TP-Link TL-WN881ND User manual

REV2.0.0 1910012142
User Guide
300Mbps Wireless N PCI Express Adapter
TL-WN881ND

Contents
About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1. Get to Know About Your Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1. 1. Product Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1. 2. LED Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2. Connect to a Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter 3. Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3. 1. Install Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3. 2. Join a Wireless Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3. 3. Uninstall Driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 4. Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Appendix: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1
About This Guide
This guide is a complement to Quick Installation Guide. The Quick Installation Guide
instructs you on quick installation, and this guide provides the product overview and
detailed instructions for each steps.
When using this guide, please notice that features of the adapter may vary slightly
depending on the model and software version you have. All screenshots, images,
parameters and descriptions documented in this guide are used for demonstration
only.
Conventions
In this guide, the following conventions are used:
Convention Description
Teal Italic Hyperlinks are in teal italic. You can click to redirect to a website or a specific
section.
Teal Contents to be emphasized and texts on the web page are in teal, including the
menus, items, buttons, etc.
Note: Ignoring this type of note might result in a malfunction or damage to the device.
Tips: Indicates important information that helps you make better use of your device.
More Info
• The latest driver can be found at Download Center at http://www.tp-link.com/support.
• The Quick Installation Guide (QIG) can be found where you find this guide or inside
the package of the product.
• Specifications can be found on the product page at http://www.tp-link.com.
• Our Technical Support contact information can be found at the Contact Technical
Support page at http://www.tp-link.com/support.

Chapter 1
Get to Know About Your
Adapter
This chapter introduces what the adapter can do and shows its appearance.
This chapter contains the following sections:
• Product Overview
• LED Status

3
Chapter 1 Get to Know about Your Adapter
1. 1. Product Overview
The TP-Link Wireless PCI Express Adapter connects your desktop computer to a
Wi-Fi network for lag-free video streaming, online gaming, secure internet surfing and
internet calls.
• Compatible with 802.11b/g/n products
• Supports ad-hoc and infrastructure mode
• Maximum speed of up to 300Mbps for 2.4GHz network
• 2×2 MIMO for more efficient data transfer
• Supports WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK
• Supports Windows and Linux
1. 2. LED Status
You can check the adapter’s working status by following the LED Explanation table.
Status Indication
Off The driver has not been installed.
The adapter’s radio has been disabled.
Flashing Slowly The driver has been installed but no data is being transmitted or received.
Flashing Quickly Data is being transmitted or received.
Tips:
If the LED is off, try these troubleshooting tips:
1. Remove and reinstall the adapter.
2. Refer to Troubleshooting-T2 to check if the adapter is recognized and enabled. Reinstall the adapter software, if
necessary.

Chapter 2
Connect to a Computer
This chapter introduces how to install the adapter into your computer.

5
Chapter 2 Connect to a Computer
Follow the steps below to insert the adapter into your computer:
1. Turn off the computer, unplug the power cable and remove the case panel.
2. Locate an available PCI-E slot and carefully insert the adapter.

6
Chapter 2 Connect to a Computer
3. Connect the antennas to the adapter.
4. Replace the case panel, plug in the power cable and turn on your computer.
Note:
If the bracket is not suitable for your computer, detach it from the adapter’s board and replace it with the
low-profile bracket provided.
After connecting your adapter to the computer, please follow the instructions in the
appropriate chapter for your operating system: Windows,Linux.

Chapter 3
Windows
This chapter introduces how to install your adapter’s driver, use your adapter to join a
wireless network, and uninstall the driver in a Windows system.The adapter is equipped
with a setup wizard, which can guide you through the installation process.
This chapter includes the following sections:
• Install Driver
• Join a Wireless Network
• Uninstall Driver

8
Chapter 3 Windows
3. 1. Install Driver
Follow the steps below to set up your adapter:
1. Insert the resource CD into your CD drive and run the Autorun.exe.
Note:
You can also download the driver from the product’s Support page at www.tp-link.com.
2. Select TL-WN881ND and follow the instructions to continue the installation.
Note:
If you can’t install the driver successfully, disable the antivirus software and firewall, then try again.
3. When the following screen appears, the driver has been installed successfully.