TP-Link Archer A6 User manual

REV2.2.1 1910012745
User Guide
AC1200 Wireless MU-MIMO Gigabit Router
Archer A6/Archer C6

Contents
About This Guide.........................................................................................................1
Chapter 1. Get to Know About Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
1. 1. Product Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1. 2. Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1. 2. 1.The Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1. 2. 2.The Back Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 2. Connect the Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
2. 1. Position Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2. 2. Connect Your Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 3. Log In to Your Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chapter 4. Set Up Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4. 1. Use Quick Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4. 2. Manually Set up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4. 3. Set Up an IPv6 Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4. 4. Configure the Router in Access Point Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter 5. TP-Link Cloud Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5. 1. Register a TP-Link ID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
5. 2. Change Your TP-Link ID Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
5. 3. Manage the User TP-Link IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
5. 3. 1.Add TP-Link ID to Manage the Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5. 3. 2.Remove TP-Link ID(s) from Managing the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5. 4. Manage the Router via the TP-Link Tether App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chapter 6. OneMeshTM with Seamless Roaming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
6. 1. Set Up a OneMeshTM Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
6. 2. Manage Devices in the OneMeshTM Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Chapter 7. Guest Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
7. 1. Create a Network for Guests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
7. 2. Customize Guest Network Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Chapter 8. Parental Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
8. 1. Set Up Access Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
8. 2. Monitor Internet Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Chapter 9. QoS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Chapter 10.Network Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
10. 1. Protect the Network from Cyber Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
10. 2. Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
10. 3. IP & MAC Binding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Chapter 11.NAT Forwarding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
11. 1. Translate Address and Port by ALG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
11. 2. Share Local Resources on the Internet by Virtual Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
11. 3. Open Ports Dynamically by Port Triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
11. 4. Make Applications Free from Port Restriction by DMZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
11. 5. Make Xbox Online Games Run Smoothly by UPnP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Chapter 12.VPN Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
12. 1. Use OpenVPN to Access Your Home Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
12. 1. 1.Step1. Set up OpenVPN Server on Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
12. 1. 2.Step 2. Configure OpenVPN Connection on Your Remote Device . . . . 58
12. 2. Use PPTP VPN to Access Your Home Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
12. 2. 1.Step 1. Set up PPTP VPN Server on Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
12. 2. 2.Step 2. Configure PPTP VPN Connection on Your Remote Device. . . . 60
Chapter 13.Customize Your Network Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
13. 1. Change the LAN Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
13. 2. Configure to Support IPTV Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
13. 3. Specify DHCP Server Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
13. 4. Set Up a Dynamic DNS Service Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
13. 5. Create Static Routes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
13. 6. Specify Wireless Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
13. 7. Use WPS for Wireless Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
13. 7. 1.Set the Router’s PIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
13. 7. 2.Use the WPS Wizard for Wi-Fi Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
13. 8. Schedule Your Wireless Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
13. 9. TxBF, MU-MIMO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Chapter 14.Manage the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
14. 1. Set Up System Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
14. 2. Control LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
14. 3. Test the Network Connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
14. 4. Upgrade the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
14. 5. Backup and Restore Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
14. 6. Set the Router to Reboot Regularly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
14. 7. Change the Login Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
14. 8. Password Recovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
14. 9. Local Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
14. 10. Remote Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
14. 11. System Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
14. 12. Monitor the Internet Traffic Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
14. 13. Configure the System Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
14. 13. 1.Wireless Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
14. 13. 2.WDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
14. 13. 3.WPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
14. 13. 4.NAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
14. 13. 5.DoS Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
14. 13. 6.Duplex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Chapter 15.Work with Alexa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
FAQ ................................................................................................................................99

1
About This Guide
This guide is a complement of Quick Installation Guide. The Quick Installation Guide
instructs you on quick Internet setup, and this guide provides details of each function
and shows you the way to configure these functions appropriate to your needs.
Note: Features available in the router may vary by model and software version. Router
availability may also vary by region or ISP. All images, steps, and descriptions in this
guide are only examples and may not reflect your actual router experience.
Conventions
In this guide the following conventions are used:
Convention Description
Underlined Underlined words or phrases are hyperlinks. 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.
>
The menu structures to show the path to load the corresponding page.
For example, Advanced > Wireless > MAC Filtering means the MAC Filtering
function page is under the Wireless menu that is located in the Advanced tab.
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.
Symbols on the web
page
• Click to edit the corresponding entry.
• Click to delete the corresponding entry.
• Click to enable or disable the corresponding entry.
• Click to view more information about items on the page.
*Maximum wireless signal rates are the physical rates derived from IEEE Standard
802.11 specifications. Actual wireless data throughput and wireless coverage are
not guaranteed and will vary as a result of 1) environmental factors, including building
materials, physical objects, and obstacles, 2) network conditions, including local
interference, volume and density of traffic, product location, network complexity, and
network overhead, and 3) client limitations, including rated performance, location,
connection, quality, and client condition.
*Use of MU-MIMO requires clients to also support MU-MIMO.
More Info
The latest software, management app and utility can be found at Download Center at
https://www.tp-link.com/support.
Specifications can be found on the product page at https://www.tp-link.com.

