My Review On The TP-Link RE605X AX1800 Wifi Range Extender
I recently bought the TP-Link RE605X which is a Wi-Fi 6 Range Extender and has a Built-In Access Point Mode. The advertised speed is 1201 Mbps for 5 Ghz and 574 Mbps for the 2.4 Ghz.
This would be used to extend my home Wi-Fi coverage from my existing TP-Link AX73 to other parts of the house experiencing Wi-Fi dead zone.
If you want to check out the TP-Link RE605X on your own…
>> Click Here To Check Out The TP-Link RE605X On Lazada
Other Alternatives
The other alternative that I had considered was the Ubiquiti U6-LR but current price is around $299 (on Shopee) and not within my immediate needs of its features and budget. So I guess the TP-Link RE605X is good for now.
Purchase, Delivery & Warranty
I bought the TP-Link RE605X during Lazada 10th Birthday Event. This Product was sold by Project KR (this shop profile seems to be owned by Lazada). Promo price was at $79 (+$1.49 Shipping Fee) and a total discount of $10.08 (Lazada Bonus – $6, Lazada Voucher – $2.59 & Delivery – $1.49) was applied so the final price that I paid was $70.41. I used Shopback as well so I received a cashback of $0.21.
The purchase was made on 27 March 2022 and item was delivered 29 March 2022 via Ninja Van. Pretty fast and item was well-wrapped and packaged.
Warranty wise. It comes with 3-Year Warranty. Nothing to register and you may need to contact them first and show a valid proof of purchase. You can read the details here.
My Setting Up Experience As A Range Extender
The setup was pretty straightforward using the step-by-step guide from the TP-Link Tether app. But it still took me a few tries before I got the settings that I wanted.
These are the few things to take note:
- This RE605X Range Extender supports OneMesh (indicated on the box) if your current Router is also from TP-Link and has this feature. Once you have activated it, there is no need to setup other SSIDs and it will use the current ones from the Main Router. So your devices will stay connected to the current network wherever you are at home.
- The Range Extender needs to be powered on and really be close to the Main Router in order to pick up the 5 Ghz SSID.
- You will need to set aside a pin to poke into the hole on top of the WPS button to do a hard reset if things are not setup correctly. Reset is pretty straightforward. Just poke once when it is powered on and a Red light will blink to indicate that the Range Extender is resetting. Then use the Tether App to add back the Range Extender and go through the steps again.
- To test if it is working well, go to the Wi-Fi Dead Zone area in your House and turn the Wi-Fi Mode off and on again on your device, e.g. your Mobile Phone.
Performance
The Tether App has a Location Assistant Feature so it could tell me if my Ranger Extender Location is suitable.
Performance Wise:
- No issue in maintaining the Network
- No Drop in Connection
- Can maintain the SSID from the Main Router
- In terms of Upload and Download Speed, since it is a Range Extender, the speed did decrease (I can’t feel the difference from my devices but testing it through the Wifiman App does indicate it – you can see the Speed from the Main Router versus the Range Extender).
My Setting Up Experience As An Access Point
The RE605X has this Built-In Access Point Mode which can be activated on the Tether App. Once this is activated, the App will reboot and the some extra setup is required.
These are the extra setup and additional items required:
- Pin is still required for hard reset if things are not setup correctly.
- Need two Ethernet Cables – one to connect the Range Extender to the Main Router during the initial setup so that an IP Address can be assigned. The other cable is to connect from this Box (usually located in the Utility Box) to the Main Router so that an internet connection can flow between the Data Point and the RE605X.
- You may need your House Floor Plan to determine which Data Point to activate in the Box in the Utility Box.
- The same SSIDs can still be used on the Access Point Mode.
- When Access Point Mode is on, the Wi-Fi LED light on the RE605X is off. This LED Light is on when it is a Range Extender.
- Likewise to test if it is working well, go to the Wi-Fi Dead Zone area in your House and turn the Wi-Fi Mode off and on again on your device, e.g. your Mobile Phone.
Performance
Overall performance was similar to the Range Extender.
Performance Wise:
- No issue in maintaining the Network
- No Drop in Connection
- Can maintain the SSID from the Main Router
- In terms of Upload and Download Speed, the Access Point Mode was able to behave rather similarly to the Main Router. I tested the Upload and Download Speed with the Wifiman App and I could get nearly the same performance as the Main Router for the RE605X.
Should You Get The TP-Link RE605X?
If you have a TP-Link Router that supports OneMesh and Wi-Fi 6 then the TP-Link RE605X is definitely a good companion to extend the Wi-Fi 6 coverage to the other parts of your house.
As for other brands of Wi-Fi 6 Routers, though it mentions that it works with any Wi-Fi Router, the setup experience may not be that straightforward. But at this current price point of below $100, it is still a good buy (other brands on Amazon SG are like advertising at above $100).
Setting up may still require additional equipment like a Pin, 2 Ethernet Cables of suitable length, your current House Floor Plan to understand the Data Points and a bit of understanding on how SSID works.
If you think you are ready to get the TP-Link RE605X…