TP-Link 300 Mbps Wireless N USB VDSL/ADSL Modem Router
TP-Link 300 Mbps Wireless N USB VDSL/ADSL Modem Router, Single-Band, Broadband Speed Up To 100 Mbps, Versatile Connectivity, 4xFast Ports, USB 2.0, TP-Link Tether App, Easy setup(TD-W9970)
Powerful Antennas
Two external 4dBi high-gain antennas beam signal to every corner of your home, creating a strong, stable Wi-Fi network.
6kV Lightning Protection
Lightning protection shields TD-W9970 from electrical damage caused by thunderstorms, so even in bad weather, you can enjoy internet with peace of mind.
Secure Surfing
Parental Controls limit the online time and access of specified devices. Guest Network creates a separate Wi-Fi network for visitors, keeping your main network secure.
 |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wireless Spec | N300 | AC1200 | AC1600 | AC1900 | AC2800 |
| Wi-Fi Speed up to | 2.4GHz (300Mbps) | 5GHz (867Mbps) + 2.4GHz (300Mbps) | 5GHz (1300Mbps) + 2.4GHz (300Mbps) | 5GHz (1300Mbps) + 2.4GHz (600Mbps) | 5GHz (2167Mbps) + 2.4GHz (600Mbps) |
| Dual-Band | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Connection Type | VDSL/ADSL | VDSL/ADSL | VDSL/ADSL | VDSL/ADSL | VDSL/ADSL |
| Ethernet Ports | 1*10/100Mbps RJ45 WAN/LAN Port, 3*10/100Mbps RJ45 LAN Ports, 1*RJ11 Port | 3*10/100Mbps RJ45 WAN/LAN Port, 1*Gbps RJ45 LAN Ports, 1*RJ11 Port | 3*Gbps RJ45 LAN Ports, 1*Gbps RJ45 WAN/LAN Port, 1*RJ11 Port | 3*Gbps RJ45 LAN Ports, 1*Gbps RJ45 WAN/LAN Port, 1*RJ11 Port | 3*Gbps RJ45 LAN Ports, 1*Gbps RJ45 WAN/LAN Port, 1*RJ11 Port |
| USB Ports | 1 USB 2.0 port | 1 USB 2.0 Port | 1 USB 2.0 Port | 2 USB 3.0 Ports | 2 USB 3.0 Ports |
| QoS | WMM, Bandwidth Control (IP QoS) | ATM QoS, Bandwidth Control | ATM QoS, Bandwidth Control | ATM QoS, Traffic Control (IP QoS) | ATM QoS, Traffic Control (IP QoS) |
| Guest Network | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Parental Control | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weight: | 2 g |
| Dimensions: | 19.5 x 13 x 3.6 cm; 2 Grams |
| Brand: | TP-Link |
| Model: | TD-W9970(UK) |
| Colour: | White |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | TP Link |
| Dimensions: | 19.5 x 13 x 3.6 cm; 2 Grams |
100% Faster and more stable than ISP Router! easy setup with the app, small footprint on the desk. everything the provided ones are not this handles a high demand WiFi and Lan work from home setup with ease.
So fast and easy to install (10 mins). The mobile driven app is at first odd not to be a PC Web page app but this is the way to go. I get alerts when new equipment enters my large network so I can keep track of what gear is on the system. Only shortcoming is the range which is less than the Netgear 4XS 7800 that it replaced. Wifi signal is barely connecting with Deco whereas Netgear was almost always connecting. Hard to hard wire extender to deco to get firm distance connectio
Bought this to replace my old BT router, really easy to get setup and working. Back online within 10 mins of powering it up. The app (which is used to configure) is simple and straight forward and you don’t need to be overly technical. The device supports wireless mesh using other Deco products, so if you want wireless coverage with the ability to extend, this is a great solution.
been having issues with setting this up with my ISP for months. Due to the requirement of internet i kept putting it off and resorting to my other router which was failing me but still worked here and there. Turns out my ISP have given me wrong details and Bryant Chacon the TP link customer service rep was able to solve within minutes.
