TL-WA1201, AC1200 Dual Band Wireless Gigabit Access Point

This little beast supports four modes out of the box: Access Point Mode – turn wired into wireless ✔️ Range Extender Mode – repeat an existing signal ✔️ Client Mode – convert Ethernet-only devices (like a printer or old PC) into Wi-Fi clients ✔️ Multi-SSID Mode – create segmented guest networks with VLANs ✔️ I ran this in both Access Point and Extender modes in a tricky layout (concrete walls, multi-floor), and it pushed out clean dual-band signal without any noticeable lag or packet loss. Plus, MU-MIMO and beamforming help direct the signal where it matters—great for multi-device households or streaming-heavy setups. What I Like: Dual-band speeds (867 Mbps on 5GHz + 300 Mbps on 2.4GHz)—solid for most streaming and gaming Gigabit Ethernet port = no bottleneck on backhaul or client mode Passive PoE support—clean mounting, especially if you're running it up a wall or ceiling Four fixed antennas deliver real coverage, not just marketing fluff Pro Tips: Pair with a modern router for max benefit—don't bottleneck this thing with an old base station Use a dedicated SSID in AP mode for clean handoff between routers In Range Extender mode, place it midway between router and dead zone for best balance of signal vs. speed What Could Be Better: Web interface is solid but not quite as slick as newer TP-Link Omada gear Fixed antennas = solid signal but less customization of direction No mesh functionality—if you want seamless handoff, go Deco instead TL;DR: The TP-Link TL-WA1201 is a super versatile, cost-effective, and stable Wi-Fi extender/access point. Whether you’re bridging old gear, extending signal to a dead zone, or segmenting networks with VLANs—it handles it all quietly and efficiently. No dropped Zoom calls. No gaming lag. Just clean, customizable Wi-Fi wherever you need it.

Very impressed in how simple this thing is to use…. I was not say that I am a computer savvy guy so if I can do it, anybody can do it. Using it in an adapter mode to give my shop a Wi-Fi signal works fantastic for streaming on Roku and iPhone…..

If your home has ethernet in it (or MOCA), don't bother with mesh wi-fi. Instead, get an access point like this one, and set it up in a dead zone, or a place where your wi-fi signal is weak, AND where you have an ethernet wire that runs back to your primary router/gateway. (Often called "wired backhaul"). The instructions are unclear and missing a few steps. I followed them precisely but it wasn't setting up, so I took matters into my own hands. Here's how I did it, if you are trying to set this up in ACCESS POINT MODE (which they claim is the default mode): 1. Plug the provided ethernet chord DIRECTLY into a PC that's already on your network (wired or wi-fi, doesn't matter), and plug the other end into the access point. 2. Plug in the access point's power, and wait a minute or two for the lights on the front to light up and stay on. 3. Go to your computer and log in to your EXISTING router/gateway (NOT the access point), and in there, you should see some sort of "discovery" or "show all devices on network" button somewhere. Every router/gateway is different, so that's about as specific as I can be. 4. Once all connected devices are showing, you should see a new device, this access point - you can recognize it by its MAC address (12 characters, without the dashes or colons), listed on the decal on the bottom of the access point. Get the access point's IP address (usually starts with 192.168 or 10.0.0 depending on what type of network protocol you're running) and write it down. While you're in there, you can reserve an IP address for your access point so it never changes again if you want to, but I don't think it's necessary or anything. (I reserve IP address to anything I can log into, like this access point, but that's a personal preference). 5. Next, log out of your existing router/gateway, and in Chrome (Edge didn't work for me, but Chrome did), type in the address you wrote above, and hit Enter. It should load a generic splash screen about logging into the access point, showing a field for a username, and a password. On the bottom of the gateway is a decal with the user name (usually "admin") and password to log into it. (I always take a picture of these labels with my phone in case I ever need them again). 6. Once you're in, change the password and/or user ID so it's not the default, for security purposes. From here, what I did was I changed the default SSID and password to match my gateway (and the rest of my network), so that when the access point is set up, it matches. This way, your devices can roam about your house and will choose this access point if it's the strongest one, and if you roam back to where your gateway/router is strongest, it will hop off of the access point and join up with that one, all seamlessly in the background. You can still use different SSID and passwords on the access point if you want, but I find the "hop" between access points is faster if they all have the same SSID and password. 7. Save everything and log out of the access point, unplug it, take out the ethernet cable, and now to go the ethernet jack where you want your access point set up permanently. Plug the access point into the ethernet jack and plug in the power brick and then test using a smartphone (I like the Android app "Wi-fi Man") that the access point is on and giving a signal. Mine worked on the first try. FYI, this thing also works with a MOCA setup (in case you can't run ethernet in your house, you can instead use existing cable coax as a "network"), but setting that up is its own set of instructions not relevant here. Hope this helps.

