TP-Link TL-WR841N v12 2.4 GHz router review, is it worth it?
The TP-Link TL-WR841N v12 (TL-WR841NV12) router released in 2016. It is powered by Qualcomm Atheros QCA9533 @ 560 MHz chipset, 32 MB of RAM and 4 MB of flash. The N300 router is compatible with IEEE 802.11b/g/n standards, and the maximum speed that you can get with TL-WR841N v12 is 300 Mbps. The router has 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN and 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN ports.
If you require more advanced features, faster speeds, or support for the latest wireless standards, you may want to consider higher-end routers in the TP-Link product lineup or other routers available on the market. TP-Link provides good customer support services through their website, which includes product documentation, FAQs, and downloads.
Table of contents:
TP-Link TL-WR841N v12 (TL-WR841NV12) specifications
| Brand | TP-Link |
|---|---|
| Name | TL-WR841N v12 |
| Type | TL-WR841NV12 |
| Rating | |
| Launch | 2016 |
Body
| Dimensions | 192 x 130 x 33 mm |
|---|
If you plan to move or travel frequently and need to take your router with you, the dimensions become important for portability. Smaller and more compact routers are generally easier to transport, while larger routers with external antennas or multiple ports may be bulkier and less convenient to carry.
System
| Chipset | Qualcomm Atheros QCA9533 @ 560 MHz |
|---|---|
| RAM | 32 MB |
| Flash | 4 MB |
| OS | TP-Link |
| Power supply | 9 V / 0.6 A |
The Qualcomm Atheros QCA9533 @ 560 MHz CPU provides processing power to handle various tasks and services within the TL-WR841N v12 router. The TL-WR841N v12 comes with 32 MB of RAM. The amount of RAM in a router can impact its performance and capacity to handle concurrent operations and traffic. Higher RAM capacity allows for better multitasking, larger routing tables, and improved overall performance.
The 4 MB flash memory in the router serves as the storage medium for the router's firmware. It is a non-volatile memory that retains its data even when power is removed from the device. The TP-Link often releases firmware updates to enhance the router's functionality, improve security, fix bugs, and add new features. Firmware updates can provide performance improvements, compatibility with new devices or protocols, and address vulnerabilities. The TP-Link packages the TL-WR841N v12 router with 9 V / 0.6 A PSU. A good PSU is an essential component of a computer or electronic device that converts electrical power from an outlet into the appropriate voltage and current required to power the internal components of the device.
Network
| Protocols | IPv4 IPv6 |
|---|---|
| LAN ports | 4 x 10/100 Mbps |
| WAN ports | 1 x 10/100 Mbps |
| Mobile network | no |
| VPN support | no |
Like many modern routers, the TL-WR841N v12 supports many network standards too. The IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses, represented as four sets of numbers separated by periods (e.g. 192.168.0.1). The TL-WR841N v12 router also supports IPv6 protocol, allowing you to utilize the latest version of the Internet Protocol. The LAN ports are physical connectors on a TL-WR841N v12 router that allow you to connect devices to your local network using Ethernet cables.
The WAN port on a router stands for "Wide Area Network" port. It is used to connect the router to the external network, typically provided by an internet service provider (ISP). The TL-WR841N v12 is equipped with Fast Ethernet WAN port, which have a maximum speed of 100 Mbps.
Wireless
| Antennas | 2 x 5 dBi fixed |
|---|---|
| 2.4 GHz | yes |
| 5 GHz | no |
| 60 GHz | no |
| Standards | IEEE 802.11b/g/n |
| Class | N300 |
| Speed | 300 Mbps |
| Transmit power | 20 dBm |
| Security | WEP WPA WPA2 WPS |
| Guest network | yes |
The 2 x 5 dBi, fixed antennas of TL-WR841N v12 influence the quality and stability of the Wi-Fi signal. A properly positioned and well-designed antenna can minimize interference and signal degradation, leading to a more reliable and stable connection. This router is 2.4 GHz compatible. The 2.4 GHz band is widely supported by a wide range of devices, including older devices that may not be compatible with the 5 GHz band.
The TL-WR841N v12 is a Wi-Fi 4 router, with slower data transfer speeds. This can result in slower downloads, video buffering, and reduced performance when multiple devices are connected. The N300 refers to the maximum combined data transfer rate supported by the router across all Wi-Fi bands. The TL-WR841N v12 is capable of a maximum throughput speed of 300 Mbps. The real-world speed of a TL-WR841N v12 router is typically lower than its theoretical maximum speed.
The TX power of TL-WR841N v12 can be adjusted by the user or set automatically by the router firmware. Higher TX power values indicate stronger signal transmission, which can result in a larger coverage area. The TL-WR841N v12 router offers several security protocols: WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPS. The WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) was the first security protocol for Wi-Fi networks but is now considered weak and easily compromised. It uses a static encryption key and has known vulnerabilities, so it is no longer recommended for securing Wi-Fi networks.
The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) was introduced as an improvement over WEP and provides stronger security. If WPA3 is not available, WPA2-Personal with AES encryption is still considered secure. The TL-WR841N v12 router offers WPS. The WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) provides a simplified and convenient method for connecting devices to a Wi-Fi network. Instead of manually entering the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and password, users can use the WPS feature to establish a connection with the push of a button or by entering a PIN. The TP-Link TL-WR841N v12 router is capable of creating a guest network. Guests connected to the guest network usually have limited access to network settings and configurations. They are typically restricted from accessing devices connected to the primary network, such as printers, network-attached storage (NAS), or other shared resources.
Connectivity
| USB ports | no |
|---|---|
| Print server | no |
| File server | no |
The TL-WR841N v12 router doesn't have file-server or print-server functionality.
Administration
| Default IP | 192.168.1.1 |
|---|---|
| Default username | admin |
| Default password | admin |
The default IP address of this router is 192.168.1.1. Explore the router's configuration interface to access more advanced settings such as port forwarding, DHCP settings, parental controls, firewall settings, and QoS (Quality of Service) settings. If you are unable to log in to the setup panel of your TP-Link router, performing a reset can be a helpful troubleshooting step. It is highly recommended to change the default password of your TL-WR841N v12 router after the initial setup. If you forget the new password in the future, you may need to perform a factory reset on the router to revert to the default settings.
The specifications above are based on the official data published by the manufacturer, but we also take user reviews into consideration. If you found an error or something lacking in the specifications above for the TP-Link TL-WR841N v12, then don’t hesite and signal the problem to us.
TP-Link TL-WR841N v12 (TL-WR841NV12) pictures
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