Question 1

Can this one be used as a WiFi extender? Thanks!

Accepted Answer

Yes.  Here are the steps in the correct order to do this with the stock firmware.  As other have said, internet access may take a while after setup is complete.1) Plug in the router and turn on the wifi (there is a button on the router for this)2) Connect to the the network being broadcast from the TP-link router (The password is on the bottom of the router)3) Open a browser and type 192.168.0.1 into the address bar4) Click on DHCP and disable it, then click "save" at the bottom5) If you have more than one of these routers or your main routers IP address is 192.168.0.1, click on Network then LAN and change the IP address of the router to some different IP like 192.168.2 click save, reconnect to the TP-Link network and log back into the router by using the new IP address.6) Click on Wireless then Security and change the password for the TP-link network to the same password as the network you are trying to extend. Click save, reconnect to the network with the new password and log in to the router again.7) Click wireless again.8) Change the SSID to the same SSID as the network you want to extend.9) Click the Check box next to "enable WDS bridging"10) Click on "survey" then select the network you want to extend11) enter the password for that network toward the bottom of the page12) Click save13) click OK or agree to the error that will popup about the channel being set to auto. Agreeing to this will let the router set the channel to whatever channel the main router is using.14) The router should disconnect you and you should reconnect to the network you wanted to extend but with better signal strength. It might take a minute for internet access or you might have to restart your laptop and other devices.This was from memory so it should be close but might not be perfect. The order of the steps does matter and is different than TP-Links FAQ answer.

Question 2

How many devices will this router handle at one time?  Our current router forces all devices offline for about 5 minutes when there are more than 5ish

Accepted Answer

My TP-LINK TL-WR841N shipped with a firmware-limited wireless device limit of 15 devices.  The latest firmware version, TL-WR841N_V9_141013 released 10/13/2014, increases the wireless device limit to 30.  Still stupid that the limit exists, but at least it's now at a number I won't reach in the near future.  Here's the URL: http://www.tp-link.com/en/support/download/?model=TL-WR841N&version=V9  or search for: 841n firmware v9  (or whatever hardware version you have - this will be on the bottom on the router as well as on the box.

Question 3

What is "DD-WRT" and why are people putting on this router?

Accepted Answer

You may not be able to put dd-wrt on the ones shipping from Amazon. Mine was a v9.0. The dd-wrt database supports upgrades up to v8.0. Some have upgraded successfully but complained about the lack of stability.

Question 4

Keeps dropping. It's a hidden SSN, WPA2 and will just drop in the middle of a connection,will only come back up after a hard reboot. Help?

Accepted Answer

Does this happen at a regular time interval? The router's default "lease" time is 2 hours (can be up to 48 hours). Normally this is not a problem, since the device just requests a new lease, but maybe there is something unusual related to your environment with the hidden SSID. Try configuring the router DHCP Settings "Address Lease Time" to 2880 minutes to see if that helps.

ASIN	B001FWYGJS
Antenna Location	Gaming
Best Sellers Rank	#4,368 in Computers & Accessories ( See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories ) #143 in Computer Routers
Brand	TP-Link
Built-In Media	300mbps Wireless N Router
Color	White
Compatible Devices	Personal Computer
Connectivity Protocol	wi-fi
Connectivity Technology	Ethernet, Wi-Fi
Control Method	App
Controller Type	vera
Coverage	Standard Home/Small Office Coverage
Customer Reviews	4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (78,303)
Data Transfer Rate	300 megabits_per_second
Frequency	2.4 GHz
Frequency Band Class	Single-Band
Item Dimensions L x W x H	4.6"L x 6.9"W x 1.3"H
Item Part Number	TL-WR841N
Item Weight	8.82 ounces
LAN Port Bandwidth	10/100 megabits per second
Manufacturer	TP-Link
Maximum Upstream Data Transfer Rate	300 megabits_per_second
Mfr Part Number	TL-WR841N (UK)
Model Name	TL-WR841N
Model Number	TL-WR841N
Number of Items	1
Number of Ports	5
Operating System	0, Microsoft Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP/2000/NT/98SE,MAC OS, NetWare, UNIX or Linux
Other Special Features of the Product	Access Point Mode, WPS
Router Network Type	hybrid
Security Protocol	WPA2-PSK, WPS
UPC	845973051242
Unit Count	1 Count
Voltage	9 volts
Warranty Description	2-year warranty
Wi-Fi Generation	Wi-Fi 4
Wireless Compability	802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n

N300 Wireless Extender, Wi-Fi Router (TL-WR841N) - 2 x 5dBi High Power Antennas, Supports Access Point, WISP, Up to 300Mbps

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