TP Link service 10/10
My isp: 2/10.
I bought this for a client, to replace an identical router which suffered water damage. It’s a little outdated in terms of WiFi protocols etc, but works well enough, and the price is attractive. The specific reason we chose this router in the first place was the availability of a guest network, which my client needed. The user interface is unexceptional, which I suppose is a good thing!
One feature I use is access control, whitelist, as I don’t know the MAC addresses of the things I DON’T want on my WiFi. So go in set username and password, connect to the internet, set WiFi SSID and 30 character password. Then add MAC addresses of my stuff, phones, tablets and game consoles about 20 in total. Everything works perfectly, then my daughter says her PC and laptop can’t get on the internet. After much trial and 100% error, the only thing that connect to the internet on a wired connection is my PC? Even if I unplug my PC, nothing can use a wired connection.
I’m sad to say at this point I sent it back and ordered a different modem/router and amazingly got exactly the same issue. Even took the ethernet cable from my PC and plugged it into a laptop, turned it on, network connection but no internet just like before. Plug cable back into my PC and it works fine. Light bulb moment, I look at the access control whitelist and there at No. 1 is my PC, I never added it as I connect via a wired connection so it must have added me when I set the router up. So I add the MAC address of the laptop network adaptor and bingo, it works. So now access control doesn’t only control WiFi access, it also controls whether a wired client is allowed to connect.
I’m trying to contact Amazon to apologise for seending back a perfectly good item, sorry Amazon!
The massive downside as far as I am concerned is the lack of ability to use the web interface to configure or manage the device. The Deco app MUST be used for the setup of this device and for a lot of people, this is inconvenient or not possible.
I love the router but it is MASSIVELY let down by the fact the web interface is practically non-existent. It’s clear that TP-Link has no interest in developing this seeing as the feature set of this router on the web interface that is available is a HUGE step down from any router I have used previously.
The router also has several features that are blocked behind a paywall (5.99 a month) such as advance reporting, parental features, etc.
I’ve had problem upon problem with routers crippling when more than 30 devices hits the network, I purchased the Deco AX5400, plugged the telephone cable in and turned it on. Downloaded the Android Deco app and it automatically found the device without having to connect to the wifi (that’s handy and you’ll see why). Here I was able to set up the wifi name, password and also the DHCP table which I wanted to be the same as my previous router to avoid resetting everything to pick up a new set of IP’s.
The Wifi 4-5 and 6 is fast, much faster than most of the mid tier routers or even routers at this speed without VDSL built in, and the VDSL speed (actual internet connection and speed) has improved and I was using a DrayTek which is renowned to be a step up on standard VDSL modems!
It’s just fast and reliable, you might not care about how the devices are named as its not so great at pulling information from the devices connected (depending on the quality of the devices you are connecting) but easy to go in, set names, set groups and areas and change imagines/icons to make it all neat. There is a notification that I advise you turn on. It means anything new that joins the network you’ll see right away and can take action in, renaming, adding to area or even blocking!
Regarding speed and ISP setup, there was literally none and I’m with TalkTalk so it automatically handled this. I usually have MUCH more admin access to these kind of devices but I decided to go with a more home friendly device and can confirm that it is mostly high level settings with some advanced settings you will probably not ever use. If you need them then you already know what you are doing.
Hasty Amazon search for a VDSL modem and this was the cheapest with next day Prime delivery.
My new provider gave me all the necessary log in credentials and this was up and running in less than 10 minutes.
Wi-Fi speed check from my mobile phone showed about 24mbs when my contract is for superfast so 67mbs-ish. This may be the line bedding in rather than the router. Streamed a couple of All4 programmes without issue.
A decent app TPLink Tether is available should you need or want it and it shows which devices are connected both via ethernet and wirelessly.
Box is flimsy but when do you really ever use or touch it but marked as 4 stars as a result.
Saved the day and does what it’s meant to but only 2.4Hz frequency available – no big deal to be fair.
