in Access Point mode, so the BE500 Pro IP will be somewhere else. Running a IP scanner doesn't really help much, nothing to ID the device, which by default will land in your DHCP IP block (I run both static IP and DHCP blocks). Turns out the answer is in the Tether app. Click on its entry under the first "My Devices" screen, THEN click right on the picture of the router itself on the next screen. That will come up with an info screen and on there will be the Archer BE550 Pro's IP address. Just log into that IP in your browser and use your TP Link website password for the password. You are in! :) The web setup pages do have a pretty extensive list of settings. So far I'm very impressed with this router, in all three bands, and especially the IoT setup. I'm using 2.4 GHz and 5Ghz IoT bands for the solar panels, Ring doorbell, water softener, and remote control of a Mitsubishi mini-split A/C system. The Wi-Fi 7 6Ghz band is working great to a cell phone and an external Tri-band Wi-Fi adapter on a laptop. The Tether app alerts every time a new device has joined one of the networks, which is handy. Recommended!!

UPDATE, JUNE 6, 2025: I've had this router for 3 months now with my Spectrum (Cable) Internet service. I currently have the 1000 Mbps-Down/40 Mbps Up speeds. I get consistent speeds on WiFi equal to what I subscribed to the 1 Gig service from Spectrum Internet. Very happy with the router. See attached speed test picture.. Note: Also the security subscriptions on this router are not needed. They are optional enhancements. The router will work without them. The router firmware is up to date........ ****Recommended settings for TP Link Wi-Fi routers and access points, which could potentially take care of all the negative reviews**** For the best security, performance and reliability, these are the recommended settings for any Wi-Fi routers, base stations or access points. The information in this article is primarily for network administrators and others who manage their own network. About Wi-Fi privacy and security warnings If your devices shows a privacy warning or weak-security warning about a Wi-Fi network, such as a warning about a private Wi-Fi address, that network could expose information about your device. If you administer the Wi-Fi network, we recommend you update the settings of your Wi-Fi router to meet or exceed the security standards in this article. If you don't administer the Wi-Fi network, bring these settings to the attention of the network administrator. Router settings To change your router's settings, update its firmware or change the Wi-Fi password, use the configuration web page or app provided by the router's manufacturer. For help, consult the router's documentation, its manufacturer or your network administrator. Before changing settings, back up your router's existing settings in case you need to restore them. Also make sure your router's firmware is up to date, and install the latest software updates for your devices. After changing settings, you may need to forget the network on each device that previously joined the network. The device then uses the router's new settings when rejoining the network. To help ensure your devices can connect securely and reliably to your network, apply these settings consistently to each Wi-Fi router and access point, and to each band of a dual-band, tri-band or other multiband router: Security Network name (SSID) Hidden network MAC address filtering Automatic firmware updates Radio mode Bands Channel Channel width DHCP DHCP lease time NAT WMM DNS server Security Set to WPA3 Personal for better security, or set to WPA2/WPA3 Transitional for compatibility with older devices. The security setting defines the type of authentication and encryption used by your router, and the level of privacy protection for data transmitted over its network. Whichever setting you choose, always set a strong password for joining the network. WPA3 Personal is the newest, most secure protocol currently available for Wi-Fi devices. It works with all devices that support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), and some older devices. WPA2/WPA3 Transitional is a mixed mode that uses WPA3 Personal with devices that support that protocol, while allowing older devices to use WPA2 Personal (AES) instead. (**Will not work as well with legacy devices. 2.4 and 5Ghz signals fluccuate too much. Use WPA2 for non-compatible WPA3 devices.**) WPA2 Personal (AES) is appropriate when you can't use one of the more secure modes. In that case, also choose AES as the encryption or cipher type, if available. (***Most preferred encryption for legacy devices on 2.4 and 5 Ghz.