TP-Link TL-WR843N User manual

1910011427 REV2.1.0
TL-WR843N
User Guide
300Mbps Wireless AP/Client Router

Contents
About This Guide ...............................................................................................1
Chapter 1. Get to Know About Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1. 1. Product Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1. 2. Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2. Connect the Hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. 1. Position Your Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2. 2. Connect Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 3. Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard . . . . . . 9
3. 1. Log into the Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3. 2. Configure the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 4. Configure the Router in WISP Client Router Mode . . . . . . . 16
4. 1. Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4. 2. WPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4. 3. Working Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4. 4. Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4. 5. Wireless. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4. 6. Guest Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4. 7. DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4. 8. Forwarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4. 9. Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
4. 10. Parental Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4. 11. Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4. 12. Advanced Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4. 13. Bandwidth Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
4. 14. IP&MAC Binding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
4. 15. Dynamic DNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
4. 16. System Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
4. 17. Logout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Chapter 5. Configure the Router in Standard Wireless Router Mode. 69

5. 1. Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
5. 2. WPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5. 3. Working Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5. 4. Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5. 5. Wireless. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
5. 6. Guest Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
5. 7. DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
5. 8. Forwarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
5. 9. Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
5. 10. Parental Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
5. 11. Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
5. 12. Advanced Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
5. 13. Bandwidth Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
5. 14. IP&MAC Binding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
5. 15. Dynamic DNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
5. 16. IPv6 Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
5. 17. System Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
5. 18. Logout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Chapter 6. Configure the Router in Repeater Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
6. 1. Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
6. 2. Working Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
6. 3. Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
6. 4. Wireless. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
6. 5. DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
6. 6. System Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
6. 7. Logout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
FAQ .................................................................................................................. 149

1
About This Guide
This guide is a complementation 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.
When using this guide, please notice that features of the router 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
Blue Italic Hyperlinks are in blue italic. You can click to redirect to a website or a specific section.
Blue Contents to be emphasized and texts on the web page are in blue, 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.
More Info
• The latest software, management app and utility 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 router.
• 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 http://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.
This chapter contains the following sections:
• Product Overview
• Appearance

3
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Router
1. 1. Product Overview
The TP-LINK router, with multiple operation modes, is designed to meet the wireless
needs of almost any situation you might encounter. It is specially designed for Wireless
ISPusers,enablingwirelessaccesstotheInternetinareaswithnowiredISPinfrastructure.
With a high wireless speed, it is ideal for interruption-sensitive applications like HD video
streaming. It can also serve as a normal wireless router. Moreover, it supports Passive
Power over Ethernet, which is quite convenient for deployment in areas without power
supply, such as in a backyard or an attic.
1. 2. Appearance
LED Explanation
LED Status Indication
(Power)
On The router is on.
Off The router is off.
Blinking The router is initializing or upgrading.
(Wi-Fi)
On The wireless is working properly.
Off The wireless is disabled.

4
Chapter 1 Get to Know About Your Router
LED Status Indication
(LAN)
On A device is connected to the corresponding LAN port.
Off No device is connected to the corresponding LAN port.
(WAN)
Green The router is connected to the Internet.
Orange The INTERNET port is connected, but there is no Internet
connection.
Off The INTERNET port is not connected.
(WPS)
Slow blinking WPS connection is in progress.
On WPS connection is successful. The LED will go off in 5
minutes.
Quick blinking WPS connection fails.
Port and Button Description
Item Description
ON/OFF To turn on or off the router, press the ON/OFF button.
POWER Connect the router to the provided power adapter.
INTERNET Connect a DSL/cable modem to the INTERNET port.
LAN (1-4) Connect an Ethernet-enabled device to the local network.
Operation Mode
Switch
Toggle to select the router’s operation mode between ROUTER and WISP. You can also
set the mode via the router’s web interface, after which the operation mode switch
will be disabled.
WPS/RESET
To establish WPS connection, press the WPS/RESET button.
To restore the router to its factory defaults, press and hold the WPS/RESET button for
more than 5 seconds.

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

6
Chapter 2
Connect the Hardware
2. 1. Position Your Router
• The router should not be located where it will be exposed to moisture or excessive
heat.
• Place the router in a location where it can be connected to devices as well as to a
power source.
• Make sure the cables and power cord are safely placed out of the way so that they do
not create a tripping hazard.
• The router can be placed on a shelf or desktop.
• Keep the router away from the strong electromagnetic radiation and the device of
electromagnetic sensitive.
2. 2. Connect Your Router
There are three operation modes supported by this router: WISP Client Router, Standard
Wireless Router and Repeater. Please determine the operation mode you need and
carry out the corresponding steps.
WISP Client Router Mode
In WISP Client Router mode, the router enables multiple users to share Internet
connection from WISP.
LAN (1/2/3/4)
ON/OFF POWER INTERNET ROUTER WISP 1 2 3 4 WPS/
RESET or
1. Connect the power adapter to your router and plug the power adapter into an outlet,
and then press the ON/OFF button to turn on the router.
2. Connect your device to the router wirelessly or via an Ethernet cable. The Wi-Fi
network name and password are on the router’s label.
When the router is installed in a location far from a power outlet, power the router with
the included passive PoE injector.