On the other hand, a number of features I would expect on a 130 router are locked behind a paywall, which granted are more ‘power user’ than for most people, but I would still expect them to just be a feature not something artificially blocked for everyone. For instance, want to see the most visited sites on your network? You can… If you pay for HomeShield Pro which is 5.99 a month or 53.99 a year. Simple DDOS protection? Part of HomeShield Pro. Want to see how much data a specific device has sent or received? Nope. Can’t see that at all! (from what I can see!). Honestly, the only real gain you get from HomeShield Pro is viewing the top 5 visited sites per profile, which is usually just tracking cookie URLs, and instead of just setting bedtimes, you can set time limits and a hard ‘off time’ (which just looks like a bedtime?!) to profiles. I can’t see TP-Link making much money on this! And you 100% don’t need it for a secure and performant network!
Another bugbear is you get a LOT more settings and control via the app on your phone or tablet than you do by going to the router via your browser. Almost all of the above I mentioned can only be set in the app, not via the web portal. Via the web portal you can only really change your wifi password, see live traffic data (as in, see what the current up and down speed is of a device) or do a firmware upgrade. But if you want to do a WPS connection, set bedtimes, rename or blacklist a device on the network… You need the app. And both the router and the app need a TP-Link account to work, you can’t just plug and play without it.
I must stress, for 90% of people who want a solid replacement for their broadband providers standard ASDL router, this is a phenomenal buy. It’s the little bits, mostly around the seemingly surplus HomeShield Pro and the lack of a proper admin panel for a desktop user, that make me not give it 5*’s.
Having decided to go down the Wifi mesh route I realised that the modem-router I am currently using (TP-Link Archer VR900) cannot be used in modem only mode. Modem only is needed so that the wifi mesh unit can take over as the router, handle wifi network and avoid double NAT issues. Surprisingly, it is impossible to find an economical modem and also most modem-routers do not come with the ability to switch off the router function. And, I did not want to spend on an expensive modem-router when all I needed was half of its function! This is where TP-Link 300 Mbps Wireless N USB VDSL/ADSL Modem Router (TD-W9970) fits the bill perfectly. Make sure you select this model if you have fibre broadband. Much cheaper than other brands/models out there, easy to setup and working well together with wifi-mesh.
As of now (29th September) this router/modem does now support Sky (MERS) VDSL with the latest Deco app and the latest firmware.
My only gripe about all the Deco stuff is the lack of onboard web page for management. It all has to be done via the app which is ok, but does not have a huge host of options. However, the basic stuff is there and things like address reservation and port forwarding are included and it’s all easy enough to use for the average consumer idiot.
The parental controls are limited unless you purchase a subscription, which I think is really poor, as that’s not obvious when purchasing.
The WIFI is excellent and it works well with the other X20 decos I have to form a mesh with ethernet backhaul as well.
The unit itself is pleasant to look at and does not take up much room (big improvement over the big black lump you get from Sky).
When I switched to Fibre broadband, I needed a new modem/router. I don’t like the ISP provided ones which are cheap and not comprehensive enough and generally much too big, therefore prefer my own. Since my previous ADSL one was a small Ethernet only TP-Link device which had served me well, I decided to use the same make again. I really wanted an Ethernet only device as I don’t use wireless, but you just can’t get one easily, if at all! So at least on this one I can switch the wireless off and remove the aerials and then it is reasonably compact. I have had it a while now with time to assess it, and as far as I’m concerned it is really good, has all the comprehensive settings you need, does just what I want, and has been reliable so far. The price was reasonable too.
Replaced a family member’s vintage Netgear router for an undemanding domestic installation (web browsing, email, occasional Skype calls, no kids, no streaming). Having first looked up the provider’s login method (weird user id and domain format that’s hard to remember), setting up was easy. I’d scribbled down the ADSL parameters but I didn’t have to bother, as the setup pages allowed me to pull down UK, and then Plus Net. It was obvious how to change the SSID and password to the same as used before, so all the phones, laptops etc in the house were none the wiser. The administrator dashboard let me see what was connected, and reeled off some basic speed stats for the link, which was nice. Rellies back online, happiness unbound, job done.