***) Weak security settings to avoid on your router Don't create or join networks that use older, deprecated security protocols. They're no longer secure, they reduce network reliability and performance, and they cause your device to show a security warning: WPA/WPA2 mixed modes WPA Personal WEP, including WEP Open, WEP Shared, WEP Transitional Security Network or Dynamic WEP (WEP with 802.1X) TKIP, including any security setting with TKIP in the name Settings that turn off security, such as None, Open or Unsecured, are also strongly discouraged. Turning off security disables authentication and encryption and allows anyone to join your network, access its shared resources (including printers, computers and smart devices), use your internet connection, and monitor the websites you visit and other data that's transmitted over your network or internet connection. This is a risk even if security is turned off temporarily or for a guest network. Network name (SSID) Set to a single, unique name (case-sensitive) for all bands. The SSID (service set identifier) is the name that your network uses to advertise its presence to other devices. It's the name that nearby users see on their device's list of available Wi-Fi networks. Make sure all routers on your network use the same name for every band they support. If you give your 2.4GHz, 5GHz or 6GHz bands different names, devices may not connect reliably to your network, to all routers on your network or to all available bands of your routers. If your router is providing a Wi-Fi 6E network that isn't using the same name for all bands, Apple devices that support Wi-Fi 6E will identify the network as having limited compatibility. Turn off "Smart Connect" Disable OFDMA/MU-MIMO. Don't enable MLO Network. Most household do not have Wi-Fi 7 devices. Use a name that’s unique to your network. Don't use common names or default names such as linksys, netgear, dlink, wireless or 2wire. Otherwise, devices that join your network will be more likely to encounter other networks that have the same name, and then automatically try to connect to them. Hidden network Set to Disabled. A router can be configured to hide its network name (SSID). Your router may incorrectly use "closed" to mean hidden and "broadcast" to mean not hidden. Hiding the network name doesn't conceal the network from detection or secure it against unauthorised access. And because of how devices search for and connect to Wi-Fi networks, using a hidden network may expose information that can be used to identify you and the hidden networks you use, such as your home network. When connected to a hidden network, your device may display a privacy warning because of this privacy risk. To secure access to your network, use the appropriate security setting instead. MAC address filtering, authentication or access control Set to Disabled. When this feature is enabled, your router can be set up to allow only devices that have specified media access control (MAC) addresses to join the network. You shouldn't rely on this feature to prevent unauthorised access to your network for these reasons: It doesn't prevent network observers from monitoring or intercepting traffic on the network. MAC addresses can easily be copied, spoofed (impersonated) or changed. To help protect user privacy, some Apple devices use a different MAC address for each Wi-Fi network. To secure access to your network, use the appropriate security setting instead. Automatic firmware updates Set to Enabled. If possible, set your router to automatically install software and firmware updates when they become available. These updates can affect the security settings available to you, and they deliver other important improvements to the stability, performance and security of your router. Radio mode Set to All (preferred), or set to Wi-Fi 2 to Wi-Fi 6 or later. Radio mode settings, available separately for 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz bands, control which versions of the Wi-Fi standard that the router uses for wireless communication. Newer versions offer better performance and support more devices concurrently. It's usually best to enable every mode offered by your router, rather than a subset of those modes. All devices, including older devices, can then connect using the fastest radio mode they support. This also helps reduce interference from nearby legacy networks and devices. Bands Enable all bands supported by your router. A Wi-Fi band is like a road that data can pass down. More bands provide more data capacity and performance for your network. Channel Set to Auto. Each band of your router is divided into multiple, independent communication channels, such as lanes on a road. When channel selection is set to automatic, your router selects the best Wi-Fi channel for you. If your router doesn't support automatic channel selection, choose whichever channel performs best in your network environment. That varies depending on the Wi-Fi interference in your network environment, which can include interference from other routers and devices that are using the same channel. If you have multiple routers, configure each one to use a different channel, especially if they are close to each other. Channel width **Set to 20MHz for the 2.4GHz band** (Very important..!!). Set to Auto or all widths for the 5GHz and 6GHz bands. Channel width specifies how large of a "pipe" is available to transfer data. Wider channels are faster but more susceptible to interference and more likely to interfere with other devices. 