TP-Link Archer AX73V User manual

© 2023 TP-Link 1910013437 REV1.0.0
User Guide
AX5400 Wi-Fi 6 Router
Archer AX73V

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.Top Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1. 2. 2.Back Panel and Side 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. Quick Setup Via TP-Link Tether App. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4. 3. Manually Set Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4. 4. Set Up the Router as an Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4. 5. Set Up an IPv6 Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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. Network Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Chapter 7. Wireless Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7. 1. Specify Wireless Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
7. 2. Schedule Your Wireless Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
7. 3. Use WPS for Wireless Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

7. 3. 1.Connect via the Client’s PIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
7. 3. 2.Connect via the Router’s PIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
7. 3. 3.Push the WPS Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
7. 4. Advanced Wireless Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Chapter 8. Guest Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
8. 1. Create a Network for Guests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
8. 2. Customize Guest Network Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 9. HomeShield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
9. 1. Network Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
9. 2. Parental Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
9. 3. Network Analysis & Optimization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Chapter 10.Network Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
10. 1. Protect the Network from Cyber Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
10. 2. Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
10. 3. IP & MAC Binding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
10. 4. ALG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Chapter 11.EasyMesh with Seamless Roaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
11. 1. Add a Router as a Satellite Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
11. 2. Add a Range Extender as a Satellite Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
11. 3. Manage Devices in the EasyMesh Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Chapter 12.NAT Forwarding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
12. 1. Share Local Resources on the Internet by Port Forwarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
12. 2. Open Ports Dynamically by Port Triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
12. 3. Make Applications Free from Port Restriction by DMZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
12. 4. Make Xbox Online Games Run Smoothly by UPnP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Chapter 13.VPN Server&Client. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
13. 1. Use OpenVPN to Access Your Home Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
13. 2. Use PPTP VPN to Access Your Home Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
13. 3. Use L2TP/IPSec VPN to Access Your Home Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
13. 4. Use VPN Client to Access a Remote VPN Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Chapter 14.Customize Your Network Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
14. 1. Change the Internet Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

14. 2. Change the LAN Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
14. 3. Configure to Support IPTV Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
14. 4. Specify DHCP Server Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
14. 5. Set Up a Dynamic DNS Service Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
14. 6. Create Static Routes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Chapter 15.Manage the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
15. 1. Upgrade the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
15. 1. 1.Auto Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
15. 1. 2.Online Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
15. 1. 3.Local Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
15. 2. Backup and Restore Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
15. 3. Change the Login Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
15. 4. Password Recovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
15. 5. Local Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
15. 6. Remote Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
15. 7. System Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
15. 8. Test the Network Connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
15. 9. Set Up System Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
15. 10. Set the Router to Reboot Regularly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
15. 11. Control the LED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
FAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

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 > Guest Network means the Guest Network
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.
More Info
The latest software, management app and utility can be found at Download Center at
https://www.tp-link.com/support/download/.
The Quick Installation Guide can be found where you find this guide or inside the
package of the router.
Specifications can be found on the product page at https://www.tp-link.com.
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/.

2
*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 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), and features including OFDMA, MU-MIMO, 1024-QAM, and
HT160 require clients to also support the corresponding features.
*Saving clients’ battery power requires clients to also support the 802.11ax Wi-Fi
standard. Actual power reduction may vary as a result of network conditions, client
limitations, and environmental factors.
*Use of WPA3 requires clients to also support the corresponding feature.
*This router may not support all the mandatory features as ratified in Draft 3.0 of IEEE
802.11ax specification.
*Further software upgrades for feature availability may be required.

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

4
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Router
1. 1. Product Overview
TP-Link AX router, with next-generation 802.11ax Wi-Fi Technology, achieves Wi-
Fi performance at its ultimate level. The revolutionary combination of OFDMA and
1024QAM improve throughput by 4 times and dramatically increase the whole network
capacity and efficiency. It’s also backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.
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. Top Panel
WPS Button: Press this WPS button, and immediately press the WPS button on your
client device to start the WPS process. The LED of the router should change from
pulsing blue to solid on, indicating successful WPS connection.
You can check the router’s working status by following the LED Explanation table.
LED Explanation
Name Status Indication
(Power)
On The system has started up successfully.
Blinking The system is starting up. Do not disconnect or power off your
router.
Off Power is off.

