Amazon.com: Customer reviews: TP-Link AV1300 Powerline WiFi Extender(TL-WPA8630 KIT)- Powerline Adapter with AC1350 Dual Band WiFi, Gigabit Port, 2X2 MIMO with Beamforming, Plug&Play, Power Saving, Ideal for Smart TV

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2019

As someone who is usually skeptical about trying things like running my network over a power line even though that's kind of how it runs through Ethernet.. I decided to give it a try.

What I wanted was to help the WiFi on the other side of my house while having a wired connection for my Fire TV 4k in the bedroom.

Did it work you ask? Does it help you ask? Yes. Yes it does. It was super easy to set up, and I didn't even have to 'Pair' it. It knew the other one was there once it got the network signal from my switch. They won't pair unless there is an active signal. Don't ask me how I found that out.

I've since added the 1000 ethernet only plug with this set, and again no pairing necessary. Picked right up, and works like a pro.

The app you can get from your respective phone's app store is pretty useful. It shows you the current data rate, and lets you rename the WiFi part if you want to match your SSIDs.

I will say the speed DOES dip at times (i honestly don't know why, but really don't care because I still get good speeds for what I'm using it for), but it has not once gone down to unacceptable levels, or died completely.

I have used it with Plex, and have had zero issues with streaming to the Fire stick as well. Between that, and my 100Mbps internet - I'm pleased.

10/10 would buy again.

Helpful

Blake Brunner

Works better than expected, but don’t expect full speed internet.

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2020

Verified Purchase

First off, If you buy this expecting to get the full speed of your home internet connection, think again. The only way to get that is to be directly wired into your internet modem. Anything else will usually slow it down. Also, if you have multiple circuits in your home (that is, more than one breaker panel box), make sure that both outlets you use are in the same breaker panel, otherwise you will most likely have issues with this working. These devices cannot jump circuits all that well.

I didn’t expect this, or any power line based internet device to work very well from reviews I’ve read from many users of different models of this product, especially in an older apartment building. Almost immediately, my expectations were blown. Fairly easy to set up, taking only a few short minutes, and everything works amazingly. Setting up the WiFi connection takes a few, and has to be done through TP-Link’s own “tpPLC” app, but when it’s up and running, there are no issues at all. I get about 60-70% of my internet speed using Ethernet, and about the same with WiFi. Being that this is literally taking your internet and sending it through the power lines in your home, this is much better than I expected. I haven’t had any outages with this, and when devices are connected via WiFi, my signal remains strong and constant. This is incredibly great for larger homes or homes with impenetrable walls by WiFi, and actually works better than a standard WiFi repeater because it isn’t just picking up an already weakened signal and sending it out with further loss.

One person found this helpful

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Lumbergoffice

This works well for a non techie

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2021

Verified Purchase

This works really well in my home. It’s 2 floors, built in the 1930, but very long, so our wi-fi wouldn’t reach the back rooms fully and had dead zones. I like that this was very easy to set up with my router. Once I plugged the extender into one our bedrooms, no more struggling wifi and low video streaming quality. We have two gamers and we have been able to play on two systems plus stream video and perform work on laptops with no issues in the back rooms.
My only reason for the 4 star is they do not sell an extra extender. Our new basement gameroom needs another extender as gaming cuts out until I moved the extender down there, but now our bedrooms are having poor streaming, but it appears the manufacturer does not sell them outside of the full kit.
So i’ll get this kit and see if I can pair it to my base, or have to set it up like my first one.

One person found this helpful

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Paul O

TP-LINK AV1300 TL-WPA8630 KIT

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

TP-LINK AV1300 TL-WPA8630 KIT V2

*** I see my review is posted (by Amazon) under the wrong product ***

Warning: Beware whom you purchase from. Go to TP-Link's website to ensure you will have warranty coverage if you purchase from that seller. Amazon might warehouse the product but not be the seller.

The situation:

2,000+ sq ft, 2 story home that is 38' wide with 3 Mbps DSL (sigh... that's all that's available here that works). DSL comes in on 1st floor at far end of house (house came that way). Poor wifi signal on 2nd story at opposite end of house or even nearly right above router on 2nd floor.

Purchased this product to expand wifi signal to entire house. placed extender piece on 2nd story at farthest point from router.

The install:

Using Wifi Analyzer app from Kevin Yuan immediately before install, 2.4 Ghz signal measured at 77-78 dBm. There was no 5 Ghz signal because the router doesn't support it.

Kit came wrapped in shrink wrap, so i feel confident it was new and not an open box. It can use the lower electrical outlet leaving the upper electrical outlet for 3 prong use (yes, I tested it and it works). See outlet problem found later on below.

Tips - Ensure you have clear los (line of sight) when pairing. Copy/clone wifi credentials before moving extender to desired location. My first attempt to clone did not work, so I will manually edit the TP-Link.

