Solution iPhone iOS14 recognizing the range extender wireless network as "weak security"
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Problem phenomenon:
If you have since updated your iPhone you may see the range extender’s Wi-Fi shown as having weak security. This is due to the range extender supporting the mixed WPA/WPA2 (AES/TKIP) by default for compatibility purposes. The iPhone now recognizes WPA as a weak security type. This may also be the same with other security suites with a similar notification.
Why range extender network is displayed as “Weak Security”?
A range extender is essentially a device that connects to an existing Wi-Fi hotspot and repeats the signal, so generally, it will generate the wireless security of the host Wi-Fi hotspot. While the default wireless security of the TP-Link range extender itself was auto, it supports WPA2+AES, as well as older WPA+TKIP for compatibility with older devices. Even though your iOS device recognizes the range extender network as weak security, it connects to the network with the stronger WPA2+AES by default, so there won’t be any security concerns upon to this point.
Troubleshooting : What to do if IOS devices shows ' weak security'?
Steps 1
Make sure main router is on WPA2-PSK (AES) and IOS devices does not show' weak security' when connected to main router
Here is a related guide to check security type on router:
Why my iOS14 warning weak security when I connect to TP-Link Wi-Fi
Step 2
Confirm Range extender is on the latest firmware :
Download the latest firmware for range extender from tp-link Download Center or make sure firmware is up-to-date on TP-Link Tether APP.
(select hardware version first before download the corresponding latest firmware)
Step 3
Restore the range extender to the factory default settings and re-associate the host Wi-Fi through the web page Quick Setup Guidance is as below:
https://www.tp-link.com/support/faq/2485/
RESET: with RE powered on, use a pin to push the reset hole until all the LEDs flash once
Note: if you use Tether app to install Range extender, update Tether app in Google Play or APP store first before set up.
If the above does not fix the problem, please report back with some information to help locate the issue:
1. Model of router & a photo of the wireless security settings on router
2. firmware and hardware version of range extender, better to attach a photo showing weak security
3. do you use Web or Tether to set up the extender
Note:
If some of your devices cannot connect to the whole Wi-Fi network after these modifications, you may need to change the wireless security back.
Let the community know if you have any further inquiries, thanks a lot~
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Unable to Connect to WiFi Extender or Saying Incorrect Password
What should I do if Internet speed becomes slow via Range Extender?
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Hi, all!
Good news. The beta firmware to fix the weak security issue for RE450 v3 has been released:
https://static.tp-link.com/2020/202012/20201210/RE450_V3_201209.zip
Please feel to update here if there is any issue after the firmware update.
Thank you very much.
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@TP-Link Is there a firmware update for RE450 v2?
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@Solla-topee I have WPA2-AES set but my new RE650 is still giving the weak security warning when connected?
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thanks for the notification of the beta firmware for re450v3, I updated it last night successfully.
initially after update it was still showing weak security, and I had to factory reset and reconfigure back to my router which is using WPA2-PSK AES only.
After the reconfigure the security message has gone, finally.
excellent! Thanks.
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@Solla-topee Since I haven't seen that model mentioned in this thread (maybe because it's a Europe-only model?), the RE455 v1 (which according to the product list is a "new" model, and there's only a single firmware available for it, E455(EU)_V1_191209) also has this problem. The host router (an Archer C7 v2) is using AES, but the extended network is TKIP.
I hope this can be fixed in the future...
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TP-Link wrote
Hi, all!
Good news. The beta firmware to fix the weak security issue for RE450 v3 has been released:
https://static.tp-link.com/2020/202012/20201210/RE450_V3_201209.zip
Please feel to update here if there is any issue after the firmware update.
Thank you very much.
@TP-Link Thanks for sharing the beta firmware.
The firmware fixed the issue and now the extender is not using TKIP anymore, and the whole network is using AES. But the issue is that after a few hours, any devices connected to the extended network loses internet connectivity. I see something like the following:
I still can access the local network but I can't access the internet. Devices connected to the base network continue to work fine and the issue is only with the extender. The only way to fix this is to restart the extender. It's hard to figure out when this happens, sometimes happens in an hour after restart, sometimes it takes 8 hours so it is unreliable. Unless this is fixed, I can't really use the extender because I am getting dropped off from calls and video conferences, and for reliability I have to connect to the base network and that slows me down and defeats the purpose of buying this extender.
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I need firmware update for RE500 range extender as it's also suffering from weak security issue.
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TP-Link wrote
Hi, all!
Good news. The beta firmware to fix the weak security issue for RE450 v3 has been released:
https://static.tp-link.com/2020/202012/20201210/RE450_V3_201209.zip
Please feel to update here if there is any issue after the firmware update.
Thank you very much.
I have upgraded the firmware with beta version successfully. After few hours lost internet connection. After 1 day, ‘weak security’ appear again. Please help to fix the matter ASAP. Thank you.
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Hi,
Same issue here with RE450 V3.
The router advertises SSIDs with WPA2-PSK-CCMP (AES) only, the extender allows both WPA2-PSK-CCMP+TKIP. I understand the need for backward-compatibility, but the user should be given the possibility to choose, as this limitation makes CCMP support useless and represents a major security issue.
Waiting impatiently for a stable firmware update.
Another major security issue I noticed is the lack of HTTPS support for management through the WebUI. Any chances TP-Link can look into this for the next firmware update?
Regards
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Another security issue I see is the WPS PIN availability for client login, which cannot be turned off.
Why is this active at all? It can at least be disabled in Accespoint mode, but not in Extender mode!
And the pin is also nowhere, so is it also a bug?
If the client or AP isolation were selectable, we would slowly arrive at a reasonable device.
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