Conclusiones y Trabajos Futuros
6.1. Objetivos Logrados y Conclusiones
long-rangeperformance
rescueanotherwise
lacklustreextender
SCORE✪✪✪✪✪
PRICE£37 (£44 inc VAT)from dabs.com (pcpro.link/250tplink)
falter as soon as the extender is moved too far from the router. With its dual antennas, it isn’t the most discreet or attractive device, but it’s affordable and reasonably effective at long range.
T
he TP-Link RE210 has one advantage over rival wall-plug 802.11ac extenders: it offers a Gigabit Ethernet port, where most stick to a basic 10/100 connection. Don’t get too excited: the connection between the extender and your 802.11ac router will still be a bottleneck, but at fairly close range this could double as a wireless bridge.The quick-start guide recommends a WPS setup, which works perfectly well. Using the browser-based wizard gives you more options, however, including the choice of separate SSIDs for the extended 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. Otherwise, the control panel is functional but spartan, with basic
LAN and WLAN configuration pages, update tools and a status page.
As far as finding the optimal location goes, TP-Link could make it a lot easier. The guide advises you to place the extender halfway between your target device and the router, and closer to the router if the signal isn’t strong enough. You then need to use a combination of the WPS and 2.5GHz/5GHz LEDs to assess signal strength. The latter two simply indicate whether you’re connected, while the WPS LED lights green, orange or red according to the signal. The Asus and BT extenders make it far easier to find the sweet spot.
The TP-Link is a better performer at distance than it is at closer range. In our medium-range tests, 802.11n 2.4GHz speeds topped out at an average 10.4MB/sec, and dropped in the 5GHz band to 7.9MB/sec. Its 802.11ac speeds are faster than that, at 9MB/sec, but it’s still a long way behind the Asus RP-AC52 and ZyXEL WRE6505. However, in our long- range tests it held up better than both, maintaining faster speeds on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, although still crawling along on an 802.11ac network.
So, if range is more important than bandwidth, the TP-Link is a reasonable choice. However, as with most extenders on test, speeds
ABOVEThe Netgear is unobtrusive, but it’s let down by its performance
NetgearWN3000RP
Asimple,low-cost
extender that’slimited
by slowspeeds andits
2.4GHz-onlyspecification
SCORE✪✪✪✪✪
PRICE£25 (£30 inc VAT)from
pcworld.co.uk (pcpro.link/250netgear2)
As a result, while the price may be tempting, you’d be best advised to look elsewhere. Not only is single-band 802.11n a poor choice when new dual-band devices might be entering the home or office, but faster dual-band and even 802.11ac extenders can be found for the same price or just a little more.
I
t’s one of the cheapest extenders around, and it hails from one of the most established networking brands – but unfortunately, the price of Netgear’s WN3000RP is reflected in its specs. This is a simple, single-band 802.11n extender with a single 10/100 Ethernet port, two external antennas and not much else. On the plus side, it comes wrapped up in a very small and unobtrusive wall-plug design – it’s quite likeable if you’re not upset by the sight of aerials.In theory, setup should be simple, but we were unable to persuade the WN3000RP to connect to our router through the magic of WPS, and had to
resort to a clunky browser-based wizard. While not as user-friendly as Linksys’ setup process, this worked fine, connecting to the existing network and creating a new SSID. The firmware is still accessible through a browser after setup, providing access to basic configuration, security and status screens.
You receive a bit of help to find the optimal socket for the WN3000RP, with one red/amber/green indicator covering signal strength between the router and the Netgear, and another covering signal strength between the extender and your device. Running on the 2.4GHz band, the WN3000RP is happier to work in more locations than many extenders; good news when you need your signal to reach further away.
Given the specs, it’s no surprise that the WN3000RP is sluggish. At medium range on a 2.4GHz 802.11n connection, it’s on the slow side of average, and the 5GHz spectrum is, of course, off-limits.
Longer-range performance is worse: files transfer more slowly than with any of the dual-band extenders bar the D-Link DAP-1520 or BT Dual-Band Wi-Fi Extender 600.
ABOVEUnusually for a wall-plug extender, the TP-Link includes a Gigabit Ethernet port
@ P C P R O F A C E B O O K . C O M / P C P R O
LabsWi-Fiextenders
TP-LinkTL-WPA4230P
your mains cables, but real-world performance means it’s unlikely toAnaffordableandrelatively
be an issue at any distance.easy-to-usepowerline
TL-WPA4230P is no exception: we hadPowerline kits just work, and thewirelessextenderthat’s
connected the router to the extenderin minutes. On the wireless side,bulkybutsolid
however, TP-Link needs a WPA keythat’s only printed on the reverse ofthe extender, requiring you to disconnect it in order to type the key
SCORE
✪✪✪✪✪
in. The browser-based configurationPRICE£65 (£78 inc VAT)from dabs.com routine that follows is fuss-free, using
(pcpro.link/250tplink2) the preconfigured SSID by default. Wireless connectivity is limited to
I
f you’re looking for an unobtrusive 2.4GHz 802.11n – a shame, given theincreasing number of devices that way to bring wireless to your home support 5GHz or 802.11ac. This puts or office, the TL-WPA4230P isn’t two potential bottlenecks in your it. As with all powerline kits, one network: the speed your house or unit plugs in near your router and flat’s mains cabling can support, the other sits where you need the and the limited speed between theconnection. The second unit is a bit extender and your wireless device. ABOVEAt 6cm wide, distant corners of their home should of a monster, though: 6cm wide, 12cm Although the extender employs 12cm tall and almost keep their expectations in check: even tall and almost 5cm deep, with a thick the 500Mbits/sec standard, we didn’t 5cm deep, the second with a wired Ethernet connection to black rim that accentuates its size. reach speeds anywhere near that in unit in the kit is chunky our PC from the second extender, we
Still, at least that real-estate is put our tests: the TL-WPA4230P could saw speeds of only 11.6MB/sec. to good use, with a passthrough power manage only 11MB/sec at mid range However, powerline is still the socket and three 10/100 Ethernet ports and 4.9MB/sec at long range. That most effective option when you need provided. Supplying 10/100 rather matches wireless 802.11ac devices, to drag the network to an outside than Gigabit Ethernet ports might and is a marked improvement on the office or faraway room, and the seem a false economy on a device Trendnet TPL-410APK. However, TP-Link kit is an affordable and that claims 500Mbits/sec speeds over those expecting 300Mbits/sec in the relatively easy way to get it.