The design is fairly low key (avoids the Darth Vader helmet look : it’s more Rebel Alliance maintenance droid) and the construction seems solid. I wonder if the lack of flat surface is aesthetic, or a way of discouraging people from parking books or teacups on top. Antenna mounts are the same gray plastic as the back panel where all the sockets are, but the build is confidence inspiring and there are clear status lights and gasp! an on/off switch and some wifi discovery things which I didn’t use. It uses a tiny amount of power (going by the featherweight PSU and its specs). Compared to the outgoing unit which retailed at about a ton, this is 10x the value (twice as many features for 1/5th of the beer tokens). Hopefully it will just sit there for another 10 years.
Well, i had this router for about 7 years. not this very one though as it has been updated to a new style and the router software is much more modern and easy to use than the old version. Also i find that the range is not quite as good as the old one and you cant take out the antenna ether. but its not bad and it giving me internet, hopefully for another 6-7 years.
had to buy a new one as the old one reset itself and lost all data including ISP login… it reset to factory. also there was a bad brown spot where the old one got hot so i knew it was on its way out for a while now.
Anyways if your not on fibre or cable and still on the old ADSL this router is fine for the home. The software on this new one has a quick setup which is much nicer than the old one and is much easier to navigate. Make sure you pick the correct ISP on the settings as it will not work if you dont and make sure you know your login details for the ISP otherwise it wont work.
Most ISPs send routers to their customers so i guess this is a dying item to purchase now. But the EE router was the same price as this so its all good. Anyhow i am moving house within a year and will be running a 4G router instead of paying for line rental and putting up with terrible speeds (8.5mbps AVG) with ADSL. i get 16mbps with EE around here so it makes no sense to have ADSL anymore.
but its a good basic router if you are still on good old ADSL, it also has a usb so you can plug in a little 4G dongle as a backup or in place of ADSL if you wanted. but i dont recommend doing that as the speeds would be quite bad indoors, unless you live near a mast.
All in all a good router with reasonable Wi-Fi range, nothing to shout about but it does the job if you are looking for a cheap router.
Bought this for my father who is old and non techno. He is with talktalk high speed internet. VDSL. Nice looking router, I like the idea that you can plug in a usb 3G/4G modem with SIM card. Great if you live in an area with bad internet speed on the phone line, so you could use mobile data instead. During set up it prompts you to download an app on your mobile device. (Optional) Simply download app, enter your email and choose a password. Now you can remotely set up your router. Really really simple, choose internet provider from the drop down menu, in my case talktalk, it changes all the settings required automatically, then it will ask if you want to rename the two wireless networks. I named the 2.4ghz *******_complete house and the 5ghz *******_upstairs5ghz. ***** being your choice of name. I then made the two passwords the same (write down your password) A quick note, if you do loose your password, you can use the reset button to put everything back to factory defaults.
There’s 2.4ghz which has a lower data transmission but longer range and 5ghz which has greater data transmission but far less range. My parents have a 3 storey house. The router is in the very top room. Internet speed to the router from the phone line is 33mbs from talktalk, (use your master phone socket) I can connect any device on the ground floor and receive a smooth 20mbs on the 2.4 ghz band, the signal for 5ghz is too weak on the ground floor for a quality connection. On the mid and top floors, 5ghz gives me a faster connection than the 2.4ghz. On the 5ghz band, I am able to get 28-33mbs on the top floor. Please note some older devices may not be able to connect to 5ghz.
This new model comes in at a good price with some really solid modern network features.
Setup:
Setup was a breeze. The quickstart guide is simple and using the TP Tether app helps speed it all up. It also lets you monitor and manage the Router remotely which is a bonus as my most regular phone call from my other half when I’m at work starts “the internet is broke”. It isn’t usually!
Wifi:
5GhZ and 2.4Ghz speed were a significant boost on my previous model, giving much better range also. I have a range extender in our old 1930’s house to get to the loft extension but have no need for it anymore. With our fibre connection capped to 40Mbps I can comfortably get 30-38Mbps on 5Ghz anywhere in the house, including on the top floor.
