TP-Link TL-WA901ND User manual

REV4.0.1 1910012290
User Guide
450Mbps/300Mbps Wireless N Access Point
TL-WA901ND/TL-WA801ND

Contents
About This Guide.........................................................................................................1
Chapter 1. Get to Know About Your Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
1. 1. Product Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1. 2. Panel Layout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1. 2. 1.Top View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1. 2. 2.The Back Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter 2. Connect the Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
2. 1. Position Your Access Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2. 2. Connect Your Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2. 2. 1.Access Point Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2. 2. 2.Repeater (Range Extender) Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2. 2. 3.Bridge with AP Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2. 2. 4.Client Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2. 2. 5.Multi-SSID Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 3. Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard. . . . . 10
3. 1. Log In to the Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3. 2. Configure the Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3. 2. 1.Access Point Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3. 2. 2.Repeater (Range Extender) Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3. 2. 3.Bridge with AP Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3. 2. 4.Client Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3. 2. 5.Multi-SSID Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 4. Configure the Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4. 1. Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4. 2. WPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4. 3. Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4. 3. 1. LAN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4. 3. 2.DHCP Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4. 3. 3.DHCP Client List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4. 4. Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4. 4. 1.Wireless Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4. 4. 2.Wireless Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4. 4. 3.Wireless MAC Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
4. 4. 4.Wireless Advanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4. 4. 5.Wireless Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4. 4. 6.Throughput Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4. 5. System Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4. 5. 1.SNMP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4. 5. 2.Diagnostic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4. 5. 3.Ping Watch Dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4. 5. 4.Firmware Upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4. 5. 5.Factory Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4. 5. 6.Backup & Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4. 5. 7.Reboot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4. 5. 8.password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4. 5. 9.System Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
4. 6. Logout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
FAQ ................................................................................................................................56

1
About This Guide
This guide is a complement to Quick Installation Guide. The Quick Installation Guide
provides instructions for quick Internet setup, while this guide contains details of each
function and demonstrates how to configure them.
When using this guide, please notice that features of the access point may vary slightly
depending on the model and software version you have, and on your location, language,
and Internet service provider. 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
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 and so on.
>
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.
More Info
The latest software, management app and utility are available from the Download
Center at www.tp-link.com/support.
The Quick Installation Guide can be found where you find this guide or inside the
package of the access point.
Specifications can be found on the product page at http://www.tp-link.com.
A Technical Support Forum is provided for you to discuss our products at
http://forum.tp-link.com.
Our Technical Support contact information can be found at the Contact Technical
Support page at www.tp-link.com/support.

Chapter 1
Get to Know About Your
Access Point
This chapter introduces what the access point can do and shows its appearance.
It contains the following sections:
• Product Overview
• Panel Layout

3
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Access Point
1. 1. Product Overview
The TP-Link Wireless N Access Point, with multiple operation modes, is designed to
establish or expand a scalable high-speed wireless N network or to connect an Ethernet
enabled device such as a game console, digital media adapter, printer, or network
attached storage device to a wireless network. The AP supports a host of different
functions that make your wireless networking experience more fexible than ever
before. Now, you can enjoy a better internet experience when downloading, gaming,
video streaming or with any other application that you may wish to use.
1. 2. Panel Layout
1. 2. 1. Top View
The access point’s LEDs (view from left to right) are located on the front panel. You can
check the access point’s working status by following the LED Explanation table.

4
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Access Point
LED Explanation
Name Status Indication
(Power)
On Power is on.
Flashing The system is starting up or the firmware is being upgraded. Do not
disconnect or power off your access point.
Off Power is off.
(Wireless)
On The wireless function is enabled.
Off The wireless function is disabled.
(Ethernet)
On The ETHERNET port is connected to a powered-on device.
Off The ETHERNET port is not connected to a powered-on device.
(WPS)
On/Off This light remains on for 2 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
The following parts (view from left to right) are located on the rear panel.
Ports or Buttons Description
ON/OFF To power on or off the access point.
Power For connecting the access point to a power socket via the provided power adapter.

5
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Access Point
Ports or Buttons Description
ETHERNET One LAN 10/100Mbps RJ45 port connects to a network device, such as a switch or
a router.
WPS
If your client devices, such as wireless adapters, support Wi-Fi Protected Setup, then
you can press this button to quickly establish a connection between the access point
and the client devices and automatically configure wireless security for your wireless
network.
RESET Press and hold this button until all the LEDs turn on momentarily.
Antennas Used for wireless operation and data transmitting. Upright them for the best Wi-Fi
performance.

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

7
Chapter 2 Connect the Hardware
2. 1. Position Your Access Point
• The product should not be located in a place where it will be exposed to moisture or
excessive heat.
• Place the access point in a location where it can be connected to various 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 access point can be placed on a shelf or desktop.
• Keep the router away from devices with strong electromagnetic interference, such as
Bluetooth devices, cordless phones and microwaves.
2. 2. Connect Your Access Point
There are five operation modes supported by this access point: Access Point, Repeater,
Bridge with AP, Client and Multi-SSID. Please determine which operation mode you
need and carry out the corresponding steps.
2. 2. 1. Access Point Mode
In access point mode, the access point transforms your existing wired network to a
wireless one. This mode is suitable for dorm rooms or homes where there’s already a
wired router but you need a wireless network.
Wired Router
Internet
TL-WA901ND’s SSID
A
B
C
D
1. Connect the access point according to Step A to D in the diagram.
2. Power on the access point, wait until the Power ( ) and Wireless ( ) LEDs are lit and stable,
and use the default SSID and Password printed on the label of the access point to join its
Wi-Fi network.
Note:
You can surf the internet now. For your wireless network security, it is recommended to change the default SSID (network
name) and the password of your Wi-Fi network.