TrendnetTPL-410APK
in need of coverage. Unfortunately, you then need to connect to the Wi-FiAfunctionalpowerline
network using a WPA2 password,which Trendnet unhelpfullyextenderkit,butit
prints on the rear of the unit,below the plug.isn’t particularlyspeedy
To make this worse, the passwordor easy tosetup
on our sample was tiny, blurredand almost illegible, requiring amagnifying glass and three attempts before we managed to get it right.
SCORE
✪✪✪✪✪
And while there is a WPS button, wePRICE£37 (£44 inc VAT)from couldn’t make a connection this way shop.bt.com (pcpro.link/250trendnet2) on either of our two test machines.
With this obstacle sidestepped, things proceed more smoothly. By
T
he most appealing thing about default the Trendnet uses its ownSSID, although you can change this the Trendnet TPL-410APK is, to your router’s if you want more unquestionably, its price. For seamless coverage. We’d also advise £44, you get a two-part 500Mbits/sec you change the password so that you HomePlug AV powerline kit with can leave the magnifying glass behind. a 300Mbits/sec 802.11n Wi-Fi As with any powerline setup, extender built into the second unit. performance will depend as much onSince the latter also packs in a your home’s wiring as it will on the pair of 10/100 Ethernet ports, the units themselves, and you won’t get Trendnet has potential as a basic within touching distance of the plug-and-play option for streaming headline figures. On the positive side, media to a remote bedroom or there’s no need to find a sweet spot
hooking up a small outside office. between the router and dead zone as ABOVETrendnet’s powerline speed was clearly the The appeal starts to wane when you do with wireless-only extenders. two-part kit has limiting factor. At longer range, speeds it comes to setup, however. The As for performance, it isn’t all an 802.11n Wi-Fi fell to only 3.5MB/sec; acceptable for a powerline part is simple enough: that impressive. The Trendnet hit extender built into 2.4GHz extender, but not exceptional. simply plug in one unit near your 6.7MB/sec in the mid-range test, the second unit Overall, then, while the Trendnet router and connect the Ethernet and it wasn’t any faster over a wired TPL-410APK has value on its side, port, and the Wi-Fi unit where you’re Ethernet connection. In our setup, the there’s little else to tempt.
A
re there any specifications as confusing as the numbers printed on the outside of wireless networking products? Promotional messages on boxes and in adverts talk of speeds of 300Mbits/sec, 600Mbits/sec or 1,300Mbits/sec, but try connecting to a router in anything other than optimal laboratory conditions and you’ll find real-world bandwidth falls a long way short of the mark.Throw distance into the mix and those real-world speeds fall further, while with Wi-Fi extenders, the headline speeds grow even sillier. The box still says 300Mbits/sec, 600Mbits/sec or more, while actual throughput inside your home may be as low as 70Mbits/sec.
That’s why it’s smart to be realistic about your expectations. Buying an extender won’t see you backing up files to a NAS drive at 300Mbits/sec if you’re working from a back bedroom that hasn’t previously been
able to get a signal. You still might not be able to get a stable connection in a distant upstairs room or the summer house at the bottom of your garden.
Whatever manufacturers claim about extending range or improving bandwidth, extenders can’t work miracles. In fact, you may find your new 802.11ac router delivers the best performance where you need it on its 802.11n 2.4GHz channel, while the 5GHz AC750 channel provides the most advantage in areas where your router already delivers a high-quality connection.
What the best extenders can do is further the reach of your network. Netgear’s Nighthawk AC1900 Extender provided us with solid,
high-speed connectivity in a room that our AC1900 router could barely reach. The same goes for the Linksys RE6500, Asus RP-AC52 and ZyXEL WRE6505.
Sure, 130Mbits/sec (15.5MB/sec) isn’t 1,300Mbits/sec, but it’s fast enough for most applications. Many of our uses require more modest amounts of bandwidth, and often the biggest bottleneck is the broadband connection. What’s more, 130Mbits/ sec is much better than you’ll see from a range of supposedly 500Mbits/sec powerline kits that are hamstrung by a 100Mbits/sec Ethernet port.
That’s not to denigrate powerline adapters, though, since they also have their place. We originally planned to test long-range bandwidth in a home office located 20m from the router. Unfortunately, only one pure wireless extender could get a signal, and even that one – our Labs winner – couldn’t manage anything faster than a crawl.
This office has been served by powerline networks for five years, and will continue to be served by them for the near future. After all, a slow connection might be disappointing, but it’s better than none at all.