2
TP-Link Community is provided for you to discuss our products and share knowledge at
https://community.tp-link.com/.
Our Technical Support contact information can be found at the Contact Technical
Support page at https://www.tp-link.com/support.

Chapter 1
Get to Know About Your
Router
This chapter introduces what the router can do and shows its appearance.
It contains the following sections:
• Product Overview
• Appearance

4
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Router
1. 1. Product Overview
The TP-Link router is designed to fully meet the need of Small Office/Home Office
(SOHO) networks and users demanding higher networking performance. The powerful
antennas ensure continuous Wi-Fi signal to all your devices while boosting widespread
coverage throughout your home, and the built-in Ethernet ports supply high-speed
connection to your wired devices. The OneMeshTM function allows you to enjoy one
unified network with seamless roaming.
Moreover, it is simple and convenient to set up and use the TP-Link router due to its
intuitive web interface and the powerful Tether app.
1. 2. Appearance
1. 2. 1. The Front Panel
The router’s LEDs (view from left to right) are located on the front panel. You can check
the router’s working status by following the LED Explanation table.

5
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Router
LED Explanation
Name Status Indication
(Power)
On The system has started up successfully.
Flashing The system is starting up or the firmware is being upgraded. Do
not disconnect or power off your router.
Off Power is off.
(2.4GHz Wireless)
On The 2.4GHz wireless band is enabled.
Off The 2.4GHz wireless band is disabled.
(5GHz Wireless)
On The 5GHz wireless band is enabled.
Off The 5GHz wireless band is disabled.
(Ethernet)
On At least one Ethernet port is connected to a powered-on device.
Off No powered-on device is connected to the router’s corresponding
Ethernet port.
(Internet)
Green On Internet service is available.
Orange On The router’s Internet port is connected, but the internet service
is not available.
Off The router’s Internet port is unplugged.
(WPS)
On/Off This light remains on for 5 minutes when a WPS connection is
established, then turns off.
Flashing WPS connection is in progress. This may take up to 2 minutes.
1. 2. 2. The Back Panel

6
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Router
The router’s ports (view from left to right) are located on the rear panel.
Item Description
Power Port For connecting the router to a power socket via the provided power adapter.
Power On/Off Button Press this button to power on or off the router.
Reset Button Press and hold this button for more than 2 seconds to reset the router to its
factory default settings.
WPS/Wi-Fi On/Off
Press this button, and immediately press the WPS button on your device. The
WPS LED of the router should change from flashing to solid on, indicating
successful WPS connection.
Press and hold the Wi-Fi button for about 3 seconds to turn on or off the
wireless function of your router.
Internet Port For connecting to a DSL/Cable modem, or an Ethernet jack.
Ethernet Ports (1/2/3/4) For connecting your PC or other Ethernet network devices to the router.
Antennas Used for wireless operation and data transmit. Upright them for the best
Wi-Fi performance.

Chapter 2
Connect the Hardware
This chapter contains the following sections:
• Position Your Router
• Connect Your Router

8
Chapter 2 Connect the Hardware
2. 1. Position Your Router
• The product should not be located in a place where it will be exposed to moisture or
excessive heat.
• Place the router in a location where it can be connected to multiple devices as well as
to a power source.
• Make sure the cables and power cord are safely placed out of the way so they do not
create a tripping hazard.
• The router can be placed on a shelf or desktop.
• Keep the router away from devices with strong electromagnetic reference, such as
Bluetooth devices, cordless phones and microwaves.
2. 2. Connect Your Router
Follow the steps below to connect your router.
If your internet connection is through an Ethernet cable directly from the wall instead
of through a DSL / Cable / Satellite modem, connect the Ethernet cable to the router’s
Internet port, and then follow Step 4 and 5 to complete the hardware connection.
4
ModemPower adapter
Power adapter
Router
1
2
3
Internet
Internet
Power
On / O
1. Turn off the modem, and remove the backup battery if it has one.
2. Connect the modem to your router’s Internet port with an Ethernet cable.
3. Turn on the modem, and then wait about 2 minutes for it to restart.

