TP-Link AC1200 Mesh Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender
TP-Link AC1200 Mesh Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender, Broadband/Wi-Fi Extender, Wi-Fi Booster/Hotspot with 1 Ethernet Port, Built-In Access Point Mode, Works with Any Wi-Fi Router, UK Plug (RE330)
Control at Your Fingertips
Set up and manage your Wi-Fi through the TP-Link Tether app from your smartphone (Android, iOS), including TP-Link routers and range extenders.
RE330 | RE550 | RE365 | RE300 | RE220 | |
Wireless Standard | AC1200 | AC1900 | AC1200 | AC1200 | AC750 |
Maximun Wi-Fi Speeds | Dual band 1200Mbps | Dual band 1900Mbps | Dual band 1200Mbps | Dual band 1200Mbps | Dual band 750Mbps |
Ethernet Port | 1*Fast Port | 1*Gigabit Port | 1*Fast Port | — | 1*Fast Port |
Easy Setup (RE) Button | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Smart Signal Indicator | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Access Point Mode | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ |
One Mesh | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
Extra Socket | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
Antenna | 2 Internal Antennas | 3 External Antennas | 2 Internal Antennas | 2 Internal Antennas | 3 Internal Antennas |
Weight: | 230 g |
Dimensions: | 6.95 x 6.48 x 12.41 cm; 230 Grams |
Brand: | TP-Link |
Model: | RE330 |
Colour: | White |
Batteries Included: | No |
Manufacture: | TP-Link |
Dimensions: | 6.95 x 6.48 x 12.41 cm; 230 Grams |
Easy to set-up and use. Strong signal and overall great product. Having already purchased this product and using it to extend our WiFi upstairs it was a repeat purchase to extend our signal into the garden. We just need good weather now!
Solid wifi extender that removed dead zones I had upstairs and now truth be told tv, fire stick, phones etc all run smoother and faster, there’s a review about quality, but I’m 8 months in never an issue unless it’s the router or internet provider itself.
I live in an apartment building and I have a ring camera at the door, however, my wifi signal isn’t strong enough to reach the ring camera. I got this device to extend the wifi signal and it works perfectly. Never had any connection issues. The device is so easy to install. Just plug and access your main wifi router and create the extended wifi network. Very simple process.
Advice when setting up is to turn the 2.4ghz channel off on main network and just use 5Ghz if you are able to keep within a reasonable distance of the existing main router for best performance otherwise leave 2.4Ghz on. In testing with a WiFi 6 router and with gigabit broadband the extender realistically achieves 200 Mbps, otherwise I dare say you need the extender right next to the router give or take which defeats the object.
I was using a Virgin Media internet connection and router, and my corner room was almost not getting any wi-fi. I just plugged this in, and now I have 125 MB speed without any problem. Definitely recommended.
My BT wholehome mesh wifi system signal in my summer house was very weak and smart devices had trouble connection. Added this TP link extender which provided a strong signal to all my smart devices that now all work OK. So very pleased.
I am really happy with the purchase of the Wi-Fi extender of TP-Link. I had black spots at home and the Wi-Fi signal was weak but this extender fixed the issue. I recommend it. Great product for the price!
This product set up as an Access Point via the app has created Wi-Fi capability in our Summerhouse which is too far from the house WiFi but did have an Ethernet cable already in place. Simple and fast to set up and with the Network name and password set to match the house we now have seamless WiFi in the house and garden. Incredibly pleased with this inexpensive device.
Karen was very helpful and talked me through setting up my extender as I had changed my broadband supplier and needed to reset my TP-link extender. it was quick and easy and Karen stayed on the phone until all was working again. 5 mins job and got me sorted. thank you.
Good extender .. able to pick the wifi easily and does its job pretty well .
easy to install and up in few mins .
planning to install the Mesh in future , so this is the one of Mesh to start with .
No issues till now .
Good to go with
I have previous experience with TP-Link products and usually try them first for networking items.
I wasn’t disappointed this time either.
1 – plug it in next to the Wi-Fi router and let the extender do its stuff
2 – take the extender to a Wi-Fi desert and watch the LEDs on the extender
3 – If the extender is in range then you have succeeded.
Its not much more complicated than that but do what every engineer does – Read the instructions.
Great price, arrived quickly, easy to set up, works well with coverage on both bands. In this case just being used as an extender not a mesh device. Set up software is a little slow but fine to use. Once set up all works seamlessly with decent range. Good quality product.
I bought 2 of these to extend the WiFi signal both up and downstairs – the beauty of a three storey.
I followed the instructions via the tether app: Download the TP Link tether app. It instantly found the powered up extender installed in the same room as my modem.
Connected to both 5 and 2.4 Ghz networks: I have a tri-band Asus GT1100 modem. I had to select the same network twice for each frequency and used the same password as my modem for each. After a few minutes the app told me it was connected and to place it in the new location.
