TP-Link TL-WR820N 300 Mbps Single_Band Speed Wireless WiFi Router, Easy Setup, IPv6 Compatible, Supports Parent Control, Guest Network, Multi-Mode…

It’s been over a week since I am using this product. I am very much inclined to most of the reviewers here. Let me add some points:

Background:
I was using a rock-solid performer Linksys WRT 54 G for almost a decade and it continues to prove its worth. I was using Airtel broadband 2 mbps plan. I recently moved to ACT fibernet with comparable internet speeds of 42 mbps average (both download and upload). Apparently, my Linksys WRT 54 G could not deliver this speed. It could do a max of 14 mbps … you know its G band after all. In practical terms, G routers can do 15 Mbps vs theoretical 54 Mbps.

I wanted to move to N band router (theoretical 300 Mbps) and wanted to touch the waters and I landed up with TP Link WR841N 300Mbps. Following is my feedback:

First Impression Out of the Box:
Poor plastic grade. However, the fit and finish was adorable despite the poor plastic appearance & feel.

Speed – Did I get my anticipated wireless 42 Mbps speed based on my ACT fiber provider?
Answer: Yes & No
2 Feet – Full speed 42 Mbps internet. — Signal Bar: Full 5
5 Feet – 37 Mbps – 5 Bar
10 Feet – 20 Mbps – 5 Bar
15 Feet – 15 Mbps – 5 Bar
20 Feet – 10 Mbps – 4 or 5 Bar
25 Feet – 5 Mbps – 3 or 4 Bar
30 Feet – 3 to 5 Mbps – Almost Dead

No walls in between. Tested under line of sight conditions. Tested on free channels with various settings.

In a way, this device is like a wife like material. You need to be close enough to get all the attention and at all times (Just kidding, no offence meant).

I flashed the DD WRT firmware (with careful instructions) and I played around with all combinations to optimize the experience and there had been no significant change. This means, the hardware has already done its best. We cannot ask a Tiger to run like a Cheetah, can we?

One important factor: There was not a single dropout or restart and it’s a stable device (tested for a week).

Value for Money? In my opinion, I think this device has performed for what I have paid for. Can’t expect more.

What Next? For folks who want solid performance (range + speed + multi device + stability) should buy top of the line AC dual band devices offered by various brands like Asus AC 87U etc. But for now they are too too too costly. Just wait and watch the market for the price to drop (maybe a year). Until then this TP Link will faithfully serve you (hopefully).

esta perfecto para el cuarto de mi hijo, ademas lo controlo via la app que es muy util

Quality is good at this price range, signal strength also ok ok, design is best always TPlink make, speed is best for me don’t know about others it depends on internet broadband

WARNING: BUYERS BE AWARE!
Buyers need to be aware that the reviews that you are reading here are for different routers! There are actually SIX different models (as of 2015), in India, of this “same” router – TL-WR841N version 1, TL-WR841N version 7, TL-WR841N version 8, TL-WR841N version 9, TL-WR841N version 10 and TL-WR841N version 11. And with each “version”, TP-LINK has changed the hardware of this router. Naturally, with different hardware, the performance of the router varies a lot. Some of the reviews here are for “version 8” and below, while some are for “version 9” and above. That may explain the discrepancy in the reviews (for example, some have complained that the wifi coverage is “average”, while others have said it is “good” or “excellent”).

OpenWRT page on this router has a table comparing the hardware – […]
PLEASE COMPLAIN TO AMAZON.COM ABOUT THIS and request them to ensure that seller also includes the “version” in the model number, and creates separate product page for each version so that the reviews are accurate and do not mislead us customers.

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I bought another one of this router to extend my WiFi. Unfortunately, though the router supports WDS bridging it did not work.

That’s when I discovered that the two TL-WR841N routers I had purchased were not the same! (TP-Link themselves say that WDS bridging with different router models, from even the same company, may not work). Last year (2014), when I had purchased this router I had got the “version 9” model and this year (2015) I received the “version 10” model.

It was irritating – to ensure that I could use both routers and extend my WiFi, I then had to install a beta version of DD-WRT on my older “version 9” model, and use my mediocre router hacking skills to make everything work.

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(My first review of the older, “version 9” model is below …)

I had some concerns about buying a cheap modem from a Chinese company. But TP-Link seems to be a multi-national corporation and one of the top 10 players in this field. So I figured I’d take the risk.

Bought and received a factory sealed, brand new item from the seller. The parcel packaging was good and the item was undamaged and worked fine as soon it was plugged in. The month and year of import was listed as “July 2014” for the item I received. For those who want to install DD-WRT please note that I received a “Version 9” model of this router, and not “Version: 8” as listed in the Amazon.com description for this router’s page. Since I didn’t wish to void the warranty by installing custom firmware anyway, it didn’t matter to me (the TL-WR841N comes with a 3 years replacement warranty, which is great considering its price).

The stock firmware offers a good enough set of options and is easily accessible through a web based interface you can use with any modern browser. The range is decent, but nothing extraordinary. My previous Linksys ADSL modem had a weak signal and thus occasionally dropped connections in the first floor. The signal on the first floor above is still weak, but the wifi connections seem more stable with this modem.

Overall, happy so far. Will update this feedback, with additional information on this routers performance, after a few months.

Update 1:
It’s been 9+ months on now since I purchased this router. Since the purchase, TP – Link has released 2-3 firmware updates, and I was safely able to upgrade the router without any issues each time. Performance of the router remains satisfactory. Using it both through wifi and LAN cable, and network connection is stable and good on both. Sometimes it is on for days but it doesn’t heat up much at all.

Update 2 (Jul 2016):
I have added another star based on the following experience – On my recommendation, my friends bought this router too. Strangely, 3 of the 5 routers conked out within 6 months. I reminded them about TP-Links warranty. But 2 of them didn’t bother and purchased another router (different brand). The other person contacted TP-Link and told them about this issue. They asked him to ship it to their service centre, which he did. After a week or so, he received a replacement which had a sticker stating “Certified Refurbished” on the box of the router. It worked perfectly. It’s good to know that TP-Link honours their warranty.

CORRECTION
I had earlier mentioned that I faced network connections issues while torrenting, and suspected it could be because the TP-Link router couldn’t handle the number of connections that torrenting sometimes require. But it was an issue due to my ISP.

Ben evde sadece kendim kullanmak için ve odamda çekmediği için almıştım bu routerı odama koydum sanki ana modem odamdaymış gibi kullanabiliyorum uzaktaki modemi direk odama taşımış oldum çok kaliteli çekiyor internet bilgisayarım ve playstationumda kullanıyorum az kişi kullanıcaksanız eğer kesinlikle çok iyi

Bought this in September 2023.
No issue in working until Feb 2025. Then the wan port stopped working. Called service center and experienced the worst service ever. Firstly they won’t receive call for atleast 5 minutes. When they received the call, they told me to upgrade the firmware & sent me a link on email. I had to do it all by myself. Had to call multiple times. Some of them were expecting me to be an expert in it & were talking rudely when I couldn’t do it as they told me. Lastly after 6-7 calls. I upgraded the firmware and still it wasn’t working. Then they told me to get an appointment from the service center and go there and submit the router.

Good quality, till now its working good, easy connect, speed