9
Chapter 2 Connect the Hardware
4. Connect the power adapter to the router and turn on the router.
5. Verify that the following LEDs are on and solid to confirm the hardware is connected
correctly.
Po
wer
On
Inte
rnet
On
2.4G
On
5G
On
Note:
If the 2.4G LED and 5G LED are off, press and hold the WPS/Wi-Fi On/Off button on the back for about 3 seconds and
then release the button. Both LEDs should turn solid on.
6. Connect your computer to the router.
• Method 1: Wired
Turn off the Wi-Fi on your computer and connect the devices as shown below.
Ethernet cable
• Method 2: Wirelessly
1 ) Find the SSID (Network Name) and Wireless Password printed on the label at
the bottom of the router.
2 ) Click the network icon of your computer or go to Wi-Fi Settings of your smart
device, and then select the SSID to join the network.
Connections are available
Wireless Network Connection
Connect automatically Connect
√
TP-Link_XXXX
TP-Link_XXXX_5G
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
TP-Link_XXXX
TP-Link_XXXX_5G
CHOOSE A NETWORK...
Other...
< Settings
Smart DeviceComputer
• Method 3: Use the WPS button
Wireless devices that support WPS, including Android phones, tablets, and most USB
network cards, can be connected to your router through this method.

10
Chapter 2 Connect the Hardware
Note:
• WPS is not supported by iOS devices.
• The WPS function cannot be configured if the wireless function of the router is disabled. Also, the WPS function will be
disabled if your wireless encryption is WEP. Please make sure the wireless function is enabled and is configured with
the appropriate encryption before configuring the WPS.
1 ) Tab the WPS icon on the device’s screen. Here we take an Android phone for
instance.
2 ) Within two minutes, press the Reset/WPS button on your router.
close to

Chapter 3
Log In to Your Router

12
Chapter 3 Log In to Your Router
With a web-based utility, it is easy to configure and manage the router. The web-based
utility can be used on any Windows, Mac OS or UNIX OS with a Web browser, such as
Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Apple Safari.
Follow the steps below to log in to your router.
1. Set up the TCP/IP Protocol in Obtain an IP address automatically mode on your
computer.
2. Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and create a login password for secure management
purposes. Then click Let’s Get Started to log in.
Note:
1. If the login window does not appear, please refer to the FAQ Section.
2. If you have registered a TP-Link ID and bound your cloud router to it, the login password you created here will be
invalid. Please log in to the cloud router using your TP-Link ID.

Chapter 4
Set Up Internet Connection
This chapter introduces how to connect your router to the internet. The router is
equipped with a web-based Quick Setup wizard. It has necessary ISP information built
in, automates many of the steps and verifies that those steps have been successfully
completed. Furthermore, you can also set up an IPv6 connection if your ISP provides
IPv6 service.
It contains the following sections:
• Use Quick Setup Wizard
• Manually Set up Your Internet Connection
• Set Up an IPv6 Internet Connection
• Configure the Router in Access Point Mode

14
Chapter 4 Set Up Internet Connection
4. 1. Use Quick Setup Wizard
The Quick Setup Wizard will guide you to set up your router.
Tips:
If you need the IPv6 internet connection, please refer to the section of Set Up an IPv6 Internet Connection.
Follow the steps below to set up your router.
1. Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with the password you set for the router.
2. Click Quick Setup on the top of the page. Then follow the step-by-step instructions
to connect your router to the internet.
3. To enjoy a more complete service from TP-Link (remote management, TP-Link DDNS,
etc.), log in with your TP-Link ID or click Register Now to get one. Then follow the
instructions to bind the router to your TP-Link ID.
4. 2. Manually Set up Your Internet Connection
In this part, you can check your current internet connection settings. You can also
modify the settings according to the service information provided by your ISP.
Follow the steps below to check or modify your internet connection settings.
1. Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for
the router.
2. Go to Basic > Internet.
3. Select your internet connection type from the drop-down list.

15
Chapter 4 Set Up Internet Connection
Note:
If you are unsure of what your connection type is, click Auto Detect. Since different connection types require different
cables and connection information, you can also refer to the demonstrations in Step 4 to determine your connection
type.
4. Follow the instructions on the page to continue the configuration. Parameters on the
figures are just used for demonstration.
1 ) If you choose Dynamic IP, you need to select whether to clone the MAC address.
Dynamic IP users are usually equipped with a cable TV or fiber cable.
2 ) If you choose Static IP, enter the information provided by your ISP in the
corresponding fields.

16
Chapter 4 Set Up Internet Connection
3 ) If you choose PPPoE, enter the username and password provided by your ISP.
PPPoE users usually have DSL cable modems.
4 ) If you choose L2TP, enter the username and password and choose the Secondary
Connection provided by your ISP. Different parameters are needed according to
the Secondary Connection you have chosen.