7
Chapter 2
Connect the Hardware
up to 30 meters
ON/OFF POWER INTERNET ROUTER WISP 1 2 3 4 WPS/
RESET
Passive PoE Injector
or
Note:
If you need to use a longer Ethernet cable (not exceeding 100 meters) , TP-LINK’s 48V PoE adapters such as TL-
POE200, TL-POE150S and TL-POE10R are recommended.
Standard Wireless Router Mode
Create an instant private wireless network and share Internet to multiple Wi-Fi devices.
This mode is suitable for hotel rooms and home networks.
Modem
LAN (1/2/3/4)
ON/OFF POWER INTERNET ROUTER WISP 1 2 3 4 WPS/
RESET
or
Internet
1. Turn off the modem, and remove the backup battery if it has one.
2. Connect the modem to the INTERNET port on the router via an Ethernet cable and
press the ON/OFF button on the router.
3. Turn on the modem and wait for it to restart.
4. Connect your device to the router wirelessly or via an Ethernet cable. The Wi-Fi
network name and password are on the router’s label.
Repeater Mode
Repeat signal from an existing wireless network. This mode is suitable to extend
wireless coverage, reaching devices that were previously too far from your primary
AP to maintain a stable wireless connection. The repeated signal will display the same
network name and password as those of your existing wireless network.

8
Chapter 2
Connect the Hardware
Main AP
The main AP’s
Wi-Fi Name
Main network
LAN (1/2/3/4)
ON/OFF POWER INTERNET ROUTER WISP 1 2 3 4 WPS/
RESET or
Internet
1. Connect the power adapter to your router and plug the power adapter into an outlet,
and then press the ON/OFF button to turn on the router.
2. Connect your device to the router wirelessly or via an Ethernet cable. The Wi-Fi
network name and password are on the router’s label.

Chapter 3
Set Up Internet Connection
Via Quick Setup Wizard
This chapter introduces how to connect your router to the Internet via the web-based
Quick Setup Wizard.
This chapter contains the following sections:
• Log into the Router
• Configure the Router

10
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
3. 1. Log into the 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, Macintosh or UNIX OS with a web browser, such as
Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Apple Safari.
Follow the steps below to log into 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 log in with the username and password you set for the
router. The default one is 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 Router
The Quick Setup Wizard will guide you through the process to set up your router.
1. Go to Quick Setup and click Next to start.
2. Check Control the system mode by software, choose the working mode you need
and then click Next. Then follow the corresponding steps to connect your router to
the Internet.
Note: When Control the system mode by software is checked, the operation mode switch on the router will be
disabled. If you want to enable it, please log into the web management page and go to Working Mode to uncheck
Control the system mode by software.

11
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
WISP Client Router Mode
1. Select the WAN Connection Type. When using the router in a hotel room or a small
office, select Dynamic IP.
2. In this case, we take dynamic IP that requires no more parameters for instance. For
other connection types, please enter the parameters provided by your ISP.
3. Click Survey to find the public Wi-Fi network and click Connect. Enter the public
Wi-Fi password in the Password field. In the AP Setting section, either customize your
Local SSID and Wireless Password or keep the default ones, and then click Next.
4. Click Finish to complete the configuration.

12
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
Standard Wireless Router Mode
1. Select the WAN Connection Type. When using the router in a hotel room or a small
office, select Dynamic IP.
Note:
• If you use DSL line and you are only provided an account name and a password by your ISP, select PPPoE.
• If you use cable TV or fiber cable, select Dynamic IP.
• If you are provided with more information such as an IP address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway, select Static
IP.
• Contact your ISP if you are not sure about the WAN connection information. You can also select Auto-Detect to let
the router detect your connection type automatically.
2. In this case, we take dynamic IP for instance. Please select to clone the mac address or
not and click Next. For other connection types, please enter the parameters provided
by your ISP, and then click Next.

13
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
3. Either customize your Wireless Network Name and Wireless Password or keep the
default ones , and then click Next.
4. Click Reboot to complete the configuration. Now your computers and wireless
devices can connect to the Internet!

14
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
Repeater 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 router or leave the default setting Smart IP for most
cases, and then click Next.
3. Click Reboot to complete the configuration.

15
Chapter 3 Set Up Internet Connection Via Quick Setup Wizard
4. Relocate the router about halfway between your host AP and the Wi-Fi dead zone.
The extended network shares the same network name and password as those of
your host network.

Chapter 4
Configure the Router in
WISP Client Router Mode
This chapter presents how to configure the various features of the router working as a
WISP Client Router.
This chapter contains the following sections:
• Status
• WPS
• Working Mode
• Network
• Wireless
• Guest Network
• DHCP
• Forwarding
• Security
• Parental Controls
• Access Control
• Advanced Routing
• Bandwidth Control
• IP&MAC Binding
• Dynamic DNS
• System Tools
• Logout

17
Chapter 4
Configure the Router in WISP Client Router Mode
4. 1. Status
1. Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with the username and password you set for
the router.
2. Go to Status.You can view the current status information of the router in WISP Client
Router Mode.
• Firmware Version - The version information of the router’s firmware.
• Hardware Version - The version information of the router’s hardware.
• LAN - This field displays the current settings of the LAN, and you can configure them
on the Network > LAN page.
• MAC address - The physical address of the router.
• IP address - The LAN IP address of the router.
• Subnet Mask - The subnet mask associated with the LAN IP address.
• Wireless - This field displays the basic information or status of the wireless function,
and you can configure them on the Wireless > Wireless Settings page.
• Wireless Radio - Indicates whether the wireless feature is enabled or not.
• Name (SSID) - The SSID of the router.
• Channel - The current wireless channel in use.
• Mode - The current wireless working mode in use.