NB: before you move it from your modem room, make sure all the lights are on at the bottom to ensure your connected to both band widths. This way you can tell if your out of range or not, or wether you simply haven’t connected correctly.
I then moved the new extender to upstairs and got all the lights on at the bottom. Moved it a bit further away, and lost the 5Ghz light, so settled for it’s first position. Did the same for downstairs.
The whole process took around 10 minutes.
The extender adds ‘EXT’ to the end of the network name. So, I then had to change/add the new network to those devices which would use it. A mobile or tablet switches over to whatever gives the best signal depending on where it is in the house. Brilliant! I also now know which modem my devices are connected too. A must for my front doorbell as I needed it to connect to the downstairs TP link to get the best signal.
Since install I have got rid of all those black spots, and the household network works seemlessly.
My room is the furthest room away from the router so I needed this and it works brilliantly, definetly would recommend if you have low connection in your room.
5/5 from me
Have just had full fibre WiFi installed, which is great but wasn’t reaching back room very well due to wall. This little gadget is a beauty and I’m now getting full access, chuffed is an understateme
Very easy setup. Downloaded the app easily (need to create an account) and within minutes I have full bar signal of WiFi in an area that previously had 1 bar. Very fast speeds too with lots of devices connected. I highly recommend this device.
Straightforward plug in and connect design.
Only downside is WIFI isn’t as robust as I’d hoped. When it’s running, speed is good. However it drops out and is unstable from time to time. Better than not having it I suppose as I wasn’t getting a signal at all in the furthest places of the home.
I purchased the TP-Link AC1200 Mesh Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender to extend the signal at home. The setup using the TP-LINK app was remarkably easy. This extender has proven to be very reliable and effectively resolved the black spot I had. A fantastic solution for improved Wi-Fi coverage
My router is installed near the front door – which is far from ideal, but that’s where the service provider’s technician put it before he fled.
The WiFi signal in my living room and dining room have always been weak because the ordeal it faces in penetrating the walls between the front door and my devices, have attenuated it. After installing a couple of RE330 range extenders, the situation has improved. I have one in each room; both on the ground floor. If my WiFi analyser can be believed, the signal getting through to my internet radio which streams from Spotify has been boosted by about 30%. This is a pleasing outcome that exceeded my expectations.
This range extender is easy to set up, and the system easy to monitor with the Tether app.
Having bought other range extenders/amplifiers I thought I’d give this a go to cover done dead spots on the house. Seems to work a treat. Only issue so far is that I have had to give the network connection a different name, so have to manually change networks depending where I am in the house….
The TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender is a budget-friendly option for expanding your Wi-Fi network. It supports AC1200 speeds, which means it can provide speeds of up to 1200 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. The range extender also features a built-in Ethernet port, so you can connect it to a wired device to extend your Ethernet network.
It is easy to set up and use. You can set it up using the TP-Link Tether app or through a web browser. Once it is set up, the range extender will automatically connect to your existing Wi-Fi network and extend its range.
The TP-Link AC1200 is a good value for the price. It is comparable to other budget-friendly range extenders, such as the Netgear EX3700 and the D-Link DAP-1520. However, it does not offer the same speeds or features as more expensive range extenders, such as the Netgear EX6200 and the TP-Link RE650.
Pros:
* Affordable
* Easy to set up and use
* Supports AC1200 speeds
* Built-in Ethernet port
Cons:
* Not as fast as more expensive range extenders
* Does not offer as many features as more expensive range extenders
Reasons to buy:
If you are looking for an affordable and easy-to-use range extender, the AC1200 Extender is a good option. It is also a good option if you are on a budget.
Reasons to avoid:
If you need a range extender that offers the fastest speeds or the most features, then the AC1200 Extender may not be the best choice for you.
Conclusion:
Overall, the TP-Link AC1200 Extender is a solid option for expanding your Wi-Fi network. It is affordable, easy to set up and use, and supports AC1200 speeds. However, it is not as fast as more expensive range extenders and does not offer as many features.
Very useful for linking a PC with no wi-fi capability to a remote router by utilising the Ethernet socket on the TP Wi-fi extender to link to the PC using an ethernet cable.
This Wi-Fi range extender is a great way to expand your Wi-Fi network. It’s simple to set up and use, and it’s a great value for the price. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking to improve their Wi-Fi coverage.
I purchased many expensive extenders but they did not work as mentioned on the specifications and website also they are too big for the plug point. This TP Link AC 1200 worked perfectly and very accurate and it is small and fits well with the plug point. I think this is a best buy product and I definitely recommend it.
I currently live on the second floor of a rented accommodation with the wifi router on the ground floor and the internet is constantly dropping or moving at a snails pace.
