How to configure TP-Link router

Have you just bought your first TP-Link router and would like help setting it up correctly? No problem, I assure you that you have come to the right place at the right time. Below you will find a guide – I hope quite clear and exhaustive – on how to configure TP-Link routers: try to read it and you should be able to dispel all your doubts on the subject.

In addition to a precise overview of the integrated functions of the device, in this tutorial, you will also find very detailed instructions on how to open the router ports and how to configure the device to take advantage of the services provided by some of the major Italian telephone operators. I assure you that everything is much simpler than you might imagine. Come on, take five minutes of free time and try to put into practice the instructions I am about to give you.

Note: the tutorial you are about to read was made using a TP-Link Archer C9, but the indications in it should also be valid for many other modems/router models produced by the Chinese company, except, in some cases, for the language and location of menus and buttons. Enjoy the reading!

Index

• Preliminary operations
• How to configure TP Link router
  • Overview
  • Opening the doors
• How to configure TP Link router for Eolo
• How to configure TP Link router with Telecom
• How to configure TP Link router as a repeater
  • Access Point Mode (Ethernet connection)
  • Range Extender mode (Wi-Fi connection)

Preliminary operations

In order to configure a TP-Link router, it is essential to access, through any browser (preferably for a computer), the Web interface of the operating system, through which all aspects of the same can be controlled – from the Internet connection parameters to the settings. of Wi-Fi, through the opening of doors, access management and much, much more.

To begin with, if you haven’t already done so, connect the router to the power supply and insert the ADSL / Fiber cable into the WAN / Internet input located on the back of the network device, unless you want to configure it as a repeater. . Subsequently, connect the router to the computer using an Ethernet cable or, if this is not possible, check the availability of a possible “factory” Wi-Fi network: the access credentials are generally printed on the label located in the bottom of the router.

Once the physical connections have been established, open the browser program of your choice and connect to the address 192.168.1.1: if everything went well, you should see the login page of the administration panel of the device. If you see an error message, try connecting to the addresses 192.168.0.1, http://tplinkwifi.net, http://tplinklogin.netor again http://tplinkmodem.net: if I were to continue to receive errors, try to find you the IP address of the router, by following the instructions that I have given you my tutorial on ‘subject.

To complete the login, you must enter the combination of username and password of the router, inside the boxes you see on the screen: generally, this corresponds to admin/password or admin/admin. If you are unable to log in, try looking for the correct “coordinates” on the label printed on the router, on the one affixed to the sales package or in the pages of the device’s user manual. In case of problems, I refer you to reading my tutorial on how to see the modem password, in which I have given you precise instructions on what to do.

How to configure TP Link router

Once you have accessed the router configuration panel, you can configure it in all its aspects, using the buttons, menus and options available. The main features of the operating system installed on TP-Link network devices are illustrated below.

Overview

The TP-Link router management panel is usually divided into two large sections: the upper one, which allows you to perform quick configuration and to choose between the view dedicated to the basic options and that for the advanced options; and the side one, which instead allows you to navigate between the various menus and functions of the router.

By clicking on the Quick Setup tab, you can start the initial configuration procedure of the network device, during which you need to set your country of residence, the time zone and the Internet connection parameters. Many TP-Link modem routers have an automatic recognition function, through which it is possible to instantly obtain the correct parameters to be used for connecting to the network managed by your service provider.

Alternatively, you can manually specify the connection parameters, based on the “coordinates” suitable for the specific service provider: for example, you can find those of TIM on this page, those of Vodafone on this other page, those of WINDTRE on this site and those of Fastweb on its official site.

Once the Internet access has been configured, the TP-Link initial configuration procedure ends with the adjustment of the parameters for the Wi-Fi network: using the menus and text boxes on the screen, you can specify the name of the wireless network, the operating band (2.4GHz, 5GHz or both), the network key to be used to protect it and, if necessary, the wireless channel.

Let’s now pass to the functional options of the router: as it is easy to imagine, the Basic / Basic mode allows access to a set of limited settings, strictly essential for the basic configuration of the device; the Advanced / Advanced mode, on the other hand, allows you to view all the available options. Let me give you a comprehensive overview of the menu items available for the two modes.