5
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Router
Name Status Indication
(2.4 GHz Wireless)
On The 2.4 GHz wireless band is enabled.
Off The 2.4 GHz wireless band is disabled.
(5 GHz Wireless)
On The 5 GHz wireless band is enabled.
Off The 5 GHz wireless band is disabled.
(Internet)
White On Internet service is available.
Orange On The router’s WAN port is connected, but the internet service is
not available.
Off The router’s WAN port is unplugged.
(LAN)
On At least one powered-on device is connected to the router’s
Ethernet port.
Off No powered-on device is connected to the router’s Ethernet port.
(Firmware Update)
On The latest firmware is available for your router.
Blinking The router is upgrading.
Off The firmware version is up to date.
(WPS)
On/Off When a WPS connection is established, this light turns solid on,
then turns off.
Blinking WPS connection is in progress. This may take up to 2 minutes.
1. 2. 2. Back Panel and Side Panel

6
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Router
Button and Port Explanation (from bottom to top)
Item Description
Power On/Off Button Press this button to power on or off the router..
Power Port For connecting the router to a power socket via the provided power adapter
Reset Button Press and hold the button until the LED blinks to reset the router to its factory
default settings.
LED/Wi-Fi
Press and hold this button for more than 2 seconds to turn on or off the
wireless function of your router.
Press the LED button for 1 second to turn on or off the LED of your router.
WAN Port For connecting to your modem, the Ethernet outlet or other internet devices.
LAN Port (1-4) For connecting your PC or other wired devices to the router.

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 interference, such as
Bluetooth devices, cordless phones and microwaves.
• Generally, the router is placed on a horizontal surface, such as on a shelf or desktop.
The device also can be mounted on the wall as shown in the following figure.
140.0
9.0
Note:
The diameter of the screw head, 4.67mm<D<8mm, and the distance of two screws is 140mm. The screw that project
from the wall need around 5mm based, and the length of the screw need to be at least 20mm to withstand the weight
of the product.
2. 2. Connect Your Router
Before you start:
1 ) Turn off your modem, if any, and remove the backup battery if it has one.
2 ) Place the router horizontally and orient the antennas vertically.
If your internet comes from an Ethernet outlet instead of a DSL / Cable / Satellite
modem, connect the router’s WAN port to it, then follow steps 3 and 4 to complete the
hardware connection.

9
Chapter 2 Connect the Hardware
2 3
Internet
1
1. Connect the powered-off modem to the WAN port with an Ethernet cable.
2. Turn on the modem, and then wait about 3 minutes for it to restart.
3. Connect the power adapter to the router and turn on the router.
4. Verify that the hardware connection is correct by checking the following LEDs.
Power
On
Internet
On
2.4GHz
On
5GHz
On
5. Connect your computer to the router.
• Method 1: Wired
Turn off the Wi-Fi on your computer and connect the devices to the LAN port of the
router.
Ethernet cable
• Method 2: Wirelessly
1 ) Find the SSID (Network Name) and Wireless Password printed on the label.

10
Chapter 2 Connect the Hardware
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
TP-Link_XXXX
TP-Link_XXXX_5G
Connect automatically Connect
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
TP-Link_XXXX
TP-Link_XXXX_5G
CHOOSE A NETWORK...
Other...
< Settings
OR
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.
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 ) Tap the WPS icon on the device’s screen. Here we take an Android phone for
instance.
2 ) Within two minutes, press the WPS button on your router.

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:
• If the login window does not appear, please refer to the FAQ Section.

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
• Quick Setup Via TP-Link Tether App
• Manually Set Up Your Internet Connection
• Set Up the Router as an Access Point
• Set Up an IPv6 Internet Connection

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. Follow the step-by-step instructions to complete Quick Setup configuration or go
to Advanced > Quick Setup for configuration to connect your router to the internet.
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,
and more.), log in with your TP-Link ID or click Sign Up Now to get one. Then follow the
instructions to bind the cloud router to your TP-Link ID.
Note:
• To learn more about the TP-Link Cloud service, please refer to the TP-Link Cloud Service section.
• If you do not want to register a TP-Link ID now, you may click Skip to proceed.
• If you have changed the preset wireless network name (SSID) and wireless password during the Quick Setup process,
all your wireless devices must use the new SSID and password to connect to the router.
4. 2. Quick Setup Via TP-Link Tether App
The Tether app runs on iOS and Android devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
1. Launch the Apple App Store or Google Play store and search “TP-Link Tether” or
simply scan the QR code to download and install the app.

15
Chapter 4 Set Up Internet Connection
OR
2. Open the Tether app and log in with your TP-Link ID. If you don’t have an account,
create one first.
3. Tap the +button and select Router >Wireless Router. Follow the steps to complete
the setup and connect to the internet.
4. Connect your devices to the newly configured wireless networks of the router and
enjoy the internet!
4. 3. 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 Internet.
3. Select your internet connection type from the drop-down list.
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.

16
Chapter 4 Set Up Internet Connection
2 ) If you choose Static IP, enter the information provided by your ISP in the
corresponding fields.
3 ) If you choose PPPoE, enter the username and password provided by your ISP.
PPPoE users usually have DSL cable modems.