TP-Link TL-WDR3500 Dual-Band Wireless Router

5 year Update (05/12/2019):I am removing 2 stars from my original review because in the past 5 years I have not once received a firmware update through my TP-LINK interface for my router. My router has “acted up” several times (poor signal strength, dropped signal in some locations or no WiFi signal at all which required a reboot of the router). I remotely manage my next door neighbors Netgear router (through Netgear Genie Software) from my PC (she calls me when it is “acting up”) and nearly every time that she calls I find that her router has a firmware update available, which I apply to her router and the situation is resolved. My TP-LINK’s interface has never once shown that I had an update. Technology evolves too quickly to not have an update available in 5 years!I did find a firmware update last year after 2 days of searching the web (using my neighbors WiFi signal since mine was down (at the router, not my ISP)) and finally found a reference to a “Confidential Only For Test” (see pic of my interface) firmware update (which after many hours spent reading reviews) I finally applied to my router and it has been performing without issue since.My router is sitting on an AICHESON S-18 Laptop Cooler fan (see pic) that is running from 7am to 12:30am every day, so overheating is not the issue I am having.If TP-Link starts releasing firmware updates through its user interface I will update this review again, but if they don’t then I will most likely buy a Netgear router (due to its firmware upgradability) when this one finally bites the dust.Original Review (04/28/2014):I have had this router for about a month now and it has performed without a hitch. It is located in an upstairs room and despite being surrounded by walls, the signal is full strength on all of our devices throughout the house, in the garage and even in both yards. I would definitely recommend this router.

What is it?It is a wireless router that supports 2 bands (signals) that run simultaneously. The speed on both signals will max out at 300Mbps. This router also supports wlan printing, media / network servers, and has a USB port.Features 600Mbps total bandwidth (300 for 2.4GHz and 300 for 5GHz)2 Detachable dual band antennas1 USB PortGuest Network AccessIP- Based Bandwidth controlEasily Setup a WPA Encrypted Connection w/ Button pressLive Parental ControlsTP-Link Live 24/7 Tech SupportAndroid & iOS appWhat’s HotEasy Setup…InexpensiveLED aren’t overly distractingBuilt in Media ServerMake any printer a network printer.What’s NotOnly one USB PortUSB is a USB 2.0 (Should have been 3 like my old Netgear router)Can’t Seem to get the Android app to detect devices on my network.Fingerprint / dust magnetStreaming HD media from a separate server is a struggle at timesBuild Quality: 4.5The N600 comes in a glossy piano black finish, that as you would expect is a fingerprint magnet. This also mean that it will most likely be a dust magnet as well. Overall it is very light weight and on the average size for a wireless router. It appears to be about to take a fall but seriously who will be traveling with a router or, place it somewhere where it will fall?Features: 4The N600 is packed with features like USB (for printers / drives) , media server, and dual bands that is usually found in routers 2x its price. I kind of wish that they bumped up the max speeds to at least 450 Mbps but in all honestly 300 isn’t that bad for the price.Value: 5Lets be honest here the main reason why someone would be eyeing this router next to its competitors is its price. And Yes, it is totally worth it… For what you get for $40 is equivalent to something you would have to pay Netgear $70, or Cisco $85, or LinkSys $65.Performance: 4So far it works as advertised. I haven’t had any real hiccups outside of the Android App not really working for me. I’ve also noticed that my Media Server sometimes disconnects when not in use but that is probably just an issue with my server and not the router. Speeds weren’t incredibly high but they never really slow to a crawl, and i have multiple devices connected to it via lan and, wireless. I’ve noticed that this router sometimes struggles while streaming HD video wirelessly from my Media Server. The wireless range if the wireless router is surprisingly good. I was able to get pretty far away from my house and still be in range of the router.My ThoughtsOverall it is a great router for the price. You should have no problems streaming and receiving a decent internet Connection from within your house. TP-Link will be putting a lot of pressure on its competitors with their bang-for-your-buck routers.RecommendationI recommend this product to anyone who lives in a small house or an apartment who needs wireless internet and on a budget.

It’s been great so far. No, it’s not gigabit and no, it doesn’t support DD-WRT but I knew that going in. The dual band comes in handy in this wifi heavy apartment building and I’m pulling in 29 Mbps, the same speed I was getting with a Cat5 cable. Would I like to have a $150 Linksys AC router? Sure but for $40 this one can’t be beat.

UPDATE: After 5 months, this router became completely unreliable. Download speed would slow to a crawl and would require reboots — sometimes multiple times a day. I’ve read enough comments to know that TP-Link support will talk a good game about warranty and repair… but “talk” is where it ends. I decided not to pursue any remedy and instead purchased something different, the ASUS RT-AC68U.—–After MUCH searching and research, I chose the TL-WDR3500 to be the replacement for my 8-year-old Linksys WRT54GL. (That router had been rock-solid since 2008 and I was sorry to unplug it… but it could no longer translate to wireless, the speeds provided by my ISP.)Time Warner recently upgraded my connection to their 50/5 service and I wanted a router that could serve up every bit of speed I’m paying for. I’m pleased to say I’m getting that — and more — with this router. My Ethernet and WiFi connections pull down content at 60Mbps and I get an upload of 6Mbps. (YMMV when it comes to WiFi based on the structure of your home, distances covered, etc.) The modem I have it paired with is the SB6141 ARRIS SURFboard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem – Retail Packaging – White. It’s been a week and I’ve not had any down time or dropped signals. I’m very pleased with this combination.My logic for going with this N router instead of upgrading all the way to the new AC standard was: – I don’t currently have any devices that use AC… My tablets, laptops, and phone are all still on N. So… – Why pay more (twice as much!) for accessibility features I can’t benefit from now? – This modem handles my full available bandwidth just fine.It was very easy to get it configured… just run an Ethernet cable from your modem into the router, then another from the router to your computer. Open a browser and type “192.168.0.1.” (The default username/password is admin/admin; you can change that once you’re inside.) I tried out a variety of channels on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, but ultimately selected “Auto” to just let the router choose the best frequency. Set the SSID name… and you’re done! There are a bunch of other options — you can adjust the transmit power (low, medium, high), Set-up a guest network, QOS, lock-out some devices during certain hours, etc.On my WRT54GL I used the tomato firmware… I was worried I’d miss that on this router, but the TP-Link admin tools have been good enough that I’m not even going to bother with flashing a 3rd party firmware.