The Router user interface is also smartened up compared to my 5 year old model. It’s slick and easy to understand, breaking out key functions.
USB Storage:
This is where it falls over a little. This router uses a protocol for transferring data on a shared network called SMB V1. Microsoft abandoned native support for this in Windows 10 in favour of SMB V2. It’s a simple google search to enable it again, but you will need to do this before files sharing is nice and simple. After doing this the 64G USB thumb drive plugged into the side was right there in the windows explorer.
Another nice feature is the button on the router that enables lights out. The Router is already better in that all lights are soft glow and static (as opposed to flashing). Pressing the button means the router has no visible lights on it. great if you want to put it in a room with people sleeping.
Apart from that, it was boringly simple to setup and get going, and now we have super slick and much quicker access to our fibre. The Wifi channel hopping seems a little cleverer too, avoiding the neighbours wifi with ease.
The router features a 2.4 and 5GHz guest network if you need it. I use ours for the kids so you can easily set a time window for access. You can also set access time for certain devices so that kids can’t access the internet after a certain time.
A few minor niggles. It only comes with a 1m phone line connection BT45 socket cable, and a 1m RJ45 LAN cable. 2m should be the bare minimum if you actually want to sit the router somewhere sensible.
So far so good, and really happy with my choice. If I get another 5 years out of this one I’ll be happy. The bonus is that TP link provide a 3 year warranty so if taking a gamble on a new device, this makes it an easier choice.
I don’t normally bother to write detailed reviews but there is some info here that might help other people with this product so here goes I brought this to replace my BThomehub3 specifically because I wanted a modem/router with ARP table binding, Even as a tech savvy user my first attempt to set the router led to quite a bit of frustration with limited success as the router would constantly drop the DNS servers and loose internet access (see first picture).
Despite much digging around and internet searching and changing many settings I could not get it to work and hold a stable connection. The next day still no success so went for a complete system reset to try again but not hopeful of success but…
this time
1) Downloaded and installed the latest firmware from the tp-link webpage mine was version3
2) logged into the router web server directly using a LAN cable rather than over the wifi
3) was careful to remove all other devices including BT broadband extenders
To my surprise this time the quick connect wizard worked first time and connected with no issue just by selecting the BT ASDL Quickstart option
logging [email protected]
no password needed
**pretty sure it can be [email protected] as BT don’t care and track via your telephone number you shouldn’t need a password but if the router insists on one choose bt or whatever again it doesn’t matter as far as I am aware
This time everything worked ok with no other settings needing changing manually and the router has been stable and fast.
anyway hopefully this might be of some use. According to BT the following details (see attached image) are needed if you have to set up the connection manually I didn’t need this in the end but have posted them in case they are useful for others
**update** I think there is a bug in the firmware running the diagnostic tool killed my connection and I had to reboot and start again not sure if this is specific to my connection or a general bug in the software**
***update 14/05/19*** – this is still giving a very unstable connection I am not certain if it is the router, our line or something to do with BT service buy with caution*** downgraded to 2 stars
I only installed the AC1900a few hours ago this morning, so I will amend the review if my experience changes but my first impressions are that it is first class & a huge improvement. The following points would have helped me in making my decision earlier:
1. It is VERY easy to set up and configure. I’m no techie but have a very basic understanding of how these things work and anyone with a basic level of IT knowledge should not be worried about setting this up (with a BT BB service at least)
2. The set up has a pre-configured drop down list with the main UK BB service providers. I was only looking for BT, but noticed that PlusNet was on the list so would imagine it has been set up to cover the usual suspects. The fact that it will most likely be suited to changes in BB provider do make the cost a little more palatable. Not sure if SKY was listed (and should have checked) as I’ll almost certainly scrap BT when my contract is up!
3. Setting up a Guest Network was incredibly easy. Never considered doing this before, but as it was so easy thought I may as well. It took longer to think of a decent password than it took to set it up!
