TP-LINK Announces Combo HomePlug AV2 / AC1200 Wi-Fi Extender

[Julio Urquidi]

The TP-LINK's TL-WPA8630 powerline kit is not only Homeplug AV2 compliant; it also includes built-in AC1200 wireless extender capabilities, a combination that could benefit homes having a hard time working with weak Wi-Fi signals.

The kit consists of two main parts. By plugging an Ethernet cable between a home router and the kit’s TL-PA8010P powerline adapter, homeowners can use their power wiring to connect to the kit’s TL-WPA8630 Wi-Fi adapter, and expand their network for up to 1000 feet. From there, customers can either connect their devices to the second adapter’s AC1200 Wi-Fi signal, or cable directly into one of the adapters’ three switched Gigabit Ethernet ports. Up to sixteen connected adapters are supported.

The TL-WPA8630 2x2 AC1200 class adapters support powerline link rates of up to 1200 Mbps, while its wireless link rates can go up to 300 Mbps at 2.4 GHz and 867 Mbps at 5 GHz.

The TL-PA8010P adapter includes an electrical pass-through outlet. Both adapters include one-touch 128-bit AES encryption, remote setup and management using TP-LINK’s tpPLC app, and auto syncing of Wi-Fi settings across the powerline network.

The TP-LINK TL-WPA8630 kit is now available for $129.99 MSRP, and will be available in Canada for $199.99 in September.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Been running this in my home network for over 3 months. Great range and speed. No drop connections or disconnects in the 3 months of use. Very solid product.

 

[sfx2000]

It's an interesting kit offering - the remote (WiFi/Ethernet) with the switch, will be useful for many.

Now if TP-Link can work with QC-Atheros to solve the dropout issues on the PLC side...

 

[Eldram]

I've been using the AV500 2-Port adapter for almost a year now and it has worked beautifully. However this looks like a really solid upgrade; the wi-fi extender would be really nice in some spots of my apartment. Question; does anyone know if I can use this with an adapter like this ?

 

[thiggins]

Question; does anyone know if I can use this with an adapter like this ?

Should be ok. It doesn't add that much distance between the original wall outlet and the new outlet.

 

[sfx2000]

Should be ok. It doesn't add that much distance between the original wall outlet and the new outlet.

The TP-Links with the pass-through, tend to be on the large side, and can interfere with a North American duplex outlet... so the pass-thru on the PA8010P is useful...

Wonder why they included that device rather than the PA8030P, as it's pretty much the same, but has 2 more switched ethernet ports which can be extremely handy.

My concern is that TP-Link doesn't seem to be taking serious action on the concerns voiced by a large minority of customers regarding the dropout issues that have been reported by many of their users that have purchased their AV1200 gear - it's decent enough, and fast, but for some, it's not as reliable as it could be, in my honest opinion.

The reliability concerns, which are well documented both here and on TP-Link's support forums, have not been adequately addressed, and as such, it impairs the brand, and customers' confidence in a TP-Link solution being able to meet their needs.

For me - TP-Link - fix the TL-PA-80*0P dropouts, until then, I'll be pretty hesitant to recommend TP-Link for any network solution.

 

[Eldram]

The TP-Links with the pass-through, tend to be on the large side, and can interfere with a North American duplex outlet... so the pass-thru on the PA8010P is useful...

Wonder why they included that device rather than the PA8030P, as it's pretty much the same, but has 2 more switched ethernet ports which can be extremely handy.

My concern is that TP-Link doesn't seem to be taking serious action on the concerns voiced by a large minority of customers regarding the dropout issues that have been reported by many of their users that have purchased their AV1200 gear - it's decent enough, and fast, but for some, it's not as reliable as it could be, in my honest opinion.

The reliability concerns, which are well documented both here and on TP-Link's support forums, have not been adequately addressed, and as such, it impairs the brand, and customers' confidence in a TP-Link solution being able to meet their needs.

For me - TP-Link - fix the TL-PA-80*0P dropouts, until then, I'll be pretty hesitant to recommend TP-Link for any network solution.

Wow, really? I own several TP Link products and I honestly have never encountered any issues with dropouts. I own the Archer C8 wireless router and the powerline adapters I mentioned above. Is it a specific product that is at fault?

 

[sfx2000]

Wow, really? I own several TP Link products and I honestly have never encountered any issues with dropouts. I own the Archer C8 wireless router and the powerline adapters I mentioned above. Is it a specific product that is at fault?

It's a commonly reported issue with their HomePlug AV adapters - not related to their other devices... it's not just here in the US, they have a popular kit in the UK, and they've been pretty vocal there as well - as many use the TP-Link kits to move AP's into a better location - apparently BT and fellows don't have much flexibility with locating their gateways relative to the rest of the house - and the Homeplugs, being layer 2 devices, allow folks to move things around...

If I had to be specific - it's their AV1200 line of powerline connectivity... which impacts this product announcement, as the PA8010P has this issue, just like the PA8030P kits...

Doing a google search, it's not just SNB or TP-Link's support forum - it's stack-exchange and Reddit subforums as well - I suppose I could do a dig on HackerNews, but suffice it to say, TP-Link seems to have a problem with customer perception here, and an outstanding issue they need to resolve - with QCA's help or not...

To be honest, I hate to bring this up in a product announcement thread - and hopefully, there's a TP-Link marketing person or product manager that can take this feedback/input back to engineering for a fix.

 

[Jest]

I have PA6010kit and PA6030kit on completely separate networks and both pairs have dropout issues.

 

[loekf]

To be honest, I hate to bring this up in a product announcement thread - and hopefully, there's a TP-Link marketing person or product manager that can take this feedback/input back to engineering for a fix.

I raised a few tickets with their customer support, but so far their reaction is "uh ? problems ?". I'm using the AV2000 TP-Link for a couple of days now and so far it's very stable. Only disappointed that the bitrate is similar to their AV1200 products. I've only seen higher speeds before the February firmware update of their PA8010P kit. That firmware:

1.Use the certified emission power.
2.Improve the stability and performance.

resulting in a drop of 20% bitrate (ethernet data, not link speed). My impression so far is that the AV2000 product performs the "same", but without dropouts.