TP-Link TL-WPA4220 KIT AV600 Powerline Adapter WiFi Extender Kit, Wi-Fi Booster/Hotspot, Speed up to 300Mbps, 2+1 Ethernet Ports, Powerline WiFi Extender, Wi-Fi Auto-Sync, UK Plug, Plug & Play

I purchased both a TL-WPA4220KIT and TL-PA4010KIT as part of the same home WiFi solution. As such, I have given the same review for both purchases. We have a long thin Victorian house with a BT HomeHub-5 in the front lounge. We have a ‘copper’ connection to the BT exchange as fibre is not available in our area of London yet. That said, we usually get a reasonable 9-10Mbps connection. Our problem is that we cannot get usable WiFi coverage in the kitchen at the rear of the house. We initially tried to use WiFi signal extenders but these proved slow and unreliable. So, about 3 years ago I purchased an AV500 PowerLine solution from SAGEMCOM. This included a Powerline WiFi extender in the kitchen. This proved to be adequate though we did need to reset all of the adapters about once a month when things ‘locked up’. Then, a month ago, the WiFi adapter in the kitchen handed in its cards and died. Thinking I would try for a higher-tech solution I purchased a WiFi Mesh solution on Amazon. However, this proved to be a complete disaster being slow and totally unreliable. I suspect this was due to the requirement for overlapping WiFi signals between the nodes. Also, as we live very close to the Crystal Palace TV transmitter, we are susceptible to RF interference. So, it was back to the drawing board and I returned to the tried and tested PowerLine solution. I chose these AV600 kits as I have always liked TP-Link products and found them dependable and reliable. As such, in total, we have 3 x TL-PA4010 mini PowerLine adapters and a TL-WPA4220 WiFi extender (in the kitchen). One of the mini adapters in located in the lounge and is connected with a LAN cable to the BT router. The other 2 adapters are in the bedroom. One is connected to a BT YouView box and the other to a Roberts Internet Radio (neither of which support WiFi). A secure network was made by connecting all 4 units in turn by use of the ‘pair’ buttons. All then burst into life and worked fine. The WiFi extender was using its factory SSID and password. I successfully trialed changing this by logging onto its admin screens using a browser (you will need to know its IP address to do this – I picked it up from the BT Hub setup menus). But then, I used the ‘WPS’ method to clone the BT Hub SSID and password instead by, temporarily, moving the extender to the lounge and following the easy ‘quick setup’ guide. This worked a treat and everything has now worked without hiccup for over a month. I have had previous issues with cloned SSID’s - with mobile devices getting confused when connecting. However, thus far, we have not had any problems and devices switch between the BT router and TP-Link extender (as we move around the house) without issues. That was a pleasant surprise! I did get the tpPLC android app for my mobile and its quite informative. It has a poor rating in the Google Play Store but this is IMHO, unjustified. It has no whistles and bells or astounding graphics but it does a job simply and well. I can see the status of all adapters and the speed of communication between each one. I seem to be getting a respectable 380-450 Mbps between each device except when they are idling and the communication rate drops to, I presume, a default 11 Mbps. The app also allows you to rename the devices (which may be useful for any future trouble shooting) and it can used (apparently) for firmware upgrades. Alas, it cannot be used to restart devices (it only allows a factory reset). Nor, can it be used for changing the settings (SSID ID etc) on the extender – this can only be achieved by ‘browser’ access. So, we are pleased. This solution is (thus far) reliable and is reasonably priced. It is also easy to set up (though my prior experience in this area helped) and it’s a step up from our old SAGEMCOM PowerLine solution. Had BT supplied us with a higher speed ‘fibre’ internet connection, I would have gone for say, an AV1200 setup with dual band WiFi. As it is, this meets our needs. Also, if you have a shortage of mains outlets in your house, you may want to opt for more expensive ‘mains pass-through’ adapters. NOTE. I see there are a number of debates on Amazon regarding the reliability of PowerLine solutions. ie. Some people are extremely happy while others have persistent problems. This is not peculiar to TP-Link products. Based on my experience, I would suspect that performance is directly related to the state of the house mains wiring. Our house has recently been rewired which not only improves (and reduces the number of) connections, but potentially shortens cable runs too. As such, unfortunately, a PowerLine solution may not be ideal for everyone - particularly in some older houses with extensions and complications added over the years. You may need to 'suck it and see' to decide if it works for you.

Set up was straightforward and quick. Although the two units are on separate distribution boards, the ethernet traffic seems unphased by this and the link works fine. I'm only using this to connect a heating controller to web, so I can't comment on ultimate speeds or latency, but it is reliable and good value.

*DISCLAIMER* I’ve reviewed multiple power lines and the same “issue” persists and is not foolproof. In all, this “issue” isn’t so much an issue but is down to a multitude of factors. Power lines operate through the current electric cables running through a household, through the router. This means that everyone’s use case is difference, and performance can vary depending on the Wi-Fi router plugged into, the wiring through your house and the Ethernet cables you use. TP Link are always a safe bet in terms of not just power lines, but all tech products. The AV600 has worked excellently for myself, and struggled in some areas as listed below. (Please read the disclaimer, as this is MY use case, and can be SLIGHTLY different for everyone else. But in general, these pros / cons are universal) Pros: - Excellent consistency. The speed stays the same, regardless of bandwidth and users on the network. I do a lot of network heavy tasks, and have never noticed fluctuations in ping, download/upload speed. - Ease of installation: Anyone can set these up. The box comes with two modules and two Ethernet cables. You simply plug in both plugs in your house, plug into the router and where you want an Ethernet connection, press the connect button and you’re online. - Okay Wi-Fi speed: Included in both the pros and cons. The Wi-Fi that the plugs output functions well, and is consistent, but is about 20-30% the speed of the original Wi-Fi speed. Cons: - Decreased Wi-Fi speed: My internet speed on straight Ethernet is 934mb/s, but using the power lines my speed is decreased to 180mb/s. There is a speed restriction on these units, but this is a significant decrease. - Slow Wi-Fi speed: The modules have an extension which allows for wireless connections, they are very consistent, and function as a Wi-Fi module, but the speed is incredibly slow. Overall thoughts: Power lines could be the answer to all of your Wi-Fi problems, connecting you through a wired connection anywhere in the house, and I believe that the AV600 are probably, at this price point, the best option. I have reviewed £415 power lines, which are only narrowly better than these. Product quality is good, do not consume a massive amount of power and are an incredibly easy way to get connected anywhere, if you don’t mind sacrificing a small amount of your overall Wi-Fi speed for consistency, anywhere in your house. Please ping me a message if you have any questions regarding this product!

I had 1000mbps tp link powerline. Added this to the same and configured it using tp link windows app(a must else you may not get the desired speeds as it takes random one as primary when multiple are connected). Was able to use primary of this one also as an extender as I already had a primary from the 1k Mbps extender. So I have 1 primary from 1k and 3 extenders with this.

attention prises anglaises

La tecnología de Powerline (cable de corriente) casi no se conoce ni por los mismos técnicos especializados en esto. La señal corre por el cable de corriente!! si así como se oye!! y con esto no importa que haya paredes gruesas o largas distancias. Es bastante fácil configurar. Excelente producto.

Super

Solve the Wi-Fi problem on the first floor! perfect