• Network map(Basic): allows you to view the status of the Internet connection, the number of devices connected to the modem and their type.
• Internet(Basic): allows you to set the connection to the Internet by the router, either automatically or by manually entering the parameters relating to your service provider.
• Wireless(Basic / Advanced): Allows you to customize the name of the Wi-Fi networks generated by the router, the network password and the frequency band. In Advanced mode, you can also choose the channel for each network, activate/deactivate the WPS system and view the connection statistics.
• USB Settings(Basic / Advanced): Configure the use of storage devices and printers connected to the router.
• Parental control(Basic / Advanced): allows you to apply restrictions on navigation and period of use of the network for one or more connected devices.
• Guest network(Basic / Advanced): allows you to configure “Guest” access, which is a separate Wi-Fi network with some restrictions, to be used to allow Internet access to guests and people outside your household.
• Status(Advanced): Provides a comprehensive overview of the network interfaces configured in the router, the status of the Internet connection, that of the connected devices, and so on.
• Network(Advanced): using the submenus present in this item, it is possible to configure Internet access by the router, its IP address, the settings relating to the LAN network profiles, the behavior of the DHCP server, the use of dynamic DNS, and additional advanced routing options.
• Operating mode(Advanced): allows you to change the way the appliance is used: router, Access Point or Range Extender (where available).
• NAT Forwarding(Advanced): This section allows you to open router ports with the use of virtual servers or triggering rules, define a demilitarized IP and configure automatic port opening via UPnP.
• QoS(Advanced): this is the section dedicated to setting the QoS mechanism integrated in the router, with the possibility of defining the rules manually.
• Security(Advanced): allows you to enable/disable the router’s firewall, the DoS protection mechanism, allow/deny access to the network by certain devices and to bind between IP and Mac, i.e. assigning a static IP address to a specific physical address.
• VPN Server(Advanced): Create a VPN server through the router.
• System Tools(Advanced): Allows you to intervene on router parameters independent of Internet/network connections, such as date/time settings, turn LEDs on or off, updates, reset, and so on.

Opening the doors

Opening the ports in a router means unlocking the communication channels that some software and some devices use to communicate with the outside. The most common cases, at the time of writing this guide, are those of game servers and consoles. If you do not unlock the ports, it is not possible to host matches from outside, due to the NAT system.

To open the ports in your TP-Link router, you need to access the device administration panel, click on the Advanced tab and select the NAT Forwarding> Virtual servers items from the left sidebar. Then you have to click on the Add item and you have to fill in the form that is proposed to you with the “coordinates” relating to the door you want to open.

• In the Type of service field you must specify the name of the service for which you intend to unlock the door (eg PS4).
• In the External door and Internal door fields you must enter the number of the door to open.
• In the Internal IP field you have to type the IP address of the device for which to unlock the door. If you don’t know what it is, find out how to view IP address by reading the tutorial I wrote on the subject.
• In the Protocolmenu you have to select the protocol of the port to open (TCP, UDP or All / ALL, for both protocols).

When the operation is completed, to make the rule operational immediately, put the check mark next to the word Enable and press the OK button, in order to apply it. If you need to open ports for commonly used software (eg FTP client, e-mail client, etc.) you can use the predefined rules accessible by clicking on the View existing services button.

How to configure TP Link router for Eolo

To configure TP-Link router for Eolo, proceed as follows: after logging in to the router, click on the Quick setup tab, indicate the language and time zone to use and press the Next button.

Now, select the PPPoE / PPPoE Russia item from the Connection Type screen, click on the Next button and indicate the username and password that were provided to you by Eolo during the connection phase.

Then, press the Next button again and, if prompted, set the NAT option to Active; to conclude, press the Next button again, define the name and password of the Wi-Fi network generated by the router, using the options on the screen and finish everything by clicking on the Next and End buttons, to start the Internet connection test and terminate the process.

How to configure TP Link router with Telecom

If you need to configure the TP-Link router for use with Telecom, or better, TIM services, make sure that its firmware is updated to the latest version available so that you can use the default profile of the network device. and further simplify the configuration.

Therefore, after inserting the cable coming from the telephone input into the Internet port of the router, access the latter as seen previously, use the drop-down menu located at the top right to set the language to Italian (if possible) and click on the Quick Setup tab, located at the top, or on the side.

Now, using the menus displayed to set the Region (presumably Italy ) and the time zone (presumably GMT + 01.00 h ) of belonging, click on the Next button and select the TIM / Alice_xDSL item from the ISP List drop-down menu, in order to choose the appropriate configuration profile.

Once this is done, click on the Next button and use the options that are proposed to you to configure the Wi-Fi connection ( network name and password, operating band and so on). Once all the necessary adjustments have been completed, press the Next button again, wait for the Internet connection test to be successful and press the Skip button to avoid the VoIP configuration (for which you will necessarily have to contact TIM, in order to receive the login credentials and adjustment parameters suitable for your line). Finally, click on the Finish button to complete the router configuration and finally make it operational.