Connected this range extender in about a minute. Just pressed the WPS on the router and on the extender while close to each other (seemed the simplest method, so no idea how quick logging into the app works) and then moving the extender upstairs. Instant increase in speed (used an online speed tester for my laptop and my PS5s own internet speed tester) and not had any connection drops.
Was 40% off at time of purchase, so definitely good value for money.
Solid product. This has improved the consistency of the Wi-Fi in the upstairs of my home where some of the devices would drop off.
Since we have had this the problems have been resolved
I was using a TP-Link nano router to connect my PC (which has Wi-Fi on the motherboard but no ariel so the connection is awful unless my router is really close…which is isn’t) to the router. It was fine for a few months but then began dropping off and I had to reboot it before it would reconnect. Once it was connected, the speed was pretty poor, which I knew about when purchasing because the speed is stated in the spec.
I moved house recently and my broadband speed went from 30meg to 70meg and I wanted to try and make the most of it when using my main PC, so bought this extender. It’s pretty simple to set up, plug it in to a power socket near to your router, press the WPS buttons on this and your router. Once all the lights are on, unplug it and take it to where you want it to permanently be situated. Simples. Once it’s plugged in where you want it, you can either connect your device to the Wi-Fi hotspot it creates, which is essentially an extension to your router’s existing Wi-Fi (the SSID is duplicated on the TP-Link device but a “_EXT” is added), or you can use a physical network cable because the TP-Link device has a single network port. I do the latter.
My PC is diagonally opposite and up a floor from where the router is so the Wi-Fi signal indicator light always shows RED (i.e. a ‘poor’ connection to the router), yet I’m still now getting 60meg when speed testing. That said, it has dropped out a couple of times since I began using it but a power off/on has resolved that pretty quickly.
Overall, a good solution if you want to connect a device which doesn’t have Wi-Fi to your existing Wi-Fi network, or if you want to get a stronger signal from your existing Wi-Fi in another part of your house. At 21GBP, it represents great value for money too.
I found this difficult to set up, I’m at fault, someone more tech minded would find it easier.
Eventually connected and all lights on, as soon as I moved to a different location (as suggested) all lights went off and hard to start over. This time I left the extender where I wanted it to remain and moved the hub nearer to connect, then moved hub back to its original position! Bit of trial and error. I’m in an area with a poor signal so it struggles to work at times.
Range extender fairly easy to set up, took me about 30 minutes using the Tether App. The unit would not connect using the WPS button on my new router. Tried to contact their Technical Support (Chat Online) but despite being 1st in the queue gave up after waiting for 20 minutes for an alleged “Live” agent to reply. Also tried emailing Technical Support but would not accept their email address. So to some up, unit appears to work ok just keep your fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong.
I have a vr400 router which is onemesh compatible, once configured properly this device adequately improves WiFi in a 3 storey 5 bedroom house.
The only grumble is a current bug that means by default the extended network doesn’t inherit the main router password and cannot be changed from ?undefined?
It still works using this password but not very secure or convenient.
With the help of technical support we found a solution by changing the main router SSID and password, then reinstalling the re300.
A software fix is being worked on but workaround is simple enough although a bit of a pfaff changing all devices to a new SSID.
Entry level amplifier which dies its job.
I`ve used phone app (android) and manual for setup – cannot say its smth complicated, will take you 10-15 mins MAX.
Would I buy it one more time? – NO. It can either receive 5G and amplify in 2.4G or vice versa. The thing cannot receive 5g and amplify 5G further but what do you want for the price?
Its not blocking 2nd power outlet on the wall socket, has slim nice looking profile and if your just working from home – its fine, you don`t need anything on top of it.
If its gaming/streaming whatever with load on IN/OUT bound – look for Mid-High tier.
Pros: Value for money, easy install, set and forget
Cons: functionality on a budget (no 5G -> 5G transition)
The issue here is not the AC1200 (although it has its cons too), it is that the Plusnet Router will not accept this device in One Mesh mode. I contacted Plusnet and they confirmed that it is highly unlikely that their routers will get a firmware upgrade to allow this to happen because their kit is more or less the BT version but in white and designed to work with BTs own disks. This seems to me to be a bit of a very silly attempt at vendor lock in.
That is the specific issue for me but here’s the good points. I needed a device to run as an access point (AP) and not a Wifi extender because I have a room in the garden connected by a fixed ethernet cable where I previously had a BT disk on a BT router. (In case anyone wonders why I changed, staying with BT would have cost 51 a month compared with 23 with Plusnet as a new user).
Setting this up was a doddle using the app and far less hit and miss with trying to pair with the WPA button. Once that is done, the device has to be put into AP mode. The downside of this is that unlike when it is in Extender mode and using the same SSID and password, it creates a new SSID with its own password. However, this is a very minor issue.
