TP-LINK TL-WR740N as a Repeater? No Thank You!

Routing to the Right Router

So, I was in the market to buy a wallet-friendly router and after searching for this on Flipkart, it became evidently clear that the TP-LINK TL-WR740N would do nicely. The ratings for the router are high along with a bunch of rave reviews. See here. At under ₹900 (~$15 USD), it's a real steal. So I went ahead and bought it.

Reaping the Rewards of Repeating

I was extremely satisfied with the TP-LINK TL-WR740Nas a router. Set up using the web interface was a breeze and I was up and going in just a couple minutes. Exactly what I wanted.

However, the range on the router is not the greatest and it didn't cover all the area it needed to. So, I got onto Flipkart and started looking for a wireless repeater to boost the signal. I did come across the Netgear WN3000RP Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender but after paying ₹900 for the TP-LINK TL-WR740N, the Netgear price tag looked a bit steep at ₹2,750 (~$46 USD). 

So, I wondered if the TP-LINK TL-WR740N could be used a a repeater and found this reply on StackExchange. Though the first answer clearly states that this is not possible, the others seem to imply otherwise. Believing them, I went ahead and bought another TP-LINK TL-WR740N - after making sure that it was DD-WRT compatible - again based on the reviews from Flipkart.

"Brick"bats Not Bouquets

I was super excited when the second router reached my doorstep. I was going to be able to create a nice WiFi zone at a budget price. But what followed next was a nightmare.

First, I followed the instructions in the video here. They seemed straightforward enough. What I didn't notice in my excitement is that the video has more thumbs down than it does thumbs up. Anyway, the setup went well and everything seemed dandy - the second router was working nicely as a repeater.

However, after some time, it failed. The WiFi network was visible but there was no internet connectivity. I tried extending the lease time and this worked well temporarily. I scoured the web looking for a more permanent solution, but without luck. Then, it occurred to me to explore the DD-WRT route.

I routinely tinker with the OS on my phone. So, I was not daunted with the prospect of loading the router with custom firmware. I was able to successfully flash the router using the video here. It was clear and there was a way to revert back to the stock firmware too in case things didn't go well.

Long story short, even after flashing the router with DD-WRT, the repeater failed to work well. After jumping through some more hoops, I was able to get the router back to stock. And then I started looking for other solutions. There are tons of these threads and every now and then there appears to be a promise that the device can function as a repeater, so it egged me on. 

Finally, I ended up with Gargoyle another custom firmware that seemed to have magically transformed the TP-LINK TL-WR740N into a repeater. I flashed it and tried it but in vain. I was quite exhausted with all of this and chose the wrong file while updating firmware. That ended up bricking my router.

The worst had just happened for real...

 

Unbricking and a Realization 

 

All my excitement had faded away and I was already exhausted but the fact that I'd just bricked my new router gave me the energy to try to unbrick it. I got the right cables as described here and though I gave it my best shot, it was just not working. I was spending more time and more energy and getting nowhere - except perhaps to Frustrationland. Admittedly, this would be a good project if I were a student looking for something interesting to do but all I wanted was the (damn) repeater to work and be on my way.

A Universal Solution

 So, after thinking about this, I looked for a solution on Flipkart and, not surprisingly, I stumbled once again on the strong reviews and ratings for the Netgear WN3000RP Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender. Surprise, surprise, this time the price didn't faze me and I bought it. And It worked like a charm. It was so easy to set up. See here. And it's been working wonderfully well for several months now. The signal never drops and it covers a really wide area.

Conclusion

So, in summary this is what I learned the real hard and painful way: 

The TP-LINK TL-WR740N is a great router. The TP-LINK TL-WR740N is not a repeater. Do not expect it to magically turn into one. 

If you're in the market to look for a solution that creates a decently large WiFi zone, get the TP-LINK TL-WR740N and use it as a router and buy the WN3000RP Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender as a repeater. Please save yourself the hassle, money and time. This is a simple and elegant solution that works very well.