Using Wifi Analyzer app again from the same spot immediately after install, 2.4 Ghz signal measured at 34-35 dBm. There there is now a 5 Ghz signal measuring 52-53 dBm.

In trying to use the web interface to fix the cloning that didn't work, I found the passwords had been cloned just not the SSIDs. Then it said it cannot connect. So then I installed the utility. I found the cloned password didn't work here. I was able to use the utility to successfully make the changes. Retesting the signal strength, I got the same results.

Having problems. The app shows there are two 2.4 Ghz signals (one from the router and a second from the TP-Link) with the same SSID but different channels. So far I have not found a place to control the TP-Link's channels (in the utility). I contacted tech support. Support responded back quickly (in less than 24h). Support apparently thinks you can change the channel in the utility. I don't see it, so I hope they fix that. So support has not been able to resolve my issue yet. MY SOLUTION: Hope at least one of your SSIDs has not been cloned. Lucky for me my new 5 Ghz signal meets that requirement. Then you can use TP-Link's web-based interface (this time the password had not been cloned) to change the channel from auto (wasn't doing a good job as it selected the ONLY other channel being used by a neighbor!) to a better channel using the app.

Another tip: Change default credentials on web interface for security.

The web interface vs the utility... The web interface has more features. One feature I only see in the utility is the ability to prioritize traffic.

Another problem. I can't plug an outlet surge protector strip into the upper plug. All my outlet surge protector strips have flat, angled plug heads. This type plug head will NOT fit in the upper outlet with this model TP-Link. A NEMA 5-15P Straight Blade connection is all that I have found will work. I am looking for options, and will update later on my findings. Having a very difficult time finding the outlet plug I need on a >=2,000 joule surge protector, so now I'm looking for the "P" product. Not having luck find the P model. Making me think a model lines change is coming. Will look at the 9610P (kit) model next. Well, there isn't a P (passthrough model). It seems an extension cord or splitter would be a fire hazard, so that's not going to work. MY SOLUTION: Looks like it is going to be to use another product instead. I'm testing Ubiquiti's Amplifi MeshPoint HD AFi-P-HD. It resolves my outlet problem in that you can use the lower electrical outlet with any plug type. So far it also performs better. Stay tuned.

On TP-Link ping is better and download speed is slightly better than router.

So far, I'm experiencing an awesome signal and having a perfect streaming experience. Before using the TP-Link product, my signal was weak, so when streaming the picture was bad, froze, etc. Streaming was impossible at times.

More coming as I finish the install and see how things go over several days. So far I am VERY excited at the results.

7 people found this helpful

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TN

Adding 2nd extender to boost wifi signal on 2nd floor

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2019

Verified Purchase

I already have one extender and I am happy with its reliability and speed, but the 5GHz signal is weak on the 2nd floor.
I have been wishing to add an extender on the 2nd floor to take full advantage of the 5GHz wifi.
I couldn't justify paying $120 for another kit (base + extender) and then leave the base unused.
But when AMZ dropped the price of the kit to $90, I jumped in and bought the kit.
Now my 2nd floor has strong 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
The 2nd floor probably is on a different circuit than the base (located on the 1st floor) because the 2nd floor extender is only getting 85-90% the speed of the 1st floor extender.
First floor would have 140 mbps and 2nd floor would have 120 mbps on 5GHz wifi signal.
Despite the slightly lower speed on the 2nd floor, the additional extender eliminates the buffering when I stream Netflix on the 2nd floor TVs.

Bottom line, I am happy it only costs $90 to solve the wifi problem at my house.

UPDATE:

I just want to describe my experience of adding the new extender to an existing network at my home.
The process was quite simple and very similar to the way I set up the 1st extender ( back in Dec 2016).
1) Plug new extender into an electric outlet near the 1st extender.
2) Press pair button on 1st extender. Some light turns orange briefly and then back to green.
3) Press pair button on the new extender. One of the light turns orange and blinking.
4) After about 30 seconds, orange light turns green. Then the other 2 lights turn green.
The new extender has connected to the internet.
5) Use the app on my mobile phone to open the web browser to configure the new extender.
- Change admin password.
- Change new extender's SSID and wifi passwords to match the 1st extender.

The whole process ( step 1-5) takes 5 minutes.

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Kindle Customer

REVISED: Poor wifi security, much slower than claimed wired througput...

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2020

Verified Purchase

UPDATE: The TP-LINK utility is lacking the options to disabled SSID broadcast. For me, the web browser interface failed. So I had to use TP-LINK to configure the units. I have since been able to find the IP address of the unit and use the web interface. The web interface has the options for security and disabling SSID broadcast. Therefore, the WIFI works fine. The wired speed remains slow. Varying between 200Mbs and 250. So, not great for gaming, but acceptable for basic network needs. I have not tested it with video yet.

