TP-Link N450 WiFi Router - Wireless Internet Router for Home (TL-WR940N)

NEWSFLASH: An average computer user does NOT need to spend $200 on a wireless router! We do computer service and sales, and we constantly are asked what we recommend in wireless routers. Back in the day, almost all routers were under $100. Today, things have gone completely crazy! This unit, like most other routers, can handle up to 100 devices with ease, no drops, and little interference right out of the box. I set this one up in our busy store to test it in less than two minutes. Between wired and wireless devices, all sharing 100 MBPS cable internet service, I had 73 devices simultaneously connected and all doing something online with no noticeable drops in performance. Even our network specialist was impressed with the TL-WR940N performance. The range is admirable but not crazy. We connected wirelessly to devices up to 40 feet away through two walls with metal studs. If you have a large 3,000 square foot home with multiple stories (like ours), chances you're going to need a repeater even with that overpriced super range router. The FCC regulates the amount of power routers are allowed to transmit, so don't believe the hype. Yes, some produce a little stronger signal, but it's negligible at best. Bandwidth-wise, gamers are always complaining about lag (although it's usually a lame excuse for poor performance), so gamers should be hardwired. Your Smart TVs should also be hardwired if you intend to run the tiny bit of 4K content currently available. Honestly, I can't see the difference in 1080 and 4K, and we have Samsung's SUHD 4K Quantum Dot TV. A good wireless signal is enough to run 1080p Netflix streams, and this router does that just fine, transmitting about 30 feet with no drops through a complete episode of Better Call Saul while simultaneously streaming Pandora, Spotify, and lord knows whatever else those crazy techs were doing at the time. For under $30, this is a terrific deal. If you're concerned about reliability as poorly described in some of the negative reviews, buy two, and you'll still be well ahead of the game. We're a week into hours with occasionally heavy 24x7 usage, and it's performing flawlessly. Just bought a second WR940N that I will use at home - this will be our third router (the cable modem itself is a router that connects the first floor, a Linksys runs the kid's rooms upstairs with the gamer hard-wired, and this TP-Link will supply wireless to our outside patio, which is very important to the boss. Happy wife, happy life.

I purchased this router a week ago, so I cannot comment about the longevity of it.I'm out of my element when it comes to IT since I don't really know what I'm doing or what to look for when it comes to IT-related devices, network, etc., but I took a chance on this since the reviews were pretty good overall. I was worried about the many poor reviews and the chance that I'd get one that didn't work, but I haven't been disappointed.I had a Cisco Linksys router that needed to be replaced which is why I bought this one. My connection is SO much better with this router. I would constantly get buffering and connection problems with Netflix and Plex, and my wifi status on both my laptop and Surface would switch to "Limited" pretty often. Even browsing on my phone was a pain and often I'd have to turn off the wifi. It got much, much worse over the last month.For now, though only a week old, this router has been great. The set up was quick and easy. I did it myself (and I'm not super tech savvy) within five minutes or so. The only problem I had with the set up was the cable that came with it; it didn't work. I swapped it with one I had lying around and it worked just fine. I was able to easily log into to the router using the internet and set up a static IP for my NAS (with A LOT of help from Google searches!) and that's worked well so far.I had no problem connecting all my devices and I have not experienced any problems with my connection. I have been able to watch things on Netflix with no buffering, no stopping for "internet connection" issues, no problems whatsoever. My download speed is also much faster. My phone can say connected to my wifi and I can browse quickly with no issues.It is seriously night and day with my connection. I understand it seems like this router is fantastic when it was actually the old one was just poor from the start, but for the money this router seems to be pretty great. I'm assuming this router acts like a router is supposed to so I have no complaints thus far. Once I've had it for a few months, I'll post an edit to this review stating whether it still works well or not at all as some people have claimed.