Interestingly you get two separate networks on this device for the two wavelengths. This can be useful getting some smart devices connected that only use 2.4. Having had to reestablish a connection for a heater and a light in the garden room, it was far easier pairing with this device.
Performance is good. Note however when first installed, the new networks from the extender have no security and are open. You need to fix that right away. There was a firmware update that installed first time and took no more than a couple of minutes.
To improve security for this device, you can switch off its SSID which is often a good idea for any home network to avoid unwanted clients.
In my case, I’ve limited the range of this extender and in fact only switch it on when I’m in the room. It takes about a minute to boot.
Bought it to extend my WiFi that originates from a Netgear WiFi router (non mesh). WPS setup worked first time and the unit has boosted the signal really well.
My WiFi is around 50mbps depending on the device connecting to it. In the dead zone I was getting 1 bar and about 3mbps at best. With this extender I now get full strength signal and about 15 to 18mbps.
2 small criticisms just to be picky.. firstly it’s a big device for something that’s meant to plug directly into a socket, in a double socket it leaves little room for anything next to it. Secondly, and I’ve not dug into this properly yet, the speed does seem a bit low considering the device is plugged in well within great reception area of the netgear and even a speed test with my laptop 2ft away from it results in 15 to 18mbps. Maybe some configuration to play with but don’t let this put you off if you just need an average speed stable connection, this will do it adequately
This review is for those interested in technial-lite comparisons. I ran comparisons between the TP Link RE220 (also called AC750), AC1200, and RE650. I will post this review on both the RE220 and AC1200 pages, but not the RE650 page as I didn’t test it so thoroughly. I found that while the RE650 can belt out a 2.4 GHZ signal through walls and to the end of the garden with strong signal given its 4 aerials, it seemed no better than the others on the 5GHZ band. I think this is because the aerials can only make so much difference, and the fundamental strenght of signal pumped out is propably limited by regulations.
I then tested the AC1200 against the slightly cheaper but more recent and more elegant RE220. I used the excellent Net Uptime Monitor app on my PC for this, and where I had the extenders located, which was slightly beyond their ideal range, I got pretty perfect results from both, maybe averaging just one dropout of 2 – 12 seconds every 8 hours, and with no discernable difference between the two.
My conclusion was to go for the RE220. It also gains WAF – Wife Approval Factor – on account of its small size and elegance. And by the way, the TP link app is excellent.
Be aware that the Mesh only works if you have a Mesh router, which most are not. However, if you make the SSID (the identifer) the same as that of your router (usually, just by removing where it says _EXT, then it will glide seamlessly between router and extender as you move around the house, and adjust between 2.4 and 5 GHZ according to what gives you optinal signal and speed.
You can also run more than one extender off a router at the same time and just give them all the same names. In what way is that not mesh? Because if I understand rightly, true mesh allows the signal to hop from one to another in a relay, allowing a large building to be extended, whereas with what I’m describing each extender connects only to the main router and so must be close to it – fine for most houses. I give 4 stars for the AC1200 and 5 for the AC 750 / RE220, because I suspect the latter is just an older model and can’t find what it’s benefits are – though for high speed interet I think it’s capable of going faster, if you need that.
In view of the seemingly poor reviews, I think a “pro” view might help with problems which are probably more to do with user capability.
In the first instance if you need to extend your network and you are not professionally equipped, stick to the same manufacturer and equipment “series” that your router is for the best chance of problem-free installation. Routers may or may not feature “MESH” and something as fundamental as that is not a given. Mesh-ready equipment may run great Mesh services, but relies on proprietary software that only works consistently with that manufacturer’s equipment. Here, TP-Link uses its own environment. In time, MESH will standardize, but it isn’t a standardised protocol now especially for legacy equipment.
In the second instance, how your ROUTER is configured probably has more influence on the ease of installation than the repeater you just bought. Routers are complex machines and while plug and play might work “out of the box”, you only realize what plug and play really means after you have dealt with a few dozen disasters as an engineer. No matter how much spin marketing people put on plug and play, networking still depends on rigorous disciplines that are inescapable. In this case, stick to 1 above, and keep it simple unless you are prepared to swim in the deep end.
As for this unit – it works just fine. I used the TP-Link “Tether” app, and had it running in a couple of minutes. I changed the device name, moved it somewhere else and it works fine. I run this as a “guest” slave, so that means some things cannot happen that would happen with my secure network. If I was not expert, I can understand why this might seem to cause configuration problems. This is an issue of technology though, not the unit itself.
Does the AC 1200 do what a heavy duty Cisco AP does? Not a chance. At about 5% of the cost of heavy duty equipment it isn’t ever going to compete. Perhaps handovers aren’t invisible, but it services my mobile devices as they move around the house just as I would expect a device of this kind to, given that I am connecting it to a third party router.