4. When the BB service was up using the BT HomeHub, I thought it was actually pretty quick and would regularly get download speed of 60Mb. This has jumped to 73Mb with the AC1900 and more importantly, it is stable and consistent (so far at least). Furthermore, the difference is very noticeable. Websites and apps on laptop and mobile phones load and respond tangibly faster. Facebook was a regular annoyance on an iPhone as it would take seconds to load images and update, which I thought was a phone or app issue. It appears I was wrong about that too as it is FAR quicker with the AC1900
4. I use powerline adaptors to connect a Humax YouView box to the router. It took less than 10 seconds to reconnect to the router. No need to change any passwords, just selected autodetect and it was up and running
5. I used a TP LINK WiFi extender to strengthen signal upstairs (modestly 4 bed modern house) as the BT HH was problematic. I’ve not need to set this up for the AC1900 as the signal is much improved
6. 2 kids playing Xbox games at the same time over a wireless connection used to cause buffering and unhappy kids! So far, both are running with out any issue so that’s a huge plus for the AC1900 over BT HH
In short, so far so good and the BT HH is already in the bin!
SETUP
Out of the box the router had the latest firmware, see my photo #1.
Connecting to BT VDSL was perfect simplicity. After selecting BT_VDSL from a dropdown list the router knew the correct parameters, I just had to enter the username [email protected] and left both password fields blank, see my photo #2.
The VDSL connection has been solid and the figures are good, see my photo #3.
Download and upload speeds, see my photo #4, are much as I was obtaining with my previous router. Your mileage may vary!
WiFi
The 1900Mbps theoretical maximum WiFi link speed of the router is just that, theoretical and probably not attainable in real world circumstances. It is most definitely fast though, and with my Macbook Pro I get a link speed of 1.3Gbit/sec (1300Mbps) as shown in my photo #5, that is the best WiFi speed I’ve yet seen. My 2014 Lenovo laptop on the other hand reports a WiFi link speed of 57Mbpps; it takes two to tango and the Lenovo’s wretched WiFi chipset isn’t up to more.
MEDIA SERVER
The Archer VR900’s facility to act as a media server was one of its selling points for me. It is not a DLNA certified device but is compliant with DLNA/UPnP clients in the manner of numerous media server packages, and it enables the user to store media files on an attached USB device, I use an SSD but a USB drive (preferably USB3) will be fine, and serve them via the network to (in my case) TVs. Implementing the media server is not too tough but I offer the following:
* Under the Advanced tab of the router menu select USB Sharing/USB Storage Device, see my photo #6. The user chooses a server name, I chose RouterUSB.
* The check boxes for Media Server and Network Neighborhood in the Sharing Settings section must be selected.
* In the Folder Sharing section if Share All is set to Off you can then select the individual folders, or if your files (videos in my case) are in the root directory then Share All is best set to On.
* If you’re a Windows 10 user and the the router USB device does not appear under Network in Windows Explorer then it’s highly likely that the SMB Client has been disabled, Windows updates do things like that. The remedy is to open Windows Features (just type Windows Features into the taskbar search box), scroll down to find SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support, expand it, check the SMB 1.0/CIFS Client box as per my photo #7, and restart the computer for the change to take effect. You will believe it took me hours to track that one down.
* With a Mac – I have only tried this with MacOS10 Mojave but have no reason to think Sierra/High Sierra would be different – the router USB device shows in Finder/Network OK, there is no need to change any settings on the Mac.
* Beware of having Enable Authentication set in the Folder Sharing section of the router USB settings page.
CONCLUSION
I’m very pleased with the Archer VR900 and recommend it unreservedly.
A few months ago the line was upgraded so I put the TP-Link back into service, in order to capitalize on the newly available ADSL2+ support. However, I have been plagued with ongoing, unexplained connection dropouts, despite getting BT out to check the line.
Even more recently I’ve started to get random inability to maintain the wireless connection, and to be honest, I’m getting fed up with the ongoing unreliability and repeated attempts at reconfiguring, reseting etc of the unit, to no apparent avail.
Regrettably, I’ve now owned the device over 12 months and I note that the only option apparently available is to contact TP-Link for support via an 0800 number. I may update this post depending on how that plays out…
Its a shame really! This modem has a lot of nice features, but I wouldn’t recommend it, nor buy it again myself, based on my experience to date.
