In a connected world which relay on the Internet mostly and you have a larger apartment or home where your router is placed in a corner, weak connectivity issues and no internet zones will be a common issue. The wireless range extenders can act as a friend to your wireless router to boost the wireless signal where the signals are weak. The TP-Link RE505X is a Next-Gen WiFi 6 supported easy to setup Wi-Fi range extender.
WiFi 6 also known as 802.11 ax bring several key improvements over the predecessor WiFi 5. It delivers faster speeds, greater capacity and reduced network congestion.
Hardware Specification
| Ports | 1 Gigabit Ethernet Port |
| Buttons | WPS, Reset |
| Power | 10W |
| Antenna | 2 external antenna |
| Wireless Features | |
| Wireless Standards | 5GHz IEEE 802.11a/n/ac/ax 2.4GHz – IEEE 802.11b/g/n |
| Frequency | 2.4GHz and 5GHz |
| Signal Rate | 300 Mbps at 2.4GHz, 1200 Mbps at 5GHz |
| Security | 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA-PSK2 encryptions |
| Transmission Power | CE: 2.4GHz ≤20dBm, 5GHz ≤30dBm |
| Package Contents | Wi-Fi Range Extender RE505X Quick Installation Guide |
Design
The TP-Link RE505X is a well built wireless range extender with plastic body which has a dimension of 74.0×46×124.8 mm with 2 external antennas to transmit the signals. In the front, it has 4 LED light indicators for Power, WiFi connectivity and 2.4, 5Ghz status indicators. The Smart Signal Indicators show the extenders signal strength in blue or red colours.
The 422g wireless range extender has a reset button and a WPS button on the left side of the device and an Ethernet port on the right side to extend connection to the devices which does not support WiFi or the devices requires a strong throughput like the Smart TV’s, Desktop PC’s or Game Console.
TP-Link RE505X is a Next-Gen WiFi extender with easy to set up and delivers good performance
Performance
The TP-Link RE505X operates on the wireless frequency 2.4GHz and 5GHz with bands supported IEEE 802.11a/n/ac/ax. The extender were connected at least 20 feet away from the router with a physical wall partition.
We connected multiple smartphones and laptops to the device at the same time. On all the devices, the wireless signals were displayed quite strong and we found no issues in the connectivity stress test.
During the review period, we were able to get an average speed of 120Mbps in our 250Mbps line, not the speed as mentioned by the manufacturer. The product advertises to have 300Mbps on 2.4GHz band 1200Mbps on the 5GHz. The device offers WiFi 6 supports speeds up to 1.5Gbps, which makes the wireless extender future proof to support higher data speeds.
Software
TP-Link allows the users to setup the WiFi extender through the Web, WPS button and “Tether App”, an App made for smartphones in both Android and iOS platforms. We used the Android app to set up the device and it was an easy to understand process and we did not face any issues in setting up the device.
The Tether app allows the users to control the settings through multiple devices using the TP-Link user ID and password. The App offers options like High Speed Mode to turn off one of the bands to speed up the other. Its Location Assistant feature helps the users to locate the best location to place the WiFi extender.
Using the Tether App, we can update the device firmware using the app. During our 100 hours of the testing period, we received a firmware update and the successfully updated without any issues.It allows to control the LED’s through the app and has a night mode, which enables the users to schedule the LED’s to work during the night.
Price
At a listed price of AED 249 at Amazon UAE, RE505X is an excellent buy if you are looking for a next generation WiFi 6 supported wireless range extender. It ticks all the right boxes for a basic wireless range extender with a good range.
Conclusion
TP-Link RE505X AX1500 WiFi range extender is a good easy to setup wireless extender. The WiFi 6 compatibility can certainly help in boosting in delivering high speed internet in your large home where dead spots exists. TP-Link OneMesh compatibility can help in taking more advantage of this device for better coverage if you are in need of multiple devices in different locations. It is suitable for homes less than 2000 sq.ft homes, which requires a shorter coverage area.