8
Chapter 2 Connect the Hardware
2. 2. 2. Repeater (Range Extender) Mode
In Repeater mode, the access point extends the range of an existing Wi-Fi network.
This mode is suitable when you are in a Wi-Fi dead-zone or a place with weak wireless
signal, and you want to have a larger effective range of the wireless signal throughout
your home or office.
Internet Host AP’s SSID Host AP’s SSID
A
B
1. Connect the access point according to Step A and B in the diagram.
2. Power on the access point, wait until the Power ( ) and Wireless ( ) LEDs are lit and stable,
and use the default SSID and Password printed on the label of the access point to join its
Wi-Fi network.
2. 2. 3. Bridge with AP Mode
In Bridge with AP mode, the access point combines two local networks via wireless
connection. This mode is suitable when you want to link multiple local networks to the
same network using wireless connections where physical wires are inconvenient (when
connecting networks in different office buildings, for example).
Internet
TL-WA901ND’s SSID
Host AP’s SSID
ON/OFF POWER ETHERNET WPS/RESET
A
B
1. Connect the access point according to Step A and B in the diagram.
2. Power on the access point, wait until the Power ( ) and Wireless ( ) LEDs are lit and stable,
and use the default SSID and Password printed on the label of the access point to join its
Wi-Fi network.
2. 2. 4. Client Mode
In Client mode, the access point connects your wired devices to a wireless network.
This mode is suitable when you have a wired device with an Ethernet port and no

9
Chapter 2 Connect the Hardware
wireless capability, for example, a smart TV, Media Player, or game console and you
want to connect it to the internet wirelessly.
Internet Host AP’s SSID
A
B
D
C
1. Connect the access point according to Step A to D in the diagram.
2. Power on the access point, wait until the Power ( ) and Wireless ( ) LEDs are lit and stable,
and use the default SSID and Password printed on the label of the access point to join its
Wi-Fi network.
2. 2. 5. Multi-SSID Mode
In Multi-SSID mode, the access point creates multiple wireless networks to provide
different security and VLAN groups. This mode is suitable when you want your devices
connected to different wireless networks and become isolated by VLANs.
TL-WA901ND’s SSID
VLAN 2
VLAN 1
Wired Router
Internet
AC
B D
1. Connect the access point according to Step A to D in the diagram.
2. Power on the access point, wait until the Power ( ) and Wireless ( ) LEDs are lit and stable,
and use the default SSID and Password printed on the label of the access point to join its
Wi-Fi network.

Chapter 3
Set Up Internet Connection
Via Quick Setup Wizard
This chapter introduces how to connect your access point to the internet via the web-
based Quick Setup Wizard.
It contains the following sections:
• Log In to the Access Point
• Configure the Access Point

11
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
3. 1. Log In to the Access Point
With a Web-based utility, it is easy to configure and manage the access point. The Web-
based utility can be used on any Windows, Macintosh 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 access point.
1. Visit http://tplinkap.net, and log in using admin (all lowercase) for both username and password.
Note:
If the login window does not appear, please refer to the FAQ Section.
3. 2. Configure the Access Point
The Quick Setup Wizard will guide you through the process to set up your access point.
1. Go to Quick Setup and click Next to start.
2. If you want to change your login account, click YES. Then enter your old username and
password, then a new username and password. If not, click Next to move on.
3. Choose the operation mode you need and click Next. Then follow the corresponding steps to
configure your access point.

12
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
3. 2. 1. Access Point Mode
1. Either customize your Wireless Network Name and Wireless Password or keep the default
ones, and then click Next.
2. Select the LAN IP type of the access point or leave the default setting Smart IP for most
cases, and then click Next.
3. Click Finish to complete the configuration. Reconnect your wireless devices to the new Wi-Fi
network.

13
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
3. 2. 2. Repeater (Range Extender) Mode
1. Select Universal Repeater or WDS Repeater. It’s recommended to choose Universal Repeater
if you are not sure whether your host AP supports WDS.
2. Click Survey to find your host network and click Connect. Enter the host network’s password
in the Wireless Password field, and then click Next.
3. Select the LAN IP type of the access point or leave the default setting Smart IP for most
cases, and then click Next.

14
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
4. Click Finish to complete the configuration.
5. Relocate the access point about halfway between your host AP and the Wi-Fi dead zone. The
extended network shares the same network name and password as your host network.
3. 2. 3. Bridge with AP Mode
1. Click Survey to find your host network, enter the host network’s password in the Wireless
Password field. In the Local Wireless Setting section, either customize your Local Wireless
Name and Wireless Password or keep the default ones, and then click Next.

15
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
2. Select the LAN IP type of the access point or leave the default setting Smart IP for most
cases, and then click Next.
3. Click Finish to complete the configuration.

16
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
4. Relocate the access point to a good place. Connect your wireless devices to the Wi-Fi network
using the access point’s SSID and password.
3. 2. 4. Client Mode
1. Click Survey to find your host network and click Connect. Enter the host network’s password
in the Wireless Password field, and then click Next.
2. Select the LAN IP type of the access point or leave the default setting Smart IP for most
cases, and then click Next.

17
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
3. Click Finish to complete the configuration. Now your wired connected devices can enjoy the
Internet surfing.
3. 2. 5. Multi-SSID Mode
1. Enable the VLAN function and check SSIDs you want to enable. Customize the SSIDs and the
passwords according to your needs and click Next.