TP-Link Tether

Just got my CR1900 and self-activation through my cable company (Mediacom) was #brilliantly simple and automatic - which made discovery and setup in the App very fluid and nearly painless! The only headaches I ran into were the constant log-outs and ins after making WiFi changes that didn't affect the SSID I was on to config them with. Maybe it's not possible to stay connected when a guest SSID is changed, but it's the perception of seeing the login routine over and over again that gets old. My suggestion is to have the App reconnect us transparently, as soon as the network is back up, and allow us to navigate the App and make locally-cached changes to other settings while it's logging us in behind the scenes. Also, I'm not seeing very many advanced options like speed testing, HomeCare or the ability to define a channel, width, or other advanced options many of us use to fine tune our signals. Maybe I've overlooked a setting like Parental Control, which I don't plan to use, but if these options ARE hidden there, that's more confusing than beneficial. Either way - GREAT JOB ON THE APP! It's amazing easier than the junk ARRIS forces on their Surfboard owners, and I can see that your developers care enough to listen and release regular updates to improve it.

First, I really enjoy the router and the initial setup with this app. The setup was very easy—set up an account, network name, & password. For most things beyond that (including any “advanced” network setup), this app isn’t so great. For example, if you want to change the DNS settings or port-forwarding, that’s only through the web interface. This app is limited to seeing what’s connected, sharing your password, and rebooting the router. It’s good at doing that; I just wish the marketing about what the app is for was more clear. There are also some other minor issues that keep the app from functioning as intended. It only connected to my router locally the first time. Now it always connects to it as a “cloud device” and takes several seconds and network requests to load anything. It also hardly ever keeps my session, so I have to log in basically every time. Finally, sometimes it loses my session when I’m in the middle of rebooting the router so I need to wait on the router, login to the app, then connect to the router again. It’s not terrible but is basically always smoother to do through the web interface.

Having left “Windows World“ a long time ago and having lived in “Mack world“ since then, anytime I have to cross back into non-Apple territory makes me anxious. I have been redoing and expanding my home network recently. For that purpose I bought the TP Link ArcherC2300, and although all the reviews that covered setting it up seemed to indicate a straightforward process, I was not really looking forward to it. However, this was truly a breeze. The TP Link app guides you through the process step-by-step, and the device actually does exactly what the app says it will do. So, I was up and running within two or three minutes of plug-in the devise into a power outlet, and this included the time it took to bind my phone to the router via Internet, which required creating a new login with their website. Great job TP Link!

So I sent my son to the store to buy a new WiFi router. He came home with this monstrosity of a thing. Said look mom you can set it up from an app on your phone. As I have no actual plugged in computer in my home anymore. I was very skeptical but plugged it all in and downloaded the app. Super easy! I had it up and running in five minutes. You can see every device connected to your internet. Love that I can turn off the WiFi to my kids individual devices, I do it just for fun now ;) wish I had this when they were younger and grounded from using the internet... ohhh and my WiFi now works all the way down my street, my man child son may have over done it in man fashion but we are up and running again!

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The app is helpful for people who do not come from a tech background. Tether makes it extremely easy for the mass to manage their router setup and network access management via a decent UI. The diagnostic feature helps identify whether the ISP is the problem or the particles device is having problems accessing internet. What I particularly was looking for is in-depth diagnostics which would tell how much of network bandwidth is being used by each client. This is particularly useful in situations where you struggle to identify which device out of 10 connected is hogging the bandwidth. Overall worth of this in my opinion is 2/5 stars. That does not mean it is not useful. For most folks it will be a pleasant way of managing the router and access. But I anticipate much more features to be exposed through this.