20MHz for the 2.4GHz band helps to avoid performance and reliability issues, especially near other Wi-Fi networks and 2.4GHz devices, including Bluetooth devices. Auto or all channel widths for 5GHz and 6GHz bands ensures the best performance and compatibility with all devices. Wireless interference is less of a concern in these bands. DHCP Set to Enabled if your router is the only DHCP server on the network. Dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) assigns IP addresses to devices on your network. Each IP address identifies a device on the network and enables it to communicate with other devices on the network and internet. A network device needs an IP address, much like a phone needs a phone number. Your network should have only one DHCP server. If DHCP is enabled on more than one device, such as on both your cable modem and router, address conflicts may prevent some devices from connecting to the internet or using network resources. DHCP lease time Set to 8 hours for home or office networks. Set to 1 hour for hotspots or guest networks. DHCP lease time is the length of time that an IP address assigned to a device is reserved for that device. Wi-Fi routers usually have a limited number of IP addresses they can assign to devices on the network. If that number is depleted, the router can't assign IP addresses to new devices, preventing those devices from communicating with other devices on the network and internet. Reducing DHCP lease time allows the router to efficiently reclaim and reassign old IP addresses that are no longer being used. NAT Set to Enabled if your router is the only device providing NAT on the network. Network address translation (NAT) translates between addresses on the internet and addresses on your network. NAT can be understood by imagining a company's post department, where deliveries to employees at the company's street address are directed to employee offices within the building. Generally, enable NAT only on your router. If NAT is enabled on more than one device, such as on both your cable modem and router, the resulting "double NAT" may cause devices to lose access to certain resources on the network or internet. WMM Set to Enabled. WMM (Wi-Fi multimedia) prioritises network traffic to improve the performance of a variety of network applications, such as video and voice. All routers that support Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) or later should have WMM enabled by default. Disabling WMM can affect the performance and reliability of devices on the network. DNS server Continue using the default DNS server, or specify a different primary or secondary server. To easily access websites on the internet, devices need a DNS (Domain Name System) server to translate domain names (such as apple.com) into IP addresses. By default, your router uses the DNS server of your internet service provider (ISP). If it's configured to use a different DNS server, your devices will by default use that server while connected to your router's network. If your device warns you that your network is blocking encrypted DNS traffic, you can continue using the configured DNS server, but the names of websites and other servers that your device accesses on the network are unencrypted and therefore could be monitored and recorded by other devices on the network. You can contact your ISP or other DNS provider for more information, but first try these solutions: Make sure your software is up to date and your security setting is configured as recommended. Restart your device. Restart your router. Forget the Wi-Fi network and then rejoin it.

Beware if you are expecting some advanced features to be present like other routers for the price you are paying. The lesson here is to read the manual completely before you buy. Off the top of my head, this router lacks the following.. - No SSH support. - No VLAN support beyond the four VLANs they allow for. - No Multi-WAN SSID support for a given frequency unless it is the IoT or Guest Network they allow for. - No granular adjustments can be made to the firewall in case you need snat or dnat support. I agree that a good number of end users will never use these features, but it is the price paid that "sticks the thorn in the side". IT professionals expect these features regardless of the fact this is a consumer product for this price. The good part is, once I realized the limitations, I was able to come up with a change of topology plan, and had the router up and running in about 15 minutes in my environment. So they get a point for that. The basic install was super easy. I didn't read the quick setup. The WebUI is definitely meant for a newbie or someone not too familiar with networks, which is good. The advanced settings are a little better, but with the lacking features, can be annoying to the more advanced users. It is almost like saying "here it is, can you reach it? While pulling it away at the same time". They could have at least included a link to a console window if they really wanted to push back on the SSH support. I will say that the OneMesh/EasyMesh is nice when you have TP-Link WiFi extenders installed in the house. You can see the devices attached to each access point from a single page. So far this router has been very stable and letting the EasyMesh deal with my extenders has been a relatively good experience. Bottom line is I was hoping to discontinue my old router only to find I will still have to use it because I need more than four VLANs. Home Office good use case, but small office not so much.