I'd give this a 5 if it took true POE power from my POE switch. It's advertised with a POE injector so I assumed it could be powered via POE. It's only able to be powered by it's proprietary POE injector that comes with it so don't expect to plug it into your POE switch and get power. Beyond this small issue, it does the job perfectly on low power in my apartment.

I bought this to use behind my wall mounted living room TV. On the opposite side of that wall is a bedroom closet where the builder put our connections for the modem and router. So I used the ethernet jack behind the TV to connect this TP-Link device and now we use it for wifi. The wifi was sort of trash before since it was coming from a bedroom closet. This has helped a ton! I will probably buy another one to put in our finished basement as we have a jack down there behind a wall mounted TV as well but even in the basement I'm hearing that the wifi is great now.

It work great for a long time. Now won't come back on line. The customer support is a joke and all of their websites are trash. Literally reloads the same page every time you click a link or doesn't load at all. That's across two different web browsers a phone and a laptop. They're 24/7 chat doesn't do anything. It's a real shame because the quality of reception on this was very good. I was wondering why people got so upset about these things crapping out on them. Now I know. Save your money and go to a better brand.

I picked the TL‑WA801N because I wanted a reliable 2.4 GHz access point without any hassle, and it delivered exactly that. The setup is truly simple: plug it in, connect to the temporary network, select Access Point mode, and everything is configured within minutes. Great for home networks, EV chargers, or HomeKit relays. Outstanding simplicity and reliability.”

TL;dr -- this AP is another case of good hardware, awful firmware. The OEM firmware makes this device unusable, but flashing OpenWRT makes it useful again. Full Review: I bought this access point to use as a wireless client bridge for a computer in my house that gets an extremely poor wireless signal. Initially, I was disappointed because I was limited to a 2.4GHz connection, as the 5GHz connection was too unstable to be used. I'd regularly run into issues watching YouTube videos, browsing the web, or making Zoom calls. The solution was to use the 2.4GHz radio instead. This meant that my connection was limited to ~45-60mbps, which pales in comparison to a typical 5GHz connection speed of ~250-300mbps. For reference, my iPhone 11 is able to pull ~560-620mbps when placed next to the hardwired access point. i initially considered returning the AP, but then I found someone online had ported OpenWRT to this access point. Although this may void the warranty, it solved my issue. No longer do I have stability issues with the 5GHz radio, which means that I have both a reliable and fast connection to the Internet again my home office. OpenWRT is great, although it's far more complicated of an interface than the default TP-Link one. I would not recommend using this device in this configuration unless you're familiar with more advanced networking concepts or are willing to learn. Pros: - Inexpensive - Supports wireless client bridge mode. - Supports PoE using the provided injector. This is extremely beneficial to my setup, since I can place the AP where I best receive a signal, even though I don't have a power outlet nearby. - The Qualcomm Atheros QCA9886 802.11acn wireless radio has excellent performance - Gigabit LAN port (to the reviewer claiming it doesn't have one, this is simply not the case; there's no way I'd be able to pull 300mbps if it had a 10/100 interface). - The default firmware supports bridge mode with DHCP & NAT disabled, which means that every device connected through this AP has its real Ethernet MAC address exposed. If you plan to use this on a college campus or want your connected device(s) to be bridged to the parent network, this is very useful. If you use this mode, you can still control the AP's settings using the assign IP address for the access point itself. Cons: - Default firmware means that the 5GHz radio is unstable. I also had problems with controlling the LEDs and updating settings. Bonus Pro-tip: I only used this device with one computer, but you could easily use an Ethernet switch with the single port on the back of this device to connect multiple computers/devices.