=========
Update 27/12/2018
Shortly after writing my first review things escalated dramatically with a permanent inability of the modem to sync up and remain stable. However, it also became quite apparent that the line had developed a significant fault. TWO Openreach call-outs later to investigate (and make good) the line, plus a factory reset and a complete reconfiguration of the modem, and its been working trouble-free, with the fastest connection speed yet, for 3 days solid. The WiFi issues appear to have mysteriously disappeared also.
I’m still deducting 1 star as the OEM support is disappointing, especially as returning an item apparently involves paying shipping and being without a replacement device (indefinitely) whilst the suspect unit is investigated. I know this isn’t entirely unusual, but rankles a little nonetheless given the OEM’s emphasis on the “3 year guarantee”.
All things considered I seriously recommend you read/view the following first (and attempt to get your username and passcode via wireshark first) as whilst I ultimately succeeded with only a little fuss I wouldnt recommend it to my elderly parents. It isnt for the faint hearted. If you have a modicom of knowledge then plough on. Sky is not (or certainly was not) fussed on you changing their router. so there are some steps to go through to extract the username (Your LAN @skydsl) and password.
I cannot post URLs in a review but try:-
I used this guide as a base for the process — (Search for – How-To: Replace the Sky default router SR102 with a TP-Link Archer VR900)
I used the router set up page (192.168 etc) to get you Routers MAC code
I used this video for the Wireshark method of obtaining Username and Password (Its NOT Admin & Sky you use for the router set up page) –Search Youtube for “Extracting Username & password from SKY HUB SR102”)
I used this site for the up to date firmware (Search for TP Link site, VR900 Support and downloads)(Copy the .bin file to desktop)(You need the correct version for the number on the back of the router)
Armed with all this I followed the installation guide above and…………… – it didnt work.
I eventually figured out it wasn’t “Sky VDSL “I needed to select per the taupila guide above but Sky (MER) VDSL. This gave me a box to input the Username and Password I worked so hard with Wireshark to acquire and bada bing — it worked.
I changed the MAC code to my old routers MAC code in case there’s an issue (sorry Sky) but it was working without that. I doubt Id have gotten it working without the Username and Password via Wireshark so I strongly recommend attempting that first before purchasing, Do that & you’ll be grand.
Broadband speedchecker now tells me Im getting 40mbs of download speed so result.
Hope that helps other folk like me who were a bit baffled at the process.
Bought to replace very old (but reliable) Draytek Vigor 2800G and offer better Wifi connection options (A/C), download speed and general connection management. Came with up to date firmware – which surprised me a little. Supplied phone cable pathetic length – 1m!)
It took ages to configure with Talk Talk (they only publish half the settings you need and tech support useless). It was connected to internet even though VR900 home screen said it wasnt and kept trying. This was resolved by editing connection profile and enabling ‘use the following DNS entries’ and entering the DNS IP addresses for my ISP from dnschecker.org. Archer home screen then showed as connected. I would not say b/g/n range better than the old Draytek and I have had to turn it off / on again once in 5 days to date as it lost connection and could not reconnect. Rarely ever had to do this with Vigor over 10 years! WPS did not work to connect wifi printer. WPS being another perceived benefit of a new modem/router – so much for that (but could be old printer issue rather than router)! That said I am impressed with management options RE bandwidth, guest users etc. Download speed is much faster and multicore processor is handling all simultaneous connections very well (that said my old box was ancient). Its handy for my family that symbol led lights show status (i.e. you dont need to login to router). Remains to be seen how stable it stays! Nice that you can turn off the bright white LED in the front and there are no flickering green lights (if its in someones bedroom). Its compact and can be wall mounted. USB 3 NAS is next thing to play with.
This review is for the newer model Archer VR900 V2, and aimed mainly at TalkTalk customers who have the absolute crap Huawei HG533 (but what I can see from other reviews also all the other broadband suppliers who dish out sub-standard routers.)
