TP-Link TL-R488T User manual

TL-R488T
Load Balance Broadband Router
Rev: 1.1.2

COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS
Specifications are subject to change without notice. ® is a registered trademark of
TP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. Other brands and product names are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.
No part of the specifications may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any
derivative such as translation, transformation, or adaptation without permission from TP-LINK
TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. Copyright © 2008 TP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. All rights
reserved.
http://www.tp-link.com

FCC STATEMENT
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions,
may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
•Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
•Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver
is connected.
•Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/ TV technician for help.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:
1) This device may not cause harmful interference.
2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.
CE Mark Warning
This is a class B product. In a domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference, in
which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.

CONTENTS
Package Contents .................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1 Introduction.......................................................................................... 2
1.1 Overview of the Router..................................................................................... 2
1.2 Features ........................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Conventions...................................................................................................... 3
Chapter 2 Hardware installation........................................................................... 4
2.1 Panel Layout..................................................................................................... 4
2.1.1 The Front Panel ...............................................................................................4
2.1.2 The Rear Panel................................................................................................5
2.2 System Requirements ...................................................................................... 5
2.3 Installation Environment Requirements ............................................................ 5
2.4 Connecting the Router...................................................................................... 5
Chapter 3 Quick Installation Guide...................................................................... 7
3.1 Configure PC .................................................................................................... 7
3.2 Login............................................................................................................... 11
Chapter 4 Configuring the Router...................................................................... 15
4.1 Status ............................................................................................................. 15
4.2 Quick Setup .................................................................................................... 17
4.3 Network .......................................................................................................... 17
4.3.1 LAN ................................................................................................................17
4.3.2 WAN...............................................................................................................18
4.3.3 Network service detection..............................................................................29
4.3.4 MAC Clone.....................................................................................................31
4.3.5 Flow Balance .................................................................................................31
4.3.6 Balance Policy ...............................................................................................33
4.3.7 WAN Port Parameter .....................................................................................35
4.4 DHCP ............................................................................................................. 36
4.4.1 DHCP Settings...............................................................................................37
4.4.2 DHCP Clients List ..........................................................................................38
4.4.3 Address Reservation .....................................................................................38
4.5 Forwarding...................................................................................................... 40
4.5.1 Virtual Servers ...............................................................................................40
4.5.2 Port Triggering ...............................................................................................42
4.5.3 DMZ ...............................................................................................................44
4.5.4 UPnP..............................................................................................................44
4.6 Security........................................................................................................... 45
4.6.1 Firewall...........................................................................................................45

4.6.2 IP Filtering......................................................................................................46
4.6.3 Domain Filtering.............................................................................................49
4.6.4 MAC Filtering .................................................................................................50
4.6.5 Screen............................................................................................................52
4.7 Static Routing ................................................................................................. 55
4.8 Session Limit .................................................................................................. 57
4.8.1 Session Limit..................................................................................................57
4.8.2 Session List....................................................................................................58
4.9 QoS ................................................................................................................ 58
4.9.1 QoS Settings..................................................................................................59
4.9.2 QoS Rules List ...............................................................................................59
4.10 IP & MAC Binding........................................................................................... 60
4.10.1 Binding Setting...............................................................................................60
4.10.2 ARP List .........................................................................................................62
4.11 Dynamic DNS ................................................................................................. 63
4.11.1 Dyndns DDNS................................................................................................63
4.11.2 PeanutHull DDNS ..........................................................................................64
4.11.3 Comexe DDNS ..............................................................................................65
4.12 Switch Setting................................................................................................. 65
4.12.1 Port Statistics .................................................................................................66
4.12.2 Port Rate Control ...........................................................................................66
4.12.3 Port Parameter...............................................................................................67
4.12.4 Port Status .....................................................................................................67
4.13 System Tools .................................................................................................. 68
4.13.1 Time Setting...................................................................................................68
4.13.2 Firmware ........................................................................................................69
4.13.3 Factory Defaults.............................................................................................70
4.13.4 Backup and Restore ......................................................................................70
4.13.5 Reboot ...........................................................................................................72
4.13.6 Password .......................................................................................................73
4.13.7 Log .................................................................................................................73
4.13.8 Remote Management ....................................................................................74
4.13.9 Statistics.........................................................................................................75
4.13.10 WAN Speed Detect........................................................................................76
4.13.11 IP NAT Table .................................................................................................78
4.13.12 NAT Source Port Settings..............................................................................78
Appendix A: Specifications................................................................................... 79
Appendix B: FAQ.................................................................................................... 80
Appendix C: Glossary............................................................................................ 85

TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router User Guide
1
Package Contents
The following items should be found in your package:
¾One TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router
¾One power cord for TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router
¾One Resource CD for TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router, including:
•This Guide
•Other Helpful Information
¾Mounting kits for installing in a standard 19 rack
)Note:
If any of the listed contents are damaged or missing, please contact the retailer from whom you
purchased the product for assistance.

TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router User Guide
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Chapter 1 Introduction
Thank you for choosing the TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router!
1.1 Overview of the Router
The TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router possesses excellent throughput and driving load
capability, which consumedly meets the requirements from Internet cafe and small
/medium/sizable enterprise with volumes of users, making a more expedite communication. The
superior performance will bring you full-new experience of a non-bottle-neck network.
TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router makes plenty of applications become a reality. It can
be used for constructing intranet FTP, WEB, and Mail server, etc. Inaccessibly, it features network
game ports opened, MSN audio conversation and special application setting, providing much
more additional value to your network.
TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router provides four WAN ports, with plugging four wan
lines, the export bandwidth of it could be multi-time-increased, enjoying various services from
different ISPs. The router features fully automatically load balance policy, no need for any
manually work, it works with backup and load balancing functions. The connection will furbish
when one line is broken down, while the streaming will part automatically.
Featuring firewall and VPN Passthrough, the TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router resists
most common Internet attacks and ensures secure data connectivity and transmission over the
Internet.
TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router is easy-to-manage. Quick Setup is supported and
friendly help messages are provided for every step. So you can configure it quickly and share
Internet access, files and fun comfortably.
1.2 Features
¾Intel IXP core, main frequency up to 533Hz
¾Complies with IEEE802.3, IEEE802.3u standards
¾1 LAN port, 4 WAN ports, backup connections automatically for each other
¾Supports Port Bandwidth Control, Port Mirror, Port-based VLAN for LAN ports
¾Built-in NAT and DHCP server supporting static IP address distributing
¾Supports Virtual Server, Port Triggering, and DMZ host
¾Built-in firewall supporting IP address filtering, Domain Name filtering, and MAC address
filtering
¾Supports connecting/disconnecting Internet at a specified time of day
¾Supports access control, allowing parents and network administrators to establish restricted
access policies based on the time of day for children or staff
¾Supports TCP/IP, PPPoE, DHCP, ICMP, NAT, SNTP

TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router User Guide
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¾Supports UPnP, Dynamic DNS, Static Routing, VPN pass-through
¾Supports Traffic Statistics
¾Supports ICMP-FLOOD, UDP-FLOOD, TCP-SYN-FLOOD filter
¾Ignores Ping packets from WAN or LAN ports
¾Supports firmware upgrade
¾Supports Remote and Web management
1.3 Conventions
The Router or TL-R488T mentioned in this User guide stands for TL-R488T Load Balance
Broadband Router without any explanations.
Parameters provided in the pictures are just references for setting up the product, which may
differ from the actual situation.
You can set the parameters according to your demand.

TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router User Guide
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Chapter 2 Hardware installation
2.1 Panel Layout
2.1.1 The Front Panel
The front panel of the TL-R488T consists of several LED indicators, which is designed to indicate
connections. Viewed from left, the next table describes the LEDs on the front panel of the router.
Figure 2-1
LED Descriptions:
Name Action Description
Not lit The router is power on
Power
Lit up The router is power off
Not lit The router works properly
M1 Lit up The router has a hardware error
Not lit The router has a hardware error
Lit up The router has a hardware error
M2
Flashing The router works properly
M1 and M2 are flashing
synchronously, that indicate
the router is restoring the
factory default settings.
Not lit There is no device linked to the corresponding port
Lit up There is a device linked to the corresponding port but no activity
WAN/LAN
(Link/Act)
Flashing There is an active device linked to the corresponding port
Not lit The linked device is running at 10Mbps
100M
Lit up The linked device is running at 100Mbps
The front panel contains the following features. (Viewed from left to right)
¾Reset: Use the button to restore the router to the factory defaults.
There are two ways to reset the router:
Method one: Use the Factory Defaults function on System Tools -> Factory Defaults page in
the router's Web-based Utility.
Method two: Use the Factory Default Reset button. First, turn off the router's power. Second,
press the default reset button, then turn on the router's power, and hold the reset button until the
M1 and M2 LED flash simultaneously (about 3 seconds). At last, release the reset button and wait
for the router to reboot.
)Note:
Ensure the router is powered on before it restarts completely.

TL-R488T Load Balance Broadband Router User Guide
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¾WAN: Four RJ45 port for connecting the router to a cable, DSL modem or Ethernet
¾LAN: One 10/100Mbps RJ45 port for connecting the router to the local PCs
2.1.2 The Rear Panel
The rear panel of the TL-R488T only features a power receptacle, which is an AC power
receptacle. Connect the female of the power cord head here, and the male head to the AC power
outlet.
Figure 2-2
2.2 System Requirements
¾Broadband Internet Access Service (DSL/Cable/Ethernet)
¾One DSL/Cable modem that has an RJ45 connector (It’s not necessary if you connect the
router to Ethernet)
¾Each PC on the LAN needs a working Ethernet Adapter and an Ethernet cable with RJ45
connectors
¾TCP/IP protocol must be installed on each PC
¾Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, Netscape Navigator 6.0 or later
2.3 Installation Environment Requirements
¾Not in direct sunlight or near a heater or heating vent
¾Not cluttered or crowded. There should be at least 2 inches (5 cm) of clear space on all sides
of the router
¾Well ventilated (especially if it is in a closet)
¾Operating temperature: 0℃~40℃(32℉~104℉)
¾Operating Humidity: 10%~90%RH, Non-condensing
)Note:
Do not use this product near water, for example, in a wet basement or near a swimming pool.
Avoid using this product during an electrical storm. There may be a remote risk of electric shock
from lightning.
2.4 Connecting the Router
Before you install the router, you should connect your PC to the Internet through your broadband
service successfully. If there is any problem, please contact with your ISP for help. After that,
please install the router according to the following steps. Don't forget to pull out the power plug
and keep your hands dry.