Si tuviera almenos 4 puertos de red sería excelente, pero solo trae UNO, de ahí todo está bien

Werkt heel goed

I like this Access Point, it looks like a little alien space ship on top of my DVD tower. I have installed 3x APs in the past and a couple of them were very frustrating to setup. The most annoying requirement was to use an unusual I/P address e.g. 192.168.2.2 This requires re configuring your laptop/PC to match this unusual I/P. With this AP there are no such horrors, you can access the setup page from a PC using Ethernet or WiFi using a laptop or smart phone. it uses the addressing format used by most homes i.e. 192.168.0.XXX The ID and password are on the bottom of the device. Mine I/P was 192.168.0.160 Change these to suit but make sure you write the new details down. You need 2x sets of passwords 1. A user name and password to get back into the setup page. 2. An SSID and a password to enable encryption. The setup menu was very easy to use and worked without any issues. As well as SSID and password you can also select the channel to use for WiFi to avoid conflict with the router WiFi 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz can be separated and given unique SSIDs if necessary. There is also an option for a "Guest SSID" If you do forget the new passwords, reset with the button on the back and start again. Once set up connect the AP to the router via Ethernet cable and you are ready to go. The listing says that the AP supports passive PoE which I've never used and wasn't too worried about. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a tiny PoE injector was included. An Ethernet cable contains 8 wires forming 4x sets of twisted pairs. These are used to send and receive data simultaneously but not all of them are used. PoE sends power to the AP along 2 of the unused wires. This gives you 2 options. Plug the supplied PSU into the AP, the usual method. Plug the PSU into the small PoE adapter. Plug the Ethernet to Router cable into the socket marked "LAN" (Local Area Network) Then plug an Ethernet cable into the adapter socket marked PoE, the other end going into the AP. This made it very easy to mount my AP in the sky on top of a DVD tower with just one Ethernet cable. The supplied PSU lead was not long enough to reach that far. Very pleased with this Access Point 11/7/26 Update I use Powerline adapters to connect to this AP and out to my shed where another wireless AP manages 6-8 IP cameras. I also had temporarily 4 cameras connecting to this AP. I started to "loose" a camera but only when I was using my phone. Google search came up with some suggested changes to the AP settings. I did some changes to the AP settings as suggested by the AI. I normally access APs using my PC. After making some changes I was suddenly unable to access the AP anymore and left it for another day. A day or so later I realised that my phone had stopped connecting to the AP but rather oddly some cameras were still worked fine. I could not connect to the AP via ethernet using a PC, I tried 2 of them. I reset the AP 2 or 3 times no response. I then tried to connect using WiFi and it connected. What seems to have happened is the AP had got locked up mid change to the settings. I had an "allow items" list that contained a few things like my cameras but not the phone. The IP had been reset to none. I made the necessary changes to settings and now all works as it should. Very strange that the Reset button did not work. If you find yourself locked out via PC and Ethernet, try accessing by Wifi It uses the SSID to connect so no IP is not a problem to the AP.

Excellent item delivered very quickly. Very easy to set up.

ممتاز جدا والمدى اللي وصله اكثر من اللي كنت محتاجه يستاهل اعلى تقييم واعدادات جدا بسيطه