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If you have a modest Internet connection and want to quickly extend it further to that far corner, TP-Link has a new quick fix. The networking vendor released today the RE220 Wi-Fi Range Extender that you can get for just $29.99.
Considering the price, this is clearly an entry-level extender designed for those with minimum Wi-Fi needs. Indeed, the extender features single-stream (1×1) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and has top speeds of just 433Mbps and 300Mbps on the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands, respectively.
| Design | Wall plug (US) |
| Standards and Protocols | IEEE802.11ac,IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b |
| Network port | 1 x 10/100M Ethernet Port (RJ45) |
| Button | RE (Range Extender) Button, Reset Button |
| Power Consumption | About 6.5W |
| Dimensions ( W x D x H ) | 4.3x 2.6 x 3.0in. (110.0 x 65.8 x 75.2mm) |
| Antenna | 3 x internal |
| Wi-Fi speeds | 5Ghz: up to 433Mbps, 2.4GHz: up to 300Mbps |
| Transmit Power | < 20 dBm (EIRP) |
| Wireless Modes | Range Extender |
| Wireless Functions | WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) |
| Wireless Security | 64/128/152-bit WEP, WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK |
This means in real-world, you should expect the net speeds of just about a third of those. So the RE220 is clearly not earth-shattering fast but considering home broadband connections average just around 50Mbps, it can still deliver the Internet in full in most cases.
TP-Link says the RE220 features Adaptive Path Selection (APS) which helps keep the connection between itself and the existing router stable. It also has a network port to host a wired device. It only works as an extender and not an access point, however.
What’s more, the extender also uses TP-Link cloud-based support. This means you can remotely manage it via an account with TP-Link, using the Tether app, which can also be used to set up the extender. It’s always cool to remotely manage your network, but doing so via an account with the vendor could also translate into some privacy risks.
If this seems like what you’ve been looking for, the RE220 Wi-Fi Range Extender is available for purchase now.
Can two of these be the source of Internet access to a dual-WAN router to “double” the bandwidth?
I’ve not seen you explain this configuration (hopefully I’m wrong and you’ve already done the work.)
If I put two wifi access points that take an existing wifi service (say capped at 15 Mb/s up and down) then I have two sessions over wifi, I take the UTP port and run UTP to a modem that aggregates two WAN ports to effectively “double” bandwidth (and maybe even improve stability) for my computer to then connect to the router (wifi or wired, since it is an iMac on the desk next to all this hardware.)
If this works, which router does a good job of load balancing and performance optimization? (preferably something with great software management of its WAN performance) and in the context of a slow Internet service (15 Mb/s wifi.)
No, Adam. Not sure where you get that odd idea of bandwidth from. That’s NOT how dual-WAN is. I think you should start with this post to understand what a router is etc.