sandy wrote

No, it doesn't mean that.
First, when the wireless network is connected for the first time, the computer will automatically save the SSID and security setting as a profile. So no matter the wireless network is existing or not, the profile still remains on your computer, until you remove it.
Second, after you remove the profile, if the wireless network is existing, you will still see it in the wireless networks list on your computer, but not connected. If the wireless network is not existing, the SSID just disappear from the computer.
Third, profile is saved on your computer, while the wireless network is not existing. you can see the SSID on your computer, but the icon should be grey, and you can not connect to it.

johnrg wrote

I am in the UK.
I too have a TL-WR743ND acting as a "wireless client" to my wireless-n ADSL router which connects to the internet. I too am using the client to connect a Youview box and TV, to save long runs of ethernet cable.
I have other devices connected via wireless to the ADSL router, and they can also see the TPLink device which is supposed to be a wireless client and so should not be transmitting a SSID. How do I know its the TPlink? - because the default name seems to have the last 6 hex numbers of the MAC address - you just couldn't make it up.
Also, I know it's current because the signal strength is listed as "Excellent", it too shows as unsecured (even though the client link is actually WPA2-PSK password protected - so the client has connected in that fashion). I too cannot actually seem to connect - it cannot get an IP address, however in my view this SSID should not be transmitting in this mode of the 743ND - I dont want it advertising itself and I have no way of knowing if there are any "backdoors".

I also had a real problem getting it to all work properly. If you enable DHCP only some addresses - eg IP are given to the client, the device doesn't seem to pass on DNS addresses from the main ADSL router etc which means that the client attached to the 743 lan port cannot get to the internet with host names - only IP addresses.

This problem is solved completely by disabling the DHCP server on the 743, then the 743 LAN client gets an IP and DNS addresses all from the ADSL router perfectly (I have no idea if a second IP would be issued for any other client added to the LAN ports though!).

Other gripes - the logging is completely useless in client mode - it shows virtually nothing - and certainly nothing that helped in diagnosing the problems I have just mentioned. Now other devices I have use extensive logging, which enable a good chance of discovering what is really going on, this logging should be able to be improved a lot, very easily, I would have thought.

Oh and I am using the latest firmware as of this date.

Otherwise for it's price it's a knockout - but could be made MUCH better with a slight improvement in the manual and the logging!

eduardoo wrote

Good (or not so good) to see that someone is seeing the exact same thing as I do regarding the unnecessary SSID broadcast. I guess it is firmware issue that no one will care to solve and a possible solution may be to flash aftermarket firmware such as DD-WRT which enables you to turn off the broadcast.
As for the DHCP issue, I have it off from Day One and it is successfully passing on IPs from the router to the 4 devices attached to the 743. It is really a terrific value, considering that most items marketed as "wireless ethernet adapters" only has one port or cost a whole lot more. This glitch regarding SSID broadcast, however, is rather irritating as a not-too-tech-saavy person like me really would not know if there is a real security issue involved.

eduardoo wrote

Thanks.

The two routers are set under different IPs, i.e. 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.xxx. I don't see any SSID broadcast option for the TP Link when it is in client mode. Would you know where I should find it?

Thanks again.