TP-Link RE505X
Not a huge upgrade to an existing Wi-Fi 6 setup, but a good way to increase your reach to a distant not spot
nyone looking to flood their home or office in Wi-Fi has never had so much choice. A single Wi-Fi 6 router will suffice for many, while there are excellent mesh systems (in Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 varieties) where it doesn’t. What’s more, if you just need to stretch your network to a distant back bedroom, an endless stream of wireless extenders are on hand.
The TP-Link RE505X is a little different. Not only is it one of the first wireless extenders to support Wi-Fi 6, but when used with one of TP-Link’s OneMesh routers – such as the Archer AX50 ( see issue 318, p91)
– it can work as part of that mesh system, spreading seamless connectivity anywhere around the home. Just note that OneMesh isn’t interoperable with TP-Link’s Deco lineup of mesh routers and extenders.
The RE505X is a dual-antenna, dual-band extender, supporting speeds of up to 300Mbits/sec over 801.11n on the 2.4GHz band, and up to 1,200Mbits/sec over Wi-Fi 6 on the 5GHz band. It will also work with older 802.11n and 802.11ac kit, but we suggest you upgrade your router first as this may solve your woes.
Its design is simple. The unit plugs into the wall and offers four LED indicators: a power light that blinks green during startup then glows blue once the extender is up and running; a signal LED; and two for 2.4GHz and 5GHz connectivity. The signal LED is the most important as you can use it to gauge the best socket in which to use the RE505X. When it glows solid blue, you know you have a good connection to the router, while a red glow means your connection is shaky. If there’s no glow at all, you’re out of range.
Also note the RE505X’s single Gigabit Ethernet port, meaning it will double up as a wireless access point if you want to connect a desktop PC, smart TV, NAS or games console that way.
I set up the RE505X with a TP-Link AX90 router using TP-Link’s Tether app. You just plug the extender into a socket near the router, run the app’s Add Device wizard, connect to the extender’s default Wi-Fi network, then select the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks you want to extend. Leave the app for a minute or so to do its thing then unplug the extender and plug it in as near as you can to wherever it is that you’re trying to stretch your connection to. It’s worth trying a couple of different locations to get the best balance of signal strength and connection speed.
One of the biggest issues in testing the RE505X with the AX90 router is that the latter is already quite effective at spreading Wi-Fi around the house. To give you some idea, my normal setup based around TP-Link’s Deco M5 mesh system struggles in the further reaches and upper floor of our detached house. Transferring files to and from a NAS attached to the main unit, I get downstream speeds of 13MB/sec in the kitchen/diner on the opposite side of the ground floor and upstream speeds of 10MB/sec. In the office upstairs, those speeds switch to 13MB/sec and 14MB/sec.
With the mesh system unplugged and the AX90 up and running, the speeds in the kitchen/diner rose immediately to 55MB/sec and 17MB/sec, while the speeds in the upstairs office hit 44MB/sec and 20MB/sec. That’s easily enough for copying large files across the network, let alone spreading internet connectivity to every room.
Yet the RE505X still manages to add extra value. While speeds in the kitchen proved a little slower than when connected directly to the AX90, at 37MB/sec and 13MB/sec, those in the upstairs bedroom boosted to 51MB/sec and 32MB/sec. If you need to increase your connection speeds in a specific area of your house, the RE505X might well help.
The other advantage over rival extenders is that, with a OneMesh router such as the AX90, you get hassle-free, seamless connectivity no matter which device you’re connected to, with no need to manually switch connections as you move between rooms.
What’s more, there was low enough latency for me to stream games from the desktop PC in the upstairs office to the relatively weedy business laptop I use in the kitchen/diner be low. Barring some sporad ic macro blocking and a couple of jerky moment s early on, I was comfortabl y able to go rally racing in Dirt 5 and explore Ancient
Greece in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
This has never been an option with my previous mesh setup, and even the AX90 couldn’t handle it alone. Mind you, it helps that the laptop and desktop were kitted out with Wi-Fi 6.
Buying the RE505X isn’t a clearcut decision. In some homes, a Wi-Fi 6 router is going to be enough for most applications, while in others a Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 mesh setup will be a better investment, particularly as you can grow it later. What it provides is an easy way to shovel fast Wi-Fi into a remote corner of the house and at £60 it’s affordable.
“If you need to increase your connection speeds in a specific area of your house, the TP-Link RE505X might well help”