I have them installed and they are good enough not to send them back, but they are lacking.

The throughput is actually closer to 235Mbps.

There is no option to disable broadcasting the WIFI SSID, a fundamental security requirement for use of secure WIFI services. There are no WIFI encryption options in the setup. The only options are to enable/disable the radios, an SSID field and a password. It is trivial to break into a WIFI network without encryption and not all that difficult to break into one that broadcasts the SSID even with security. So, the WIFI features of this unit is basically useless unless one wishes to open their network to anyone nearby.

Summary, slower than claimed wired network performance. Though it does seem stable and works okay, if slowly. I would not bother using this at all in a gaming configuration.

The WIFI is NOT secure. If you don't care who logs onto your network, it seems fine. If you do, the WIFI radios need to be disabled.

Helpful

J

I really wanted this to work.

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

Now that more people are working from home I wanted to eliminate the last corner of slow wifi in my house especially latency. I have gigabit fiber and a nighthawk x12. My router is in the back of my house and I need something in the front to cover that space, but also for a consistent connection to my Ring door bell and August smart lock. My real issue is intermittent connection from an extender I have. I really wanted a reliable connection with a powerline extender. I tried moving the receiver to different outlets but I was only able to get 1.5 Mbps. My home was built in 2006 and I connected the units directly to an outlet and the outlets were less then 100 feet. The software is great and connection was easy. This might be a better solution for and upstairs downstairs situation and less suitable from back of the house to front of the house. For any one looking for a solution I found that I could configure my netgear extender that only has two bands, a 2.4Gz and a 5Gz and use my 5Gz as a dedicated connection to my router and the 2.4Gz to service my clients. This is not as fast since I use my 5Gz as a direct connection, but I can support more clients with a consistent connection and for my video doorbell this makes a big difference.

2 people found this helpful

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Shawn Vezzani

They work! Period!

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2017

Verified Purchase

These things work better than anything that I've ever used. I have a tri level home with the main router on the lower floor. We have a computer, laptop, and two smart tv's on the upper floor, and all of them were suffering from a medium to low wifi signal all of the time. Keep in mind that my house was built in the mid 1970's, so it's basically a faraday cage, with brick, metal and just about everything that's not friendly to getting a strong signal. I've setup repeaters in the past which work pretty good, but they are more trouble than they are worth to setup. As soon as I plugged these guys into the wall outlets, and set them up, I immediately saw my wifi bars go from two or three, to five on every device that I had in my house. I can stream video and have yet to have one buffer or stall, and the speeds are exactly the same as they are right next to my main router. Setup was easy, and the units have been running 24/7 with no problems whatsoever. I have yet to find one drawback or complaint from using these units and that's a rarity today with just about anything that you buy. I'd recommend this product all day long to anyone looking for an inexpensive, workable solution to getting a solid wifi signal, to an area that's impossible to do with a wireless router alone!
Please note: I did not receive this product for free, or in exchange for a review. Product was paid for in full by me, and the results mentioned above were in no way influenced by TP-Link or any other third party.

295 people found this helpful

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Mary Lloyd

Problem solved

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2023

Verified Purchase

TL-WPA8630 stopped communicating. Carlo was very helpful in diagnosing and solving the problem. Installed in May 2020 - this is the only problem I have had since initial installation.

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Kimberly Sanders

Works great on my 700 foot crazy extension cord

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2019

Verified Purchase

I'm very happy and surprised at the results. I'm off grid using a Schneider 4000 watt inverter. I got 20 Mbps up and 22 Mbps down while doing the internet speed test at the end of my 700 + foot extension cord assembly.
Streaming HD video on my smart TV while I did the speed test using the Wi-Fi on my phone didn't even lower the speed test results. Connecting to the 5G Wi-Fi was a little faster and more stable then when I connected to the older frequency. Most of the cords I used we're not even twisted to help cancel out radio interference and the extension cords have hot and neutral only. They only have two wires so There's no ground. I know some units like this actually do utilize the ground pin and so I wonder if my speeds would improve if I had a ground as well. My Extension cords are old and the ends are melted and the connections are dirty and corroded. My speed test at 200 feet maxed out my systems ability at 30mbps. I have it plugged into some old school power strips that don't have any real circuitry and I had tested a few box fans & tv between the units and it didn't affect the results. I'd like to try a file transfer within the network and see how fast it goes but considering the internet speed is degraded I assume that's the real max speed even for in network file transfers with my long cord. I like that this version has three CAT5 connections as well as dual Wi-Fi frequencies so I can hardwire things in the cabin. I do wish it would pass AC power through the face like some of their models do so I could plug something directly into it because it takes up a lot of space on the power strip. I'm so happy to have usable internet and even be on the same network at the cabin in the back of my property.

One person found this helpful

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