In the early 2000s, if you had to connect your extender to the main router, you would need to use an ethernet cable. It wasn’t until 2006 that WPS(Wi-Fi Protected Setup) was developed by Cisco and things changed for the good. You could finally connect the two using just the press of a button. With additional enhancements, WPS became the preferred method for users to configure their range extenders. And why not? There’s literally nothing that you do than press a button and wait for the magic to happen. Now, if you have recently purchased a new WPS capable range extender such as the TP-Link RE550, and are looking for information on how to get started, this blog is just the resource you need. This blog will walk you through the steps to configure your TP-Link RE550 internet settings and begin accessing seamless internet in no time.
What is WPS?
WPS expands to WiFi Protected Setup and is a network security standard that was introduced by Cisco in 2006. You can create a secure wireless network easily using this method as it was originally intended to. WPS can be used in different ways like the PIN method, Push button method, NFC(near-field communication) method, and the USB method.
The PIN and the PUSH button method are currently covered under the WPS Certification. Whereas, the NFC and USB methods are referred to as out-of-band methods.
It is important to note that the WPS button on your range extender may not always be intended for just WPS, but other functions as well. The dualistic nature of the operation of this button can also be used to facilitate functions like device reset and WiFi toggling, etc. Therefore, it is important to refer to the product guide before you use the WPS feature.
Other methods to set up your TP-Link RE550 extender
Apart from the convenient WPS setup method, the manual and the app setup methods are widely practised as well. While the users make use of the web-based settings management wizard to access and configure the tp-link extender settings in the former, the smartphone app is used to do the same when the latter is the case. In order to access the web based setup wizard, you can use the default gateway address https://tplinkextender.net or the IP address https://192.168.0.254 in a compatible web browser. For the app setup method, you’ll need to download and install the Tp-link Tether app on your smartphone.
TP-Link RE550 setup using WPS
Setting up your TP-Link RE550 extender using WPS is more a process than what meets the eye. Before you begin with the same, make sure the main router supports the WPS function as well. If not, you’ll have to stick to the setup methods as discussed above. Once you are sure about the compatibility, you can begin with the steps as mentioned:
- Press the WPS button on your main router till the WPS LED on the front panel begins to glow. You’ll notice the WPS LED blink repeatedly. This is an indication that the range extender is looking for client devices to connect to.
- Now, within a window of 2 minutes, press the WPS button on your tp-link RE550 range extender as well. The WPS LED will follow the same pattern as that of the main router and eventually turn solid. Meanwhile, the WPS LED on the router will also turn solid. This is an indication that the two devices have connected to each other.
- The tp-link range extender will now broadcast the network SSID with the suffix ‘_EXT’ and the password will remain the same as the main router’s network. You can locate the respective network in the WiFi networks list and connect to it to get started with using the internet seamlessly.
- In order to sync the 5GHz band of your range extender to the router network, repeat the above steps. The SSID for this one will be broadcasted as ‘_EXT5G’or something similar.
- Once both the network bands are connected, you can connect your wireless devices using the main router network password.