I have put up with the HG533 for far too long and have spent hours on the phone to all corners of the planet, complaining to TalkTalk about how bad their preferred router is. The wired ethernet connection has never really been a problem but the wi-fi was horrendous, dropping out all the time, not connecting or simply going nowhere loading a blank page. TalkTalk could see I was having a problem and after much insistence from myself, out of the kindness of their heart they sent me a new router (please not another HG533 I said) but guess what… I got the same model again. I gamely gave it a try, after all perhaps the first one was broken (and they said me changing some of the settings hadn’t helped.. wrong). But it came as a real shock to discover the new router had exactly the problems.
I really don’t think you should have to fork out for a decent router that your broadband supplier should give you in the first place, but not being able to face having a nice chat with someone from TalkTalk and really not wanting to put up with constant drop-outs any longer, I decide to bite the bullet, reach for my credit card and get something that actually worked.
The Archer VR900 is like night and day compared to the Huawei……. I immediately got 5Mbps better wired download speed & improved upload as well, a lower ping and yes, wi-fi that actually works (all the time) to much the same speed as the ethernet connection. No more errors and dropped packets running into the 100’s of thousands. Hallelujah, I wish I’d done it ages ago.
So I reckon I can now stop Googling ‘Lost medieval servant boy’ and getting the answer ‘Page not found.’
The router itself works fine – I am not sure if it is faster than my previous TalkTalk Super Router though. I have just done a test at 11.20am on 13-12-2016: the download speed was 827Kb (0.8Mbps) and the upload speed was 2.1Mb (2.6Mbps). This was on the fixed line internet, not wi-fi.
The router itself was a doddle to set up – only took a few minutes and it did all the work itself. All I had to do was provide the wi-fi password.
The router is about 20cm across, 13cm front to back, and about 3cm high, plus the 17cm high antennae which can be angled around. One unexpected plus is that it can be fixed flat to a wall, which will get it out of the way, although the leads supplied are not particularly long so it would have to be in a similar place to where it is on the desk at the moment.
It has a little row of green lights at the front to show you what is working, although they are very small and you almost need a microscope to see what is what.
I have only had the router for a few days so can’t really give a true report about it, but at the moment it seems to be efficiently connecting to the internet, which is really all I expect from a router. I have given it 4 stars because its speed is not overwhelmingly fast, but I think that is probably because of dodgy phone lines and not the router’s fault, so it probably really deserves a 5.
Maybe I was just unlucky but after a couple of wasted hours I decided to cancel a replacement.
Update 09/12/2015:
I spoke to the manufacturer about my problem. They confirmed there should not have been any compatibility issues with my connection and acknowledged the device was faulty. Good customer service. I have since purchased the higher spec TD W9980 which is working well.
Update 11/12/2015
I’m using the TD-W9980 with BT ADSL broadband. Its proving to be a versatile, future proof device….
WAN
Basic set up is easy: Select from about 30 pre-programmed ISP options and then enter the ISP supplied username and password. Change the SSID and password (if you want to) and you’re done.
WiFi
The 2.4 GHz WiFi is not as strong as the TD-W9970 model because of the internal aerial but it just about reaches the opposite corner of my 3 bedroomed semi (70dBm). Its working well with an existing “N300 TL WA850RE” extender, boosting the signal to the opposite end of my garden. I’ve had no connection problems with up to 17 devices so far. The 5GHz range is limited to my lounge – the router is installed in the room above.
USB’s
I have a cloud printer and therefore don’t need the print server. I’ve connected a partitioned 350MB external HDD (USB powered) to check its NAS capabilities. Its working well as a media server – streaming to a PS3. Files are accessible with my pc via “Storage Sharing” (has password protection) and accessible with my Chromebook via FTP. I’ve been able to capture images from security cameras via the FTP server. The HDD is a backup device for my PC but sadly it will not backup to the drive via the network. This is a shortcoming of my backup software so I’m going to upgrade it or even buy a proper NAS. The router can support 2 disk drives with up to 8 volumes.
My first ever modem/ router lasted for 10 years. I’m hoping the TD-W9980 proves to be as robust!