@tcladin 

Solving Access Control Issues on TP-Link TL-WR841N (v14)

I needed a way to limit Wi-Fi access for my children to specific hours, but my ISP-provided router only supports up to eight devices, which is far too few for a modern household. To solve this, I purchased a TP-Link TL-WR841N from Aukro.cz and updated the firmware.

• Firmware version: 0.9.1 4.19 v0001.0 Build 250328 Rel.49245n

• Hardware version: TL-WR841N v14 00000014

However, I encountered a problem with Access Control rules. The rules worked on PCs connected via Wi-Fi but not on mobile devices. Phones would connect to Wi-Fi but display “No Internet Access”.

Solution:

After testing various configurations, I discovered that the issue was related to the direction of the Access Control rule.

My previous settings:

• Direction set to IN ❌ (did not work for me)

The correct configuration:

• Direction set to OUT ✅

Also check:

1. Use MAC address filtering for mobile devices

   • Some mobile phones use randomized (private) MAC addresses, so I needed to ensure that the actual MAC was used in Access Control settings.

2. Verify MAC addresses in Wireless Statistics

   • In the router settings, Wireless Statistics showed the MAC addresses of connected devices, allowing me to confirm the correct addresses for filtering.

Access Control Settings:

Internet Access Control: ✅ ENABLED
Default Filtering Rules:

• ✅ Deny packets not specified by any filtering rules (i.e., all traffic is blocked unless explicitly allowed).

Active Rule:

Rule_1 edit:

After making these changes, Access Control started working correctly on all devices, including mobile phones. 📶

Additional Tips:

If you have a similar issue, I recommend:

• Checking whether mobile devices use randomized MAC addresses in Wi-Fi settings.

• Verifying MAC addresses under Wireless Statistics before setting up Access Control rules.

Hope this helps someone else facing the same problem! Feel free to ask questions or share your experience. 😊

  @tcladin 

How to Enable Access to a Router Connected Within the Internal Network from LAN

Recently, I faced an issue with accessing my second TP-Link TL-WR841N router, which is connected inside the LAN behind the main optical router. While Wi-Fi connections worked fine, I couldn't reach the router from other parts of the network.

Solution:

1. Find the Router's IP Address in the Network ✅

   • Using the command arp -a or checking the DHCP Client List on the main router, I found that TL-WR841N was assigned 192.168.1.26.

2. Enable Ping from WAN ✅

   • Initially, I couldn't ping the router, but after enabling ping from WAN in the settings, access began working properly.

3. Verify MAC Addresses in Wireless Statistics ✅

   • In the router settings, checking Wireless Statistics helped confirm connected devices and MAC addresses for proper configuration.

4. Access the Router’s Admin Interface ✅

   • After identifying the correct IP, I successfully accessed TL-WR841N’s settings through http://192.168.1.26.

   • It was important to ensure TL-WR841N had the correct default gateway set to the main router (192.168.1.1).

5. Direct LAN Connection for Testing ✅

   • If access was still restricted, connecting directly via cable to TL-WR841N allowed me to confirm the settings were correct.

After making these adjustments, the TL-WR841N router became fully accessible from the LAN network, allowing management and configuration without issues.

Additional Tips:

• Use arp -a or Wireless Statistics to check connected devices.

• Ensure your router’s IP settings are correct to avoid connectivity issues.

• If connection problems persist, try a direct cable connection to diagnose the issue.

primary (optical) router settings
 

DHCP static

secondary (TR-W841N) router