If, for some reason, you are unable to use the router’s preset TIM profile, do this: after specifying the language and time zone to apply, put the check mark next to the PPPoE / PPPoE Russia option visible in the Connection Type screen, click on the Next button and indicate as the connection username and password, respectively, the telephone number assigned to your line and the word timadsl.

Then, press the Next button again and, if necessary, type the value 835 in the VLAN field and set the NAT option to Active; now, press the Next button again, configure the router’s Wi-Fi network in the way you deem appropriate and click again on the Next and Finish buttons, to finish the process.

How to configure TP Link router as a repeater

Do you want to “recycle” your TP-Link router and use it as a wireless repeater? No problem: almost all modern network devices produced by the Chinese company have this possibility. However, before proceeding, you must carefully check the technical data sheet of the router in your possession, to identify the supported connection mode: for example, almost all routers with modem functions (therefore connected directly to the ADSL, VDSL or FTTC network) can be used as Wi-Fi repeaters in Access Point mode but must be connected to the main modem via a good quality Ethernet cable, preferably Cat7 or higher.

 

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Instead, there are routers of the TP-Link family that can be used with functions of real Range extender: in this case, it is sufficient to use the integrated functionality to connect the router to the main wireless network, without the need to physically communicate the two network devices.

Before starting, I recommend that you get an Ethernet cable through which to connect the TP-Link router to be configured and the computer from which you are going to make adjustments.

If your TP-Link device only supports Access Point mode, you will also need a second Ethernet cable, long enough, to connect the router with the main modem. Below I’ll explain everything in detail.

Access Point Mode (Ethernet connection)

To start, place the TP-Link router with Access Point functions in the position you think is most suitable, insert one end of the long Ethernet cable into the Internet / WAN port on the back of the router and connect the second end to one of the Ethernet ports present on the main router (the one directly connected to the Internet).

Once this is done, insert one of the two ends of the second network cable into one of the Ethernet ports of the TP-Link router acting as an Access Point, connect the second end of the cable to the Ethernet port of the computer and turn on the network device, if not you still did.

Now, open the browser of your choice, access the router configuration panel as I showed you at the beginning of this guide, click on the Settings tab located at the top and then on the item Operating mode, visible in the sidebar of the management interface of the router. Once this is done, put the check mark next to Access Point and click on the Save button, to restart the router and change its operating mode.

At the end of the restart, enter the TP-Link router management interface again, this time click on the Quick Setup tab and use the form that is proposed to you to specify the name of the wireless network generated by the Access Point, together with the network key to use to access it; remember to check the Enable wireless box to activate the corresponding connection. Finally, make sure the Hide SSID boxes are not checked, otherwise the respective networks will not be visible.

To conclude, click on the Next button, take a look at the summary of the configured networks to verify that the parameters are correct and finally press the Save button, to save the network configuration and make the new Access Point operational, which should be able to take advantage of the Internet connection generated by the main router, making it available to the various devices (smartphones, tablets, PCs and so on) that will connect to the newly configured Wi-Fi networks.

Range Extender mode (Wi-Fi connection)

If you are interested in configuring TP Link TL-WR940N router in Range Extender mode, everything is even simpler: the only requirement, in this case, is to place the device in question where the Wi-Fi signal strength from ” replicate ”is sufficiently high, about 60%. Please note that the procedure is valid, except for the system language and the position of the menu items, also for other TP-Link devices of the TL and Archer families.

Once you have positioned the future Range Extender appropriately, connect the computer to it using the Ethernet cable, turn on the router (if you have not already done so) and open its management panel, as I indicated in the chapter beginning of this guide.

Now, click on the Quick Setup item visible in the left sidebar (or at the top), put the checkmark next to the Range Extender item and click on the Next button, to go to the next step.

Once this is done, check the box corresponding to the name of the Wi-Fi network to be extended (corresponding to the Connect box ), check that the signal is sufficiently strong by looking at the information visible in the Signal Strength field (must be at least 60%) and click on the Next button.

After this step too, check the box located next to the word Enable and corresponding to the type – or types – of Wi-Fi network to be created (2.4GHz and/or 5GHz) and specify the network access key original wireless, within the Password field.

Now, if you intend to ensure that the name of the extended network is identical to that of the original network, put the check mark next to Copy from Root AP; otherwise, check the box next to Customize and assign the name you prefer to the extended network (s) (the access key will remain identical to that of the original network).

To conclude, click again on the Next button, set the LAN Type drop-down menu on the Smart IP option (so that the Access Point independently configures its IP address) and click on the buttons Next and Finish, to complete the configuration and make the new Access Point is operational.